ERIE, Pa.- The #4 Mercyhurst men's lacrosse team hosts the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament this weekend at Tullio Field. On Friday, May 2, the Lakers take on Seton Hill and then Lake Erie will face Wheeling Jesuit. The winners will square off in the ECAC Championship on Sunday, May 4, at noon.
Live stats for all three games will be available at
http://sidearmstats.com/hurst/mlax/. A live AmericaONE broadcast will be available at
http://www.americaonesports.com/partner_members.asp?id=16.
Tickets will be available at the gates of Tullio Field at 10 a.m. Friday. All-tournament passes are $10. Single-game tickets will only be available Sunday. Championship tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for students. All ticket purchases are cash only. ECAC students with a valid ID will be admitted free of charge. There are no complimentary passes for the ECAC Tournament. There are no dogs allowed at Tullio Field.
In 2013, Mercyhurst defeated Lake Erie, 13-7, to win the inaugural ECAC Championship. Mercyhurst, Lake Erie, Wheeling Jesuit, and Seton Hill are all making their second straight ECAC Tournament appearances.
For the ECAC Tournament Central page, please
click here.
Mercyhurst went 12-2 in the regular season, winning its last 10 outings.
Brady Heseltine paces the Lakers with 37 goals and 47 points.
Jake McAndrew has recorded 22 goals and 22 assists, while another senior,
Brandon Thomson, has 21 goals and 18 helpers.
Michael Grace has posted a 5.35 goals against average, best in the country this year. The Lakers went 2-1 against the other teams at this week's tournament, falling to Seton Hill before defeating Wheeling Jesuit and Lake Erie.
Seton Hill is 9-5 this season, including a 3-3 mark in its last six games. Matt Delmonico has scored 41 goals, while Dylan Lefebvre has put up 28 goals and 21 assists. Marc Piche has tallied 20 goals and a team-high 24 helpers. Brady Lawrence has recorded a 9.60 goals against average in 14 starts in goal. The Griffins beat Mercyhurst, but lost home matches to LEC and Wheeling.
Lake Erie went 8-4 in 2014, winning eight in a row before falling at Mercyhurst to close the regular season last weekend. Reagan Harding paces the Storm with 30 goals and 44 points. Trevor Tarte has scored 29 goals, while freshman Austin Bishop has 21 goals and 11 assists. Tom Lipomi and Nicholas Simonetti have split time in net, with Lipomi allowing 7.03 goals per game while making five starts. LEC posted wins over Seton Hill and Wheeling before losing to Mercyhurst.
Wheeling is 10-2 entering this weekend. Bryce Brochu leads the team with 31 goals and 42 points. Tyler Johnson has put up 23 goals, while Brian Frank registered 15 goals and 16 assists in 10 outings before missing the last two contests. Joe Amsler has made all 12 starts in goal, recording a 7.75 goals against average.
The Cardinals went 1-2 against other ECAC Tournament foes, winning at Seton Hill and dropping games against Lake Erie and Mercyhurst.
Mercyhurst is second in the latest NCAA Regional Rankings, released Wednesday. Limestone is first after winning both the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament titles. Tampa is third, with Queens in fourth. The top four teams in each region will qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is Sunday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m.
