LEWISBURG, Pa. – A trio of hat tricks vaulted Colgate into the win column behind a convincing 15-10 victory at Bucknell.
 
The Raiders turned a 5-5 game midway in the second quarter completely on its head, scoring three times in the final 3:41 before half and then outscoring the host Bison 5-1 in the third.
 
All three goals of Anthony Abbadessa's second hat trick of the season came during that 8-1 surge. First-year Nicky Petkevich got the run started with his second goal of the season followed by assists on goals by Sam Cleveland and Chase Wittich.
 
The Raiders went into the locker room leading 8-5.
 
Abbadessa's three goals then followed in a 10-minute stretch of the third, sandwiched around goals by Wittich and Will Blumenberg.
 
Wittich and Cleveland also registered their first hat tricks of the season. It was Wittich's third career trio, while Cleveland now has two.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 15, Bucknell 10
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improved to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the Patriot League.
• Bucknell dropped to 2-2 and 0-1.
 
Raider Scoring Recap
• Cleveland scored Colgate's first two goals for a 2-2 tie with 5:20 remaining in the first.
• The Raiders then made it 5-2 by the end of the period as Wittich, Peter Donato and Griffin Brown found the mark.
• Colgate in the first quarter was 3-of-3 on extra-man opportunities.
• Bucknell tied it at 5-5 before Colgate put together what became a 9-1 run into the early portion of the fourth quarter.
• Brown scored his seventh of the season early in the fourth before Matt Donovan found the net for his second career goal and first of the season to cap the Raider scoring.
• Colgate led 14-6 before Bucknell closed with four of the last five goals.
 
Facts & Figures
• The Raiders under Mike Murphy improved to 8-1 against Bucknell. Colgate has won six in a row against the Bison overall and also its last three visits to Lewisburg.
• Abbadessa, Blumenberg and Wittich have scored goals in all three games for the Raiders.
• Abbadessa leads with eight goals and 10 points, while Cleveland is next with five and eight. Wittich has five goals and seven points.
• Petkevich is the early assist leader with five.
• Brandon Burke made 13 saves in picking up the win. Connor Mullen also saw a brief stretch in goal and converted one save.
• Junior Collin Orr went 15-of-24 on faceoffs as Colgate posted a 17-10 edge. First-year Raider Malcolm Feeney was 2-of-2.
• Orr was the team's ground ball leader, tying his career high with seven.
• Parker Baddley caused a pair of turnovers and picked up three ground balls.
• Bucknell's Sean O'Brien and Reed Malas had hat tricks. O'Brien already has 15 goals for the season.
 
From the Source
• Colgate head coach Mike Murphy: (On the game) "The guys just played hard. We talked all week long about playing with poise and they did that. It was 5-5 and Chase Wittich had one on the doorstep that got saved, but we kept scratching and clawing our way. It went back and forth a couple of different times – we just kept fighting."
 
Listen to the rest of Coach Murphy's comments HERE.
 
• Colgate senior goalkeeper Brandon Burke: (On the team's preparation) "It was good to get our first win and our first Patriot League win. Coach Murphy said it in the locker room: it started Sunday. After our loss to Binghamton, we just had to go day by day prepring for Saturday. We thought if we did our job Monday through Friday, then Saturday would take care of itself. It showed."
 
Listen to the rest of Burke's comments HERE.
 
• Colgate first-year attackman Nicky Petkevich: (On his game) "My teammates and I were clicking on all cylinders. We've been prepping all week. I've got to give credit to the scout defense during practice; they made sure we were prepared. I was able to find my guys cutting inside. Everyone was shooting well and we had a good scout on the goalie."
 
Listen to the rest of Petkevich's comments HERE.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium was 200.
• There was a 30-minute weather delay before the opening faceoff.
 
Up Next
• Colgate begins a four-game homestand next weekend with a Patriot League visit from Lehigh.
• The Mountain Hawks are 2-2 overall after dropping their conference opener 14-8 at Holy Cross.
• Colgate leads the series 28-15, having won seven of the last eight home meetings.
• Start time Saturday from Crown Field is 1 p.m.