Bulldogs host Hawks Saturday at home, game moved up to 12:00 p.m.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse game against the University of Hartford Saturday has been moved up to a 12:00 p.m. faceoff due to impending winter weather conditions.

The Bulldogs (0-2) are still in search of their first win of the 2015 campaign, while the Hawks will play their first contest of the season Saturday afternoon at the Bryant Turf Complex.

Bryant will need to get its offense going to get past a Hartford side slated to finish fifth in a strong America East Conference, as the Hawks return their entire backline in junior defensemen Chris Duffy (32 ground balls, 18 caused turnovers), Torrey Martone (24, 12) and Kevin Sanna (11, 6).

Hartford will have a new face between the pipes with the graduation of 15-game starter Frank Piechota, but Saturday's visitors stay consistent on attack, returning two of the team's top three scorers from a season ago. Senior Kevin O'Shea returns to lead the top offensive unit after pacing the team in points (48), goals (30) and assists (18) in 2014 and has been named an NEILA Preseason Second Team selection. Sophomore Jaedon Henderson (17g, 9a) will join him on the top attack line after a rookie season that saw him start in 13 contests and finish third on the side with 26 points.

The Hawks also return the America East's top faceoff specialist in redshirt-senior Adam Yee, who was named an All-New England Preseason Second Teamer behind Bryant senior Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.). Yee went 191-for-343 at the X last season, posting a .557 winning percentage to earn America East First Team honors. He also added 112 ground balls.

Yee will represent the biggest challenge of the young season for Massa, who is 25-of-34 (.735) with 17 ground balls through the Bulldogs' first two contests. The senior has committed just a single turnover while taking every faceoff of the year so far.

Sophomore Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) and junior Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) will be looked toward to jumpstart the Bryant offense as the veterans on the line, and the pair have combined to account for 10 of the team's 17 points and five of its 10 goals so far in 2015. Rookie attack Cam Ziegler (Carlsbad, Calif.) has a pair of scores on the season, while starting sophomore midfielder Ryan Sharpe (Poway, Calif.) and rookie second liner Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.) have each chipped in a goal and an assist.

Defensively, the Bulldogs will look for continued strong play from a backline led by senior captain Connor Dent (Havertown, Pa.) and junior captain and All-American goalie Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.). Dent's nine ground balls on the year are second only to Massa, and his four caused turnovers lead the defensive ranks. Waldt has posted 21 saves, boasting a .568 save percentage and 8.19 goals against average just two games into 2015.

Saturday's contest can be seen live and free-of-charge at NECFrontRow.com.