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Results

ERIE, Pa. – The match was up for grabs heading into the heavyweight bout with Gannon holding a one-point lead, but Chaz Lear's (Cape May, N.J. / Lower Cape May Regional) takedown in the final seconds secured a 5-2 win for the redshirt freshman and a 22-18 victory for the Golden Knights over Lake Erie Wednesday night at the Hammermill Center.

Lear's win may have locked up the victory for Gannon, but it was Sean Floor's (Westbrookville, N.Y. / Port Jervis) pin at 157 that was the turning point of the match. Floor opened with a 2-0 lead after the first period thanks to a takedown, but saw the lead erased in the second period when Tyler Tesny scored five points with a take down and three nearfall points. 

Floor closed the gap in the third period with a takedown, before Tesney's reversal gave him a 7-4 edge. However, with just seven seconds left in the bout, Floor managed to pull off the defensive pin, turning what looked like a three-point win for Lake Erie into six points for Gannon. 

The bonus points proved crucial as the Golden Knights dropped decisions in both the 165 and 174 bouts. Zack Zelcs then (Ridgway, Pa. / Ridgway) grinded out a 3-0 decision at 184 pounds to give Gannon a 19-15 lead. The redshirt freshman accounted for his scoring with a takedown and a riding-time point. 

Lake Erie closed the gap with a 9-7 win at 197 to set up the decisive heavyweight bout. Lear's early takedown and Zappitelli's escape in the first period gave Lear a 2-1 edge. Heading into the second period, Zappitelli chose bottom which allowed Lear to accumulate a minute of riding time before allowing the escape. In the third period, Lear fended off shots from Zapitelli, and secured up his win with a takedown with less than five seconds remaining. 

Earlier in the bout, Matt Turek (Painsville, Ohio / Madison) and Scott Bulzan (Chardon, Ohio / Chardon) each picked up bonus points in their respective weight classes.

Turek grabbed a pin in the final 10 seconds of his 125 bout to open the scoring with a 6-0 Gannon lead. The redshirt freshman had picked up four takedowns prior to the match-ending pin. Turek is now 12-9 overall with an 8-4 record in dual action. Turek has won his last four bouts, with one technical fall, one pin and two wins over regionally ranked grapplers during the stretch.

Bulzan grabbed his third dual win with a 13-5 major decision in the 141-pound bout. Bulzan opened with a takedown and two nearfall points, holding a 6-3 edge after the first period. He added one takedown in the second before opening the third period with a reversal. Bulzan's takedown in the final seconds secured a major decision for the redshirt freshman and four team points for the Golden Knights.

Gannon improved to 8-5 this season in dual action with the win. The Golden Knights will travel this weekend to West Liberty for a dual on Saturday, February 11 at 7 p.m.