Lebanon Valley 10, Hood 5

LVC Starters
Keefer, Brown, Garman, Mercer, Kudlak, Bushong, Wagner, Campbell, Epple, Torrence

Hood Starters
O'Brien, Hoffman, Elliott, Zubradt, Falkenstein, Somerville, Mulligan, Villegas, Murphy, Palmer

How It Happened
Lebanon Valley opened MAC Commonwealth play with a 10-5 victory at Hood on Wednesday afternoon.

Alex Bushong led the way with his first hat trick of the season and the Flying Dutchmen offense dominated in total shots and shots on goal, while LVC (6-3, 1-0 MAC Commonwealth) scooped up 41 ground balls.

The Dutchmen had to come from behind in this one as the Blazers netted the game's first score when Grayson Zubradt found the back of the net less than five minutes into the first period.

Brett Kudlak connected with the equalizer two minutes later to increase his team-leading goals total to 17 before he assisted on the go-ahead score when he found Austin Farwell for a strike with 4:17 left in the quarter.

After Hood's Sean Murphy tied things up, Bushong netted his first of the afternoon to give Lebanon Valley a 3-2 advantage after one. He added his second tally of the contest midway through the second quarter and Hood's Patrick O'Brien found twine at the 4:15 mark to cap the first half scoring.

Klayton Garman got the second half scoring going with a strike just 33 seconds into the third period off a Farwell assist. Bushong wrapped up his hat trick with an unassisted score at the 11:27 mark and Max Warmingham's first goal of the spring made it three in a row for the Dutchmen.

The Blazers showed some life by scoring a pair before the end of the third but it was all LVC in the fourth as Matt Torrence converted his first collegiate goal with 12:58 remaining, Kudlak upping his goal total to 18 with a strike at the 4:10 mark, and Garman finishing things off with his second of the game off Kudlaks' second assist with two minutes left to play.

Turning Point
The Dutchmen scored three straight goals in the first seven minutes of the second half to stretch a slim 4-3 halftime lead to a 7-3 advantage that Hood was unable to overcome. Klayton Garman buried a man-up goal 33 seconds into the third period off an Austin Farwell find. Alex Bushong connected on the team's sixth score of the day at the 11:27 mark and Max Warmingham netted his first collegiate goal less than two minutes later to cap the team's scoring in the quarter.

Inside the Numbers
- LVC outshot the Blazers 45-25 and held a dominant 26-8 advantage in shots on goal.
- The Dutchmen were also strong in the possession categories, scooping up 41 ground balls compared to 25 for Hood, while the face offs were almost even, with LVC winning nine and the Blazers winning 10.
- Hood committed 29 turnovers, while Lebanon Valley turned it over 20 times.
- Each team converted one man-up goal.
- Alex Bushong's hat trick was the second of his career after scoring four goal at La Roche as a freshman.
- Brett Kudlak matched Bushong's game-high point total with two goals and two assists.
- Nick Mowry and Coleman Wagner were strong defensively, with Mowry causing six turnovers and Wagner added four caused TOs.
- Mowry also recorded a team-high five ground balls. Kudlak, goalkeeper Cameron Epple, and face-off man Jeremy Beaver had four each.
- Hood's Alex Villegas was the team's only multi-goal scorer with two markers.
- Epple made three saves for LVC, while Hood goalkeeper John Hoffman made 16 stops.

Who's Next?
The Dutchmen host MAC Commonwealth foe Alvernia on Saturday afternoon for the team's annual Crosse Out Cancer contest.