The combination of the top attack and midfield unit put on a clinic Tuesday for the No. 5 Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team.

The units accounted for 11 of the team’s 17 goals in the contest, creating easy scoring opportunities and dominating time of possession as the Minutemen raced past Albany, 17-7.

Art Kell anchored the first attack squad with his three-goal, two-assist performance. Kyle Smith added yet another hat trick – his fourth in five games this season – while dishing out two assists and Will Manny responded to a quiet first half with a pair of third quarter goals to give him 16 for the season.

Fluid ball movement and off-ball cuts enabled the attackmen to get free, especially Kell and Smith, who had one easy attempt after another.

“We just stress to each other that we need to finish the ball because we have the opportunity if we’re shooting within five to ten yards and we have to be able to put the ball in the net when the [midfielders] get the ball to us,” said Manny.

With the entire top attack and midfield lines returning, the squads have developed a strong comfort level and can anticipate where they’ll be on the field.

That anticipation showed in the second quarter when Kell found Smith on a beautiful backdoor cut in front of the net. Kell saw it the entire time and hit Smith in stride for the easy score to put the Minutemen on top, 9-1.

“That’s just a big part of our offense, knowing and trusting each other, being able to play with each other for two or three years,” said Manny.

Kell has hit his stride over the past two games, recording a pair of hat tricks while tallying three assists. In the first three contests he had just one goal, but UMass coach Greg Cannella said that had more to do with some bad luck than the result of a slow start.

“Artie’s been great all year, he just hasn’t shown up on the scoreboard,” said Cannella.

“We’ve been playing together for a long time so we kind of know where each other are going to be so it kind of makes it easier,” said Anthony Biscardi, a member of the versatile and multi-dimensional midfield unit.

Consisting of Fleming, Mooney and Biscardi, the trio of midfielders each brings their own piece to the puzzle on the offensive end. Fleming – who had a goal and two assists in the game – brings size and a powerful shot.

Biscardi netted the first two scores of the contest with his electric shot past Albany goalkeeper John Carroll to set the pace for UMass’ 5-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“Colin and Anthony, the past two or three games, have just been shooting the hell out of the ball and it’s hard to defend those two guys,” said Manny.

Mooney was the only member of the Minutemen first midfield line that did not show up in the box score.

While the trio doesn’t typically start, their skill level is evident when they step onto the field.

The line dominated the time of possession throughout the contest and especially in the first half, as a number of possessions yielded stall warnings from the officials. However, UMass was able to keep the ball in the box and not only avoid a turnover, but score as well.

“We had a couple of those [on Tuesday] and … just finishing the ball is like a cherry on top,” said Manny. “That’s the total deflation of the defense and they’re all frustrated after that.”

With all the firepower the Minutemen have in their repertoire, they’ve raced out to a strong start to the 2012 season and could be headed for a deep NCAA tournament come May if their pace continues.

Stephen Sellner can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Sellner.