May 11, 2008

from staff reports

Washington College 12, Lynchburg 9 (BOX SCORE)
Chris Read scored five goals and set up two others, helping Washington College (14-3) eliminate Lynchburg (16-3) from the NCAA tournament on Sunday. With the victory, the quarterfinal field is complete, with the Shoremen heading to conference rival Gettysburg on Wednesday.

Kolyn Kirby and Chris Read opened the game with back-to-back goals and WAC would never trail. Lynchburg managed to tie the game at two-apiece and three-all, but Kirby and Read again connected on consecutive markers to give the Shoremen a 5-3 lead early in the second stanza. While the Hornets would cut the lead to one on four different occasions, they could never overcome the lead. WAC put the game away with four-straight goals to start the final quarter for a 12-7 lead with six minutes remaining.

Kirby and Nick Gregory added hat tricks for WAC while Jimmy Kielek chipped in with a goal and three helpers. Thayer Damm was solid at face-offs in the win, ripping 14 of 21 draws. Lynchburg held a 41-34 advantage in shots, and was paced by Tyler Tolson's three goals and two assists.

SATURDAY
Cortland 12, Springfield 9 (BOX SCORE)
Billy Fuchs, Adam Hyde and Ryan Heath scored consecutive goals in the final six mintues of action, snapping a 9-all tie and giving Cortland (16-1) the victory over Springfield (11-7) in front of 516 fans in Cortland, N.Y. With the win, the Red Dragons will host Middlebury on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

Kyle Simensky completed his hat trick 32 ticks in the third quarter, giving Cortland a 5-3 lead, but the Pride would answer by scoring five of the next six markers - including the last two by Joe Heney - to take and 8-6 lead with 2:29 left in the third. Cortland answered with three straight for a one point edge, but Jake Beebe knotted the game at nines midway through the fourth, setting up the Dragons final push.

Fuchs joined Simensky with hat tricks for Cortland while Kyle Gable added one for Springfield. Tom Albano was magnificent for the Pride, making 20 saves, including seven in the final frame.

Middlebury 10, Bowdoin 7 (BOX SCORE)
Dave Campbell scored two goals and won 15-of-20 face-offs, helping Middlebury (13-2) rally from an early 4-1 lead to beat Bowdoin (12-7), 10-7, in front of 413 fans in Middlebury, Vt. With the win, the Panthers will head to Cortland on Wednesday for the quarters.

After spotting the Polar Bears a comfortable lead, Middlebury scored five unanswered goals bridging the second and third quarters to take a 6-4 lead. After Bowdoin tied the game with consecutive markers, Campbell closed the third quarter with a goal and Jim Cabrera opened the fourth with another, giving Midd an 8-6 lead it would never relinquish. Pete Britt was strong in the Panther cage with 14 stops.

Ithaca 17, Williams 10 (BOX SCORE)
With Ithaca (16-2) trailing Willians (10-6), 8-2, midway through the second half, Logan Bobzien put the Bombers on his back, scoring three goals and setting up four others in the final 35 minutes of action to lift Ithaca to the 17-10 comeback.

In the early going, Ithaca could not find answer for Michael Vrla, who scored four goals, including a natural hat trick to give the Ephs an 8-2 bulge midway through the second. A goalie switch by the Bombers to David Gal (9 saves, 39 min.) and a renewed sense of urgency doomed Williams' upset possiblities. Tim Pfeffer and Matt Nelligan added three goals apiece in the victory. Ithaca now faces Western New England in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Cabrini 13, Haverford 10 (BOX SCORE)
Scott Reimer scored three of his five goals during a 6-0 run for Cabrini (17-2) in the third quarter, turning a one goal deficit into a 12-7 lead that was never threatened as the Cavaliers defeated Haverford (11-5), 13-10, in front of 550 fans in Radnor, Penn. Cabrini advances to play Salisbury on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

It was a game of runs early, with neither team able to pull away. The Fords opened the third quarter with two goals eight seconds apart to take a 7-6 lead, but Cabrini iced the affair with its run. Max Hjelm scored three to lead Haverford in the loss.

Gettysburg 8, Denison 7 (BOX SCORE)
Check out LMO's coverage of this game. Story by Paul Ohanian.

Western New England 13, St. Lawrence 9 (BOX SCORE)
Jon Hayes scored two of his seven goals in a three-goal skein midway through the second quarter to give Western New England (15-4) a 7-4 lead and St. Lawrence (11-3) would not get any closer than two the rest of the way as the Golden Bears stunned the Saints, 13-9 in front of 415 fans in Canton, N.Y. WNEC advances to play Ithaca in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Hayes scored the first goal of the game and each time SLU was toying with a big run, it would be Hayes snuffing out the opportunity with a big shot. He also added two assists for the nine-point afternoon. Chris Body was solid in net, turning away 12 shots while the Golden Bears took advantage of their extra-man chances (4-for-8) while St. Lawrence did not (1-for-7).

Salisbury 13, Ohio Wesleyan 5 (BOX SCORE)
With the game tied at 3-apiece early in the second quarter, Salisbury (19-0) went on a 10-2 run to finish the game and subdue Ohio Wesleyan (9-7), 13-5. Bruce Richardson scored four of the initial five goals to start the run for the Gulls, which will now face Cabrini in the quarterfinals.

The Bishops were dominated by the Gulls in most categories, but in the one category they could make up some ground - EMO - they went just 1-for-7. Jud Hall was one of the few bright spots for OWU, making 13 saves in the loss.