CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Wabash saw a one-goal first-half lead slip away Saturday afternoon as Muskingum used a decisive four-goal run in the third quarter to hand the Little Giants an 11-7 nonconference setback at Fischer Field at Mud Hollow Stadium.
 
The Fighting Muskies (1-0) outscored the Little Giants 4-3 in the third period and 3-1 in the fourth to erase a first-half deficit and hand Wabash (1-1) its first home loss of the season .
 
Wabash got four goals from attacker Jake Pippen, who scored twice in the opening quarter and finished with seven shots, including five on goal. Evan Bair added two goals and two assists for four points, while Christian Dybedock contributed one goal and two assists. Will Sorg and Zach McMichael each recorded an assist for the Little Giants.
 
Muskingum placed five players in the scoring column, led by Evan Cosgrove and Chipper Iacobucci with two goals and two assists apiece. William Swift and Trey Wisniewski each scored twice, and Tyler Workman added a goal and an assist. The Muskies totaled 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists.
 
Wabash struck first when Pippen converted a feed from Dybedock at the 6:53 mark of the first quarter. After Cosgrove answered for Muskingum with 2:10 left in the period, Pippen scored again with five seconds remaining off an assist from Bair to give the Little Giants a 2-1 lead after one.
 
Pippen completed his hat trick at 11:28 of the second quarter on a pass from Bair, extending the Wabash lead to 3-1. Muskingum responded with three consecutive goals — two from Wisniewski and one from Adin Mondul — to take a 4-3 advantage. The Muskies carried that margin into halftime.
 
The third quarter proved pivotal. Swift scored 2:05 into the period, and Brayden Wolfe added a man-up goal at 10:55 to push the lead to 6-3. Cosgrove and Iacobucci followed with goals 35 seconds apart, capping a four-goal surge that stretched Muskingum's advantage to 8-3.
 
Wabash answered with three straight tallies. Bair converted a man-up opportunity at 4:47 off a pass from McMichael. He struck again at 2:49 from Sorg, and Pippen completed his four-goal afternoon with 32 seconds remaining in the quarter to trim the deficit to 8-6 entering the final period.
 
Muskingum regained control in the fourth. Iacobucci scored at 11:38, Swift added his second of the game at 10:29, and Workman finished a feed from Cosgrove at 9:01 to extend the lead to 11-6. Dybedock scored unassisted with 1:34 left to account for the final margin.
 
Muskingum outshot Wabash 42-39 and held a 24-21 edge in shots on goal. The Muskies were especially effective in the third quarter, firing 17 shots compared to six for the Little Giants.
 
Jaeden Klimkowski earned the win in goal for Muskingum with 14 saves, including six in the first quarter. Wabash goalkeeper Colin Krekeler made 13 saves over 60 minutes of action.
 
Ground balls were nearly even, with Wabash holding a 43-41 edge. Muskingum forced 31 Wabash turnovers while committing 28 of its own. Faceoffs were split evenly at 11-22 for each side, with Logan Miltner winning 11 of 20 draws for the Little Giants.
 
Muskingum converted one of two extra-man opportunities, while Wabash finished 1-for-3 with the advantage. The Muskies cleared successfully on 21 of 29 attempts compared to 15 of 28 for the Little Giants.
 
Wabash returns to action Wednesday with a 7 p.m. road contest at Kalamazoo College.