EDWARDSVILLE – Sophomore Ben Byers (Harding, PA/Wyoming Area) scored a career-high five goals but visiting Susquehanna University used balanced scoring on way to a 17-8 victory over the Colonels in Landmark Conference action Wednesday afternoon at Schmidt Stadium.
 
Wilkes slipped to 4-6 overall and 1-1 in Landmark games following the home defeat. Susquehanna improved to 4-6 overall and 1-1 in league games.
 
After Susquehanna began the game with two goals, Wilkes responded with two of its own as Byers and Austin Sosnovik (New Tripoli, PA/Northwestern Lehigh) (assisted by Oscar Cline (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz)) found the back of the net tying the game at two with 4:21 left in the first quarter. The River Hawks then rattled off three straight goals to end the opening frame to take a 5-2 lead after one.
 
Susquehanna scored the only two goals of the second quarter at 11:41 and 8:54, with one coming on the man-up advantage, to lead 7-2 at the break.
 
The lead grew to 9-2 with 9:25 left in the third quarter before Lucas Ortenberg (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park) notched a goal off a helper from Tim Hartka (Phoenix, MD/Calvert Hall) with 7:30 on the clock. After five unanswered Susquehanna goals, Anthony DiFrancesco (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) got on the board with :17 left in the third cutting the deficit to 14-4 after three.
 
Byers owned the fourth quarter for Wilkes scoring four of his five tallies in the frame, but the River Hawks kept its advantage throughout securing the conference road victory.
 
A. Sosnovik added three points on one goal and two assists to join Byers with three or more points in the game. Caleb Miller (Mohrsville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) started and played 40:43 minutes making 10 saves in goal while Logan Ryan (Cropseyville, NY/Tamarac) entered in relief finishing with six saves in 19:17.
 
Susquehanna held a 48-42 shot advantage while converting on 18-of-21 clearing attempts to the Colonels 17-of-24 attempts. Susquehanna also held an 18-9 advantage in faceoffs.
 
Wilkes continues Landmark play Saturday with a road matchup at Catholic University starting at 1:00 p.m. in Washington, D.C.