GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University Mavericks scored three goals in the first 3:15 of the third quarter as part of a 8-2 run overlapping half-time to help the Mavs seize momentum en-route to a 16-13 Rocky Mountain Athletic  Conference men's lacrosse victory over visiting Westminster College on Sunday afternoon here at Community Hospital Unity Field.
 
AJ Switzer scored three times in that extended spurt, including the go-ahead-for-good goal just 84 seconds into the third quarter, and finished with a team-high four goals overall.
 
James Steinke also had a career-high seven points, recording two goals and five assists, to match the Maverick record for single-game helpers.  Sergio Pelayo and Hunter Holcomb both finished with four points as well.  Pelayo had two goals and two assists while Holcomb scored while dishing out three helpers.
 
Carson Schwark also scored twice moving into the Mavericks' all-time top-10 for career goals as part of a 3-way tie for ninth with 55 career markers.
 
Sophomore Dylan Checketts was also on fire at the face-off spot on Sunday, winning 22 of 29 draws while scooping up 14 ground balls, helping the Mavericks to a 52-32 advantage in that category.  The Mavs also shot the Griffins, 59-39.
 
Freshman net-minder Reece Sullivan made eight saves in the complete game win while his Griffin counterpart Gavin Beilman had a stellar 17-save effort to help keep the game close.
 
With the win, the Mavericks improved to 3-1 overall with the home and conference-opening triumph while the Griffins were playing their first official game of 2022.
 
The Griffins jumped out a 2-0 lead as Beilman made six first-quarter saves.  However, the Mavs finally beat the senior net-minder, scoring equalizing goals just 24 seconds apart before Pelayo put the Mavs up 3-2 with 0.9 seconds left in the frame.
 
The Griffins then scored four of the next five goals to take a 6-4 lead with 5:21 left in the half before Schwark triggered a 3-0 Maverick run over just 71 seconds to put the hosts up, 7-6.  He and Switzer book-ended that run with man-up goals as the Mavs successfully on two of their three extra-man-opportunities.  Holcomb had the assist on both of those goals while Steinke assisted Switzer with an even strength goal in between.
 
However, the Griffins would tie the game at seven at the end of the first half with his third of four total goals.
 
The Mavs then came out of the locker-room rocking as Switzer, Steinke and Hayden Scherr all scored giving the Mavericks a 10-7 lead with 11:45 left in the third quarter.
 
After Spencer Whinery answered for the Griffins, Steinke and Holcomb scored Maverick goals as the Mavs increased their lead to four (12-8).
 
The Griffins valiantly cut the game two 12-10 later in the third quarter before Jake Keyes put the lead back up to three (13-10) with just 30 seconds left in the third, giving the Mavs a 3-goal advantage heading to the fourth.

Albert then scored for the Griffins in the first minute of the final stanza before CMU's Braden Lowe and the Griffins'' Gavin Piva exchanged goals, just 42 seconds apart after an apparent face-off drive and goal by Checketts was waved off by a crease violation.
 
However, freshman JJ Brummett and Switzer scored to extend the Maverick lead to four (16-12) before Whinery scored a late goal, meaningless to the final outcome.
 
Although there were some bone-jarring hits in the second half, there were no second half penalty flags.
 
The Mavericks continue RMAC play next Saturday traveling to Alamosa to face Adams State University in what will be the Grizzlies' season-opener.