April 14, 2008

By Joe Meloni Massachusetts Daily Collegian

April 14, 2008

Amherst, MA (UWIRE) -- If it were easy, it wouldn't be the 2008 Massachusetts men's lacrosse team. The Minutemen, who trailed for most of the second half, tied the game, 7-7, with seven seconds left in regulation before Peter McNichols scored his third goal of the game at 2:41 of the overtime lifting UMass past Hobart, 8-7, at Garber Field on Saturday.

UMass coach Greg Cannella called a timeout when the Minutemen (5-5, 3-1 ECAC) gained possession of the ball following a Hobart turnover. With his young team still frenzied following Tim Balise's game-tying goal, Cannella turned to the same play that made overtime a possibility.

At the reset, sophomore midfielder Bobby Hayes made his way to the back of the net as his teammates aligned themselves in front with the Hobart defensemen.

Hayes broke to his left, and a Statesman defender slid to take Hayes leaving McNichols unmarked to the right of the Hobart (5-5, 2-3 ECAC) net. Hayes quickly fired to McNichols who faked a shot low, drawing Hobart goalkeeper Max Silberlicht down before tucking it over his shoulder.

"[The defenseman] freed me up, and Bobby found me. Bobby always looks inside; he's a great passer," McNichols said. "He looked right inside, and I caught and finished."

The goal was McNichols' third of the game and 14th of the season while the assist was Hayes' third of the game and 10th of the year.

Cannella also made use of a timeout with 18 second left in regulation. The Minutemen trailed, 7-6, after freshman Steve Zorkers brought them to within one with 1:29 left in regulation.

"They had 18 seconds, so they needed to take their time and be patient," Cannella said. "I thought [senior Fred Federico] did rush a little bit. Fortunately, Tim was right there to pick the loose ball up and score it. I try to tell them not to change the way you play depending on the situation."

Federico started the play behind the net and circled the cage as his teammates broke from their alignment. An HC defender knocked the ball from Federico's cradle. The two players attempted to scoop up the groundball before it kicked into the cluster of players fighting for position.

The 1,722 in attendance fell silent instantly. But Balise fixed that, snatching the loose ball as it floated toward the cluster of players fighting for positioning. Once in possession, he turned and quickly fired the shot past Silberlicht.

The score was the second of the day for Balise. His first, which gave UMass a 2-1 lead late in the second quarter, looked equally unlikely moments before it happened. Senior defenseman Sean Krygier and Bryan Danvers fought for a groundball with three Statesman defensive players. Danvers fell, but tapped the ball over to freshman Zach Rodgers.

Rodgers quickly found a wide-open Balise, who stumbled but managed to get a shot on net - his no-look, over-the-shoulder attempt beat Silberlicht.

The UMass defense focused on shutting down HC leading scorer Daryl Veltman. Krygier drew the task of covering Veltman and succeeded, holding the senior scoreless.

"I think we did a great job against their attack; I don't think they had a single point," Cannella said. "[Veltman, Jeff Colburn and Jamie Kirk] are three very good players, so I have to credit our defense. And, of course, [junior goalkeeper Doc Schneider] made some big saves.

"Everybody that played on defense today was really superb. [Assistant coach Jake Coon] put together a great game plan. The credit for this win goes to [the defenders]."

There were six lead changes in the game as neither team could maintain its momentum for long. Hobart's Nick Currie (three goals) gave the Statesmen a lead with 2:37 left in the third quarter, and the advantage held until Balise's goal with seven seconds left in regulation.

Games notes

UMass's win ties it with Georgetown, who lost to Loyola, 11-9, on Saturday, for second place in the ECAC ... The Minutemen are now 7-2 all time against the Statesmen and 4-1 in Amherst ... Senior defenseman David Von Voigt had a game-high six groundballs against HC ... Rogers added to his team-high assist total with two more against the Statesman, giving him 14 on the season ... Zorkers' goal was the first of his career ... Sophomore defensive midfielder Will Jeffrey, a transfer from the now-defunct Butler program, nearly scored the first goal of his career, but his shot kicked off the right post after bouncing past Silberlicht.

(C) 2008 Massachusetts Daily Collegian via UWIRE