DANBURY, Conn. - Rookie attackman Cody Suhr (Holbrook, N.Y) notched a game-high six points with four goals and two assists, while graduate student attackman Benjamin Hawthorne (Manorville, N.Y) also connected on four scoring strikes and one helper to lead the Western Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team to a 17-11 non-conference victory over visiting Misericordia University on Saturday afternoon at the Westside Athletic Complex. 

Graduate student faceoff specialist Jonathan Russack-Baker (Groton, Conn.) was nearly unstoppable at the X, winning 27-of-30 attempts while scooping up a game-high 23 ground balls. He also dished out a pair of assists for the Wolves. Junior attackman Julian Duque (Mastic, NY) and graduate student midfielder Tyler Starrett (Redding, Conn.) each contributed hat tricks. 

Sophomore attackman Conor Bevan (Bethelhem, PA) tallied three goals and two assists to pace the Cougars. Junior Brendan Stanley (Hicksville, N.Y) added a hat trick, while classmate Jared Pelliccione (West Babylon, N.Y) and rookie Ty Murawski (Manahawkin, N.J.) netted two goals apiece for the visitors.

It was all Wolves in the first half as they jumped out to an early 7-1 advantage. Duque opened the scoring with his 16th marker of the season before Starrett rounded out the run with his 11th. They would hold a 7-2 lead at halftime. 

WestConn widened the gap to 9-2 early in the third when Starrett and Suhr each found the back of the net. Misericordia wouldn't surrender though. They responded with a 4-1 spurt, cutting the deficit to 10-6 late in the stanza. However, Russack-Baker's faceoff dominance proved to be too much for the Cougars to overcome. The Wolves continued to gain possession and quickly countered with a trio of goals to move ahead, 13-6, heading into the fourth. The visitors could not cut into the lead any further as the hosts cruised the rest of the way. 

WestConn senior goalie Brendan Grove (Cheshire, Conn.) was stellar in between the pipes, improving to 4-1 while recording nine saves. Meanwhile, Misericordia junior netminder Chris Dindino (Blackwood, N.J.) was equally impressive, keeping his team in the contest with some breathtaking stops. He finished with 15 saves and fell to 2-3.

With the win, the Wolves improved to 4-1 overall while the Cougars dropped to 2-3. WestConn will seek its fifth straight victory when they host Trinity College in a non-league matchup on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m.