ERIE, Pa. – The third-seeded Mercyhurst University men's lacrosse team will look for their fourth trip to the National Championship game when they square-off with the top seed Le Moyne College on Sunday afternoon at Saxon Stadium in the NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Tournament North Regional Final.

Game Information
Opponent – No. 1 Le Moyne College Dolphins
Date – Sunday, May 23
Time - 1:00 pm
Location – Erie, Pa. (Saxon Stadium)
Series History – Dolphins lead the series, 8-0 (Le Moyne won last meeting 9-5 on 3/7/2015 in Erie).
Fan Notice – All fans are permitted by purchasing tickets here. 
Live Stats
Live Video

Updated Mask Policy
Mercyhurst is committed to all regulations for mask wearing in accordance with the CDC and the NCAA Guidelines.  Masks will not be required for fully vaccinated fans while inside of Saxon Stadium.  Anyone who has not been vaccinated yet must wear a mask.  Fans must however be masked when walking around the Mercyhurst University campus.  Also, please maintain social distancing wherever and whenever possible.

Scouting the Lakers (12-1, 6-0 G-MAC)
NCAA Tournament History
The Green and Blue are in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the program's history.  In 13 NCAA Tournament contests their overall record is 6-7, which includes three trips to the National Championship game.  Mercyhurst captured the national title in 2011 down in Baltimore with a win over Adelphi.

Kueber is Key
Caleb Kueber has been the offensive leader for the Lakers all season leading the team in goals (55), points (85), shots (109) and shots on goal (84).  His output has also been recognized on a national level as he led the nation in points per game (6.54) and goals per game (4.23).  In two G-MAC Tournament games he totaled six points on five goals and one helper thanks to 17 shots (ten on goal), while on the defensive side of the field he picked up five ground balls.  Kueber recorded a season-high ten points against Walsh (4/10). 
 
Variety of Goal Scorers
In their 11-7 victory over Seton Hill in the G-MAC title game Mercyhurst had six different players bury the rock led by a hat trick from Zach Lorenz.  The trio of Jacob Emerson, Bryce Johnson and Kueber tallied eight points accounting for six goals and two assists.  Nathan Grenon and Benjamin Smith-Wilcox each added a goal. 
 
Givin' With Devin 
Pipher sits second on the team in points with 73, while leading the Green and Blue in helpers at 49.  His 3.77 assists per contest is good for second in the nation.  He has had multiple assists in 10 out of the 13 games this season.  His season-best was eight which happened twice in the opener at Molloy (3/7) and on the homefield versus Alderson Broaddus (4/17). 

Dominance at the X
The Lakers were solid at the X against the Griffins their last time out as Shawn Doran went 17-22.  Doran is the second-best faceoff man in the nation posting a .752 winning percentage going 182-242 at the dot.  He has been supported by Bo Columbus (73-93), Ryan Jobson (30-32) and Charles Greenlese (17-29).  On the year Mercyhurst is 302-397 at X for a .761 winning percentage, while holding the opposition to 95-397 (.239).    

Protectors of the Cage
Cole Pellicano is 12-1 between the pipes for the Lakers with a .534 save percentage posting a 7.33 goals against average aided by his 86 saves on 283 shots faced in 614:16 minutes played.  The other three keepers Brendan Eyestone, Brett Olney and Jason Pawlak each saw a quarter versus D&E and AB combining for seven saves.

Stat Pack
In their last game two weeks ago against Seton Hill the Lakers outshot the Griffs 47-37 (24-17 on goal).  They won 17 of 22 faceoffs, while winning the ground ball pursuit 39-19.  The Green and Blue were also nearly perfect in the clear game going 18-19 and limiting SHU to 18-24.        

NCAA Leaders (as of games through 5/16/21)
Mercyhurst leads the country in total assists (177), assists per game (13.62), points per game (33.85), shot percentage (.380), scoring offense (20.23), scoring margin (13.31), faceoff win percentage (.761) and clearing percentage (.911), while ranking second in ground balls per game (44.23) and total ground balls (575).  The Lakers also rank in the Top 10 in scoring defense (4th – 6.92), man-up offense (6th - .464), and winning percentage (3rd - .923). Between the pipes Pellicano's 7.33 goals against average leaves him third nationally.   

In the Ocean (13-0, 8-0 NE-10)
Le Moyne arrives in Erie as the number one team not only in the region, but in the country coming off their 11-7 win over fellow Northeast 10 Conference rival Saint Anselm in North Regional Semifinal last Sunday.  The Dolphins do a lot of their offensive damage by committee with four players scoring 20-plus goals during the 2021 campaign led by Jake Nelson with 23, followed by Ben McCreary (21), Ross Filtch (20) and Kevin Sheehan (20).  Four other members have double-digit markers as Matt Hutchings (15), Colin Sypek (13), Devin Andrews (12) and Evan Kelly (11) all offering support.  Hutchings is also the team leader in assists with 21 and is coming off a seven-point afternoon in the semi.  Defensively, three Dolphins have forced double-digit miscues out of their opposition paced by Nate Arnold (22), followed by Nick Fraterrigo (14) and Connor Haims (11).  Le Moyne brings a two-headed monster to the faceoff X led by Sam Kury who is 132-209 (.632), while Nico Mattia has gone 61-98 to help out.  Frank Delia made the start between the sticks on Sunday making 14 saves and allowing seven goals.  On the season, he has made 75 saves on 238 shots faced with a 6.60 goals against average and a .591 save percentage posting a 7-0 record.  As a team they rank inside the top ten in scoring defense (2nd – 6.77), turnovers per game (3rd – 14.62), scoring margin (9th – 7.23) and faceoff winning percentage (9th - .628).  Head coach Dan Sheehan leads the Dolphins pod for the 24th season. 

Familiar Foe
The Lakers and Dolphins are meeting in the NCAA Tournament for the third time and the first time in a non-championship game scenario.  The two sides have battled each other for the title in 2007 and 2013 both showdowns resulted in a pair of one-goal wins for Le Moyne. 
 
On Deck: NCAA Tournament Bound?
A win for the Green and Blue would punch their ticket to the National Championship game for the fourth time in program history.  The matchup would pit the Lakers against either Lenoir-Rhyne or Wingate in Hartford, Connecticut next weekend.