WEST POINT, N.Y. — Matt LaCombe broke the Patriot League tournament record for saves in a game (24), and
Liam Connor and
Rory Connor combined for 15 points to lead No. 5 seed Colgate past No. 1 seed and fourth-ranked Army 16-13 in the Patriot League semifinals Friday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Army tried to fight back in the fourth after falling behind early in the quarter, but Colgate answered every time. Ryan Favaro, Jack Turner, and Hunter Drouin found the back of the net following Black Knight goals.
- LaCombe made seven stops in the fourth to help secure the win for the Raiders, including three big saves in the final three and a half minutes.
- Colgate went on an extended 4-0 run, starting with back-to-back goals to end the third frame. Jack Turner fired one in with 2:47 left, and R. Connor got his second less than a minute later. Colgate then got a man-up tally from L. Connor and another goal from R. Connor to pull ahead 12-10 just over 30 seconds into the fourth.
- Army began the third on a 5-1 run. R. Connor found the back of the net at the 8:41 mark after the Black Knight's first three goals, but Army pulled ahead 10-8 with two more.
- A low-scoring second quarter saw the teams combine for three goals after LaCombe saved five of Army's shots. L. Connor scored the Raiders' lone goal in the frame to make it 7-4 before Army answered. Colgate took a 7-5 lead into the locker room at halftime.
- The Raiders ended the first on a 3-0 run. Casey Quinson gave the visitors a 4-3 advantage at the 6:27 mark. With just over three minutes left, Drouin scored on the man-up, and Tommy Arata lll followed 42 seconds later, making it 5-3.
- The teams also exchanged 3-0 runs at the start of the opening quarter. L. Connor opened the scoring at the 12:23 mark. Thirty seconds later, Turner scored before Arata made it 3-0. Army then notched three in a row to even the score.
- LaCombe stopped seven shots in the first to deny the Black Knights on several occasions.
GAME NOTES
- L. Connor led the way with eight points behind three goals and five assists, marking a career-high in points and tying his career-best in assists.
- R. Connor registered seven points with three goals and four assists. It was his 10th game with five-plus points this season.
- LaCombe's 24 saves also marked a career-high for the senior.
- Hunter Drouin logged four points (3G, 1A), while Jack Turner registered a hat trick.
- Arata logged the first multi-goal game of his career.
- Sam Erickson posted a team-high two caused turnovers. Max Yates, John Carrabine, and R. Connor scooped up four ground balls.
- Kyle Rummel earned 11 face off wins and collected three ground balls.
- Colgate will play in the Patriot League championship game for the first time since 2015 when it won the title.
UP NEXT
The Raiders take on No. 2 seed Boston University in the Patriot League Championship Sunday at 11:30 a.m. The game airs live on CBS Sports.
