ROCHESTER, NY – Hartwick men's lacrosse went on the road to beat Nazareth 12-10 on Saturday to claim a spot in the upcoming Empire 8 Conference Tournament. It marks the second straight playoff appearance for the Hawks.
           
Hartwick defeats Nazareth for just the second time in program history after winning in 1990. The victory snaps a 26-game winless streak against the Golden Flyers. 'Wick also ties a program record for conference wins.
           
The Hawks took control early as they scored 3:03 into the contest. They led 4-1 after the first quarter and extended their lead to five with two early goals in the second quarter. Naz would respond with two goals in the final minute to cut the margin to three, 6-3, at halftime.
           
Nazareth scored three times in the third quarter to tie the contest at six. Cordell Armstrong (Harleysville, PA/Souderton Area) answered with 3:06 left in the period to put the Hawks up for good. They would score three times in the final three minutes of the quarter and led 9-7 heading into the fourth. Naz would trim the gap to one, 10-9, with 10:18 remaining in the match. Armstrong scored again less than a minute later to give 'Wick a two-goal cushion. David Demand (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango) put the game away scoring with 44 ticks left.
           
Armstrong finished the game with three goals and two assists for the Hawks. Chris VanDemark (Painted Post, NY/Corning-Painted Post) and Tim Watson (Wrentham, MA/King Philip Regional) each found the net twice. Brett Maguire (Adams Center, NY/South Jefferson) and Sam Ferguson (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) each added a goal and an assist. Wyatt Long (Hardwick, NJ/Blair Academy) and Mike Majchrzak (Plantsville, CT/Southington) also tallied. Demand finished with a goal and two helpers.
           
Eric Schweitzer (Babylon, NY/Babylon) led the Hawks with seven ground balls. He also tied for a game-high with a pair of caused turnovers. Ferguson grabbed three ground balls and Garrison Wojtas (Hauppauge, NY/Hauppauge) caused two Nazareth turnovers. C.J. Alesandrini (Schenectady, NY/Colonie) made eight saves in goal.
           
Naz ended the day with advantages in both shots (33-28) and ground balls (33-22). They also won 17-of-27 face-offs.
           
Hartwick will travel to top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday for the conference semifinals. Game time is 4 p.m. The Hawks and fourteenth ranked Ducks are meeting in the semis for the second straight year.