Box Score
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. --  The Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team had plenty of incentive when it faced Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the penultimate Little East Conference men's lacrosse match of the regular season Tuesday night at Clean Harbors Stadium.
 
But so did the host Buccaneers.
 
While Eastern (5-6, 3-4 LEC) was playing for its playoff life, Mass Maritime (12-2, 6-1 LEC) was playing to secure one of the top two seeds and a first-round bye in the LEC playoffs which get underway with first-round matches this coming Tuesday.
 
Looking for its first win over the Buccaneers in seven years, Eastern held its own by playing the hosts to a one-goal game over the first 15 minutes and trailed by only one with ten minutes left in the first half.
 
At that point, Mass Maritime reeled off four goals in a row over 12 minutes to move out to a 10-5 lead and went on to outscore the Warriors 13-3 the rest of the way to post its eighth straight win, 19-8, heading into its regular-season LEC finale Friday against winless University of Southern Maine.
 
A win over Southern Maine will, unofficially give MMA second place and a bye into the LEC playoff semifinals.
 
Eastern's loss, coupled with Tuesday wins by Plymouth State University (18-6 over a one-win Castleton team) and Salem State University (18-8 over Southern Maine), leaves the Warriors in a three-way tie for fifth place with Plymouth and Salem.
 
With the top six seeds gaining entry into the LEC playoffs, Eastern, Plymouth and Salem State all face uphill battles in their LEC finales Friday – although all three will be playing on their home fields -- facing three of the top four teams in the conference. Eastern meets Keene State College (4-3 LEC) at 4 p.m. while Plymouth State faces unbeaten LEC leader Western Connecticut (7-0 LEC) and Salem tackles the University of Massachusetts Boston (5-2 LEC).
 
Two of the three will qualify for the LEC playoffs, with tie-breakers – decided by head-to-head competition, success against the higher-seeded teams in the conference and/or goal differential between the tied teams --  likely needed to leave one of the three sidelined for the tournament.
 
Against Eastern Tuesday night, Mass Maritime's Daniel Kane, Quinn Mucha and Joe Vricella combined for 12 goals and six assists and Nicholas Hall stopped 13 shots in net. For the Warriors, season scoring leaders Landon Mabb (Sun Prairie, WI), a sophomore, and senior Warren Channing (Glastonbury) each scored three times, with Mabb adding the team's only two assists. A source of strength this year, Eastern's faceoff men struggled against the Bucs, winning only eight of 30, with MMA's Cole Jenkins capturing 19 of 25 tries at the faceoff X.
 
Eastern junior Gregory Hilinski (Shelton) made 15 stops in net while first-year defenseman Travis Willcox (South Windsor) caused five turnovers in his second career start and sophomore faceoff man Gavin DeLucia (Uncasville) won six faceoffs and picked up five ground balls.