The St. Thomas club lacrosse team, propelled by attackman Sean Hickey’s two goals and three assists, defeated the Reinhardt Eagles 13-6 in the opening round of the MCLA Division-II national tournament Monday night.

After losing to rival St. John’s in the UMLC championship game over two weeks ago, it took the Tommies a quarter to get their offense going. However, St. Thomas then exploded for six goals in the second quarter with ten different players recording points in the game, Hickey attributed the Tommies’ success to their ability to play as a unit.

“When we did (play as a team), we moved the ball really well together to find the open cutters for a lot of assisted goals,” Hickey said.

Hickey’s five-point game matched his career high, which came against the Tommies’ next opponent, North Dakota State University, earlier this season. Hickey said knowing his teammates’ style of play was the key to the offensive success.

“I think it’s just the chemistry between Danny Burke, Chris Moulton and I,” Hickey said. “I think we play really well together. Playing together so long, rooming together last year, I just think that really pays off in the end.”

Attackman Chris Moulton also helped to bolster the Tommie attack with two goals and an assist.

“That was probably the biggest thing, taking advantage of the 1-on-1 matchup that I had,” Moulton said. “It’s a lot about off ball movement, so I mean finding the open gaps and taking advantage of that when you can.”

Coach Peter Moosbrugger said getting many players involved was key to keeping a well-rested and healthy team throughout the tournament.

“I think the key to our success today, whether you win by 20 or you win by three, a win’s a win and we wanted to make sure we came out of this game healthy,” Moosbrugger said. “We wanted to make sure we put ourselves into positive momentum. It’s a balance between getting everybody in (and) keeping the legs fresh for the long haul.”

After leading 7-3 at halftime, the Tommies extended their lead by one goal in the third quarter and led 11-6 going into the final frame. The Tommies outshot the Eagles 19-3 in the fourth quarter and added two more goals for a 13-6 final score.

The Tommies resume play in the national tournament at 1:30 p.m.Tuesday against North Dakota State University.

“The guys are excited. From this point on every game is going to be a battle,” Moosbrugger said. “We know each other, and the nice thing is, we know what we’re in for, and we’ve prepared for them in the past. We know it’s going to be competitive, so we’ll see how things go tomorrow.”

Jordan Kruger can be reached at krug6172@stthomas.edu.