GREEN’S OT WINNER ENDS ‘GAME OF THE YEAR’

Colt Green's overtime goal capped off a late comeback to propel the Hawkeyes to a 14-13 win over the Buffaloes Thursday night. With the victory, the Hawkeyes ended the regular season with a perfect 7-0 record, while the second-place Buffaloes fell to 5-2.

"It was surreal, just put a cap on the great regular season we had," said Green. "It was a great play by Nate Senez, who drew the two slides and dished it back to me for the outside finish. Our team didn't get deterred. Instead, we put our heads down and ground it out. That's what we pride ourselves on as an offense and a team. Trust one another and get the job done."

Green finished the game with two goals and three assists. Senez led the way with nine points (1+8), and Zachary Terry scored five goals and chipped in two assists. Terry forced overtime with a penalty shot goal with 1:08 to play in the contest. He also picked up an assist on the game-winning goal.

"It was great to win in a very competitive game, showing us what we have to work on and definitely what we can improve on," said Terry. Getting the job done is what matters. We just have to keep going forward, growing as a team, and getting better every time we're together."

With the road win, the Hawkeyes clinched their third straight regular-season title. The game between the Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League's top teams was a potential Mearns Cup Finals preview. 

Thursday's matchup was deemed the "Game of the Year" as the contest featured nine times. The Rochester team held the biggest leads of the night, pulling ahead by three in the first and second half, but the recharged Buffaloes would not go away. 

The Buffaloes went to work on offense and evened the game both times. The Buffaloes were powered on offense by Jason Chiodo (5+1) and Dylan Snow (3+2). It was Chiodo who led the Buffaloes' second-half comeback. With his team trailing 10-7, Chiodo scored three straight goals to tie the contest at 10 early in the fourth quarter. Ryan McGorry followed with a power-play goal at 9:57 to give the Buffalo team the lead.

The remainder went back and forth, with the Buffaloes pulling ahead 13-12 with 2:56 to play in the game. The Hawkeyes, however, forced the game's final tie as Terry scored on a penalty shot after the Buffaloes were called for too many men in the final two minutes.

The Buffaloes also had a penalty shot, but John Jacobs stopped Chiodo’s short side shot at the 4:09 mark of overtime. Jacobs finished the game with 24 saves. That set the stage for Green's game-winner, with 3:26 to play in OT. With Senez drawing two defenders, he scored on a bounce shot from the right-wing side. Terry also assisted on the goal.

Terry picked up his first points in the game in the first quarter as he scored his team's first three goals to stake the Hawkeyes to a 3-2 lead. That lead ballooned to 5-2 before the Buffaloes evened the game at five on a goal by Snow at 8:14 of the second. The Hawkeyes pulled in front twice by a single goal, but the Buffaloes tied it each time. At halftime, the teams were knotted up at seven.

"It wasn't pretty, but the boys found a way to pull one out," said Coates. "I think it was an intense game, something we know we'll see down the stretch here. We're proud of how the boys have battled all season, but now the real season starts."

The teams could meet again next week in the Mearns Cup Playoffs. The Hawkeyes host the Rapids at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 1, at 6:00 p.m. at The Classic Rink, while the Buffaloes battle the Armory at 8:00 p.m. The semifinal winners will advance to the winner-take-all Finals on Friday, August 2, at 6:00 p.m.