Only because we know everyone has lacrosse games to get back to, we’ll keep this post short and sweet. To read up on both Syracuse and Duke, check out Connor Wilson’s Final Four preview and see for yourself why ‘Cuse and Duke will be facing off on Memorial Day!

Make sure to print off your Bingo cards before the game starts!

Who will be the NCAA D1 Champion? Syracuse or Duke?

Once you register as an LAS Member (it’s free), you can easily comment on articles published across the LAS Network as well as introduce your own topics of conversation in the Community Forum. Additionally, you can setup your own profile page – think of it as your online identity as a lacrosse fan!

The Basics

LAS Members can ask start new discussions on the fly with a number of categories to choose from, including a General section where pretty much anything goes. Members can also ask questions for the rest of the community.

Based on forum activity, each member gains reputation points and can earn exclusive badges for their participation in the community. In the future, badges will be available from LAS Partners like Rhino Lacrosse and Lacrosse.com, offering special opportunities and discounts to each recipient.

Your New Profile Page

As an LAS Member, you can quickly create your own custom profile – adding in your Twitter account, Facebook, website, and a few other lacrosse-specific facts. We’ve set this up so you can customize your own lacrosse identity, and all your comments, discussions, and questions are seamlessly aggregated back to your profile page as well.

Our intention is to offer lacrosse enthusiasts a personalized page they will want to use to represent themselves online to the rest of the lacrosse community, so you can certainly expect more profile page enhancements down the road!

Starting Discussions & Asking Questions

Once you’re signed up, participating in the LAS Community Forum is a breeze. You have the ability to start a new discussion, ask a question, or dive into any already established topic of conversation. There a also a number of Categories to choose from when beginning a conversation, all of which are extremely relevant to the greater lacrosse community. (Note: If there’s something you’d like us to add or remove, just let us know!)

A couple of other things we’re really excited about are that members have the ability to upload images to conversations and can easily embed videos from YouTube and Vimeo by simply pasting in a video’s URL.

As we continue to roll out the site, you will undoubtedly begin to see a few other changes and upgrades take place. And hey, you might even receive a sweet badge or two.

We want to make participation in the LAS Community Forum an enjoyable experience for everyone, so you have any special requests, we’d love to hear them! Please drop a comment below.

One thing we’re working on now is the integration of Facebook and Twitter accounts so you can connect them to your profile and easily share your conversations on each social network.

Follow Along with Personalized Notifications

Finally, the LAS Community Forum gives you the ability to personalize the notifications you receive via email. You can opt to receive an alert when someone else comments on a discussion you took part in, or even when a new discussion is started in your favorite Category.

The notification preferences make your experience highly customizable, similar to the way players in the United States prefer their lacrosse gear!

How To Sign Up

It’s simple, click here!

We are thrilled to offer this new community hub to lacrosse players and fans worldwide.

Head on over to the all new Lacrosse Community Forum and let your voice be heard!

If you’ve got a little downtime, the Final Four Lacrosse Video Eplosion has you covered. Get ready for a weekend of pure, unadulterated excellence!

We’ll start off by remembering where we come from…

1976

Do we come from 1976? Whatever. This video is awesome.

Cornell tops Maryland 16-13 in OT. Sudden death wasn’t a thing back then.

RIT Highlights

The Tigers are playing for their first ever men’s lacrosse national title on Saturday. Check out some full game highlights from their victory over Cortland.

Six Nations Video Update

The Six Nations Lacrosse Invitational is going down RIGHT NOW. It’s as much about where we’re from, as where we are going.

This update featuring Mariam Branson, by Alex Alviar, is AMAZING:

We met some of these guys out in Montana, and they can ball!

Harvard 2013 Highlights

Notre Dame, Graduating on the Road

High School Highlights

Loyola Topping Boys Latin. Maryland private high school lacrosse. This and crab cakes. Football? We’ll leave that up for debate. Paul and Tom may disagree.

I personally like this set of MASS highlights. L-S vs Duxbury in Four OTs.

Ward Melville – West Islip is never bad either.

Dear ESPNU, Hire Matt Barkley

USC’s Matt Barkley was great when he tried lacrosse. Engaging, gave it an honest shot, etc, etc. Just pile on the platitudes This guy? Not so much. Yes, Barkley is going to the NFL, but he’s a USC quarterback… how long will he really last?

Lacrosse Growing In West Michigan

This week, lax nation has a one question, what’s YOUR take on the Tewaaraton?

LaxAllStars posted the following:

Connor Wilson discusses the five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy, and how each one deserves the honor. He also predicts a winner, and gives an interesting answer.

What’s YOUR take?

What do YOU think? Who will be crowned the winner of the Tewaaraton trophy this year? Want to add something to the conversation? Click here.

Have something to say? Join the Lax All Stars Forums today and let your voice be heard!

Both of the D1 semifinal games will be broadcast live on ESPN2, so make sure you tune in (or at least DVR the games), and see what happens for yourself. Also check out Ryan Connors’ NCAA D2 Final Preview.

Cornell Vs Duke – 2:30PM

Duke started the year out slowly, as many predicted they might. It’s a Duke thing. Don’t worry about the early season, just win when it counts… and it works. Duke is in the process of creating a nice little consecutive Final Four appearance streak. Of course making the Final Four is only part of the battle.

The rest of the battle is beating Cornell (and then someone else), and that is no short order. While Duke has been getting goals from a number of different players, and in a number of different ways, Cornell is a little more predictable. On offense, the ball is going through Pannell. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, this doesn’t make their job any easier. After all, a little predictability is just fine when the little red hulk is running the show.

Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan

For me, there is no question that Cornell will score goals. Pannell is a man on a mission, and while he garners a ton of attention, the guys around him aren’t exactly slouches living off of the scraps of his success. The Cornell offensive players are disciplined, excellent shooters, and more than ready to step in and score when they get the chance. With Pannell grabbing so much attention, they get that chance a lot.

The Duke defense is large, and athletic, and they throw some mean wood out there as well, but I’ve yet to see that style of D pose a huge problem for Pannell and co. I can see the Duke D keeping Cornell at bay to some degree, but I still think we’re looking at a 12 goal output from the Big Red at a minimum.

So, assuming Duke’s defense shows up, and holds Cornell to 12 or 13 goals (that sounds crazy: hold a team to 13 goals), the question becomes, can Duke’s offense put up 14 goals on Cornell’s defense? This is where the game will be won or lost, in my opinion.

Photo Credit: Craig Chase

Duke has a great group of offensive players, and any one of five or six guys is capable of having a huge game at any time. If two of these guys can go off, Duke will be in great shape, and we are in for a shoot out, which should be thrilling. If only one guy gets a hot hand, or if Cornell’s goalie has a big day, Duke could be playing catch up throughout the contest.

For me, this match up has a favorite, and it is Cornell. I think Duke needs to capitalize on some early chances, keep pace with the Big Red scoring machine, and not allow Pannnell to pick them apart. Pannell with five goals is better than Pannell with 2 goals and 7 assists. It’s more predictable, and manageable. You know he’s going to get his, so try to manage how that happens.

If Duke can do that, they have a great shot at winning, but like I said earlier, it’s a tall order.

Syracuse Vs Denver – 5:00PM

If time machines existed, Denver 2013 Vs Syracuse 2000 could be the runningest, gunningest lacrosse game ever, but time machines don’t exist, so instead we get up-and-down. box-style Denver against precision-passing and team-oriented 2013 Syracuse. Honestly, I’ll take it!

It might not be the run n gun game some wish for, but this one is going to be really good, however it plays out. Here’s why:

Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan

- Syracuse O presents a unique challenge – In my opinion, there isn’t another offense in the country quite like Syracuse. The Orange use a variety of sets, and at times, they put right handed players where left handed players usually play. They cycle the ball well, and can also carry and dodge, or intentionally draw doubles, with three or four players. They penetrate well, and when the slide comes, they kick it backside through X or a wing as well as anyone. Their over the top skip pass to a midfield shooter reminds me Bryan Griffin and Devin Clarke against my college team back in the day, and it gives ME nightmares.

Any time you crush down on Cuse, they make you pay for it. Your defense must be communicating well, and ready to make judgement calls all day long. What looks like one set or M.O., quickly becomes another. You have to be a defensive genius to figure this stuff out.

- Tierney is a defensive genius – Ok, well that was easy! Basically, if there is anyone who can prepare his team to face Cuse, it’s Tierney. He did a great job of prepping his D for the unorthodox play of Albany, and while Cuse presents a different challenge, the same idea applies. A Tiereny led team can make defensive adjustments… in fact, that might be what he does best!

- Half time adjustments – I expect Syracuse to come out with a few new wrinkles for this game, and I expect the Orange will put up at least 5 goals in the first half. My concern for the Orange lies in the second half though, as Tierney is known to coach his guys up as well as anyone during the break. If Cuse doesn’t put up at least 7 goals in the first two periods, I’d we worried. Denver is going to keep coming on O, and eventually they will put some in. If their D tightens up in the second and plays lights out? The game is theirs.

- The Cuse D – Now there is one possibility left that I haven’t discussed, and that would be the Syracuse Defense rising to the occasion, and dominating like they did at times earlier this year. I highly doubt that Denver can be held to 8 or 9 goals at this point in the year, but if anyone can do it, Syracuse on a good day has a legitimate shot. If one on one assignments don’t break down, and Cuse can cover effectively, the rest could fall into place, but it all starts with solid one on one play with Denver. Give them an inch on a slide, and it’s a shot, possibly a goal.

Overall, I like Cornell and Denver to win their games, but I do think Duke has a shot, and I’m only favoring Denver 55-45% right now. It’s a thin margin, and I could definitely be wrong. A couple things we KNOW: Pannell will run the show for Cornell. Duke will get goals from SOMEONE. Denver will improve as the game goes on. Syracuse is different, but as dangerous as ever.

We’re in for a GREAT Final Four… who do YOU think is going to win on Saturday? And WHY?

It was my first time stringing traditional, ever.

Traditional always seemed impossible to me, it just looked way too complicated. I guess I was always afraid of the maintenance aspect of it as much as anything, so I never really took the time to learn to string. Mesh was always simple to me, but in a nutshell, I learned that traditional is just as simple, maybe even simpler. Think I’m crazy? I hope my story gives you some clarity on how simple it really is.

Chris Tiernan had some of his special treated leathers for me, so half of the battle was already fought. I didn’t have to stretch them or anything. I attached them to the head via a removable top string and I was ready to go (if the head ever breaks, I can transfer my traditional over!).

I was stringing up a Nike Lakota and Greg Rose was stringing up an old school head with only 5 holes on the sidewall (check it out on his instagram). Before we started, we talked about composing my pocket to satisfy my playing style. I’m a shooter (or so I’d like to think) and I love a snappy release with lots of hold (don’t we all?) but not too much so that I shoot at my toes. After some talk, I decided to go with 5 to 6 diamonds.

Personally, I hate rules and I don’t really like to follow them. Traditional has very few rules that you have to follow strictly. The rest is preference, creativity, and very similar to mesh. But as every stringer knows, keeping it tight at the top will always be a good way to start.

Greg taught me how to string the interlocks correctly but I learned it visually. In essence all you’re really doing is just creating diamonds and repeating until you reached the desired amount. If you learn to interlock your diamonds correctly, you’re pretty much golden. Of course I also had my knots way too tight in certain spots but it was fairly easy to go back in and loosen them.

When I finished, I had a big gap at the bottom. I told Greg, this is a problem… right? Then he asked me why, only answer I could come up with was “because everyone else says so”. So he gave me a ball and we pounded the pocket in, naturally the ball sat in the middle of the pocket but could shift low and high. When the ball sat at the bottom, it was snugged in there no problem. The modified bottom string that we used didn’t cause any problems at all. His method of madness worked!

My little brother is using a traditional strung up by Connor Wilson. He loves it, but over time as the pocket broke in, the sidewall ripped and the ball started lipping. My little brother threw in a floating sidewall and even a nylon runner across the scoop of the head. It is certainly something different, but it is something that has been working for him.

So there you have it, my first traditional. Not the best but not the worst. Technique is key and function rules over aesthetics. The way we attached the leathers to the bottom isn’t the prettiest way to do it but it works and at the end of the day, thats what it is all about…Finding what works and getting creative.

Matt DaSilva, over at Lacrosse Magazine, has done a wonderful job with his report, and we got permission from him to reprint a portion of his article:

Lyle Thompson just finished one point shy of the NCAA’s all-time single season scoring record with Albany.

Cody Jamieson just became the first player to win consecutive Champion’s Cup MVP honors in the National Lacrosse League with the Rochester Knighthawks.

Jamieson’s cousin, Sid Smith, just led the Knighthawks to their second straight NLL championship as team captain.

Everywhere you look in today’s lacrosse landscape, you’ll find Iroquois players not only honoring what they call the Creator’s Game, but also excelling in all of its modern forms. But uncertainty again surrounds their participation in the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship.

Last month, the Iroquois Nationals appealed for the second time an FIL decision that would withhold them from the top division at the 2014 world games in Denver — a motion that now resides in a vote among the FIL’s 27 full-member nations.

The controversy stems from the Iroquois Nationals’ absence from the 2010 games in Manchester, England, due to a well-publicized dispute over the validity of their Haudenosaunee-issued passports. Germany took the Iroquois’ place in the Blue Division, traditionally reserved for the top six teams from the previous world championship.

“Politics between the U.S. and the U.K. stood in the way of the Iroquois Nationals competing… in 2010,” Iroquois Nationals general manager Gewas Schindler wrote in a May 10 letter to the FIL General Assembly. “No comparable past precedence exists. To make such a ruling on uncertain principles contradicts the spirit of international competition and the celebration of the Creator’s Game.”

To finish up this fantastic article (and there is a LOT more to read!), head on over to Lacrosse Magazine online, and read Iroquois’ 2014 Status in Hands of FIL General Assembly.

HOW TO ENTER: In the comments section below, tell us (1) the location of each pair in the photo, and (2) which style is featured. Each photo will only feature 1 unique style of Man Bros, but there may be more than one pair!

Alright, now it’s time to SPOT THE MAN BROS!

When Pat Caffrey and Chuck Richardson of Jamaica lacrosse get in the kitchen, you never know what delicious morsel they’ll create!

BONUS: If you can spot the hidden LAS object, we’ll hook you up with an item of your choice from The Lacrosse Shop (Hint: It’s near one of the sunglasses and was featured as a bonus item in our Holiday Grab Bag).

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Photo Credit: Jeff Brunelle

The deadline to enter is Tuesday, May 28th at 12pm ET. After that, we’ll announce the winner at the bottom of this post.

Visit ManBroBroMan.com to check out all the different styles today.

Baum is a West Coast product, and he is proud of where he’s from. That obviously helped his decision. But another main driver has to be that he has been involved with Adrenaline for years, playing on their club teams and in their showcases in high school, and returning to coach some of those same teams while he was in college.

To many East Coast kids, Baum can be seen as the diamond in the rough, the exception to the rule. He’s simply that Oregon kid who made it big in D1. To MLL teams, he could be just another top level attackman (after all, Pannell is getting all the love right now)… but to LXM PRO, Baum means a whole lot more.

First off, it’s great to get a recent Tewaaraton winner into your league. That never hurts, but on a deeper level, Baum allows Adrenaline and LXM PRO to sell the West Coast kids who follow them on a dream, and that dream is: You, yes YOU, could be the next Peter Baum. 

Play for our club teams, play in our tournaments, and you too could make it to an NCAA Division I college team. Do well there, and we will welcome you back to our pro circuit with open arms, and maybe we’ll even give you a job with Adrnl! Baum is now THE example for Adrenaline to point to, and with his electric play on the field, we can expect that to keep going for at least the foreseeable future, especially once he returns from injury 100%. Who wouldn’t want to play pro lacrosse like that? And in their home region?

Once Billy Bitter comes over to LXM from the MLL, the league will have a new two-headed attack monster to promote, and in each game these guys will go head-to-head, trying to score more goals and wow the crowd. If you thought LXM PRO was lacking marquee attackmen before, it’s tough to say that now.

For Baum, like Adrenaline, this signing just smacks of opportunity. But is everyone going to be happy about this? NO.

Some of Baum’s almost-teammates on the Ohio Machine shared frustration about the news via social media. And I can’t tell if this is solely directed at Baum, but Brian Spallina – never one to hide his true feelings – let the world know just how he felt this morning:

Is that fair? I mean, has LXM PRO even had any music at their last few events?

All kidding aside, I do understand where Spallina is coming from to a certain degree. He’s been a Major League Lacrosse player forever, and he’s put in a lion’s share of work promoting the league, staying in shape, and growing the game (and his hair!). He wants to see the MLL succeed, and he wants talented players like Baum to buy in too. It’s almost fair.

But does he remember when guys started playing Major League Lacrosse back in 2000, and all the old school traditionalists poo-poo’d the league, saying it was a bastardization of the game? Does he remember how much crap was dished out on the MLL being nothing more than a “glorified Summer league”? Because I remember all of that, and I remember thinking it was all ridiculous.

It’s just funny to see these comments now coming from MLL guys. They were there 10 years ago. My how perception has changed…

At the end of the day, Peter Baum’s LXM move makes sense for him as a player, and it makes even more sense for him as a person. He’s got a job, a league where he will be promoted heavily, and a chance to give back to his own community. I bet his family’s proud of him! If you’re a fan of the MLL only, you hate this move, but if you’re a fan of lacrosse, you’re probably just excited to see how it all plays out.

My personal feeling on the matter is that there are way more than 250 players out there who are capable of playing professional field lacrosse. Baum not playing in the MLL only means that some other player, perhaps with a slightly less well-known name, will be given a fair shot. I don’t know that the actual talent in the league will drop off much because of one guy’s decision, though.

For LXM, this news gives the league a boost in terms of recognition… It creates buzz at the pinnacle of the collegiate lacrosse season. It helps to validate the league, and hopefully, that leads to continued success and growth. Not to mention it also improves the quality of their attackers, making this a good deal for LXM all around.

If someday the MLL and LXM eventually merge to form a 20 team professional lacrosse league (that’s way down the road, I think), then people will look back on this move as a great one – one of the first steps towards something bigger and better. Perhaps someday we will relive this moment, and look back on when a winner of the Heisman-equivalent in lacrosse chose to do something different, by bringing his talents home.

Until then we’ll just have to wait and see if this Baum can lead us all to a better day.

Photo Credit: Mitch Lieberman

NCAA Division I All Americans

I don’t understand how IL gets a list of all the AAs, while the USILA has not posted the list to its website yet, or sent out a press release to the rest of us. That is bizarre. Why send out a presser to IL before publishing it on your own site? Also, hard to call it a press release when it only goes to one outlet. Call it an IL release instead. LaxPower now has them up too, while the USILA does not, so I linked to LaxPower above.

Evidently, the USILA and IL have some sort of secret deal. It’s hinted at in the press release:

The USILA individual awards will be released on InsideLacrosse.com on Friday morning.

Nothing like a national sporting body playing favorites with the media.

Notes: Is the list spot on to you? It NEVER is, but that’s because a perfect list is impossible. AAs are a tricky business.

There are parts I agree with, like Kaut as the keeper of the year. He was electric at times, and made PSU a contender, even if they dropped off at the end of the year. Lyle Thompson on the first team also rings perfect. At points, the list features lots of different players, from lots of different teams. But there are some issues…

My big question is, how much should team success dictate individual accolades?

The above question is mostly driven by the NINE AAs that Hop and UVA combined to get, while Jordan Houtby of Detroit got nothing. Well, at least midfielder Mike Birney of Detroit and his 40 points and 100 mph shot got something… oh, wait, he didn’t either? Can you see how some of these selections trouble me? Maryland gets seven AAs, six above HM, and Yale gets three AAs, all at the HM level.

I’m not saying it’s wrong, but it certainly doesn’t look right!

NCAA Division II All Americans

Notes: Seven different schools were represented on the First Team. Limestone and Merrimack each had three first team players. NY Tech had two, as did Limestone. When you add in the second team, there are four more schools represented. It’s great to see more schools’ top players being recognized on the higher teams.

Going further down, one of the newer teams got their first ever lacrosse AA. Greg Griffo for Tampa, well done!

NCAA D1/D2 North South Rosters

Notes: It’s great to see so many D2 players included. Two from Merrimack, and nine overall, with five on the North, and four on the South. A number of big names, three guys from Hobart on the N team, and FOUR guys for Lehigh on the S team. Usually, there is a cap of three players per college team. All the Lehigh guys deserve this honor though.

NCAA Division III All Americans

Notes: Wesleyan had five AAs, mostly on defense, including the SSDM PoY (Sam Stanton, see main image), and didn’t make the tournament. The depth of talent in D3 right now is clearly ridiculous. Dickinson had FOUR first teamers. Salisbury, the team that beat Dickinson in the tourney, had FOUR players on the second team. That’s kind of weird but reflects the regular season well. Stevenson made it to the finals, have 7 AAs, but only 3 of them aren’t on the HM team. RIT has five AAs total, and four of them are on the first or second team.

NCAA D3 North South Rosters

Notes: CAC to the ‘CAC has you covered.

Awards

Notes: This is not up to date yet, but should be soon.

2013 Under Armour AA Rosters

Notes: this is high school. FUTURE college AAs? Perhaps.

US Lacrosse Hall Of Fame

Notes: Sure, I could copy this press release and make it into a post, but that wouldn’t be journalism. Instead I’ll link you to the real source. A big year of inductions, and some very worthy individuals!

With all eyes on the NCAA championships this weekend, the lone MLL game of the week takes place Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (on CBS Sports Network), as the 3-0 Hamilton Nationals take on the 0-3 Ohio Machine.

Make sure you check out the Week 3 Recap post for awesome Week 3 video highlights, and a ton of info on last week’s games!

Looking at the standings alone, these are obviously two teams in very different places. Hamilton is undefeated, while Ohio is still looking for their first win of 2013.

After splitting the season series last year, Hamilton and Ohio went in on a big offseason trade, with the Machine sending Roy Lang to Hamilton in exchange for Chad Wiedmaier and Scott Rodgers. While Machine head coach Ted Garber has been rotating his goalies this season, he’s confirmed that not only will Rodgers get the start against his former team, but also that he’s excited to face them. Good to know for Ohio.

If you enjoyed watching ECAC lacrosse this season, this is clearly the game for you. While Reid Acton and Tucker Durkin joined the team in time to play against the Hounds on Friday, the Nationals have also activated Josh Hawkins (fifth overall MLL draft pick and Acton’s Loyola teammate) for tonight’s game. If you saw Hawkins play in college, you know he’s capable of impacting a game in a number of different ways, and Hamilton coach Dave Huntley said he fits the style of two-way midfielder that the team is looking for. 

Speaking of ECAC rookies, the Machine activated Ohio State teammates Logan Schuss and Dominique Alexander (Peter Baum, you may have recently heard, is injured AND LXM-bound) in time for this game, along with Tewaaraton finalist Marcus Holman from UNC. It’s the debut of the new-look Ohio Machine, and no team has more invested in their incoming draft class.

While Garber acknowledges that rookies face a steep learning curve when joining the MLL, Holman and Schuss will be counted on to become key contributors in a currently struggling offense.

Here’s a little side bet (don’t gamble, kids) to get in on: Will anyone hit a two-pointer in this game? Hamilton has two on the season, and they finished with a total of five last year. While Kyle Hartzell had nine in 2012, Ohio has neither scored nor given up a single two-pointer so far in 2013. Does that change today?

Can Scott Rodgers and the Ohio Machine shut down an efficient and exciting Hamilton offense? Will the rookies on either side make an impact in their debut games? Most important, will Hamilton stay undefeated or will Ohio finally get that first win?

We’ll find out tonight.

RIT using black magic and trickery to get the win in overtime and punch their ticket to Championship Weekend. Mercyhurst grasping the win right from the clutches of Limestone to return to championship weekend for the 2nd time in 3 years, where they will face Le Moyne.

If Championship Weekend is half as fun as last weekend we all should buckle up for some great games! Let’s get a little deeper into this NCAA D2 Championship gem, which will be broadcast on NCAA.com on Sunday.

Mercyhurst has found its way back to the National Championship going a perfect 18-0.  This is the 3rd time in 7 years that Mercyhurst has made it to the National Championship, and 2nd time out of the last 3 attempts. After narrowly escaping both of their NCAA tournament games, Mercyhurst looks to be a team destined to win it all.

Le Moyne is no stranger to Championship Weekend and is the perfect match up for Mercyhurst.  Lemoyne has is 6-0 all time when playing Mercyhurst, including a last-second win in the 2007 National Championship, so someone’s winning streak is going to end.  Whenever these two teams get together to do battle, it is always a exciting game.

Le Moyne is 17-2 coming into the weekend with their only losses coming to Merrimack and Adelphi back in April, but Lemonye had its revenge as they beat Adelphi this past weekend to advance. While both of these two teams have earned the right to play for a National Championship, neither team has any first team All-Americans. That’s interesting!

Le Moyne is paced by attackman Tyler Prevost and Nate Frechette who have 58 and 55 points respectively.  Midfielder Andrew Chadderdon is 3rd on the team in scoring with 47 points and is following in his brothers footsteps who graduated from Le Moyne only a few years ago.  These three players will be a handful for the Mercyhurst defense who is surrendering 7.48 goals per game.  Lemoyne’s offense is ranked 7th in the NCAA scoring 13 GPP.

Conversly, the Mercyhurst offense is ranked 4th in the NCAA scoring 13.72 GPP who Lemoyne’s defense is ranked 1st overall giving up a minuscule 5.32 goals per game.  Mercyhurst’s offense is led by attackman Brian Scheetz who has 72 points on the year and is Mercyhurst’s All-Time leading point scorer.  The next top for scorers are Jack McAndrew, Brady Hesteline, Zac Reid, and James Chayka.  All four players have scored 40 or more points this season, including Reid, who had a career high 7 goals against Limestone last weekend.

The most important and most intriguing match up for this weekend will be face offs.  Mercyhurst struggled last weekend only winning 11 of 39 total face offs against Limestone.  Limestone was able to win face offs and that gave them the upper hand all game long and were able to control the pace of play.  Mercyhurst has won nearly 59% of their face offs all season long with Mitch McAvoy, who has 17 points on the year, taking the bulk of those draws.  Kyle Lindsay is a suitable backup as he has won .65% of his attempts.  Le Moyne has Kam Kumpas who has 23 points on the year along with a .61% win percentage.  He will be the key player in the face off battle.  Le Monye has a slight advantage in a numbers game as they have won .61% of their draws all season long, 2% more than Mercyhurst.

If you were to run down the stats line you would see that on paper these two teams are basically identical.  Both shooting percentages are right near each other at 31%  Mercyhurst has scored a total of 246 goals this season and Le Moyne has scored 247.  Mercyhurst is 42% on EMO and Lemoyne is 42% as well, although Le Moyne has 23 more opportunities.  One major difference in statistics is clearing percentage.  Le Moyne overall percentage is unusually low at .84% while Mercyhurst is .92%  Obviously no team is going to be near perfect, but I would expect Lemoyne to be in the 90′s this could be a vantage point that Chris Ryan and his Mercyhurst crew could take advantage of.

The biggest difference between these two teams will be goal-tending   It is widely argued that Le Moyne’s Jeff White is the best goalie in Division II.  White boasts a .62% save percentage this year compared to Mercyhurst’s Michael Grace .55%.  While .55% is a number to be proud of and win awards .62% is astronomical  and it is very rare to see goaltenders with percentages that high.  One can argue strength of opponents but you cannot deny that these goalies are the reasons that these teams are where they are right now.

In the past 10 years, Le Moyne has played in the National Championship game 6 times, and coach Dan Sheehan has won three of those.  Mercyhurst has been only twice, winning only once.  Le Moyne has not played Mercyhurst since 2009, and while there is no immediate familiarization with these two teams they are no stranger to each other, in any way.  Especially Sheehan and Ryan.

I can safely say that neither coach has no greater pleasure than defeating the other.

Over the past decade, the UofI men’s lacrosse team has worked diligently to establish itself as a competitive MCLA program, complete with great University relationships. And now, slowly but surely, the team is developing into a true showcase of homegrown talent. Fourteen of 20 players on the roster were born and raised in Idaho, including a few who had opportunities to play at the NCAA level, while the remaining 6 come mainly from places like Spokane (WA) or Bend (OR). There is just one East Coaster on the squad.

Idaho finished the 2013 season with a 4-10 record, ranked 4th in the northern division of the PNCLL, and over 50% of the players were underclassmen. Had it not been for a midseason coaching change and a few injuries, we may have even seen the Vandals make the conference playoffs. If recruiting videos like this drive more talented local (and not so local) players to commit the program, the PNCLL could have a new champion in its midst.

The 2013 University of Idaho Men’s Lacrosse Team

For more MCLA news and opinion, visit MCLA Fan and join the discussion in our brand new LAS Community Forum.

Con Bro Chill has launched a fundraising campaign to help them record new music for a FREE EP and produce their next ridiculous music video. Watch the video below for more information, then be sure to check out their Kickstarter page if you’re interested in pledging. The “Supertron Mega Boom” pledge is our personal favorite!

Are you a fan of Con Bro Chill’s music? Let us know by casting your vote below, or head to the brand new LAS Community Forum to sound off and share your two cents.

Below are a couple of photos courtesy of Patrick Smith, Denver Broncos Exec. Dir. of Media Relations:

Broncos WR @weswelker speaks to University of Denver lacrosse team in advance of their Final Four appearance. twitter.com/psmyth12/statu…

— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) May 21, 2013

Welker wishing Univ. of Denver lacrosse players good luck following their practice today. twitter.com/psmyth12/statu…

— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) May 21, 2013

For more articles related to the 2013 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse National Championship, visit our College Lacrosse section.