HIRAM, Ohio -- The Allegheny College men's lacrosse team kicked off the 2023 season against a familiar face, as the Gators took down former North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) foe Hiram College, 16-6, on Thursday night.

The Gators (1-0) received points from 10 different players, including six multi-point performances. In his collegiate debut, JP Rakis (Kensington, Md./Walter Johnson) led all scorers with a game-high five points (4g-1a). Jack Cushwa (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg), who scored twice and earned two assists, and Aidan D'Amato (Tolland, Conn./Tolland), who netted four goals, each contributed four points.

Not only did the offense outclass Hiram (0-1), Allegheny limited the Terriers to just 11 shots on goal and held them to one tally on a trio of man-up opportunities.

Allegheny opened the first quarter with three consecutive goals, two of which came from Cushwa, and the Gators never trailed from there. Leading by two, 5-3, Allegheny ran away with the contest thanks to a nine-goal run that spanned more than 21 minutes between the second and third quarters. 

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny outshot Hiram, 48-to-24.
• The Gators scored three times on seven extra-man opportunities.
• Allegheny also held a 13-to-10 advantage in faceoffs.
• Rakis (4g-1a) led all Gators with five points.
• Rakis and Cushwa each scored a game-best four goals.
• CT Graniel (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) added three points (2g-1a), while Nick Gralewski (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) (1g-1a) and Gideon Sullivan (Getzville, N.Y./Cathedral (Ind.)) (2a) finished with two.
• Benjamin Gallegos (Lafayette, Colo./Dawson School), Jack Hales (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood), and Pete Schellbach (New York, N.Y./Salisbury School) each deposited one goal.
• Three players split time in goal for the Gators, and David Kratzenberg (Latrobe, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) received the win after making two stops in the first 20:12.
• Noah Pilgram (3g-1a) was the only Terrier to collect multiple points.

News and Notes

• Allegheny improved to 4-0 all-time against Hiram.
• The Gators started the season with a win for the second year in a row.
• Rakis, a freshman attacker, paced the Allegheny offense in his first game.
• Hales, a fellow first-year, also scored his first collegiate goal against Hiram.
• Four goals mark a single-game career-high for Cushwa.
• Thursday's win is the second of Kratzenberg's career.

Up Next
On Wednesday, March 1, the Gators will travel to Alliance, Ohio, for a 7:00 p.m. meeting with the University of Mount Union.