Strong Finish Against Montreat Gives Skyhawks First Conference Win of 2026

WEST POINT, Ga. – In what turned out to be an offensive slugfest on Saturday afternoon, the Point University Skyhawks scored four goals in the final 6:29 of regulation to outmuscle the Montreat College Cavaliers at West Point Park. The win serves as their opening conference victory of the season, putting them 1-3 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

Tyler Kelly put Point ahead for good with 5:19 remaining, and Malyke Sillers delivered the exclamation point with 1:45 to play. It was the last of Sillers' eight goal in the game. He finished with 19 shots. Shaun McLaughlin added three goals and an assist, while Kelly's late tally highlighted a balanced supporting effort that helped Point overcome multiple lead changes.

The game opened at a brisk pace, with Point grabbing early control before Montreat surged back. Rodney Oakley started the scoring to give Point a 1–0 lead, and the Skyhawks built a 3–0 cushion before Montreat responded. Justin Holland and D'Andrae McKenzie led a first-quarter rally, combining on a series of goals that flipped a 3–0 deficit into a 4–3 Cavaliers lead. McLaughlin answered with a goal in the final seconds of the opening quarter to send Point into the second up 5–4.

The Cavaliers outscored Point 5–4 in the second quarter and held a late lead, but McLaughlin's goal off a feed from Zachary Covey in the final minute leveled the score at 9–9 heading into halftime.

Sillers put Point on top 10–9 early in the third quarter, only for Gavin Mottram to equalize for Montreat, sending the teams to the fourth tied 10–10. The Cavaliers briefly regained control when McKenzie, assisted by Holland, made it 11–10, and Garrett Thomson later pushed the visitors ahead 12–11 at 6:31 of the fourth. Point answered immediately, with Sillers tying the game 12–12 just seconds later and igniting the Skyhawks' closing run.

Point's edge in faceoffs was critical to that late surge. The Skyhawks won 23 of 30 faceoffs, repeatedly gaining extra possessions that helped offset Montreat's attack. Point outshot Montreat 65–34 overall and 31–22 on goal, while also holding a 31–18 advantage in ground balls. Skyhawks goaltender Whitman Prewitt upped his record to 2-3 in a nine-save outing between the pipes.

Montreat's defense, backed by 15 saves in net by Jay Chance, kept the Cavaliers in the game despite the imbalance in shots, but they could not withstand Point's sustained pressure in the final minutes.

The victory closes out a four-game homestand for the Skyhawks, as they'll hit the road a week from today on March 28 to square off with Life University. That game holds a 1:00pm scheduled start in Marietta, Georgia.