PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The higher seeds both prevailed in the opening round of the 2023 Little East Conference (LEC) Men’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament, as third-seeded Plymouth State defeated sixth-seeded Eastern Connecticut and fourth-seeded Keene State defeated fifth-seeded Massachusetts Maritime.
 
No. 3 Plymouth State 18, No. 6 Eastern Connecticut 3
 
The Panthers dominated the Warriors from start to finish, opening a 5-1 lead through the first quarter and taking a 10-2 lead at the half on their way to the 18-3 victory. Plymouth State improved to 14-3 for the season, while Eastern Connecticut’s season ends at 6-11.
 
Jake Dolcimascolo scored three goals with a pair of assists for the Panthers, who also got three-goal performances from Nick Drew and Brady Hunt.  Leif Charbonneau (10-of-15) and Declan Alexander (6-of-9) combined to win 16-of-23 faceoffs in the game, while Owen McNichols totaled 10 saves as his record improved to 13-3.
 
Zacharie Appolon, Shane Haggerty and Garrett Lapham scored one goal each for the Warriors. Nick Collazo had six stops as he record fell to 6-11.
 
No. 4 Keene State 22, No. 5 Massachusetts Maritime 12
 
The Owls opened the game with a seven-goal run over the first eight and a half minutes of contest and never looked back, taking a 14-5 lead into the break at halftime on their way to the 22-12 final. Keene State improved to 9-6 with the victory, while the Buccaneers season ends at 8-7
 
Rex Maccarini led the way for the Owls, scoring a game-high seven goals on eight total shot attempts. Cooper Cioffi added five goals with one assist, while Connor Woods finished with a hat trick. Charlie Giuliotti totaled 16 saves as he picked up the decision in goal, improving his record to 9-6 between the pipes.
 
Cooper Barrett scored a team-leading four goals for the Bucs, while Mitchell Maida tallied three goals with one assist. John Aidonidis finished the game with just seven saves as his record fell to 7-5.
 
Next Up
 
Thursday’s semifinals will see the Panthers travel to second-seeded UMass Boston for a 1 p.m. faceoff, while the Owls will head to top-seeded Western Connecticut for a 7 p.m. start.