Rivier players celebrate their one-sided 16-3 GNAC quarterfinal win over J&W on Saturday at Merrill Field. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – You can be sure they remembered. And it showed.

Yes, the Rivier University men’s lacrosse players who were around for last year’s stunning Great Northeast Athletic Conference quarterfinal exit here at Merrill Field were bound and determined not to let that happen again.

And it showed, as the Raiders dominated Johnson & Wales of Providence, R.I. 16-3 , a game that despite the propensity for waves/runs was never in doubt.

“We were all very focused on not allowing what happened last year,” Raiders goalie Sawyer Gagnon, who had 14 saves, said. “We couldn’t take (J&W) easy. We had to come into this game prepared, mentally strong. I would say overall we’re in a better mental state this year, for sure.”

And as a result, the Raiders, who got six goals from Bishop Guertin product Chris Heitmiller and five from Michael Zapatka, will host a GNAC semifinal for the first time ever on Wednesday night at 7 vs. Dean College.

“It’s just about effort, teammwork and trusting each other,” Zapatka said. “Holding ourselves more accountable for what we could do right as opposed to what we could do wrong. … We had that (2023 quarterfinal loss to St. Joe’s of Connecticut) on our mind.”

“Last year’s a long time ago,” Raiders coach Jay Delanoy said. “We’re on to now. The whole focus is they love each other, they want to stay together. It’s the point of the year when you’ve got to play well enough to stay together. So we’re trying to play our best to keep playing.”

It’s hard to imagine the Raiders, 11-6 overall and 8-2 GNAC, playing any better. The Wildcats (9-7, 7-3) were no pushover coming in.

“We’ve played some good ones, this is up there near the top of them,” Delanoy said. “We just try to play a little better every time we play and keep it rolling.”

The Raiders led throughout. Jeff Potter and Zapatka scored about five minutes apart for a 2-0 lead before J&W’s Jacob Graham got the visitors on the board halfway through the opening quarter. But then Heitmiller scored a minute later and that started a run of 11 straight Raider scores that extended into the first minute of the third quarter. Wow.

Coby Mercier had two goals and two assists, while Connor Eck and Parker Williams each had a score. Potter had a four assist game.

“Lacrosse is a game of runs,” Delanoy said. “No lead is safe until it’s late in the game. We just needed to play as well as we could play all day.”

Rivier’s Alan Cozzolino (9) bears down on J&W’s Mike Catuosco (10) during Saturday’s GNAC quarterfinal at Merrill Field. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Heitmiller had a day, perhaps one of the best in his Raider career. Nine of his 11 shots were right on Wildcats netminder Chris April (11 stops).

“I defer to him, I ask him questions,” Delanoy said. “He’s the smartest lacrosse player I’ve ever coached. I ask his opinion a lot, because he’s got a great lacrosse mind. He knows where to be, he knows if he’s not in the right spot where to move to, and he knows what to do with the ball when he gets it in the stick.”

For years, Delanoy wanted the Raiders to host a playoff game. Then a quarterfinal game. And now, they get their first semifinal on The Hill.

“It’s good,” Delanoy said. “It’s why we got the buildings (the Robinson Pavillion), it’s why we got the turf (at Merrill Field), right? Excited, all the guys are excited. And they’re mostly excited about practice on Monday.”

Which is waaay better than a breakup meeting like they had last year.

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