By Casey Lamon

In what is a relatively light weekend, only six teams will suit up for four games that might begin separating the contenders from the pretenders.  It is also the midway point of the season.  Because of this special occasion, I have chosen several Mid-season Awards, which are my own unofficial PNCLL D-II awards and all-stars at this point.  Hopefully this will add a little more excitement to an otherwise light weekend.

The first game of the weekend takes place up in Tacoma as College of Idaho (0-2, 0-1) takes on Pacific Lutheran (0-4) as both look to gain their first win knowing that the loser will be the only winless team left in the PNCLL D-II.  The Lutes come into this game being outscored 48-18 in their first four games and only being able to one team under double digits (Portland, 9).  A team that has been in trouble with injuries all season has seen little go its way.  But freshman midfielder Alex Lineweaver (3g, 3a) has been a breath of fresh air this season.  Goalie Greg Fredlund (56.8%, 12gaa) has seen a drop in production as well, and a large part can be attributed to the overall lack of defense in front of him. 

College of Idaho also comes off a disappointing weekend that saw them get outscored 32-8 but was able to put up a competitive performance against fellow PNCLL D-II South team, Southern Oregon.  The Coyotes rely heavily on senior midfielder Nate Hample (2g, 1a) and attack Jeff Ball (2g, 1a) to lead a team that saw last season’s playoffs fade due to a tie-break on goal differential.  College of Idaho will also need to see an extremely young defense grow this weekend as the trio of freshman and lone sophomore will take on the only other team in the league that has yet to put up double digits.

At the same time on Saturday, Whitman travels to Salem to take on Willamette.  Last season Whitman controlled the Bearcats in both games and ruined their first trip to the playoffs with a first-round win in Walla Walla.  This game will feature the two highest scoring freshmen in the league as Whitman’s Aedan Weber (12g, 1a) and Willamette’s Andrew King (15g, 3a) square off. 

Weber will take on the Bearcats with the assistance (pun intended) of Bidnam Lee (3g, 11a) who put up seven assists against Central Washington last weekend.  Whitman’s defense will be led by the two-headed monster in goal of freshmen Loigi Lollini and Stephen Toyofuku, who have each split time this season.  King may be without attack Ian McAnnis-Entenman (12g, 3a) on Saturday, but the resurgance of Addam Fishel (10g, 4a) will help take some of the attention off of him.  The Bearcat defense at this point is ranked second to last in the league and will need to tighten up if they want to keep this game within grasp.

Sunday will see Southern Oregon (3-3, 1-0) make the seven-hour trip north to Tacoma to play Pacific Lutheran in the Lutes second game of the weekend.  Attack Lawrence VanEgdom (16g, 7a) leads the Raiders in both goals and assists and has made the transition very easy for freshman attack Tom Halley (12g, 3a).  No one has handled the loss of Alex White worse than attack Tyler Baumann (6g, 5a) who has seen his points per game total fall by 65% from last season. 

The most welcome surprise for the Raiders has been the play of goalie Carter Boggess (59.8%, 8.2gaa), who after a season and a half off has shown no signs of rust.  While the play of his close defense hasn’t been bad, his play has been nothing short of great.  Southern Oregon might be too much for Pacific Lutheran to handle on their second game of the weekend, but if there is one thing I have learned it’s not to underestimate the drive in determination Bubba installs into his players.

Also at noon on Sunday, the Yotes from College of Idaho finish their Washington trip off as they take on Central Washington (2-4, 0-1) in Ellensburg.  The Wildcats come off a disappointing overtime loss to Western Oregon that showed how competitive they are right now.  Central Washington brings two of the league leading scorers in midfielder Jake Mehl (17g, 11a) and freshman attack Bowen Hadley (20g, 6a).  Mehl has been quietly performing at an extremely high level all season, as he has been putting up impressive numbers against all levels of competition.  The defense is held together by the close defense of Kellen Gallacher (1a) whose stellar play has been enough to carry the team to as many wins so far as they had all last season.  If the Coyotes come out of Saturday with a win over Pacific Lutheran, emotions and momentum could help them overcome odds against a Wildcats team that could easily overlook them.

Mid Season Awards:

First Half Champion: Western Washington University
The record of the team may look average at only 4-3, but when you look at their losses, they came by the hand of Simon Fraser, Utah Valley, and Westminster.  The team was able to control games against top 25 teams Western Oregon and Southern Oregon.  Undoubtedly the best team in the PNCLL-II right now.

Offensive Player of the First Half:  Bidnam Lee, Whitman College            
Calvin Davis was in my thought process, but that would seem to be more of a Tim Tebow lifetime achievement award than a deserved Offensive Player award.  Lee is the best offensive player in the league right now and what’s more impressive is that he is leading the league in assists per game by a large margin.  Creating for your team is more important than just goals.
Honorable Mention: Calvin Davis, Western Oregon; Andrew King, Willamette; Aedan Weber, Whitman

Defensive Player of the First Half: Carter Boggess, Southern Oregon University
There is no player that means more to the success of their defense than Boggess.  He is pretty much the only defense that Southern Oregon has right now.  He made the Western Washington loss look much more competitive than it actually was.  It’s an interesting thought process to wonder where Southern Oregon could/would/should have gone in last season’s playoffs with Boggess in cage.
Honorable Mention: Kellen Gallacher, Central Washington; Ian LaBelle, Western Washington; Greg Fredlund, Pacific Lutheran

Freshman of the First Half: Andrew King, Willamette University
Willamette has won three games out of six, which is already one more than last season.  While Aedan Weber and Jacob Bohince might seem like more logical picks, King is second in the league in goals per game (3.75) and third in points per game (4.5).  Out of all freshmen, King ranks first in points per game, second in goals per game, and forth in assists per game (.75).  The freshman from Chicago’s New Trier High School will surely be a crucial part of Willamette’s future in the PNCLL.
Honorable Mention: Jacob Bohince, Western Oregon; Aedan Weber, Whitman; Bowen Hadley, Central Washington

First Half Most Valuable Player: Adam Extine, Western Washington University
Yes, a defensive player for Most Valuable Player, which will never actually happen.  But the best player on the best team makes Ian Labelle’s job a lot easier in cage.  While they are only second in the league in points allowed per game, the competition they have played is much more impressive than Southern Oregon, who is in first.
Honorable Mention: Ian Bohince, Western Oregon; Cody Bludorn, Western Washington; Lawrence VanEgdom, Southern Oregon

First Half All-PNCLL II Team:
Attack: Bidnam Lee, Whitman
Attack: Andrew King, Willamette
Attack: Calvin Davis, Western Oregon
Attack:  Aedan Weber, Whitman
Midfield: Jake Mehl, Central Washington
Midfield: Cody Bludorn , Western Washington
Midfield: Ian Bohince , Western Oregon
Midfield: Jacob Bohince, Western Oregon
Defense: Adam Extine, Western Washington
Defense: Kellen Gallacher, Central Washington
Defense: Sean Harding, Willamette University
Defense: Joe Robert, Southern Oregon
Goalie: Carter Boggess , Southern Oregon

Casey Lamon is an aspiring writer located in the great northwest and will be blogging on the news and notes throughout the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League’s Division II this season on CollegeLAX.

For Immediate Release –

Skyhawks Fall in Season Opener to PBA 13-11

Stonehill’s men’s lacrosse team travelled south for the 2010 Sailfish Shootout, leaving the harsh New England weather for the more appealing Floridian climate. Their first game pitted Stonehill against the host, Palm Beach Atlantic University.

The opening stanza was a low scoring affair as the teams felt each other out. Stonehill’s offense was frustrated early by PBA’s well coached zone defense. The Sailfish drew first blood at the 6:28 mark with an unassisted goal by #3, Trey Darby. This would prove to be a trend for the remainder of the contest. The quarter ended with PBA on top, 1-0.

In the second quarter both teams’ offenses picked up the pace. Stonehill senior captains Colin Lancey and Tom Higgins connected for their team’s first goal with a nifty quick-stick one-timer. Sophomores Connor Green and Bobby Flippin tallied two more to give Stonehill a 3-1 lead, with assists from Flippin and Lancey respectively but the Sailfish would go on a four goal run to end the half with the scoreboard showing PBA up 5-3.

Stonehill opened the third quarter with three straight goals, grabbing their final lead of the game at 6-5. Junior Matt Coletti scored with a hard bounce shot to start the run. Next, Coletti found senior Dan Cermack on the crease, who then made a nice move to escape traffic and place a bounce shot in the top left corner of the goal. Lancey scored again on a feed from freshman Anthony Powers to put Stonehill on top, 6-5.

The Sailfish would not be silenced for long, however, regaining their lead with two goals before Coletti was able to answer and knot the game at 7-7 with an assist from Flippin. The tie was short lived as PBA scored four straight goals to end the third quarter at 11-7.

In the final quarter Lancey found the net four more times, with assists from Cermack and Green. Despite the effort, it was not enough to earn the comeback win as, PBA notched two more of their own to come away with a 13-11 victory and the Sailfish Shootout crown.

Freshman goalkeeper Mike Phillips made his college debut in net, recording 17 saves on the day. Defensemen Charlie MacDonald and Mike Moccia shined in transition, picking up valuable ground balls and forming the foundation of Stonehill’s clearing game. Green and Lancey fought hard in the trenches, coming up with several faceoff wins and combining for an impressive 15 ground balls.

Stonehill Downs Georgia State 13-6

The Stonehill men took the field again looking to rebound after losing its season opener to the hosts Palm Beach Atlantic in the Sailfish tournament.  Stonehill’s next match would pit them against the Panthers of Georgia State coached by Tom Higgins.

The Purple and Black struck first , with an strong individual effort from Connor Green, who would put Stonehill on the board 13:46 into the first. The Sophomore Green was not done, as he netted the next Stonehill score as well at 11:30,  finishing the day with 3 goals and 2 assists.

The Panthers of Georgia State responded with a goal of their own with 7:31 remaining to close the gap to 2-1.  However, Stonehill stifled any attempts of a come back with three more goals of their own by freshman Anthony Powers, senior captain Thomas Higgins, and another tally by Green to complete the hatrick.

Scoring on the day was no problem for the Stonehill with sound offensive efforts coming from a variety of players in their balanced offense. Additional scores came from Seniors Matt Colletti and Colin Lancey with a break out day from freshman Alex Arnott.

Senior captain Ben Hyder led a staunch Stonehill defense with seven ground balls and was the backbone all day. Freshman goalie Mike Phillips stood tall between the pipes for Stonehill only allowing 2 Georgia State goals with goalie Robert Mostertz coming in for the second half making seven saves on the day. 

At 1-1 the Stonehill men now look forward to the war of 24, when Stonehill will face their rivals Bridgewater State College at home Friday March 19th at 7:00pm at the W.B. Mason Stadium.

ATLANTA (March 10, 2010) – The third Prodigy poll of the MCLA season was just released. And the same two programs remain at the top of the rankings.

The two-time defending MCLA champion Michigan Wolverines have continued their winning ways with road victories over No. 3 Arizona State and No.  7 Brigham Young.  Michigan will battle No. 13 Simon Fraser this Saturday in Ann Arbor.

Michigan (3-0) is followed in the latest Div. I rankings by No. 2 Chapman (6-0), No. 3 Arizona State (3-1).  Breaking into the Top 5 with convincing wins over No. 13 Simon Fraser and No. 21 University of New Hampshire is Colorado State (5-0) at No. 4.  Minnesota-Duluth (5-0) rounds out the top 5 and will travel to No. 3 Arizona State for another top 5 showdown in Tempe.

In the Division II poll, St. Thomas retains the top slot. The Tommies (defending Div. II national champions), opened the season with a 16-1 victory over Wisconsin-Eau Claire, are followed in the poll by No. 2 Davenport (5-0) and No. 3 Utah Valley University (1-1).

Dayton (2-0) and St. John’s (3-0) round out the top five in the latest Div. II poll.

Entering its 12th year of existence, the Prodigy MCLA Top 25 polls will once again serve as the preeminent ranking system for the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA). Multiple MCLA Coaches and MCLA Conference Administrators from all 10 MCLA conferences across the country will serve on this year’s voting panel.

Prodigy MCLA Division I Top 25 Poll (March 10, 2010)
1. Michigan
2. Chapman
3. Arizona State
4. Colorado State
5. Minnesota-Duluth
6. Florida State
7. Brigham Young
8. Oregon
9. Michigan State
10. Cal Poly
11. Colorado
12. Florida
13. Simon Fraser
14. Boston College
15. Texas
16. Virginia Tech
17. Arizona
18. UCSB
19. Texas State
20. Cal
21. New Hampshire
22. Loyola Marymount
23. Utah
24. Lindenwood
25. SUNY-Buffalo

Prodigy MCLA Division II Top 25 Poll (March 10, 2010)
1. St. Thomas
2. Davenport
3. Utah Valley
4. Dayton
5. St. John’s (MN)
6. Grove City College
7. Tennessee Wesleyan College
8. Northern Colorado
9. Grand Valley State
10. Westminster
11. Western Washington
12. UC, Santa Cruz
13. Elon
14. Emory
15. Kennesaw State
16. SCAD
17. Western Oregon
18. Fort Lewis
19. Missouri State
20. Hope
21. Northern Michigan
22. Cal State Fullerton
23. Concordia University Irvine
24. Southern Oregon
25. Northern Arizona

This week’s complete poll rankings can be found at http://www.collegelax.us/polls.php.

Poll Methodology and Process

The 2010 Prodigy MCLA Top 25 Poll is comprised of current MCLA coaches and MCLA conference administrators who have committed to submit rankings for the top 25 MCLA teams each week. These panelists were selected by CollegeLAX from multiple nominations submitted by all 10 MCLA conferences. The panel has been designed to be a statistically valid representation of all MCLA conferences and includes many of the top coaches across the country.

About CollegeLAX (www.CollegeLAX.us)

CollegeLAX, a product of SONNYLAX, LLC, is a private lacrosse web site that exists to promote and primarily cover the MCLA, affectionally called the largest lacrosse league in the world. The site previously existed as USLIA.com and it has existed in one form or another since the spring of 1998. CollegeLAX continues to offers timely information including MCLA scores, Top 25 polls, statistics, schedules, team press releases, selected game photographs and active message forums. Thousands of players, coaches, parents, alumni and fans from across the country visit the CollegeLAX web site each week. For more information, please visit www.collegelax.us.

About Prodigy Network

Prodigy Network, Inc. was founded in July 2006 with a vision of connecting the world of amateur athletics. Using an innovative business model and continuous implementation of the steady advances in media and network technologies, we provide amateur athletes, coaches, and teams media based, exposure solutions never before possible. Our services are steadily revolutionizing the exposure of athletics nationwide by providing coaches, teams, athletes and recruiters the media services and network resources to maximize their potential and achieve their goals. For more information, please visit www.prodigy-network.com/.

By Pete Stevenson

Friday’s loss was horrible. It was unexpected. Until the game was over, I didn’t think that it would happen. Looking back, we just didn’t play the way we had practiced and we met up with a pretty good goalie that had a great night and kept us reeling all night. Losing isn’t always bad. There are things to be gained from losing. They are never easy lessons and they are never easy emotionally.

But when you do learn those lessons, great things can come of it. Until this run by Michigan, no team had won a championship without a loss (although Sonoma won without losing to an MCLA team in 2002). Losing often bolsters the troops and makes them work harder. I would say that Michigan had that happen to them in the ‘07 tournament. The loss to Northeastern in the first round and not by a small margin I think changed the way they prepared for a season. They learned and grew from it.

And I believe that is what happened to us Friday night—maybe not to the same effect of giving us a winning streak that is as long as…well, let’s just say it’s long. But it did make us realize that we weren’t the best team we could be; that we could get better. And I think that is what happened on Sunday night. We fought for every ground ball. We took one step closer to the goal on every shot and we played harder on every possession. It was a step in the right direction. We still have a long way to go, and I hope that we don’t have to learn by losing again. I don’t think we need to.

We know that we can play with anyone, and this upcoming weekend will be a chance to prove that we can play hard on every possession. Can we work hard no matter what the score is, whether down by one, up by one or down by 10? That will be the deciding factor for a successful weekend, even more than whatever the scores end up being.

Pete Stevenson hails from Orem (pronounced ARM), Utah and is now the head coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes. He was an assistant at Brigham Young, where he learned the value of a good ride, and great hair.  You can read more of his ponderings on his very non-lacrosse related blog.

Ethan Ritz, executive producer of the 2010 MCLA Championships on Fox College Sports, writes an open letter to all followers of the MCLA and those interested in this year’s telecast of the season-ending tournament in Denver.

Fans of the MCLA,

Once again this year, I have the privilege of being the executive producer for the 2010 MCLA Championships’ television broadcast to air live on Fox College Sports May 14-15. While I have the chance to work sporting events from golf to the Super Bowl, lacrosse is where my passion lies. I played in college at Tennessee and coached Division II Augustana College (IL) to the 2006 GRLC Division II championship. I know what the players and coaches sacrifice to be successful and appreciate the commitment that each individual on each team must undertake.

Television is part of the future of the MCLA. I see us doing several regular season national games as early as next season that showcase the best teams the MCLA has to offer. Television offers a tremendous platform to showcase the MCLA’s brand of lacrosse and expand the MCLA’s reach even farther.

Sonny Pieper, founder of CollegeLAX.us, was nice enough to set up a forum for me to keep you abreast of what goes into putting together the tournament broadcast. I’d also like to solicit ideas from you, the MCLA fan base, as to what you want to see in the broadcast. What did you like/not like about last year’s broadcast? What graphic information would enhance the broadcast? I’m also looking for story ideas to add to the broadcast.

You can reach me on Twitter @EthanRitz or over in the CollegeLAX Forums.  I look forward to your input and conversing with you.

Best, Ethan Ritz

March 9, 2010

EUGENE, Ore.—Oregon men’s lacrosse continued its unbeaten streak Saturday afternoon after handing northwest rival Washington a 15-3 loss. In the third game of a four-game home stretch, the Ducks took 55 shots on goal and the steady weekend performance helped the team move up to No. 7 in the latest national MCLA The Lax Mag poll.

In the previous two games against Montana and Santa Clara, the Ducks had struggled to find rhythm in the first quarter. However, that was not the case Saturday, as the team came out firing on the Huskies and took a 4-0 lead through the first period. Two of the goals came just before penalties and one came from an outside rip by senior midfielder Erik Lyneis that found the top corner of the net.

Oregon’s ride was hard for Washington to get past and the Ducks continued to control the flow of the game after a 3-1 second quarter score.

The third quarter brought physical play from both sides. While the Huskies put in a goal, the Ducks scored three, including a nifty bounce-in shot from junior midfielder Kevin Clark with an assist from sophomore attack Corbin Root.

The same story continued for the Ducks in the fourth, as the depth of the team took over and never let down on the visiting Huskies. Oregon put the game away by controlling the tempo of the contest and adding five goals to the score to make the final tally 15-3.

On what was the third weekend of sun for the Ducks at home, Kevin Clark and senior attack Justin Blackmore contributed a couple hat tricks for the home team and sophomore midfielder Chris Kuhn provided an impressive goal on a fast break run in the second quarter.

Oregon wraps up its four game home stretch Saturday against a visiting Portland State team. The Vikings come will come to Eugene, Ore. with a lot of momentum after scoring 17 goals in last weekend’s victory over Humboldt State. After this weekend’s matchup, the Ducks will look to their Easter trip that will include games against  No. 1 Michigan in the Patriot Cup in Dallas and a contest at No. 14 Michigan State.

The Ducks and Vikings will face off Saturday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m. at the Next Turf Field. Check www.oregonlacrosse.org for updates on the game and the upcoming Easter trip.

March 5, 2010

BOULDER, Colo.—The University of Colorado fell short Friday night to the University of New Hampshire, giving up two goals late in the fourth quarter en route to a final score of 9-8 in favor of the Wildcats. The Buffaloes won the ground ball battle with 37, clearing was not a problem as it had been in the preseason and CU registered 44 shots to New Hampshire’s 37 . But in the end, it was a combination of penalties (12) and New Hampshire’s Jacob Katz locking down the cage in the second half that sealed CU’s fate.

“It’s frustrating as a coach,” said coach Pete Stevenson. “I felt like we were better than we played tonight, and I hope we can show that later on in the year.”

It didn’t take long for the fireworks to start, with Colorado scoring just two minutes into the game and establishing an early three-goal lead after the first quarter. CU also dominated the second quarter with 13 shots compared to the Wildcats’ five. The Buffs led 6-3 going into halftime.

Two completely different teams took the field in the second half; New Hampshire’s offense woke up and started challenging the Buffs’ defense with 14 shots and capitalized on two of their six man-up opportunities in the third to levy the gap. In retrospect, Colorado’s offense kept the pressure on the Cats’ defense, but could only find the back of the net once on nine attempts in the quarter.

The fourth quarter looked much like the third; Colorado pressed on to get shots, but again could not get past the goal line with the exception of one. CU would also add three more penalties to its tally as UNH slowly continued to claw back. The Wildcats were finally able to knot up the score at eight with just over five minutes left in the contest and never led the game until a little over two minutes left, when they netted the final goal of the contest.

CU got a few more chances to re-tie the game, but continued to be shut down by Katz. As the final whistle blew, the Buffaloes’ bench was a mix of silence and irritation.

“We came in probably a bit more prepared than they were, but they out-coached us and out-played us the second half,” Stevenson commented.

Freshman Joe Gardiner highlighted UNH’s offense with four goals, including the game winner. Also credited are James Rubio, Garrett Buckley (2 goals), Evan Flower and Michael Maloney. In net, Katz turned away 17 shots on goal and let only two by him in the second half. Those two goals came from CU senior Tyler Snyder, who had three in the game alongside single tallies by Ryan Haines, Alex Pudly, Darren Hulick, Doug Lilburne and Tyler Patzik. Will Brown had 13 saves in net for the Buffaloes.

CU has 60 minutes left to play this weekend, hosting Simon Fraser Sunday night at Kittredge Field. UNH, meanwhile, will wrap up its Colorado visit in Fort Collins, Colo. to face the CSU Rams Sunday afternoon.

March 7, 2010

BOULDER, Colo.—Although the Olympics are over, Sunday night witnessed another meeting between the United States and Canada, only not so much ice. Colorado head coach Pete Stevenson earned his first regular season victory with CU as the Buffaloes upset third-ranked (MCLA The Lax Mag) Simon Fraser by a final score of 17-7.

“Winning is so hard to do at this level and to get that first one means a lot,” Stevenson commented after the game. “I am glad that this team responded tonight.”

Indeed, the team responded all night. AJ Blackburn led the Buffaloes’ triumph with six goals and two assists. Freshman Doug Lilburne followed closely behind with four tallies of his own and four assists. Darren Hulick also found the net twice as did Ryan Haines, Nick Kupcewicz, Ben Litwak, Tyler Snyder and Matt White. Offensively, CU pummeled the Simon Fraser defense with 45 shots, consistent pressure working around the net and capitalizing on gaps between the poles.

However, Stevenson would later add that his defense deserves the credit for the win. “As a unit they were practically unbeatable tonight. Will Brown played huge for us in the goal as well.”

Defensively, the Buffs constrained the Clansmen offense most of the game, only giving up 11 shots in the first half alone. Simon Fraser would go on to get 30 total shots in the contest, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter, when Colorado sat most of its starters.

Brown played the majority of the night between the pipes, stopping nine shots on goal and compiling a .692 save percentage before being relieved by Cody Novack and later Bradley Macnee. At the moment, Brown has 21 saves and averages 6.5 goals against with a .618 save percentage in two games as CU’s starting goalie.

With the win, Colorado improves to 1-1 and currently sits fifth in the RMLC division behind Utah (3-0), Utah State (3-0), Colorado State (4- 1) and BYU (3-2). The team will travel to Missouri next week to play back-to-back games against No. 17 Lindenwood and Miami (FL) March 12 and 13, respectively. Until then, the entire upcoming week of practice will be training to counter the Lions’ and Hurricanes’ tactics.

Event: Men’s Lacrosse
Site: Shea Stadium, Littleton, Colorado
Score: #3 Simon Fraser University 6, #9 Colorado State University 12
Record: SFU (1-1, 0-0 PNCLL), CSU (4-0, 0-0 RMLC)
Next SFU Game: Sunday, March 7, 2010, 7:00pm MST – vs. #11 University of Colorado – Boulder, CO (Kittredge Field)

LITTLETON, CO (March 5, 2010) No. 3 Simon Fraser (1-1, 0-0 PNCLL) played their second game of the 2010 regular season on Friday, March 5 falling 12-6 to No. 9 Colorado State (4-0, 0-0 RMLC). With SFU leading 5-4 at halftime, the Rams stunned the Clan with an 8-1 second half on route to earning the upset. Fraser was led by senior attack Adam Foss (Cochrane, AB / Cochrane High School) with 2 goals and junior attack Chris Tessarolo (New Westminster, BC / New Westminster Secondary) with 1 goal and 1 assist.

SFU would find themselves down early, as a slow start put the Clan behind 3-0 to open the first quarter. CSU executed an aggressive riding game to dominate time of possession in the game’s opening minutes as several Clan turnovers in transition would lead to early chances for the Rams. CSU freshman Austin Fisher (Highlands Ranch, CO / Rock Canyon) initiated the scoring as he converted a feed from fellow attack Cooper Kehoe (Chico, CA / Stevenson) to take a 1-0 lead. Colorado State’s Stephen Unkrich (Highlands Ranch, CO / Mountain Vista) then made the score 2-0 on a screen shot from top right before Fisher and Kehoe hooked up again for Fisher’s second goal of the quarter. Finally able to solve the CSU ride, Fraser would go on the offensive to end the quarter with senior captain Adam Foss getting the Clan on the board to close the score to 3-1.

SFU would maintain the momentum to start the second quarter. Foss scored his second goal of the half, from Chris Tessarolo to make the score 3-2. Midfield Eric Ransom (Sherwood Park, AB / Bev Facey High School) then buried a shot from inside to cap off a lengthy Clan possession and tie the game at three. Fellow freshmen Colton Dow (Coquitlam, BC / Heritage Woods Secondary) gave the Clan their first lead of the game as he finished on a nice drive from the side of the cage to put Fraser ahead by one. A solid Clan ride was key in turning the tides in transition while the SFU defense did a good job of limiting the Ram’s few chances. Sophomore midfield Rick Bezuidenhout (Campbell River, BC / Timberline Secondary) scored in traffic to cap off a 5-0 Clan run and extend the lead to two before CSU midfield Garrett Fugier (Greenwood Village, CO / Regis Jesuit) was able to stop the bleeding and put the Rams back on the score sheet for a halftime score of 5-4 SFU.

Fraser would again come out slow to start the second half with a re-focused CSU quick to take advantage of the Clan’s return to poor execution. Kehoe scored his first of the game to level the score at five before Fisher completed the hat-trick to give the lead back to the Rams. A fired-up CSU squad refused to take their foot of the gas and SFU struggled to match the Rams intensity. Mistakes began to add up for the Clan as CSU capitalized on their chances and began to click in the offensive end. A 5-0 third quarter would be part of six unanswered goals for the Rams as Greyson Konkel (Aurora, CO / Regis Jesuit) opened the fourth quarter scoring to give CSU a 10-5 lead. Tessarolo would spark the Clan’s chances early in the fourth quarter with his first of the game before Konkel scored his second to extend the Ram lead back to five. CSU freshmen Austin Fisher closed out the scoring and put an exclamation mark on an impressive five goal performance to give Colorado State a 12-6 win.

SCORE BY QUARTER        1    2    3    4    Total
Simon Fraser                  1    4    0    1    6
Colorado State               3    1    5    3    12

NOTES
- Seven SFU players registered points: Foss 2g; Tessarolo 1g, 1a; Bezuidenhout 1g; Dow 1g; Ransom 1g; Russel Thomas (Nanoose Bay, BC / Ballenas Secondary) 1a; Ben Towner (Port Coquitlam, BC / Terry Fox Secondary) 1a.
- Clan senior Towner who finished the game with 1 assist was held without a goal for the first time in his collegiate career.
- Junior Dean Stewart played the entire 60:00 minutes in the SFU goal, making 9 saves with 12 goals against.
- Clan freshmen Dow (1g) scored his first collegiate point.
- SFU registered only 22 ground balls. Junior LSM Luke Genereux (Port Coquitlam, BC / Terry Fox Secondary) and senior midfield Thomas led the Clan with 4 ground balls each.
- The Clan’s regular season winning streak was snapped at 23 games. Fraser’s last regular season loss was on February 28, 2008 to Brigham Young.

QUOTES
SFU Co-Head Coach Brent Hoskins
On Colorado State: “Colorado State out played us in three quarters tonight and deserve a lot of credit for how well they executed on both sides of the ball. The Rams are always tough in transition and Coach Smith has got them competing hard on every shift. It was also nice to see Coach Naumberg back on the sidelines.”

SFU Co-Head Coach Jeff Cathrea
On Simon Fraser: “As a group, we are disappointed in our level of execution tonight. CSU did a great job of challenging us in all areas and we failed to perform at the level that we need to in order to be successful against an elite team. Tonight was a good lesson for us but we are confident in our athlete’s ability to respond and get better with each game.”

March 6, 2010

PROVO, Utah—The University of Michigan men’s lacrosse team wrapped up its season-opening road trip Saturday night in Provo, Utah, defeating Brigham Young by a score of 13-9 and improving to 3-0 on the 2010 campaign. In a seesaw affair, the Wolverines gutted out the victory with timely runs and a focus on possession despite the absence of six players due to suspension.

Freshman Thomas Paras (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius) had the best day of his young Wolverine career, netting four goals while adding three assists. Junior attackman Trevor Yealy (Pittsburgh/Upper St. Claire) had another typically productive outing, netting four goals as well, while senior midfielder Jamie Goldberg (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) played out of position at attack most of the night, but still managed to net two goals of his own while adding an assist.

The Wolverines won the opening faceoff and put together a lengthy possession to kick off the game, registering two quality chances but failing to find the back of the net. BYU responded with three shots from the left wing with junior goaltender Mark Stone (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) coming up big early on.

It was the Cougars that would score first, however, on a shot from just outside the crease to grab the early 1-0 lead. BYU made it 2-0 just over a minute later on a dodge down the left wing followed by shot across the cage that snuck just inside the right elbow.

Michigan was awarded a man-up opportunity following a push in the BYU zone after the ensuing faceoff, but the maize and blue failed to capitalize, turning the ball over early in the man-up. The turnover resulted in a BYU possession and their third goal of the game as the Cougars opened up a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.

The Wolverines got on the board on their next possession as senior captain David Rogers (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) found Paras open on the right wing after two Cougar defenders slipped on the play. Paras fired a rocket that seemingly went through the goaltender as Michigan clawed within two at 3-1.

Following the goal, Michigan was nailed for back to back offsides calls, with the latter carrying over into the second quarter. The man-down unit was up to the task, killing off both penalties and earning the first solid possession of the second quarter. Michigan failed to capitalize on that chance, but a transition attempt the next time down resulted in Yealy’s first goal of the game on a feed from Paras from the behind the cage.

Michigan was called for its third and final penalty of the game at the 10-minute mark, but UM gained possession and put on the stall in the Cougar zone. Immediately following the end of the penalty, senior midfielder Michael Bartomioli (Pleasantville, N.Y./Pleasantville/Providence) cut around the left side of the cage and fired high to knot the game up at 3-3 with 9:04 left in the first half.

The Wolverines earned their first lead of the game on Goldberg’s first goal of the night off another feed from behind the cage from Paras. Michigan tallied its fifth unanswered goal 1:20 later as Rogers added his lone goal of the contest on a blast from the right wing after a dodge. With momentum in its favor, Michigan kept rolling as Goldberg added his second score of the quarter just under a minute later on a dodge around the cage followed by a low shot to give UM a 6-3 lead late in the second.

Michigan was awarded a minute-long man advantage right before the halftime break, but failed to score and eventually turned the ball over, resulting in a late chance for the Cougars. Stone came up big as the whistle blew, stopping a behind the back shot as the Wolverines took a three-goal lead into the second half.

The Wolverines have been a good third-quarter team throughout their more than two-year stretch of unbeaten play, but they had a sloppy start to the second half and it resulted in BYU cutting the lead to 6-4 with 9:51 left in third quarter on a low shot from straight out. The Cougars drew within one the next time down on a high, hard shot from the left wing with 8:20 remaining in the quarter. The Cougars’ run continued as they tied the game at 6:46 on a wide open chance from 10 yards out after a breakdown in the Wolverine D.

Michigan finally answered on the man-up just over a minute later as senior midfielder Anthony Hrusovsky (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) finished a feed from Rogers from 15 yards out on the left wing. Michigan regained the two-goal lead on the transition at 3:39 as Paras found a cutting Yealy, who dipped and dunked for the 8-6 lead in the third. The Wolverines put together a flurry of chances just before the quarter break, but were unable to bury it, taking a two-goal lead into the final frame.

Paras added the first of three fourth quarter goals under a minute into the period, picking off a pass deep in the BYU zone on a Wolverine ride before racing toward the front of the empty cage and firing low as Michigan rebuilt its three-goal lead at 9-6. An offsides call on the Cougars at 11:50 resulted in Michigan’s largest lead of the game as Goldberg fed a cutting Yealy right in front for his third goal of the game.

BYU wouldn’t go away and quickly responded to cut the lead to 10-7 with 10:37 left in the contest. Paras didn’t let them build any momentum, however, scoring from the left wing on a high blast to help Michigan regain the four-goal lead midway through the fourth. UM’s next possession resulted in a nice feed from sophomore midfielder Alex Vasileff (Birmingham, Mich./Seaholm), who made the extra pass and found an open Yealy right in front of the cage for his fourth and final goal the game and the 12-7 lead with 6:25 left.

Once again, BYU failed to pack it in, answering at 6:02, but Michigan never let the Cougars creep any closer than four as Paras tallied his fourth and final score of the game on another rocket followed by a late, inconsequential BYU goal as Michigan improved to 3-0 on the young season with its third win over a ranked opponent in just seven days.

Statistically, Michigan dominated in almost every category. UM was outshot by BYU 37-34, but recorded 67 ground balls to the Cougars’ 39. UM was 17 of 25 on faceoffs and finished 24 of 30 on clears while riding BYU to 13-21 totals. Michigan scored three times on eight man-up attempts with Brigham Young failing to score on three tries. However, the Wolverines once again committed too many turnovers—registering 33 in the contest—some of which were a result of the high-pressure BYU defense.

The Wolverines will kick off their home schedule next week when they host No. 3 Simon Fraser Friday night (March 12) at 7:00 p.m. EST in Ann Arbor, Mich. at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse. For all your Michigan men’s lacrosse needs, please visit mgobluelacrosse.com.

For Immediate Release (March 5, 2010) - In cooperation with Georgia Tech Lacrosse, CollegeLAX is proud to annouce two online video webcasts this weekend involving the home standing Yellow Jackets from the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC). 

Georgia Tech (6-0) is undefeated this year after posting two wins last weekend in Lexington over Marquette (UMLL) and Kentucky (SELC). Last Friday night, the Jackets beat the Kentucky Wildcats 12-9 behind four goals from Alex Del Pozzo. On Saturday, the Jackets beat Marquette University 9-6, as Casey Timmerman led the way with three goals on the afternoon.

SATURDAY, March 6, 2010 – Boston University at Georgia Tech
Game Time is 1:00 p.m. (Eastern) in Atlanta.
CLICK HERE to watch the Boston University/GT video stream online.

SUNDAY, March 7, 2010 – Buffalo at Georgia Tech
Game Time is 2:00 p.m. (Eastern) in Atlanta.
CLICK HERE to watch the Buffalo/GT video stream online.

Game time on Sunday, March 5th is 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (4:00 p.m Eastern) from Orange County, California.

CLICK HERE at Sunday afternoon to watch the video stream online plus chat about the game live with other CollegeLAX fans.

Courtesy

New London, Conn – As basketball and football are often associated with the states of Indiana and Pennsylvania, shellfish and the sport of Lacrosse are synonymous with the state of Maryland.  What’s the line from The Wedding Crashers?  ”Crab cakes and lacrosse, that’s what Maryland does!”…something like that.  In keeping with the Maryland theme, it appears as if Coast Guard Academy head lacrosse coach Brian Krautler (Arnold/ Broadneck and Key School) and his staff have inherited some talented players from “The Old Line State” – players that the Coast Guard Academy hopes will lead them to a PCLL D2 Championship in 2010. The 40-man 2010 Coast Guard Academy Men’s Lacrosse team roster includes nine players from Maryland, including a core group from the Class of 2011.  The defense is anchored by a pair of Marylanders in team captain, Greg Bernstein (Baltimore/The McDonogh School) and crease-clearing Paul Junghans (Damascus/The Heights School).  Last season’s offensive leaders, juniors Kyle Ennis (Mayo/ DeMatha High School) and Matthew Chase (Baltimore/Loch Raven) also hail from “The Old Line State.”  Like a yellow and blue tin of Baltimore’s Old Bay seasoning, this core group of players has added a distinct impact and flavor to the Bear’s lacrosse program.

The “leader” of the group, Bernstein usually draws the assignment to cover the opponent’s best attackman or midfielder.  His cat-like reflexes and lacrosse IQ have allowed him to literally shutdown some of the best scorers in the conference.  His defensive prowess the last two years earned him PCLL Division 2 All-Conference – Second Team honors in 2008 and First Team honors in 2009.  This summer Bernstein will spend six weeks in Palmer, Alaska as the Team Leader for the Coast Guard Academy expedition at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) before reporting aboard USCGC TERRAPIN (“Fear the Turtle” – how appropriate), an 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat out of Bellingham, WA to finish out his training.  Junghans is another Maryland-component of a physical defensive unit which carries on the proud CGA tradition of venerable long poles.  Paul is known for his field vision, wit and ability to lead the fast break with finesse not normally found in a crease defender.  Junghans will spend his summer training aboard USCGC GALLATIN, a 378-foot high endurance cutter out of Charleston, SC.

The “character” of the group is definitely Matt Chase – somewhat “xenophobic” about all things not from Maryland, Chase refuses to purchase lacrosse equipment anywhere except inside of the Baltimore city lines.  He once pondered on his Facebook page that purchasing gear outside of Baltimore could result “in no offhand and a severe lack of flow” – things no self-respecting lacrosse player can tolerate.  A prolific scorer, Chase has become an integral piece of the Bears offensive attack.  Chase was second in the league in goals (25) with multiple 4+ goal games and #8 in points despite regularly drawing the opposing team’s best defender.  A talented and consistent player with skills that were respected around the league, Chase ranked #117 in points per game nationally and was selected 2009 PCLL Division 2 All-Conference – Second Team.  Chase will spend a portion of his summer as an intern at the National Security Agency (NSA) before reporting aboard USCGC STATEN ISLAND, a 110-foot Patrol Boat out of Atlantic Beach, NC to finish out his training program.

CGA is hoping to have Kyle Ennis back at some point in the season, following an ACL injury last year.  Ennis is considered the best pure athlete on the Coast Guard Academy Lacrosse team.  Selected to the MCLA D2 All-American Honorable Mention team, Kyle was the only PCLL player recognized that was not a member of the PCLL D2 Champion Stonehill College team.    He was second in the league in points per game with 29 points in only 6 games. In addition, he ranked #36 in points per game nationally and had big games against D1 UConn and in the 4OT thriller against PCLL D2 Champion Stonehill College.  He was a highly effective scorer either in one-on-one isolation situations or in the team unit as evidenced by balanced goal and assist statistics.  In addition to his lacrosse accolades, Ennis plays linebacker for the Bears football program.  In 2008-9, he led all NCAA Division III schools with 7.43 solo tackles per game.  Ennis will spend his summer aboard USCGC KINGFISHER, another 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat out of Jacksonville, FL.  Epitomizing the term student-athlete, Chase and Ennis were both named to the 20-member 2009 MCLA Division 2 Academic All-American team chosen from across the country.  As Electrical Engineering majors, Chase earned a 3.30 GPA while Ennis earned a 3.52 GPA for the 2008-9 Academic Year.  Incidentally, the team’s fall semester grades just came out.  The team earned a 3.02 average, with ten guys over 3.5 and not a single player under 2.0.

In addition to the Class of 2011 foursome, Coach Krautler’s roster consists of several other veteran contributors from the state of Maryland, including senior Craig Velencia (Columbia/Atholton) and sophomores Nick Zablotny (Annapolis/Broadneck) and Brian Muldoon (Solomons/Patuxent).  Moreover, the “Old Bay” pipeline keeps flowing as Coast Guard welcomed native-Maryland newcomers Andrew Ray (Ellicott City/Wilde Lake), Michael Cooper (Baltimore/Boys Latin School), and Austin English (Stevensville/Kent Island).   ”English and Ray have been huge additions to this team with their versatility,” said Chase. “They’ve taken a lot of pressure off me and Kyle to score goals because defenders have to pay them equal attention with their ability to pass and score.”

Due to the large number of roster players hailing from the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, the Bears will once again travel over Spring Break (March 6 & 7) to face NCLL club teams from that region. Club teams from Towson State University, the United States Naval Academy and the University of Maryland – Baltimore County make up this year’s competition.  Last year, NCLL Division I Navy tied for 1st place atop the always tough Chesapeake Division and competed in the NCLL National Tournament. Coach Krautler is enthusiastic about the opportunity to play in Maryland, saying “I grew up in the Annapolis area and learned how to play the game there. It was tough to leave Maryland to go play college lacrosse at the Coast Guard Academy, in Connecticut, but I knew it was the right decision. With about a quarter of our team hailing from the area, it just makes sense to make the trip back to Maryland each year and play in front of friends and family.  It’s a real thrill for the team and the coaches to get back to Maryland and play lacrosse.”  Bernstein and the rest of his teammates believe that they have a promising future as they start the season, but they recognize that “it all starts in Maryland.”

By Pete Stevenson

People fear the unknown. That is what is so scary about the first game of the season. How will we handle the pressure? How will we react when there is tension, when we don’t play well, when we do play well? How quickly can we readjust to the newly known? How well can we plunge head first into what we believe to be the right way to win?

So many unknowns, and yet there is strength in facing the unknown. There is team growth in facing those things together and relying on your linemate to bail you out when you need him to. Will I be able to make changes mid game? Will those players who we need to lead, be leaders? Will the underclassman follow?

And this year there are even more unknowns. Everything is new. Yet, it is just lacrosse that we are playing. The kids on the team have been playing for years. And we just need to put them on the field and the unknowns float away.

So here we sit the day before our first game, planning on building on where the team was last year. Fearing the unknown but looking forward to the darkness being filled with light, illuminating what our weaknesses are, and giving us something to work on for the next game.

Pete Stevenson hails from Orem (pronounced ARM), Utah and is now the head coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes. He was an assistant at Brigham Young, where he learned the value of a good ride, and great hair.  You can read more of his ponderings on his very non-lacrosse related blog.

For Immediate Release – Michigan Men’s Lacrosse

Tempe, Ariz. - The University of Michigan men’s lacrosse team (2-0, 0-0 CCLA) won a nail-biter Wednesday night (March 3) in Tempe, defeating #3 Arizona State (3-1, 2-0 SLC) by a score of 11-10.  In a back and forth affair that came down to the wire, junior goaltender Mark Stone (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) stopped a low screamer from the stick of Ryan Westfall as time expired as the Wolverines improved to 2-0 on the young season and handed the Sun Devils their first loss of 2010.  Junior faceoff specialist David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) stole the show, winning 21 of 25 faceoffs, helping the Wolverines overcome some sloppy play on all sides of the ball.

The Wolverines got on the board first following an ASU turnover that resulted in a transition attempt for the Maize and Blue.  Senior midfielder Anthony Hrusovsky (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) fed fellow senior Clark McIntyre (Little Silver, N.J./Rumson – Fair Haven) just out front for the early 1-0 lead.  Freshman attackman Thomas Paras (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius) increased the Wolverines lead to 2-0 on a dodge from the left GLE before firing high over the goaltender’s shoulder.

Following an ASU timeout and an ensuing faceoff win from Reinhard, U-M turned the ball over deep in their own end which resulted in a wide-open chance for the Sun Devils from 10 yards out.  ASU buried the shot to cut the lead to 2-1 with 10:51 left in the first quarter.

The Sun Devils evened the game at 8:05 on a transition tally before almost grabbing their first lead of the game with just over two minutes left, ringing one off the left post.  Just over a minute later it was junior attackman Trevor Yealy (Pittsburgh, Penn./Upper St. Claire) who helped Michigan regain the lead right before the quarter break, shoveling one home in front after scooting the ball along the grass to himself and around the ASU goaltender.

Leading 3-2 after a quarter of play, Michigan earned the first solid possession of the second. Yealy a took feed from senior captain Svet Tintchev (Rockville, Md./Bullis) and finished from just outside the crease as Michigan regained the two-goal lead early in the second.  Paras banged home his second of the game just moments later, but ASU quickly answered themselves following the ensuring faceoff with a long-pole goal on the transition as the Wolverines led 5-3 with 12:48 left in the first half.

The Sun Devils slowed the Michigan momentum, scoring from the near right wing with over eight minutes left in the second, but senior captain David Rogers (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) got Michigan rolling again with a blistering shot from the far right wing.  The back and forth action continued as ASU answered immediately following the faceoff as Michigan led 6-5 with 5:31 left in the second.

Both teams put together solid possessions during the remainder of the second quarter, but neither team was able to find the back of the net as Michigan took a 6-5 lead into the second half of play.

Michigan came out in the third quarter with a different look between the pipes as Stone (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) took over for fellow junior Andrew Fowler (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Hotchkiss CT)

Hrusovksy and Rogers hooked up three minutes into the third quarter with Hrusovsky taking a feed from Rogers and firing from 15 yards straight out as Michigan regained the two-goal lead early in the second half.  U-M was called for a slash on ASU’s next possession and paid the price as the Sun Devils scored from the left wing.

ASU knotted the game up at 7-7 just under four minutes later on another transition tally following an initial shot that rang off the pipe. The Sun Devils immediately scooped up the rebound and fired again.

Michigan regained the lead at the 4:02 mark, winning the whistle as Yealy found a wide-open Tintchev right out front following a errant shot.  Tintchev’s goal closed out the scoring in the third quarter with Michigan leading 8-7 entering the final frame.

ASU scored just over two minutes into the third quarter to tie the game at 8-8 on a quick stick tally before scoring 20 seconds later on the transition to earn their first lead of the game early in the fourth.

The Wolverines earned possession following the ensuing faceoff and immediately called a timeout once they entered the ASU box.  Michigan was unable to score coming out of the break, but Rogers found senior attackman Kevin Zorovich (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) soon after on the transition.  Zorovich fired high from the right wing to tie the game with 11:04 left in the fourth.

The Wolverines had a golden opportunity soon after, as the Sun Devils took two penalties on the same play, but the Wolverines were unable to capitalize.  After more than eight minutes of back and forth action, Rogers broke the tie with his second of the game on a dodge around the cage.  Senior midfielder Jordan Kirshner (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) scored the eventual game winner two minutes later, taking a feed from McIntyre and cutting inside before firing.

With just 54 seconds left and Michigan up by two, the Wolverines won the faceoff and raced into the ASU zone only to turn the ball over.  A long clear attempt from the Sun Devils was snatched out of mid-air by Stone just outside the Maize and Blue crease, but he was immediately checked and the ball squirted in as Arizona State clawed within one.  ASU won the ensuing faceoff and put the ball in the hands of Westfall who dodged to his right and fired low from 20 yards out.  Stone went low to make the save as time expired and the Wolverines earned their second win on their opening-season road trip.

Statistically, Michigan dominated in all areas but one.  U-M outshot their opponent 46-26, and recorded 58 groundballs to the Sun Devils 39.  U-M was 21 of 25 on faceoffs, and finished 17 of 25 on clears, while riding ASU to 18-36 totals.  Michigan failed to score on two man-up attempts with Arizona State finding the net once on two tries.  It was Michigan’s inability to make the smart play or simple pass the kept the game close as U-M registered 39 turnovers in the game, with many unforced.

The Wolverines will look to clean things up when they take on rival #4 Brigham Young this upcoming Saturday, March 6 in Provo, Utah at 7:00pm MST.  For all of your Michigan men’s lacrosse needs, please visit mgobluelacrosse.com.

——————————————————————————–

NOTES

– Junior Trevor Yealy failed to score more than two goals for only the eighth time in his three-year career spanning 41 games.

– Between the pipes, Fowler finished with one save and five goals against in the first half, while Stone stopped five shots while also allowing five goals.

– Eight Wolverines registered points in the contest with eight different players finding the back of the net.  Only three players registered multi-goal games, Rogers, Yealy, and Paras.

– With the win, Michigan extends their winning streak to 42 games.

– Rogers tied his career high with four points (2-2-4), set most recently vs. Minnesota (3/15/09).

– Kirshner set a career high with 10 groundballs to go along with his game-winner. His previous best was six, set vs. Sonoma State (5/13/09).
——————————————————————————–

QUOTES

Head Coach John Paul

On his general impressions: “I’m proud of the guys for gutting that out versus a very good ASU team, but we didn’t help ourselves out with the way we were turning the ball over or the way we were playing in general.  Some days you have it and some days you don’t and we were never able to correct the mistakes we were making but we got it done and ultimately I’m proud of the guys for a getting a win on the road against a great team.”

On the cause of the sloppy play: “It was partly execution mistakes with the 39 turnovers and a lot of those were unforced and we can’t play that way.  Some of it was also focus mistakes.  We were doing a poor job of locating our shots and our shot selection was bad.  Those don’t show up as turnovers on the stat sheet but they’re essentially turnovers if they’re hitting him in the chest or if we’re shooting from somewhere where we told them not to.”

On the goalie swap: “It was kind of similar to our regular-season Chapman game last year, only it was reversed.  I don’t think Fowler had a particularly bad first half, but I thought he was just on his heels a little bit because they were getting a lot of chances right on the doorstep.  We have a lot of confidence in all of our goalies but we’re going to be quick to make changes if we feel its going to give us an advantage or it’s going to change momentum a little and I think that happened today.  Stone was ready to go and I think it sparked us a little in the second half.  He did a great job coming in and dealing with a team that puts a lot of pressure on you.”

On stopping their big scorers: “I think we made some fundamental mistakes on defense today that gave them a few goals that I don’t think we would have normally given up, but ultimately, when they have those kind of offensive weapons, they’re going to get some goals.  I think in the end though we did a nice job and we held the Westfall brothers to two goals and if you’re able to do that you’re going to slow them down a little.”

On the spread scoring: “A couple of days ago we had Yealy scoring six when they were trying to shut him off, and tonight he only had two against just some sound defense and a good goalie.  He didn’t shoot too well and missed a couple I think he should have had, but other guys stepped up.  We don’t need one other guy to pick up the slack either.  We have 10-12 guys who can score and even the game-winner came from a defensive midfielder.  That makes us tough.  We have a couple players teams need to be aware of, but we have a lot of guys who can score.  They might not light you up for five in a night, but they are going to bury the chances they get.”

On Reinhard’s play: “I think we would have had some major trouble if he didn’t have the kind of night he had.  He was clearly our MVP tonight, and it’s as dominant of a performance as you’re going to see at faceoff.  He was doing whatever he wanted with the ball and that was key.  Unfortunately we were throwing the ball away a lot immediately after the faceoff but it’s still about possessions in the end, and facing off is a huge part of that battle.”

On the upcoming match vs. BYU: “We respect BYU tremendously.  We’ve only beaten them once at their place, and our focus has to be cleaning up the mistakes and playing better.  We need to make better decisions and we showed versus Arizona we’re capable of executing better.  We just have to do and be consistent about it.  It doesn’t have to come down to a one-goal game. We can simply play better and that’s what we have to do.”