SAINTS ROUT VASSAR 19-2 TO OPEN

2008 LIBERTY LEAGUE SEASON

Mar. 29: The No. 18 St. Lawrence University men’s lacrosse team used 14 consecutive goals and a thorough defensive performance to dominate Vassar College in the Saints’ 2008 Liberty League opener in Poughkeepsie, NY. Junior attackmen Peter Carroll had seven points in the win for the Scarlet and Brown, including four goals and three assists.

With the victory, St. Lawrence improved to 2-2 (1-0) on the season, while the Brewers fell to 2-7 (0-2).

The visiting Saints opened up a 2-0 lead in the opening five minutes behind goals from sophomores Dillon Simpson and Will McKee. Vassar cut the lead to 2-1 when Sam Thypin-Bermeo scored at 5:15 of the first quarter with an assist going to Tristan Jemiolo.

The goal proved to be the last for the Brewers for over 40 minutes, as St. Lawrence used a balanced offensive attack, a strong groundball effort and solid face-off performances to score 14 straight goals through the third quarter.

Sophomore CP Rahe and Carroll would complete the first quarter scoring to open up a 4-1 advantage. After over nine minutes of scoreless action to open the second stanza, St. Lawrence scored five goals in a span of 6:49 to grab a 9-1 halftime lead. Goal scorers for the Saints in the second quarter included senior Kevin Russell, junior Kyle Benton (2), Carroll and sophomore John Manning.

Though Vassar goaltenders Ed Pappo and Alex Tice combined for 18 saves, there was little they could do to slow down the Saints in the third quarter. The Scarlet and Brown won the period 7-0, with goals from McKee (2), Russell (2), Carroll (2) and senior Derek Hanson.

Both teams finished with five shot attempts a piece in the fourth quarter, with the Saints outscoring the Brewers 3-1 to complete the game’s scoring at 19-2. Jemiolo scored the opening goal of the period only 52 seconds in for Vassar’s second goal, while Manning and juniors Collin Moon and John Allen scored for

St. Lawrence.

Overall, ten different Saints scored on Saturday, while juniors Alex Slauson (2) and Tom Guest added assists. St. Lawrence finished with a 45-12 advantage in shots, a 54-34 edge in ground balls and won

21-of-25 face-off chances.

“I thought we continued to move the ball well and balanced out our scoring,” said St. Lawrence University head coach Mike Mahoney. “Every win in conference play is important, so starting off the season on a positive note is key.”

Junior Thomas Hollingsworth picked up the victory between the pipes, allowing one goal in 46:09 minutes while making four saves. He was relieved by senior Frank Maguire, who made three stops and allowed one goal in his stead.

St. Lawrence will return to action on Monday, March 31 under the lights at North Country Field as they take on Plattsburgh State at 7:00pm.

RUSSELL AND McKEE HELP NO. 17 SAINTS

EARN FIRST WIN OF 2008

Mar. 26: The No. 17 St. Lawrence University men’s lacrosse team picked up its first win of the 2008 season on Wednesday afternoon with a 15-6 rout of Oswego State at North Country Field. The Saints, playing at home for the first time this season, were led by senior Kevin Russell and sophomore Will McKee, as the duo combined for eight goals and three assists in the victory.

The Scarlet and Brown (1-2) jumped all over the Lakers in the opening half, taking an 11-3 lead into halftime. The home team took only 48 seconds before taking a 1-0 lead, as senior Cory Yawger scored an unassisted goal on Oswego State goaltender Jud Robinson. Sophomore Dillon Simpson would add a goal at 5:54 to make it 2-0.

Though John Schumacher would beat St. Lawrence junior netminder Thomas Hollingsworth less than two minutes later to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 2-1, the Saints would rattle off four straight goals to close the first quarter up 6-1. McKee and Russell scored consecutive goals, while senior Mike Long tallied his first goal of the game with 1:44 left in the opening stanza. McKee would put the finishing touches on a solid quarter with a man-up goal thanks to a feed from Russell at 13:53 to put the Scarlet and Brown ahead 6-1.

Oswego State used a man-up opportunity to pull to within 6-2 only 38 seconds into the second quarter as Mike Recor scored his first of four goals on the afternoon. The Saints would answer, however, as Simpson and Russell scored only 1:50 apart to extend the team’s cushion to 8-2.

After Recor’s second goal at 7:43 of the second frame, the Saints used a tidy three-goal run to close the half and secure a solid lead after one half. Long added his final goal of the game at 10:06, while junior Peter Carroll scored on a man-up chance only 43 seconds later for a 10-3 St. Lawrence lead. Russell closed the half with his third goal of the game with 1:46 remaining in the second quarter on a pass from junior Kyle Benton to make the score 11-3.

The Lakers would again score less than a minute into a quarter, as Record scored an unassisted goal only 36 seconds into the third to cut the deficit to 11-4. McKee and Russell would score the only other two goals in the quarter, though, extending the Saints’ lead to 13-4 after three quarters.

The two teams would each score twice in the fourth quarter, including Russell’s fifth goal of the day and junior Collin Moon’s first goal of the season for St. Lawrence to cap their team’s scoring. Recor and Schumacher each tallied goals in the final stanza for Oswego State, which fell to 1-4 on the season after the 15-6 loss.

St. Lawrence dominated in the shots (57-18) and ground ball (42-21) categories while winning 21-of-23 face-offs and converting 15-of-16 clears. Hollingsworth earned the win for the Saints, making four saves while senior Frank Maguire made one stop in the fourth quarter. Robinson did his best to keep the Lakers in the game, as the goalie made 17 saves before turning the goal over to Matt Pfister with just under ten minutes remaining in regulation.

“Coming off of a great effort against Salisbury , I am proud of the intensity and focus we brought to the field this afternoon in our home opener,” said St. Lawrence head coach Mike Mahoney. “Kevin (Russell) and Will (McKee) set the tone offensively, but we had guys contributing on both ends of the field. We’ll look for that same type of effort as we enter conference play this weekend.

The Scarlet and Brown will travel to Poughkeepsie, NY this Saturday, March 29, to take on Vassar College in the 2008 Liberty League opener. The Saints and Brewers are scheduled to get underway at 1:00pm.