KINGS POINT, N.Y. | Third-seeded SUNY Maritime erased an early deficit and surged late to defeat top-seeded Merchant Marine, 13-12, in the 2026 Skyline Conference Men’s Lacrosse Championship on Saturday at Brooks Stadium.

Merchant Marine came out firing, scoring five of the game’s first six goals to build an early 5-1 advantage behind tallies from Owen Barcus and Jack DeTommaso. Maritime responded before the end of the opening quarter, as Ryan Hannaford and Nick Uzakewicz helped trim the deficit to 5-3.

The Mariners extended their lead to 8-5 late in the second quarter, but Maritime stayed within striking distance thanks to a late goal from Tyler Mahood just before halftime.

The turning point came in the third quarter, when Maritime outscored Merchant Marine 4-3 to pull even at 9-9. Uzakewicz ignited the run with multiple scores, while Hannaford added a man-up goal to knot the game.

In the fourth, Maritime completed the comeback. Goals from Nick LiPuma and Hannaford tied the game at 11-11 before Hannaford and Uzakewicz struck again in quick succession to give the Privateers their first lead since the opening minutes at 13-11. Merchant Marine got one back late on DeTommaso’s fourth goal, but Maritime held on in the closing minutes.

Hannaford delivered a standout performance with seven points on six goals and one assist, to be named Most Outstanding Player, while Uzakewicz added eight points on five goals and three assists. Maritime goaltender Cristian Scaffaro made 18 saves in the win.

Merchant Marine was paced by DeTommaso (4 goals), Barcus (3 goals, 1 assist), and Landon Locke, who tallied three goals and four assists.

With the victory, SUNY Maritime claims the Skyline Conference title and earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship.

The championship field will be revealed in a selection show on Sunday, May 3 at 9 p.m. ET.  Click HERE to watch.