LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Bellarmine's Landon Trout scored just 42 seconds into the game, and it was a sign of things to come as the Knights rolled over St. Bonaventure 13-5 at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 
 
Bellarmine ran out to an 8-0 lead, and it looked as if the Knights were going to get a first half shutout, but a Bonnies goal with 32 ticks remaining on the clock in the second period made it 8-1 at the break.
 
The Knights kept the heat up and led 13-2 before three late goals by St. Bonaventure made the final margin eight.
 
Bellarmine dominated nearly every phase of the game, and the faceoff X is a shining example of the Knights' superiority.  Three different players took faceoffs for Bellarmine, and they combined to win 18 of 22. The Knights' J.T. Simonton was a perfect 10-for-10 on the day, becoming only the 32nd player in Division I history to have a winning percentage of 100 while attempting at least 10 faceoffs.
 
With the faceoff squad providing so many scoring opportunities, the Bellarmine offense peppered the Bonnies with 49 shots with 29 being on frame.  Trout turned in a six-point performance complementing his hat trick with three assists.  Griffin Bowie also chalked up three goals while handing out one assist.
 
"It was a good effort for us, and we continue to play really effective offense when we share the ball," said Bellarmine Head Coach Andrew Whitley.  "Having Trout and (Brayden) Brown get five total assists is a good sign because teams are going to challenge them since they've been scoring at a high level from the outset."
 
Whitley also singled out Simonton, Lucas Clarke and JC Higginbotham for their outstanding play.
"J.T. was great today and certainly set the tone at the X," Whitley said, "Lucas Clarke did a nice job as well (6 of 9), and if we continue to compete in that area of the field, I like our chances going forward."
 
Higginbotham, a freshman goalie from Plano, Texas, came with 11 saves and posted an 84.6 save percentage. "JC had a nice afternoon and showed why we think he's got a chance to be a special player," Whitley said.
 
Bellarmine improves to 2-2 on the season while St. Bonaventure drops to 0-2.  The Knights play their fourth game in 11 days on Tuesday when they take on Detroit Mercy in a road contest.
"We're playing good ball going into the Detroit game, which I know is going to be a battle," Whitely said. "They got us by one last year, and I know our guys are looking forward to trying to get that one."
 
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