HOBOKEN, NJ – Hartwick saw its season come to an end with a 14-4 loss to top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in the Empire 8 Conference semifinals at DeBaun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, NJ on Wednesday night. The Ducks advance to host Saturday's championship against #3 Nazareth, which upset #2 Ithaca in overtime earlier in the day.
           
The Ducks controlled the first quarter with four unanswered goals. Tommy Dawson opened the scoring 2:24 into the game. Max Bailey took advantage of a Hawk defender's slip and tucked a shot past Hartwick keeper C.J. Alesandrini (Schenectady, NY/Colonie) for a 2-0 edge at 6:28.
           
Bailey added his second with 3:55 left in the quarter and Dawson contributed his second score of the night one minute later as the Ducks took a 4-0 lead.
           
Hartwick got on the scoreboard 1:43 into the second quarter as Jake Sachse (Lutherville, MD/Boys' Latin School of MD) found Cordell Armstrong (Harleysville, PA/Souderton Area) for a tally to cut the deficit to three. Connor McKeon, however, answered right back for the Ducks just 37 seconds later. Dawson found the net for his third goal at 9:31 and Stevens was off to a 6-1 lead.
           
Sachse got one back on the man-advantage at 4:32 of the second. Brett Maguire (Adams Center, NY/South Jefferson) earned the assist on the play and the Hawks trimmed the margin to 7-2. A man-up Stevens goal with 1:03 left followed by the Ducks' ninth of the game from Bailey gave the hosts a 9-2 advantage at halftime.
           
The Hawks got back into the match in the third quarter as Matt McCallan (Bay Shore, NY/West Islip) scored from Maguire 3:56 in on the extra man. Sam Ferguson (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) made it a five-goal game with a tally 2:37 off a feed from McCallan. Mike Majchrzak (Plantsville, CT/Southington) nearly made it 9-5 two minutes later but his shot found the pipe. Instead, the Ducks raced down the field and Dawson registered his fourth goal of the game to increase the hosts' lead to six, 10-4. Dawson added his fifth of the night 1:33 later and Stevens went into the final quarter up 11-4.
           
Stevens scored three more times in a 2:06 span to put the finishing touches on the win. Dean Peluso had two of the three Ducks' goals in the spurt.
           
The Ducks finished the game with a 37-22 edge in shots. They also had 30 ground balls to the Hawks' 21. Hartwick won 13 face-offs on the night to Stevens' nine.
           
Dawson finished with five goals and two assists to pace the Ducks. Bailey had three goals and one helper and Peluso added three tallies.
           
Sachse and McCallan each recorded a goal and an assist in their final game for the Hawks.  
           
James Vogt (Stratham, NH/Exeter) recorded a team-high six ground balls for the Hawks in his last contest in a Hartwick uniform. He also won 12 face-offs. Garrison Wojtas (Hauppauge, NY/Hauppauge) contributed three ground balls. He also caused a pair of turnovers.
           
Alesandrini ended the night with 10 saves for 'Wick. Carson White stopped nine shots for the Ducks.
           
The Hawks finish up their season at 8-7 which is the program's first winning record since the 2011 season. The Hawks' Empire 8 playoff appearance was their first since 2005.