POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – What a way to start!
 
Colgate launched the 2018 season with its highest goal total in nearly three years and its best first-game goal count in 11 years, resulting in an 18-12 thumping of Marist Saturday afternoon.
 
First-year attackman Mike Hawkins scored four goals and assisted on three more to lead the charge, while Anthony Abbadessa, Matt Donovan and Chase Wittich all registered hat tricks. Eight different Raiders scored goals and three others added assists, led by Sam Cleveland with four.
 
Colgate fell behind 2-0 in the first seven minutes but then roared back with a four-goal barrage to close the first quarter leading 4-2. Six different Raiders had scored by the time it was 7-4 Colgate at intermission.
 
The third period was crazy as Colgate scored seven times and Marist five, leaving the Raiders with a 14-9 advantage. Neither team's goalie had a save during the wild-and-woolly third quarter.
 
Colgate scored twice more in the first 1:06 of the fourth quarter and never was challenged. The Raiders for the game had the 4-0 run to end the first quarter and then two separate 3-0 runs to keep the heat on the Red Foxes all afternoon.
 
This was Colgate's best-scoring game since the Raiders blasted Bucknell 18-5 in the 2015 Patriot League tournament semifinals. It was Colgate's highest goal-total to open a season since the 2007 Raiders handled Hartford by a 19-4 count.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 18, Marist 12
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate opened its season 1-0.
• Marist dropped to 0-2.
 
Raider Facts & Figures
• Colgate head coach Mike Murphy improved to 5-2 in season openers.
• The Raiders had three man-up opportunities and Hawkins capitalized twice. The Glastonbury, Connecticut, product scored his first collegiate goal on the extra-man chance in the second before added another in the fourth.
• Hawkins' even-strength goals came midway in the third quarter and with 9:59 left in the fourth.
• Collin Orr grabbed 18 of 32 faceoff wins to keep the Raiders on the attack.
• Cleveland's four assists were a career high.
• Donovan's hat trick was the second of his career. It was the seventh for Abbadessa and the sixth for Wittich.
• Both Donovan and Wittich needed only four shots to score their three goals.
• Griffin Brown added two goals, while Nicky Petkevich, Will Blumenberg and Joe Delaney each add a goal apiece.
• Colgate committed just eight turnovers compared to 12 for Marist, and four of the Raider giveaways came in the final period when the game was in hand.
• Colgate's 35-20 groundball edge was led by Orr and Blumenberg with five apiece. John McDonald added a career-high four.
• Charlie Messineo, on defense, joined Hawkins as true freshmen starting in their first collegiate games. Messineo contributed one of seven Colgate caused turnovers.
• Others earning their first career starts were Connor Mullen in goal, Jack Donaghue on defense and Nicco DeLorenzo at long-stick midfielder.
• Mullen went the distance and earned his first career goalkeeping victory.
• Parker Baddley and Nick Salameda posted two caused turnovers apiece.
• Marist had nine extra-man opportunities but the Colgate special teams allowed just three man-up goals.
 
From the Source
• Colgate head coach Mike Murphy: (On the game) "It was great to get the offensive clicking the way it did today. We showed great poise and unselfishness. We were very sharp in our shooting. Their goalie is a game changer and we were able to shoot properly and put pressure on them consistently.
 
"Marist is very talented and well coached. I was proud of the way we battled for most of the day. Our attack play helped lead the day. All the midfielders played well between the lines.
 
"We did some nice things on defense as well. The three close defensemen held their own on assignment. We need to be more consistent in the goal and at the faceoff-X moving forward. Both young men played well at times but we have to eliminate the faceoff violations and stay out of the penalty box."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Tenney Stadium was 812. 

Up Next
• Colgate opens its 2018 home schedule Tuesday against Binghamton.
• The Bearcats are 0-1 after falling 21-4 Saturday at No. 10 Syracuse.
• Faceoff from Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium is 4 p.m., with the Patriot League Network carrying all of the action.