ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Sophomore Micah Ballew had a game-high five goals leading Elizabethtown College to a 13-8 win over Coast Guard in the season opener for both teams.
 
With the win, the Blue Jays (0-1) avenge a 10-1 loss to the Bears (0-1) last season in New London, Conn.
 
Ballew finished the game with six total points adding an assist to his five goal total. Senior Mike DiGenova also started the season with a hat trick while sophomore Nick Cost registered a team-high three assists. Sophomore Danny Gilbert was dominant at the fac-eoff for Elizabethtown, winning 18-24 and picking up 13 ground balls.
 
Freshman Caleb Holdridge led Coast Guard in his collegiate debut, tallying four goals and two assists for six points. Junior Will Iorio was second on the team four points on two goals and two assists while senior Justin Edwards had a team-high four ground balls.
 
After the Bears netted the first goal of the game, Ballew rattled off three straight goals to give the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead into the second quarter.

Cost would then score 49 seconds into the second quarter and assist on junior Thomas Palen's goal with 2:10 left in the half to give the Blue Jays a 5-2 lead heading into the locker room

Ballew found the back of the net to start the scoring in the third quarter pushing the Blue Jay's advantage to 6-2 with 12:38 remaining in the third.

The Bears would rallying, scoring three straight goals, capped off by a snipe from senior Riley McNulty to cut Elizabethtown's advantage to one (6-5)

Gilbert responded in a big way, winning the next face-off and making a beeline for the Coast Guard goal, rifling home his first goal of the season and pushing the Blue Jays lead back to two (7-5).
 
The Bears moved back within one twice in the fourth quarter at 8-7 and 9-8, but Elizabethtown closed out the game with four straight goals, snagging the season opening win, 13-8.
 
Senior Tom Mahoney (1-0) was dominant in the cage for the Blue Jays, making 16 saves and only allowing eight goals to a team that averaged 13 goals per game last season.
 
Senior Charles McAllister (0-1) also reached double digit saves, stopping 10 of 29 shots.

Elizabethtown continues its stretch of four games to start the 2020 season next Saturday, Feb. 22 against St, Mary's (Md.). Opening face-off is set for 2 p.m.