BROCKPORT, N.Y.  – The College at Brockport men's lacrosse team won a thriller to open the State University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday, downing the No. 3 seed Plattsburgh State, 7-6.
 
The Golden Eagles, who earned the right to host their first-ever SUNYAC Playoff contest by earning the No. 2 seed, improve to 12-3 on the season. The Cardinals likely finish their 2016 campaign with a mark of 8-8.
 
The contest was a physical battle, with both teams taking their turn with leads throughout the game. Plattsburgh opened scoring with a pair of goals, but the Golden Eagles worked to even the count before the end of the opening period.
 
Jake Giudice broke the Brockport scoring silence, with an unassisted goal at the 3:53 mark. John Countryman took advantage of a man-up opportunity to knot the contest at 2-2 to close the first period.
 
The Green and Gold scoring streak continued with a pair of scores to open the second quarter. Liam Cannon netted back-to-back goals, with Marcus Palvino setting up the first to give Brockport their first lead of the contest at the 12:49 mark. Cannon worked in his second goal three minutes later to give Brockport a 4-2 edge.
 
Again, the Golden Eagles saw the Cardinals even the count, after a pair of goals tied the score at 4-4, a score that would stand through the half.
 
The action didn't let up in the second half, with Giudice burying a goal to start play for the Golden Eagles, and reclaim a 5-4 lead. Brockport saw the Cardinals net a goal, but Palvino provided the edge, regaining the Green and Gold lead at 6-5 to close the quarter.
 
The fourth quarter was a nail-bitter, with Plattsburgh scoring the first five minutes into the period. By the 3:20 mark, Countryman fired in the go-ahead score off a Casey Cleary set up to push the Golden Eagles to the 7-6 edge. The Green and Gold defense held strong, and fought for the final score of 7-6 to advance into the SUNYAC Championship.
 
The Golden Eagles edged their counterparts in several categories, with a 41-20 edge in shots and a 29-23 advantage in ground balls. The Green and Gold forced 19 Plattsburgh turnovers and went 18-for-23 on clears.
 
Colin Blind led the Golden Eagle defense with four caused turnovers and eight ground balls. Steven Gurin picked up three caused turnovers and four GBs on the day. Nick Smith and Austin Recor each added two caused turnovers.
 
Conor Nowak stood tall in the cage for the Golden Eagles, stopping nine shots in the win.
 
The Golden Eagles will continue their season at Cortland, N.Y. in the SUNYAC Conference Tournament Championship where they will face the No. 1 seed SUNY Cortland on May 7 at 1 p.m.