Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/2/14
From Press Release
After a rough but close first half, Seton Hill University (SHU) took the upper hand with a 5-1 third quarter that eventually propeled it to a 14-12 win over Chestnut Hill College Saturday in Division II men’s lacrosse at Plymouth Whitemarsh High.
Senior attack Michael Melnychenko (St. Catharines, Ontario) scored four of his six goals in the first half, doing his part to keep the battle of the Griffins tied 5-5 at intermission. Unfortunately, the visitors’ third quarter outweighed a late Griffin rally that left the final spread at two.
With 13 of 23 penalties coming in the opening half, Chestnut Hill College (0-2) and Seton Hill University (3-0) were challenged by the whistle as much as they were by each other. SHU was first on the scoreboard with senior midfielder Jimmy Cogley (Peters Township, Pa.) tallying the contest’s first tally at 11:44, 1-0. Less than thirty seconds later (11:17), senior midfielder Zachary Donnelly (Radnor) tied the contest at 1-1 and after that Melnychenko struck on an extra-man opportunity to put the Griffins in the lead, 2-1 at 8:01.
But SHU scored twice in the final two minutes of the quarter, 1:42 and 1:24, to hold a 3-2 advantage heading to the second frame. They held a 5-3 lead heading to the final 11 minutes (11:12) of the half, but that’s when Melnychenko netted another man-up goal, 5-4 at 10:19, and an unassisted score, 5-5 at 6:58, to leave the contest tied heading to intermission, 5-5. After the break, a fifth Melnychenko goal would give the Griffins a short-lived 6-5 (13:16, 3rd) advantage, but SHU then scored seven straight to leave the home team down 12-6 with 12:12 left in the contest. The Griffins outscored SHU the rest of the way, 6-2, but time ran out on the rally in a 14-12 final.
Four from SHU recorded at least four points with three goals and two assist from senior attack Matt Delmonico (Port Moody, British Columbia) leading the group. Freshman defender Collin Blaney (Gahanna, Ohio) and junior goalkeeper Brady Lawrence (St. Catharines, Ontario) captained the backfield effort; Blaney offered two ground balls and two caused turnovers while Lawrence made eight saves and recovered two ground balls in the win (3-0).
Melnychenko finished with seven points, six goals and an assist, to go along with three ground balls. In support, he got a goal and two assists from senior midfielder Mark Winkelspecht (Parkland), two goals from junior midfielder Michael Landau (Lancaster, Pa.), a goal and an assist from sophomore Tanner Fisher (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia), and a point from four others. Freshman midfielder Joseph Pozniak (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) won 11-of-23 (.478) in the circle and collected seven ground balls while senior goalkeeper Joseph Donnelly (Radnor) made six saves and recovered two ground balls in the loss (0-2).
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