Manhattan Clips Bellarmine With Big Fourth Quarter

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Chester, PA - For the second-straight game, the Manhattan defense dominated play in the fourth quarter to fuel a 10-9 win over Bellarmine at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium on the campus of Widener University.
 
With their third-straight win, the Jaspers improve to 3-2 while moving above .500 for the first time since the 2009 season as the Knights fall to 1-3.
 
Trailing 9-7 after three quarters, Manhattan won the opening face-off and freshman Sean MacKinney (Martinsville, NJ - Bridgewater-Raritan) scooped up a missed a shot and blasted it past the Bellarmine keeper in making it a one-goal game with 12:56 to play.

The Knights won the ensuing face-off and appeared poised to extend their lead only to be denied by senior Michael Zingaro (Cortlandt Manor, NY / Walter Panas) before classmate Frank Merrill (Mountain Lakes, NJ / Mountain Lakes) forced a turnover. On the other end sophomore Luke Hanson (Middletown, NY / Minisink Valley) tied it up with 9:41 to play with a blast off a pass from junior Parker Giarratana (Delray, FL / Boca Raton Community).

Bellarmine would have numerous opportunities to reclaim the lead with over four minutes of possession before a missed shot allowed Manhattan to make its move. The Jaspers pounced and scored just 14 seconds into the possession when sophomore Brandon Grinnell (Wakefield, MA / Wakefield Memorial) delivered what would prove to be the game-winner off a pass from classmate Trevor Pelletier (Miami, FL / Gulliver Prep).

Manhattan would win the ensuing face-off but turned it over with just over a minute to play only to see the Knights subsequently turn it over as the Jaspers would go on to run the clock out.

MacKinney led the way for the Jaspers with four goals and three ground balls while Giarratana had two goals and an assist in becoming the eighth member of the program's 100-point club.
 
Sophomore Mike Lombardi (West Islip, NY / West Islip) opened the scoring with his first goal of the year with just over five minutes remaining in the first quarter before Giarratana found the back of the net with exactly three minutes remaining in the stanza. Just 10 seconds later, senior Frank Merrill (Mountain Lakes, NJ / Mountain Lakes) scored off the face-off in staking the Jaspers to a 3-0 advantage.

Bellarmine would quickly answer en route to registering a 6-2 run before MacKinney scored the second of his four goals in tying it up at 6-6 at intermission.

MacKinney then opened the second-half scoring only to have the Knights rip off three-straight scores in building a 9-7 advantage after three while setting the stage for the aforementioned thrilling finish.

Zingaro made 15 saves while yielding just nine goals in moving to 3-1 on the year.

Brian Wall scored three goals with an assist to pace the Knights.

Manhattan will next host No. 6 Virginia on Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 pm.