UTICA, N.Y. – The third-ranked Ithaca College men's lacrosse team kept its undefeated record intact on Saturday afternoon, powering past Utica College for a 19-2 win at Gaetano Stadium in Utica, N.Y. The win improved IC's record to 8-0 on the year, while it is now 2-0 in Empire 8 play.
 
The Bombers' offense, which entered Saturday as the third-most potent attack in NCAA Division III at 16.71 goals per game, continued to hum against the Pioneers on Saturday. IC tallied 19 goals for the fourth time this season, racing out to a big early lead and keeping the pressure on throughout in the lopsided win.
 
The third-best point-per-game offense in the country at 27.71 racked up 36 on Saturday, as Ithaca had 14 different players record a point in the contest. Headlining the attack was junior Jake Cotton and sophomore Josh Della Puca, as each tallied seven points in the contest. Cotton scored a goal and dished out a season-high six assists, while Della Puca finished with three goals and four helpers.
 
Senior John Januszkiewicz also showed signs of breaking out of his early season funk, netting his first hat-trick of the season in a three-goal effort. Stephen Morrell, Tyler Krampf and Kaelan Fitzpatrick each joined Januszkiewicz in recording three points. Morrell scored twice and added an assist, while Fitzpatrick flipped the line with one goal and two assists. Krampf distributed three helpers.
 
Jack Shumway became Ithaca's first player to hit the 40-point mark on the year. He finished with one goal and one assist. Connor Hulme also had two points, both coming on goals. Will Witter, Winston Wenham, Doug Hill, Owen Smith, Brendan King and Conner Crosson each netted a scoring tally for IC.
 
Jack Deragon continued to hold down the starting spot in the cage for IC. He finished with eight saves in 48:11 of game action, before turning the net over to Justin Isaacs for the final 11:49. The win improved Deragon's record to 7-0 on the year.
 
Ithaca held nearly a 2-to-1 advantage (15-for-23) in the faceoff circle, which it translated into a significant possession advantage throughout the contest. The Bombers made the most of it, putting on a shooting display, which registered 59 shot attempts and 38 shots on goal in the game.
 
Ithaca came into the game with a 43-to-9 scoring advantage in the first quarter. That margin continued to widen on Saturady, as IC hit the Pioneers with an early four-goal scoring run en route to taking a 6-1 lead through 15 minutes. King, Della Puca and Shumway scored goals over a 3:08 span, while Januszkiewicz capped the streak with 6:58 left in the period. Fitzpatrick answered a Tyler Nicolaus' opening tally for Utica with 4:58 left, before Della Puca scored his second of the quarter as IC worked with the man-advantage late in the quarter.
 
IC added five additional goals in the second period to take command of the contest. Januszkiewicz and the Pioneers' Brickman House traded goals over the opening minutes of the second period. Ithaca closed out the quarter on 4-0 run to take an 11-2 lead to halftime. Della Puca scored his hat-trick goal with 6:04 left in the period. Wenham also added his first goal of the year and second as a Bomber to close out the scoring in the half with 1:42 remaining.
 
The Bombers outscored the Pioneers 8-0 after halftime to pull away. Januszkiewicz scored his hat-trick goal to close out the third period, depositing a shot into the twine with 11-ticks left. Hulme added both of his goals in the fourth quarter, while Hill capped IC's offensive barrage with 36-seconds left.
 
Ithaca returns to action on Wednesday, March 29, when it makes the short trip up Route 13 to renew its Cortaca rivalry with 11^th-ranked SUNY Cortland. Opening faceoff for the anticipated tilt is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.