OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Hamilton College's Will Heher '25 scored the go-ahead goal with 6:05 left in the fourth quarter and the Continentals edged the University of Lynchburg Hornets 16-15 in the Mustang Classic at Stevenson University's Mustang Stadium on Saturday, March 16.
 

Season Update

• Hamilton (3-2 overall) had lost its previous two games.
• Nationally ranked No. 12 Lynchburg (3-3) had won three of its last four. A loss at No. 1 Salisbury was the lone blemish during that stretch.

 

How It Happened

• Thomas Healy '26 took the ball behind the Hornets' goal and came around the right side. Healy found Heher all alone in front and he scored on a shot from 12 feet away.
• Justin Pearl '25 provided an important insurance goal with 4:31 remaining when he charged in from the left wing and scored on a hard shot into the top-right corner.
• Jake Rust drew Lynchburg within one with 2:39 to go, but the Hornets had just two shots the rest of the way. Ben Keppler '26 made a save on one of the shots with 11 seconds left and clinched the victory.
• Neither team led by more than two goals during the last 35 minutes.
• The Continentals took their first lead at 10-9 on a goal by Frank Coyle '26 with 9:24 remaining in the third quarter.
• Lynchburg scored the next three goals and led 12-10 with 3:56 to go in the third.
• Hamilton started a four-goal run just eight seconds later as Sean Gebauer '25 won a faceoff, collected the ground ball and scored.
• Pearl tied the score on a pass from Christian Byrne '24 with 3:04 left, and Jesse Delinsky '26 put the Continentals back up by a goal with 1:55 remaining. Heher found the back of the net with 10 seconds to go and Hamilton led 14-12 after three quarters.
• The Hornets scored four of the first five goals for a 4-1 advantage with 5:22 left in the first quarter. Lynchburg still led by three with two seconds remaining when Riley Hastings scored and made it 6-3.
• A goal by Rust midway through the second quarter gave the Hornets their largest lead of four at 8-4.
• The Continentals tallied five of the next six goals including one by David Russell '26 that tied the score at 9-9 with three seconds to go in the half.

 

Notes

• Head Coach Scott Barnard earned his 100th victory at Hamilton.
• The Continentals recorded their first victory against a ranked team since April 6, 2022, when they defeated No. 16 Middlebury College.
• Coyle posted a career-high five points on four goals and an assist.
• Heher registered five points on three goals and two assists. He tops the team with 17 points and is tied with Coyle for the team lead in goals with 13.
• Pearl scored a season-high three goals.
• Byrne finished with a goal and two helpers. He is tied for the team lead with nine assists.
• Delinsky had a goal and an assist, and Healy was credited with two assists. Healy is tied with Byrne with nine this season.
• Gebauer chipped in two goals and four ground balls and won 8 of 13 faceoffs. The goals were the first of his Hamilton career.
• Evan deBerjeois '27 notched his third goal and Russell's was his first with the Continentals.
• Troy Pollock '25 collected his first assist this season.
• Reece Hickey '26 won 7 of 11 faceoffs and picked up an assist.
• Michael Scoleri '24 won 6 of 10 faceoffs and was part of a trio that boosted Hamilton to a 21-13 advantage in faceoff wins.
• PJ Flood '27 caused three turnovers and leads the Continentals with six.
• Keppler made 15 saves including six in the first quarter in his first collegiate start.
• Rust led all players with eight points on six goals and two assists. Dylan Wolfe added three goals and three assists. Michael Kraus won 11 faceoffs and scooped up six ground balls. Tyler Hadley stopped just seven shots in goal.

 

Next Game

Hamilton plays a NESCAC game at Colby College (2-2, 1-2 NESCAC) on Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m.