Box Score Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery
Riverdale, NY - Manhattan celebrated Senior Night in style, rolling to a 9-4 win over NJIT in non-conference action at Gaelic Park.
The Jaspers improve 3-10 while the Highlanders fall to 1-13.
Freshman Brandon Grinnell (Wakefield, MA / Wakefield Memorial) set the tone for the night in scoring just 18 seconds into the game with a ferocious strike from 15 yards out. Classmate CJ Scharf (West Islip, NY / West Islip) extended the lead out to 2-0 off a pass from Trevor Pelletier (Fr., Miami, FL / Gulliver Prep).
Senior Alex Abiog (Saratoga, CA / Bellarmine College Prep) then found the back of the net with 6:55 to play in the half in opening up a 3-0 Manhattan lead.
NJIT would rally to trim the deficit to 3-2 before sophomore Parker Giarratana (Delray, FL / Boca Raton Community) lit the lamp just as time expired in the second quarter in giving the Jaspers a 4-2 advantage at the break.
In the third quarter, the Highlanders would again make it a one-goal game only to see Grinnell answer with his second goal of the night in giving Manhattan a 5-3 lead after three quarters.
The Jaspers then exploded out of the gates in the fourth quarter with four-straight goals, including three in the first 1:51 of the stanza. Giarratana scored an unassisted goal before again finding the back of the net off a Luke Hanson (Fr., Middletown, NY / Minisink Valley) pass.
Giarratana then played the role of facilitator, finding junior Conor Darby (Havermill, MA / Assumption). Senior Matt Garvey (Essex Falls, NJ / West Essex) then capped the scoring and put the finishing touches on Senior Night with the ninth Manhattan goal of the night while extending the advantage out to 9-3 with 6:09 to play.
NJIT would get one back in providing the final 9-4 count but was flustered all night long thanks to a tenacious Jasper defense that forced 13 turnovers.
Junior Michael Zingaro (Cortlandt Manor, NJ / Walter Panas) earned the win, regisering eight saves. The four goals were also the fewest yielded in a start for the third-year netminder and the least allowed by a Manhattan squad since a 5-4 win over Providence on April 22, 2009.
Giarratana scored three goals with an assist while Grinnell added two goals and an assist to pace a nine-goal Jasper attack.
Sophomore Robert Carroll (Grosse Point, MI / Grosse Point South) was outstanding in winning 8-of-9 face-offs while collecting four ground balls. Senior Frank Merrill (Mountain Lakes, NJ / Mountain Lakes) and junior Joseph Bressingham (Glen Cove, NY / Nassau CC) each match Carroll with four ground balls in rounding out the top statistical performers.
Ryan Kaden and Ryan Callaghan each notched a goal and an assist to pace NJIT.
Prior to the game, Abiog, senior Connor Flannery (Medford, NJ / Shawnee), Garvey, Merrill and Gian Noto (Jacksonville, FL / Creekside) were recognized for their contributions to the program.
Manhattan concluldes th 2017 season at Monmouth on Friday, April 28 at 4:00 pm in a game that will be broadcast on ESPNU.
