SAINTS’ EARN 2008 LIBERTY LEAGUE TITLE;

WILL FACE WNEC ON SATURDAY

May 4: Sophomore Will McKee, named the Liberty League’s Player of the Year earlier this week, scored all four of his goals in the second half including the game-winner with 3:31 remaining in the contest as the

No. 12 St. Lawrence University men’s lacrosse team rallied past Union College to claim their third consecutive conference championship. The Saints (11-2, 6-0) were given a first round bye in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and will play host to Western New England College (13-4) on Saturday, May 10 at 2:00pm at North Country Field. Tickets will be $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for students and senior citizens and $1.00 for children 12 and under.

The Dutchmen came out clicking on all cylinders offensively, as they scored the game’s opening three goals for a 3-0 advantage. After Tom Simmons and Chris Collison put the visitors on top 2-0, Union’s senior captain Jon Miller used a great move to elude a defender and fired a shot past St. Lawrence goaltender Thomas Hollingsworth, forcing the Saints to burn a timeout only 4:26 into the game.

St. Lawrence, who ran the table with a perfect 6-0 mark in conference play this season including a 17-3 win over Union, regrouped in the timeout and was able to pull to within a goal at the end of the first quarter. Junior Peter Carroll picked up a rebound behind Union goaltender Christopher Keinath and used a wrap-around move to get the Scarlet and Brown on the board at 3-1. Fellow classmate Alex Slauson then made it 3-2 when he bounced a shot that hit the netting just below the cross bar to complete the first quarter scoring at 13:48.

After senior Kevin Russell evened the score at 3-3 on a great touch pass by Carroll, senior Ben Prime gave the Saints their first lead at 4-3 with 6:32 to play in the second quarter. Carroll again set up the goal, as he hit Prime with a great entry pass in front of the crease. With the momentum clearly on their side, the Saints’ took their largest lead of the day at 5-3 when senior Brian Chamberlain took the ball from the midfield and beat Keinath for his first goal of the season.

With the second quarter winding down, a penalty to St. Lawrence’s Carl Festa gave Union the first man-up chance of the game. Collison made the most of the opportunity, launching a long shot past Hollingsworth to send the Dutchmen to the locker room after the opening half facing only a one-goal deficit at 5-4.

Union would again seize control early the third quarter, scoring four straight goals to build an 8-5 lead. Dana Lasher sent a long shot towards Hollingsworth, and with a screen in front, bounced into the goal to tie the score at 5-5.

Miller then added his second of the game when he snuck a shot between the goaltender and the near post for a 6-5 cushion and Simmons blew a shot past Hollingsworth’s stick from just outside the crease for a two-goal advantage. Collison would put the finishing touches on the five-goal run with a man-up goal for an 8-5 Union lead with 6:36 to play in the third quarter.

Needing a jolt to get back into the game, the Saints were given a man-up chance and capitalized when sophomore Scott Smith took a pass from Carroll and tucked it behind Keinath. The goal got St. Lawrence rolling yet again, with McKee scoring back-to-back goals to close out the third quarter, including one with only 2.6 seconds left on the clock, to even the score at 8-8 heading to the final 15 minutes.

Miller, who has been the cornerstone of Union’s team for four seasons, gave his team the lead for the third time on the afternoon at 9-8 when he fired a shot past Hollingsworth at 2:53 of the fourth quarter during a man-up chance. McKee would even the score at 9-9 only 1:36 later when Russell came away with a key ground ball, fed his fellow attackmen and McKee sniped a shot between the goaltender’s legs for his third goal of the game.

Though Union was able to take control offensively midway through the fourth quarter, a costly turnover along the sidelines would give St. Lawrence possession. Using an ensuing man-up opportunity, Russell and McKee once again made Union pay, as Russell found McKee on the doorstep for his fourth goal of the second half to put the Saints ahead 10-9 with 3:31 remaining in regulation.

With less than two minutes to play in the game, St. Lawrence controlled the ball in the offensive zone. Two unnecessary roughness penalties would end Union’s hopes, as the Dutchmen were forced to play the final minute of the game down two players. St. Lawrence was able to keep possession and run the clock out for their 11th straight victory, third consecutive Liberty League title and an NCAA Tournament bid.

“I’m extremely proud of the way we battled back several times today against a very determined and talented Union team,” said St. Lawrence head coach Mike Mahoney. “We’re excited to be heading back to the NCAA Tournament and are looking forward to finding out who we’re going to square off with.”

Sunday’s game proved to be very evenly played, as St. Lawrence finished with 35 shots to Union’s 32, each team scored three man-up goals and won 11-of-22 face-offs.

St. Lawrence is 1-2 in the last two NCAA Tournaments with a win against Endicott and losses coming to Geneseo and Cortland State. A game time is yet to be determined for the Saints' second round NCAA Tournament game against WNEC or Western Connecticut State. For a printable version of the 2008 NCAA Tournament bracket, click here (.pdf).

SAINTS ADVANCE TO CONFERECE TITLE GAME

WITH 15-6 WIN OVER RED HAWKS

May 2: The top-seeded St. Lawrence University men’s lacrosse team used an eight-goal third quarter to pull away from No. 4 Rensselaer on Friday in the 2008 Liberty League semifinal match-up. The Saints, led by senior Ben Prime’s three goals, advanced to Sunday’s conference championship tilt with a 15-6 win over the Red Hawks at North Country Field. The Scarlet and Brown will face No. 3 seed Union, who upset Clarkson 8-7.

St. Lawrence (10-2, 6-0) used a stifling defensive effort led by senior Ben Buskey and sophomore Trevor Scoon in holding RPI to only six goals in the contest. Junior P.J. Santora was outstanding for the Scarlet and Brown in the face-off circle, winning 16-of-20 draws and scooping up eight ground balls.

After Rensselaer took a 1-0 advantage on an unassisted goal by Josh Secora only 1:59 into the game, St. Lawrence ran off three straight goals for a 3-1 lead after the first quarter. Senior Mike Long tied the score at 3:04, while fellow classmate Rob Kopp cashed in at 11:39 to give the Saints a lead they would never relinquish. Prime then used a great spin move to lose a defender and beat Rensselaer goaltender Ryan DeJordy for a 3-1 advantage after one period.

Goals were tough to come by in the second period, as rainy conditions made the field turf very slick. The scoreless quarter sent the Saints to the locker room after one half of play with a tight two goal cushion.

After Prime and Rensselaer’s Alex MacDiarmid exchanged goals to open the third, the Saints went on an impressive 8-1 run to open up a seemingly insurmountable 10-3 lead. The Liberty League’s Player of the Year Will McKee scored his only goal of the contest at 4:27, while sophomore Alex Slauson, Prime, juniors Nick Stefans and Pete Carroll, Kopp and senior Kevin Russell all added goals in a 10 minute span.

St. Lawrence and Rensselaer continued to pour on the offense in the fourth quarter, as the two teams combined for seven goals. Russell, Slauson and senior Derek Hansen (2) scored for the Saints, while Devin Arnold, Tom O’Dwyer and Brett Evans beat St. Lawrence goaltender Thomas Hollingsworth (10-2) in the final quarter to bring the final score to 15-6.

The Saints used big advantages in face-offs (18-of-24) and ground balls (33-24) to advance to the Liberty League title game for the third straight season. Hollingsworth finished with six saves in the contest, while DeJordy suffered the loss making six saves as well.

The two-time defending champions, winners of ten straight games, will look to seal an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a win against the Union Dutchmen on Sunday at noon.

McKEE NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR;

12 EARN CONFERENCE HONORS

May 1: Sophomore Will McKee, who led the No.12 St. Lawrence University men’s lacrosse team to its third consecutive Liberty League regular season title, was named the 2008 Liberty League Player of the Year on Thursday as the Saints had 12 members named to the All-Conference team on Thursday, the most of any other team in the Liberty League this year.

A conference first team unanimous selection for the second straight season, McKee was best among all players in both goals per game (3.09) and points per game (4.36). In eleven games played he has totaled 34 goals and 14 assists for 48 points. Among his goals were four game-winners and five man-up tallies. McKee was twice named Liberty League Offensive Performer of the Week this season.

McKee was joined by senior co-captains Kevin Russell and Ben Buskey, juniors Alex Slauson and P.J. Santora, and classmate Trevor Scoon on the First Team. Slauson and Buskey were also unanimous picks for the honor.

Russell is currently second in the conference in both points (4.00) and assists (2.00) per game. The Madison, CT native, who also ranks fifth in goals per game (2.00), started in all 11 games for the Saints, finishing the regular season with 44 points, only four behind McKee.

Buskey continued to thrive at the long stick middie position for the Scarlet and Brown this season, scooping up 43 ground balls and causing eight turnovers in 11 games. The Hanover, NH native ranks third in the Liberty League in groundballs per game (3.91).

Slauson was one of the team's core leaders in the midfield this season, totaling 21 points on 13 goals and 8 assists. The Shelburne, VT native scored a season-high four goals against Plattsburgh State, finishing fourth on the team in points, goals and assists.

Santora was the Liberty League's top face-off specialist this season, winning 61% of his face-offs which puts St. Lawrence at the top of the conference. The Cos Cob, CT native also led the Liberty League in ground balls per game with 5.18.

Scoon has been key to the Saints defense this season and is tied for second on the St. Lawrence roster in caused turnovers with eight, having become one of the squad's most reliable defenders. The New Canaan, CT native has scooped up 24 ground balls this season, fifth most on the team, and has helped shut down some of the top offensive players in the country.

Juniors Pete Carroll and Carl Festa were the only Saints named to the conference’s Second Team. Carroll used his size and speed to land in the top-seven in goals (7th, 1.91), assists (3rd, 1.82) and points (4th, 3.74) in the Liberty League rankings this year. The Pennington, NJ native played in all 11 games for St. Lawrence and is third on the roster with 41 points.

Festa continued to be one of St. Lawrence's most keen defenseman, starting in each of the team's 11 games this season. The Auburn, NY native has 14 ground balls, tied for tenth on the roster, and has two caused turnovers. Festa boasts a physical presence on the field and has become a defensive force for opponents' attackmen.

Senior Brian Chamberlain, junior Thomas Hollingsworth, senior co-captain Ben Prime and junior co-captain Nick Stefans also received recognition for their efforts and were named Liberty League Honorable Mentions.

The top-seeded Scarlet and Brown, who are 9-2 overall and 6-0 in conference action, will host No. 4 Rensselaer on Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the Liberty League Championship Tournament, with the face-off scheduled for 4:00pm.