UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's lacrosse team will travel to Hartwick College for a key Empire 8 showdown on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Pioneers and Hawks are current in a four way tie with Nazareth and St. John Fisher for third place in the Empire 8.  The top four teams earn a spot in the E8 Tournament, meaning Wednesday's tilt will undoubtedly have playoff implications.
 
100 Goal Club: Senior Ryan Desveaux (Bowmanville, ONT/St. Stephen Catholic) netted six goals on Saturday at St. John Fisher and became the fourth player in program history to join the 100 goal club. His 40 goals this season are now tied for seventh on the College's all-time single season list.  He enters Wednesday's game against Hartwick with 104 career goals and 128 career points (both fourth on the College's all-time list). For his efforts last week he was named the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week and he also garnered USILA National Team of the Week honors.
 
Down the Stretch We Come: Utica has won three of its last five games and enters Wednesday's matchup with a 6-6 overall record. Utica has three games left in the regular season against Hatwick, Nazareth and Alfred.  Three victories would go a long way in helping the Pioneers secure their second Empire 8 Tournament berth in program-history. The last time UC made an appearance in the conference tournament was back in 2013.
 
Offensive Attack: UC currently ranks fourth in the Empire 8 averaging 10.17 goals per game and second in the E8 with a .358 shot on goal percentage. Senior Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew) is second on the team with 34 points and is tied for first with 14 assists. He has scored at least one point per game this season and had a season high five points against St. John Fisher (04/14/18).
 
Between The Pipes: Freshmen goalie Ryan Boshart (Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) has emerged as the Pioneers starting goalie and currently boasts a record of 4-2. He has allowed 56 goals on 222 shots faced and is leading the team with a .591 save percentage. Junior Harrison Bower (Northport, NY/Kings Park) leads the team with 10 games played for a total 379:04 minutes in net. Bower is fifth in the Empire 8 with an average of 8.80 saves per game and sits ninth in program history with 132 career saves.
 
Lock Down Defenders: Utica freshman Nick Alexander (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) is having an outstanding rookie season and leads the team with 51 ground balls.  He also ranks second on the team with 16 caused turnovers. Matt Fedullo (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) leads UC with 23 caused turnovers and he also has 22 ground balls.

Break Out Season: Junior Tyler Giachinta (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) is having a breakout season and has been a fixture in the box score all season long.  He has three goals and four assists on the offensive end.  He has also contributed on the opposite end of the field and ranks third with 29 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers.

Adding Offensive Depth: Utica's Jake Bratek (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) and John Hanlon (Coconut Creek, FL/St. John Paul Academy) have provided solid offensive depth for the Pioneers this season. Bratek ranks third on the team with 17 goals and 11 assists for 28 total points. Hanlon, a junior from Florida, is having his best offensive season to date and is tied for the team lead with 14 assists. His 23 total points are a new career-high.
 
Freshman Sensation: Utica's Dylan Dunham (Elbridge, NY/Jordan Elbridge) is the Pioneers top rookie scorer with 20 points on 12 goals and eight assists this season. He registered a career-high five points (two goals, three assists) in the Pioneers 15-11 win over SUNY polytechnic last week.
 
Scouting Hartwick: The Hawks are currently 6-3 overall and are tied for third in the Empire 8 with a 2-2 conference record. Hartwick is coming off a loss to nationally-ranked No. 14 Stevens, 11-5 (04/14/18). The Hawks will look to continue their dominance at home on Wednesday as they are currently unbeaten with a record of 5-0 at Wright Stadium this season.
 
Next Time Out: The Pioneers will take on Nazareth College Saturday, April 21^st at 1 p.m.