BOX SCORE

The St. John Fisher College men's lacrosse team won its Empire 8 Conference season opener on Saturday, as the Cardinals picked up a 12-7 win over visiting Hartwick College at Fisher's Growney Stadium.  After trailing 4-2 during the second quarter, Fisher scored 10 of the game's next 11 goals to take control.

With the win, Fisher improves to 7-2 overall, while Hartwick falls to 4-4, 0-1.

The Cardinals held Hartwick's Harry Hughes, who is fifth in the nation in goals per game (3.67), scoreless on the afternoon.

Hartwick opened the game with two goals in the first eight minutem but the Cardinals answered right back. In the latter part of the first quarter, Fisher strung together back-to-back goals. It started with an unassisted goal by Greg Ramsden followed by a Jeff Wester score that was assisted by Brett Farrell.

Again in the second quarter, Hartwick scored the period's first two goals, but the Cardinals responded again Hartwick took a 4-2 lead early in the quarter, but Fisher stormed back with four-straight goals to take two-score lead at 6-4.

The Cardinals run started with a Joe Gaug goal off a Kevin DeOrdio assist. Fisher's next goal came on a Nick Rossi dish to Bryan Dyer. The four-goal run ended with back-to-back unassisted goals, first by Wester and followed by Ramsden.

Hartwick tacked on one goal before the half, as Fisher went to the locker rooms with a 6-5 advantage.

Fisher flipped the script in the second half, scoring the stanza's first six goals to take a 12-5 lead with 7:37 to play in the game. Wester opened the scoring with another unassisted goal for his third of the day before Ryan Freije won the ensuing faceoff and went to net for his first score of the season.
The third goal came on a Ramsden goal, which captured a hat-trick for the senior with his 12^th score of the year. At 2:34 remaining in the third, Gaug netted the fourth with an unassisted score, his fourth of the year. Nick Rossi then collected his 12^th score of the year on an unassisted goal before Brian Cole ended the scoring spurt with his fourth goal of the year from Jeff Wester. The assist was Wester's 17^th of the season.

Fisher dominated faceoffs (20-of-23) and was a perfect 8-for-8 on clears.  Freije was 15-for-18 on the day with nine ground balls, while Paul Cefalu was a perfect 5-for-5 on the day.

Jamie Campagna stopped seven saves to earn the win in net.

Fisher will return to action at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and will host Elmira College.