PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—For the fourth time in five Northeast Conference games, the Hobart College lacrosse team found itself tied at 6 and headed to overtime. Saint Joseph's University's Chris Blewitt scored 2:02 into extra time to give the host Hawks the victory.
 
With the win, SJU clinched at least a share of the NEC regular season championship and earned the right to host the NEC Tournament April 30 and May 2. The Statesmen are locked into the No. 2 seed and will play No. 3 Bryant in the semifinals. The fourth playoff participant will be decided next Saturday.
 
Hobart (7-5, 4-1 NEC) was outshot 57-25, but sophomore goalie Jackson Brown stood on his head, finishing the game with a career-high 22 saves. It's the most saves in a game by a Statesman since Max Silberlicht '10 recorded 23 stops against Syracuse in 2010.
 
Junior Matt Opsahl led the Statesmen with two goals. Seniors Zach Reed, Brendan Saylor, and Taylor Vanderbeek and sophomore Tanner John each scored once. Sophomore long-stick midfielder Arik Andreen picked up a team-high four ground balls.
 
The Hawks' Kevin Forster notched a game-high three points on a goal and two assists. Ryan McGee scored twice and Mike Rastivo had a goal and an assist. Blewitt and McGee each grabbed four GBs to lead Saint Joseph's. Faceoff specialist Mike Lanham went 12-5 at the X. T.J. Jones has nine saves to earn the win in goal.
 
Saint Joseph's (9-5, 5-0) carried a 1-0 lead out of the first quarter, but Opsahl and Reed, assisted by junior Cooper Stefaniak, hit the back of the net in the second quarter for a 2-1 Hobart lead at halftime. Brown had nine saves through 30 minutes.
 
The Hawks pulled even early in the third quarter, but Hobart seized the biggest lead of the game with three goals in just over three minutes late in the frame. Saylor started the run with his 16th goal of the year. John made it 4-2 and 41 seconds later Opsahl scored his 14th of the year, assisted by Llewellyn.
 
The teams traded goals to start the fourth quarter with Vanderbeek posting his 14th goal of the year to make it a 6-3 game with 8:27 left in regulation.
 
McGee started the comeback run 40 seconds later. Hobart had a chance to restore its three-goal lead when SJU deployed a 10-man ride after the Statesmen won the ensuing faceoff. Hobart took a shot from 30-yards out on an empty goal, but missed the mark. The Statesmen were able to back up the shot, but Jones saved Hobart's next offering which led to Forster's goal at 5:35, cutting the home team's deficit to just one.
 
Brown was under intense pressure in the fourth quarter. The Hawks were credited with 21 shots and Brown made eight stops in the frame. He gave the Statesmen a chance to keep its lead and earn the top seed, but Rastivo broke through with just 38.4 seconds left in regulation.
 
Brown saved SJU's first shot on goal in OT, but the Statesmen, who were 14-of-19 clearing, failed to get the ball out of the defensive zone and Blewitt ended the contest without Hobart getting a chance to run its offense.
 
The Statesmen will close out the regular season on Saturday, April 25, when they host Mount St. Mary's (4-9, 1-4). Prior to the noon start, Hobart will honor its seven seniors. The game will be televised by Time Warner Cable Sports.