By John Boccacino/Sports Information Director
The momentum in Wednesday night's North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) men's lacrosse semifinal was with the Hilbert College Hawks after the host Keuka College Wolfpack allowed Hilbert to score the last five goals to force overtime at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex.

But the second-seeded Wolfpack (9-3) showcased their resiliency, and Keuka's strive for five straight NEAC titles remains alive after junior Tyler Skowronski (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence) ripped home a shot 1:20 into overtime as Keuka prevailed 12-11.  

Leading up to the game-winning goal, junior Anthony Luppino (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan) won the all-important faceoff to start the extra session. After junior Matt Beebe (Syracuse, N.Y./LaFayette) fired a shot wide, sophomore Jamie Kuppel (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) scooped up the groundball and fired a pass to Skowronski.

Skowronski sent the Wolfpack faithful home happy after beating Hilbert (9-6) goalie Brenden Deady with a chest-high shot to send the Green and Gold into Saturday's NEAC championship game against top-seeded Morrisville State (10-5).

Beebe scored five points on three goals with two assists, senior Derek Pfeiffer (Lee Center, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) added three goals, and Luppino had three assists with eight groundballs to lift the Wolfpack into the NEAC title game.

Senior Cory Gray (Seneca Castle, N.Y./Midlakes) added two goals with one assist, and classmate James Voigt (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan) handed out two assists in the win.

Morrisville, which dispatched of Cazenovia (8-6) 11-1 in Wednesday's other semifinal, handed Keuka a 6-4 setback April 18, the Wolfpack's first NEAC loss in three years.

The two schools will square off at 12 p.m. Saturday for the NEAC championship, the second straight year Keuka and Morrisville have met in the NEAC title game.

"We just had to settle down and finish the game," said junior Brendan King (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) a third-team All-NEAC selection at short stick midfielder who scored twice and had seven groundballs in the semifinal win.

"We never let that thought (of losing) enter our minds, we couldn't let these seniors go out with a loss tonight. They've worked too hard to go out with a loss in the semifinals. We want to keep that tradition alive of winning NEAC's, and we have to finish it off for the seniors."

One of those seniors is Eric Saltrelli (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder), who made 13 saves to keep the season alive for the Green and Gold.

Saltrelli made two big stops on Hilbert's Sean Purtill (two goals, two assists) in the second half.

After the Hawks pulled even at 11 on Andrew MacKay's unassisted tally with 3:22 remaining, Saltrelli came up with a pair of big saves to send the game to overtime.

"What impressed me the most is we didn't give up," Saltrelli said. "We fought hard, we dug deep and it just came down to who wanted it more. It came down to heart and that's what we have a lot of. There's no quit in this team and our toughness is unbelievable. We dug deep and we came out on top. When someone's coming in on goal, I just try to stand tall and hopefully make the save. When it's one-on-one, it's a 50-50 chance, and when I make those big saves it boosts my confidence, but it also boosts the team's confidence and it boosts my defenders' confidence."

The Green and Gold led 7-2 after Beebe fed Pfeiffer for a man-up goal with 5:39 remaining in the second quarter, and Keuka took an 8-4 lead into halftime after senior Isaiah Nalls (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara-Wheatfield) set up Beebe for a goal with 43 seconds left in the first half.

King, Beebe and Gray all scored and Luppino had two assists in the third as Keuka led 11-6 on Gray's goal with 4:47 remaining in the quarter.

But the Hawks clamped down and held the Wolfpack scoreless for the final 19:47 of regulation. Elliott Russillio scored twice, Purtill added a man-up goal, Bill Moleins had a man-down goal, and MacKay evened the score at 11 with 3:22 to play.

The Wolfpack survived the challenge from the Hawks and advanced into Saturday's NEAC championship. Beebe said surviving an upset bid from Hilbert will help motivate the Wolfpack, who all admitted they don't want their seasons to end without claiming another NEAC title.

"A win like this amps us up a lot. We had to win this one for our seniors, they didn't want to lose on their home field in their final game," said Beebe, a third-team All-NEAC attacker.

"We want to continue that tradition of winning NEAC's, but it's tough. We're going to try and win our fifth in a row, and the guys before us set a pretty big legacy that we're trying to fill. It's tough, but we're definitely up for the challenge."

The NEAC champion earns the conference's automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament. In 2014, the Wolfpack made their inaugural trip to NCAA's, falling to perennial power Cortland State in a first-round game.