Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/1/13
From Press Release
Senior Ryan Eidenshink (La Salle) scored 2:42 into overtime after junior Mac Nestler came up with a great save in the extra session for Widener, which notched a 6-5 victory at Albright in the Commonwealth Conference semifinals in Reading.
Widener improves to an unbelievable 25-4 in conference tournament games and advances to the final against fourth-ranked Stevenson, which blitzed Lebanon Valley, 23-7. Game time Saturday in Owings Mills, MD is 7:00 pm.
Neither team had more than a one-goal lead and that is only fitting, considering the first three meetings between the schools were decided by a total of four goals with two going to overtime.
Eidenshink began his exploits by scoring two minutes into the fourth quarter to give the Pride a 4-3 lead, thanks to an assist from senior Josh Fox (Lower Merion). Justin Brown provided the equalizer for the Lions, scoring with exactly 12 minutes left for a 4-4 draw.
Both teams had ample chances to take the lead over the next 10 minutes, but none could find the back of the net. That was until Fox scored his second of the game with 2:07 left for a 5-4 cushion off a feed from junior Robert Clemens (Sun Valley).
Albright won the ensuing face-off and then was the benefactor of a Widener penalty that created a man-up situation. Matthew Lomandy obliged by scoring with 1:17 to play off Phil Potter’s assist for a 5-5 draw.
Neither team had a shot the rest of regulation and the contest went to overtime. Albright’s best chance came in the first minute, when Ryan Turner fired one that Nestler went low to make a great save.
The Pride (11-5) finally got the ball in their zone and called timeout. The visitors needed just 28 seconds out of the break as Eidenshink scored to complete his third hat trick of the season and put Widener in a conference final for a ninth straight year.
Freshman Marc LaVine also scored and Nestler totaled 11 saves for the Pride, who have won eight of the last 10 contests.
Lomandy scored twice, Potter had four assists and Jordan DiZenzo amassed eight saves for the Lions (13-4).
