CANTON, N.Y.—Junior midfielder Matt Kennedy (Clay, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) scored a career-high four goals and added an assist as the SUNY Potsdam men's lacrosse team (5-3) hammered SUNY Canton (0-7) 18-9 for its fifth win in six games. SUNYAC Player of the Week and ECAC Rookie of the Week Eric Soderquist (Watertown, N.Y./Watertown) finished with two goals and two assists and junior attackman Ed Doherty (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst) contributed three goals.

Potsdam put the game out of reach in the opening quarter. The Bears scored five of the first six goals and then closed the first 15 minutes on a 4-0 run for a 9-2 lead. Kennedy scored three times during the onslaught, while junior captain Pat Bonafede (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili), sophomore attack Berkley Stone (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) and Doherty each added two goals.

After Canton's Cam Carter opened the scoring in the second quarter, Potsdam got three of the next four. Soderquist scored at 8:44. Doherty completed the hat trick at 5:57 with a helper from Soderquist and Kennedy got his third just 12 seconds before the half.

Sophomore attackman Joe Hayes (Black River, N.Y./Carthage) made it 13-4 Potsdam at 10:30 of the third. Carter and Chris Gamble got the next two for the Roos, but senior captain Jon Woodworth (Great Bend, N.Y./Carthage) set up Soderquist at 1:15. The Bears led 14-6 after 45 minutes.

At the 11:50 mark of the final quarter, freshman midfielder Nick Orsini (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) found the back of the net for his second collegiate goal. Canton's Garrett DiTullio scored the Roos seventh marker of the game at 9:46 and Gamble notched his third almost two minutes later. Potsdam reeled off the next three in a row. Sophomores Casey Boulio (Carthage, N.Y./Carthage), Michael Roukous (Dexter, N.Y/General Brown) and Ryan Conway (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) each scored their first of the year to give the Bears their largest lead of the game at 18-8. Canton's Devin Gruneisen closed the scoring with 22 seconds left.

In goal, Potsdam sophomore Jack Bezek (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) earned his first collegiate victory with three saves in the first half. Junior Jackson Corcoran (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Churchville-Chili) stopped two shots in the next 18:51. In his first college action, freshman Alex Uhlein (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas) completed the game with three saves in the final 11:09. Corey Spuck went the distance for the Kangaroos, finishing with 13 saves.

The Bears dominated Canton in shots (58-24) and ground balls (58-28). Potsdam was 0-for-5 on the man advantage and the Roos went 0-for-1.

The Bears three faceoff specialists stood out tonight. Junior Brandon Grace (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan) went 8-of-12. Sophomore Lucas Canino (Highland, N.Y./Highland) was 7-of-9 and freshman Marc Leveroni (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) was 9-of-10.

Potsdam faces its toughest test of the season on Saturday, when the Bears travel to Cortland to face the 15th-ranked Cortland Red Dragons at 3:30 p.m.