By: Kevin Anderson, Assistant Athletic Director
CONCORD, Mass. - Colin Hope (Barrington, R.I.) put the ultimate exclamation point on his Middlesex career, delivering an overtime game-winning goal to lead the Zebras to a heart-stopping 8-7 win over rival Saint George's on Wednesday afternoon.
The win for MX gives the senior class a 4-0 record against the Dragons - outsourcing them by a combined score of 62-27.
Hope, who is headed to Providence College to play lacrosse from the Friars, was an absolute force all game long, finishing with five goals and two assists.
Will Batcheldor (Boxboro, Mass.) got the hosts on the board less than three minutes into the game when Hope found him wide open out in front of the cage.
Middlesex doubled its lead a few minutes later when defenseman Luke Sardone (Winchester, Mass.) scooped up a loose ball near midfield and delivered a cross field strike from about 30 yards to a streaking Hope who made the score 2-0 halfway through the first period.
The lead then ballooned to 3-0 in the waning seconds of the first period when Parker Boyce (Natick, Mass.)Â connected with Isaiah Atherton (Hinesburg, Vt.) for his 23rd goal of the season.
Saint George's didn't back down and they tied the score late in the second quarter but the Zebras responded when Hope scored twice in the final 2:30 to send Middlesex into halftime up, 5-3.
Things were tied at 5-5 midway through the third when Dominic Staffiere (Lunenburg, Mass.) set up Hope for his fourth goal of the game.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter with the game tied at 6-6 and this time Hope played playmaker, finding Batcheldor for a sneaky spinning finish that put Middlesex in front again.
Saint George's tied the game at 7-7 with a little more than five minutes left in the game, sending the contest into overtime, where Boyce connected with Hope who ended the game with a low angle bounce shot.
In addition to Hope's offensive exploits, Riley Caples (Wilmington, Mass.) went 11-for-18 from the faceoff spot, while Connor Fox (Hanover, N.H.) turned aside eight shots in goal.
Sardone, a junior who earlier this season committed to Yale, collected seven ground balls and had the aforementioned assist.