FINAL SCORE: No. 16 Vermont 11, Hartford 7
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – A career-high six goals from Ian MacKay pushed the 16th-ranked Catamounts over the Hartford Hawks 11-7 Saturday afternoon in West Hartford, Connecticut.
 
UVM improves to 9-1 for the first time in program history and 2-1 in America East play. Hartford falls to 3-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
 
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"MacKay was an absolute warrior out there today," head coach Chris Feifs said. "He made plays all over the field and led his team to a tough conference win. I am really proud of him, and I am really pleased that we were able to set a new benchmark for the program. Being 9-1 is a true testament to the hard work and dedication that this group of men brings to practice every day."
 
Justin Huggins and Ian MacKay each scored on their team's first shot of the game in the opening minutes of the first quarter. Huggins scored off an assist from Alex Smith 1:55 into the quarter while MacKay scored off a Rob Hudson assist 3:28 into the game.
 
Neither team managed a shot on goal in the next 9:49 of game with Vermont and Hartford combining for eight turnovers. HU's Alex Smith broke the offensive drought with a highlight reel goal off a pass from Griffin Feiner with 41 seconds remaining. 
 
The opening quarter ended with Hartford holding a 2-1 edge in a defensive-oriented quarter. The Hawks held a 4-2 advantage in shots, with Nick Washuta making the lone save of the quarter.
 
MacKay drew a short-stick defender early in the second quarter and tied the game at 2-2 just 1:16 into the frame.
 
The teams settled into the quarter defensively and neither team found the back of the net until Rion Davison put the Hawks back on top with 7:49 remaining in the half. 
 
Liam Limoges evened the score at 3-3 with 5:00 remaining in the half. He moved to the front of the net from the end line and fired a shot past Vanderford on the turnaround.
 
Dawes Milchling gave Vermont its first lead of the game with 1:47 remaining in the half. Limoges fed the ball from behind the net to Milchling in front, who buried the shot past Vanderford.
 
After a Hartford timeout with 57 seconds remaining, Spencer Decker forced a Hawk turnover, recovered the ground ball, and carried the ball into the attack zone before Vermont called a timeout with 21 seconds remaining.
 
As play resumed, the Catamounts moved the ball around the Hartford net in the final seconds, and a broken play led to MacKay scooping a loose ball in front of the net and firing a shot past Vanderford as time expired.
 
Three UVM goals in the final five minutes of the half gave Vermont a 5-3 halftime lead. Neither team was called for a penalty in the first 30 minutes of play. Nick Washuta made a pair of saves for UVM in the half while Vanderford made one stop for the Hawks.
 
Feiner scored his first and only goal of the game on the first EMO opportunity for either team with 8:43 remaining in the third quarter. Davison scored his second of the game just over three minutes later to tie the game at 5-5.
 
MacKay scored his fourth of the game with 2:40 remaining in the third on Vermont's first EMO of the afternoon. Hudson picked up his second assist. The redshirt senior then won the draw against Hartford's Dylan Protesto, putting the Catamounts back on attack.
 
Another Hartford penalty gave Vermont another EMO chance in the final minute of the third, and hidden ball trickery behind the net led to Milchling's second of the game with 58 seconds remaining. Jack Knight picked up the assist on the play.
 
The Catamounts ended the quarter with possession on the man-advantage, and started the final quarter in the offensive zone.
 
A pair of goals from Vermont and Hartford in the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter pushed the score to 9-7 in favor of Vermont. Hudson scored his first goal of the game and assisted on MacKay's fifth goal of the afternoon in the stretch. Hudson has nine points over the past two games and 27 points on the season.  
 
Ben French got on the board after a chaotic loose ball situation in the Hartford zone. On the goal, French drew a two-minute slashing call against Brendan Gates to give Vermont an extended man-up opportunity.
 
MacKay took advantage of the EMO, scoring his sixth of the game, a new career-high, with 7:13 remaining in regulation with a shot from distance to push the Vermont lead to 11-7. He hit the post minutes later in an effort to match his career-mark of seven points.
 
The Catamounts maintained their lead for the remainder of the game, taking an 11-7 final at Al-Marzook Field. Washuta finished the game with seven saves while Vanderford made six stops for the Hawks.
 
Vermont was 15-for-17 on clears and won the turnover battle 13-11. The Hawks held a slight edge in ground balls, 26-20. Vermont was 3-for-6 on EMO opportunities while the Hawks went a perfect 2-for-2.
 
With the victory, the Cats Win, Community Wins campaign and Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate another $100 to the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington, bringing the 2018 total to 54 wins and $5,400. The campaign raised $11,000 in the 2017 calendar year.
 
Vermont continues America East play at home against UMass Lowell next Saturday, April 7 at 1 p.m. at Virtue Field in its annual Rally Against Cancer game, presented by Vermont Custom Closets and Otter Creek Awnings.
 
The University of Vermont will honor the 12 athletes with UVM ties who competed in the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Former women's hockey standout and gold medalist Amanda Pelkey '15 and current Catamount alpine skier Connor Wilson '21 will be honored on the field prior to the game. Please visit go.uvm.edu/r3w9d for more information.
 
APRIL 21 VIRGINIA INFORMATION RELEASED
The UVM Alumni Association's Westchester/Fairfield Affinity Chapter, Athletic Director Jeff Schulman '89, and Vermont Men's Lacrosse invite you and your families to join us on Saturday, April 21, 2018 as they take on UVA in New Canaan, CT.  Please click here for more information, to buy game tickets through the Alumni Association and register for the reception.
 
More information on the weekend's schedule, including hotel, fan fest and schedule details, can be found at https://imlcagameoftheweek.com/.
 
NFP is the presenting sponsor of the 2018 men's lacrosse season