Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. – Junior Michael McCormick (Lorton, Pa./Paul VI Catholic) scored all of his career-high five goals as part of a game-ending 9-2 run to spark sixth-ranked Gettysburg College past Messiah College 16-11 in the season opener Saturday afternoon.
 
Gettysburg (1-0) trailed 9-7 with 10:03 left in the third quarter. McCormick rallied his team with his first score with 6:48 remaining in the third and went on a personal 3-0 run spanning the final two periods to put the Bullets in front for good. Gettysburg won its 14th consecutive season opener and improved to 19-0 all-time against Messiah (0-1).
 
McCormick added an assist for a career-best six points, while junior Jack Harvey (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) tied his personal high with four goals and dished out an assist. Freshman Elon Tuckman (Princeton, N.J./Princeton Day School) added two goals and three assists in his collegiate debut.
 
Making his first start in the cage, freshman Scott MacMillan (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) posted eight saves and two ground balls. Junior defenseman Mitch Wykoff (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) corralled nine ground balls and forced a pair of turnovers, while sophomore Andrew Horn (Bronxville, N.Y./Avon Old Farms) recorded five ground balls and three caused turnovers. Sophomore Connor Hunt (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) won 21-of-31 face-offs and scooped seven ground balls.
 
Cory Hurst led Messiah with three goals, while Joseph Franken and Garrett Amsbaugh turned in a pair of tallies. Lucas Honebrink tracked down seven ground balls.
 
Gettysburg was on its heels early as Messiah came out with the first four goals of the season. Amsbaugh assisted on a pair of tallies before scoring a man-up goal with 7:36 to play in the opening quarter.
 
The defense forced a turnover by the Falcons and Harvey broke the egg with the Bullets' first tally with 3:19 on the first-quarter clock. Tuckman struck for the next two to pull the visitors within a goal (4-3) early in the second quarter.
 
Messiah maintained its advantage for most of the first half and went ahead 6-4 on a goal by Liam Lilienthal. Gettysburg seized momentum heading into the break with the final two goals by Harvey and sophomore Kadin Kightlinger (Purcellville, Va./Bishop O'Connell) to tie the game 6-6.
 
The Bullets jumped in front for the first time early in the second half when Horn completed a quick transition for a goal off a feed by Tuckman. The lead was short-lived as the Falcons stormed in front with the next three goals to make it 9-7.
 
MacMillan put the brakes on a shot by Franken a short time later, setting the stage for McCormick to toss in his first goal and kick off a 6-0 run. Freshman Connor Hume (Elkridge, Md./Loyola Blakefield) tied the score 9-9 on senior Andrew Garstka's (Springfield, Va./Paul VI Catholic) fourth assist of the game and McCormick put his team in front for good with the next three goals to make it 12-9 with 14 minutes left.
 
After Messiah scored to pull within two (12-10), four more goals by the Orange and Blue found the back of the cage with junior long-stick midfielder Christian Atalese (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) scoring the team's final goal with 6:50 to play.
 
Messiah led I shots 44-42, while Gettysburg led in ground balls 40-38. The Bullets were perfect on clear attempts (15-15) in the game.
 
Gettysburg makes its home debut against Goucher College on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 3:30 p.m.