May 6, 2007

Event:  Men's Lacrosse

Site:  Mason, Ohio (Kings High School - Kings Field)

Score:  #4 Michigan 10, #20 Michigan State 3

Records:  U-M (12-3, 7-0 CCLA), Michigan State (12-4, 6-2 CCLA)

Attendance:  354

Next U-M Game:  MCLA National Championship Tournament - May 15-19 - Dallas, Texas (Pizza Hut Park)

Wolverins Top Spartans 10-3 for Seventh CCLA Title

Event Recap I Boxscore I Notes & Quotes I Photos

MASON, Ohio. - Behind a 6-1 second half, the #4 ranked University of Michigan men's lacrosse team defeated rival #20 Michigan State by a score of 10-3 on Sunday (May 6) in Mason, Ohio and in the process won their seventh CCLA Championship in the last nine years.  The Wolverines led by only two at half-time, but came out firing after the break, earning an automatic bid to the MCLA National Championship Tournament which will kick off May 15 in Dallas, Texas. 

Michigan State controlled possession in the opening minutes of the game, eventually scoring on a dodge from the left wing by Michael Schumacher to grab a 1-0 lead.  Sophomore attackman Jared Blechman (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) answered for the Wolverines at the six-minute mark on a bouncing shot from the right wing.  Junior midfielder Mark Hammitt (Madison, N.J./Delbarton – Boston College) gave the Wolverines their first lead of the game on a dodge from deep on the left wing at :54 as the Wolverines took a 2-1 lead into the second quarter. 

Hammitt added his second of the game to open the second-quarter scoring, extending Michigan's lead to 3-1 at 12:57.  MSU answered nine seconds later after the ensuing faceoff to cut the lead to one.  Blechman added his second of the game and third of the tournament on a tally from just outside the crease to re-establish U-M's two-goal lead at 8:18.  Both teams traded possessions in the final minutes of the quarter with Michigan holding on to the 4-2 lead heading into halftime. 

Michigan came out quickly in the third, scoring just 51 seconds in on a tally from sophomore attackman Peter Vasher (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer).  Vasher darted in on the left wing and was fed by Blechman before firing high for the Wolverine goal.  Blechman found himself on the other end of a score just moments later on the man up, firing over the top of the goaltender from just outside the crease after being fed from Mark Hammitt at the top of the box.  Sophomore Anthony Hrusovsky (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) extended Michigan's lead to 7-2 before MSU added their third goal late in the third quarter to draw within four headed into the final frame.

Vasher added Michigan's eighth goal less than six minutes into the fourth quarter on a dodge from the left wing.  Blechman notched his third of the game just over a minute later on a similar dodge from the left wing, firing low between the goaltender's legs for the 9-3 lead.  Hrusovsky closed out the scoring with his second goal of the game as the Wolverines earned their seventh CCLA Conference Championship with a 10-3 win.

Statistically, Michigan won every category, out-shooting MSU 45-28, while the Wolverines scooped up 43 groundballs to the Spartan' 32.  The Wolverines were 11-15 at the "X", and cleared the ball at a higher rate, finishing 25-35 with MSU posting 19-35 totals.  U-M was 4-13 on the man-up, while holding Michigan State scoreless on eight attempts.

Michigan will be back in action in two weeks when they travel to Dallas, Texas for the MCLA National Championship Tournament between May 15-19.  Michigan's opening round opponent is yet to be determined as the tournament field will be announced Sunday night.  Please check MGoBlue.com for the latest information.

NOTES

● Junior faceoff specialist Brekan Kohlitz (St. Claire Shores, Mich./Notre Dame Harper Woods) finished 6-9 on faceoffs.  Freshman David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) was 5-6. 

● Sophomore defenseman Zach Elyacher (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands) paced the team with five groundballs, a career high.  His previous high was four set last season vs. Minnesota-Duluth (March 31).

● Senior goaltender Ryan Kaufman (Olney, Md./Magruder) was solid in net, stopping 17 Spartan' shots in the process.  Kaufman was named the Tournament's Defensive MVP after the game.  In two games, Kaufman recorded 24 saves while only allowing four goals.

● Sophomore defenseman Jim Petoskey (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) set a career high with four groundballs. 

● Jared Blechman led all scorers with five points on four goals and an assist.  After the game he was awarded his CCLA Conference Offensive Player of the Year Award, along with the Tournament Offensive MVP.

● Anthony Hrusovsky tied a career high with three points on two goals and an assist.  He recorded the same line in Saturday's semi-final game vs. Central Michigan.

● Michigan improved to 20-1 all-time vs. Michigan State since they dropped their NCAA program.

● With a perfect 7-0 CCLA record this year the Wolverines improve to 78-2 all-time versus conference opponents.  Michigan outscored their opponents by a total of 97 - 21.

● Michigan is 3-1 in neutral-site games this season.

● Only four different Wolverines scored goals in the contest.

● 21 total penalties were called in the game for a total of 18:30.   

QUOTES

U-M Head Coach John Paul

On the game itself:  "I feel really good for our seniors obviously.  We talked about the fact that despite our CCLA record we're only 1-3 in the last three years when it comes to winning the tournament.  I didn't want the seniors going out with another loss so that was big for us today.  Overall I thought we played better today than we did yesterday.  Defensively I thought we played very well.  Now we just have to transfer that play to Dallas when we start playing some of the more talented offensive teams."

On keeping the MSU offense on the perimeter:  "I just think the defense did a really nice job today.  We basically had the same match-ups as last time, the difference was #2 played a larger role today.  He moves with the ball really well so we had to adjust to that, but otherwise the guys did a really nice job on Baines and the rest of their big guys and that's key because their offense usually runs through those guys."

On the slim half-time lead:  "Like it has been all season, executing better was our priority.  Thier goalie was playing well, but if we knew if we stayed patient and kept moving the ball around they would start falling.  We changed up our offensive sets a few times to give their defense different looks.  All we did in the locker-room was make some small adjustments and we just came out and played better."

On the play of Ryan Kaufman:  "He was outstanding again today.  We always say he's a hot and cold goalie, but this season, he's been a heck of a lot more hot.  He has the capabilities to stone some guys in close, and that kind of save can really do a lot to change the emotion of the game.  He also had some really nice clears today.  He's a lot more athletic than he looks.  He's able to move out of trouble and he's smart with the ball.  We expect our goalies to be able to clear the ball.  We want goalies who are comfortable in traffic and have the stick skills to move the ball up-field.  He's comfortable doing that." 

On preparing for Dallas:  "Obviously we feel pretty good about ourselves after this, but I don't think anybody really feels we are ready to win everything yet.  We had to be better today than we were yesterday, and we'll just take that approach from here on out.  We've broken the season into sections and now the CCLA portion is done.  All we have to worry about is Dallas.  It's a cliche, but we're just going to take one game at a time.  We'll get three outdoor practices in Dallas, and try and get in a few at home where we're usually inside, but that's always easier said than done."

Sophomore defenseman Zach Elyacher

On the defensive effort:  "We were pretty happy with the way we played today.  State is a solid team, and we just wanted to come out and execute our game plan.  Obviously with Kaufman winning the Defensive MVP, you can see how important he is to us back there.  They weren't looking to the crease a lot and we were just trying to keep them on the outside.  Every week we talk about the defense gelling more and more.  Everybody's talking, everybody is working hard and we're really starting to put it together."

On the increased depth at defense:  "That’s big for us.  It's a good feeling to know that if you're tired, you can simply plug someone else in and there isn't a drop-off.  We know that every guy out there can get the job done and is going to work hard."

Senior goaltender Ryan Kaufman

On the "D's" ability to force outside shots:  "We were doing what we wanted to do, and forcing their shots.  The saves just started to add up.  They were dodging goal-line extended a lot, and our defense was just doing a nice job of keeping them away from the cage."

On winning the tournament defensive MVP:  "It's always nice to get awards like that, but it's always a total team effort, and if it wasn't for the defense, I'd never have an opportunity to win it."

On going into half-time only leading 4-2:  "We definitely knew it was going to be a battle, and that was a gut-check at halftime.  But we also knew we just had to keep working and playing our game and we would be fine."

Contact: Joe Hennessy (734) 276-8493, jjhennes@umich.edu