HAMDEN, Conn. – St. Bonaventure locked in a spot in the MAAC Tournament, holding off Quinnipiac for a 10-8 road victory Saturday afternoon, powered by hat tricks from seniors Jackson Rose and Sean Westley.

Quinnipiac opened the scoring 2:55 into the game on a goal from Dylan Donnery, but the Bonnies would respond with four straight including three from Rose and the first collegiate goal from freshman Anthony Cimino. The Bobcats bookended the first quarter scoring, closing within 4-2 with 39 seconds left in the period.

St. Bonaventure (9-3, 4-1 MAAC) pulled ahead in the second quarter, thanks to a natural hat trick from Westley who netted three goals in a six minute span for a 7-3 advantage.

John DeLucia ended the Bonnies run to pull within three, but Jake Emmick struck for his fourth of the year, assisted by Cimino following a Bona's timeout, with just six seconds left before intermission as the Bonnies surged to an 8-4 lead at the break.

Quinnipiac (2-9, 1-4) roared back, however, holding the Bonnies to just two goals after halftime. The Bobcats closed within 8-7 with 9:23 to go in the third as Ryan Donnery brought the hosts within one.

That score would last for nearly eight minutes as the defenses took over.

Senior John Fox made his first goal of the year a huge one 1:36 before the end of the third quarter, giving the Bonnies a bit of needed breathing room for a 9-7 score heading for the final 15 minutes.

Quinnipiac would close within one once more as Dylan Donnery scored with 6:58 left. As the drama built over the waning minutes, including multiple big-time saves from Bonnies goalie Brett Dobson, the visitors would finally get some insurance.

Brady Wijbrandts netted a goal with 2:22 remaining and the Bonnies would not look back.

With the win, St. Bonaventure secures a spot in the MAAC Tournament as one of the league's top four seeds. The Bonnies will have an opportunity to play for the league's regular season title when they host Canisius next Saturday at the Marra Athletics Complex on Senior Day.

Bona's was perfect on the power play, cashing in on all three opportunities. Conversely, the Bonnies penalty kill was successful in three out of four man-up situations for the Bobcats.

Westley tallied a game-high four points while Cimino also had three.

Defensively, Dobson starred again with another 21-save performance in net. Wijbrandts and Dobson each chipped in two caused turnovers while Zack Belter had a caused turnover and an assist. 

The faceoff X was a team effort for the Bonnies with Trent Grainger earning five victories, Jack Almond four and Austin Holley three.

Nick DiMuccio made 11 saves for Quinnipiac.

The regular season finale next Saturday vs. Little Three rival Canisius is set for a noon start on home turf.

GAME NOTES

• The MAAC semifinals and finals will be held May 5-7. The Bonnies are guaranteed a spot in the league semifinals for the second consecutive season. SBU and Marist are both currently 4-1 in the MAAC standings with the Bonnies owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Red Foxes.
• Rose now leads the MAAC in season goals (31) while Westley is second in the league in total points (45), but first in points per game.
• Westley now owns the Bonnies all-time single-season points record, breaking a tie with Paul Demore who had 41 in 1992.
• Cimino tallied a career-high in points in addition to his first goal. Conor Murphy gave the Bonnies another strong freshman performance as he boosted the attack with two assists. 
• Bona's evened the all-time series vs. Quinnipiac to 2-2, but scored its first conference victory over the Bobcats. SBU won its first game as a Division I program at Quinnipiac last year, but that game did not count toward conference standings.
• Fox scored his key goal in his return to his home state of Connecticut.
• Cian Collins also logged an assist. 

-----
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on Twitter @GoBonnies and get men's lacrosse updates @BonniesMLAX. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies.