2006 Division III Eastern Champions - Johns Hopkins University

2006 Division III Eastern Championship Runner-Up - Massaschusetts Institute of Technology

Game 1 – Connecticut College vs. Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University's Sean McCreery scored four goals, including two in the first period, as the Blue Jays opened the 2006 Division III Eastern Championships at Penn State-Behrend College with a 15-4 win over Connecticut College.

The teams traded goals to open the game as Chris Hemmerle and Peter Davis netted scores with 6:06 and 5:35 left in the first period, but Connecticut fired back as Nick Llewelyn ripped in a blast at 5:02 to pull the Camels to within a goal. However, Hopkins pulled back ahead as McCreery scored at 3:47 and 2:24 before Peter Sauerhoff found the back of the goal at 1:14 for a 5-1 lead. The Camels cut the lead to 5-2 before the end of the period as Bob Kyne scored at the one minute mark.

MG Gonzalez gave the Blue Jays back a four goal lead to open the second period as he scored on a five meter shot with 7:36 remaining in the half. The margin grew to 8-2 as Peter Davis connected on back-to-back goals at 4:05 and 2:10. Both teams added goals in the closing two minutes of the half as Rene LaPlante scored for Connecticut at 1:45 and Hopkins' Chris Hanson answered 48 seconds later for a 9-3 lead at halftime.

The third period was all Hopkins as the Blue Jays pushed the lead to 12-4 as McCreery scored a pair of goals (7:03 and 3:43), while Kyle Gertridge pounded in a score at the 1:36 mark.

Connecticut trimmed the margin to 12-4 at 7:00 to open the fourth period as LaPlante tacked on his second goal of the game, but Hopkins finished out the game with a trio of goals as Jake Honig (2:48) and James Neuwirth (1:12 and 00:23) put in scores for the 15-4 final.

Hopkins, which is seeking its 10th Division III Eastern title after capturing the 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 crowns, will attempt to advance to the title game for the 16th year in 16 Division III Eastern tournaments by facing Penn State Behrend College at 4:00 p.m.

Connecticut will continue play at 1:00 p.m. versus Behrend.

CC Goals: Rene LaPlante (2); Nick Llewelyn; Bob Kyne

JHU Goals: Sean McCreery (4); Peter Davis (3); James Neuwirth (2); Kyle Gertridge; MG Gonzalez; Chris Hanson; Chris Hemmerle; Jake Honig; Peter Sauerhoff

CC Goalie Saves: None

JHU Goalie Saves: None

Ejections: JHU 13, Connecticut 9

Game 2 – Connecticut College vs. Penn State Behrend College

Playing at home, PSU-Behrend goalie Jacob Hayden fired a shot the length of the pool which eluded Connecticut College goalie Alex Feinstein to give the Lions a 12-11 lead as time expired in the first three-minute overtime period as the Lions took a 13-12 victory over the Camels at the Division III Eastern Championships.

Tied 10-10 after regulation, Connecticut College jumped out to an 11-10 lead with 2:21 left in the first OT period as AJ Bricetti fired in a shot. The Lions roared back, however, as Derek Seiber slipped a shot past Feinstein with 1:50 left in the extra frame to knot the score at 11-11 and set up Hayden's long-distance shot.

In the second OT period, PSU-Behrend tacked on the eventual game-winner with 1:37 left on the clock as Anthony Spotto found the back of the cage. The Camels closed the gap to a single goal with 40 seconds remaining on the game clock when Ben Pedley scored, but could pull no closer as Connecticut clinched the #3 seed in Bracket A.

The game was a back-and-forth affair in regulation as Connecticut ran out to a 3-1 lead in the first period, but the Lions ripped off four goals to take a 5-3 lead to open the second period. However, the Camels came back as the two teams traded the lead twice more to set up overtime.

PSU will face-off with Johns Hopkins University at 4:00 p.m. to decide which team clinches the #1 berth in Bracket "A" and an automatic berth in the Division III Eastern final, while Connecticut will face the loser of the MIT-Washington & Jefferson game at 7:00 p.m.

CC Goals: AJ Bricetti (5); Rene LaPlante (3); Ben Pedley (2); Connor Matzinger; Sam Nasuti

PSU Goals: Andre Pranckevicius (4); Derek Seiber (3); Anthony Spoto (2); Ian Johnson (2); Mitchell Dwelley; Jacob Hayden

CC Goalie Saves: Alex Feinstein (13)

PSU Goalie Saves: Leandro Axevedo (6); Jacob Hayden (5)

Ejections: Connecticut 10; PSU-Behrend 9

Game 3– MIT vs. Washington & Jefferson College

Mark Artz and Rob Kalwarowsky both scored pairs of goals as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology rallied from a 3-2 halftime deficit to knock off Washington & Jefferson College 7-6.

Trailing 3-2 at the break, the Engineers took command of the game in the third period outscoring the Presidents 4-1, including a pair of scores by Artz, to take the lead for good.

Artz started the comeback by scoring his first goal of the game with 7:05 left in the period before Devin Lewis angled a shot past W&J goalie Andrew Wnuk for a 4-3 lead. Morgan Laidlaw added to the lead with a goal at 6:03, but the Presidents trimmed the lead to a single score at the 5:04 mark to trail 5-4. Artz finished out the period with his second goal of the game as he finessed a shot through the defense to go ahead 6-4.

The Presidents pulled back to within a goal with 4:58 left in the fourth period off a score by Brent Johnson, but Rob Kalwarowsky tallied the game-winner 63 seconds later for a 7-5 lead as the Engineers held on for the one goal win.

In goal, Nick Souza and Robert Truax split time in goal for MIT as each recorded four saves, while Wnuk made 14 saves for Washington & Jefferson.

MIT Goals: Mark Artz (2); Rob Kalwarowsky (2); Morgan Laidlaw; Devin Lewis; Kevin Amdendt

W&J Goals: Andrew Bell (2); Joseph Hamilton (2); Brent Johnson; Brian Train

MIT Goalie Saves: Nick Souza (4); Robert Truax (4)

W&J Goalie Saves: Andrew Wnuk (14)

Ejections: MIT 7, W&J 5

Game 4– Johns Hopkins University vs. Penn State Behrend College

Sean McCreery and Arya Zarinesfat both scored three goals as Johns Hopkins University downed Penn State-Behrend College 18-4 to advance to the title game of the 2006 Division III Eastern Championship.

Hopkins never trailed in the game as JHU built a 3-0 lead in the first period. The margin grew to 7-2 midway through the second period, but PSU-Behrend trimmed the lead back to 7-4 with 3:45 remaining in the first half.

The Blue Jays controlled the game the rest of the way outscoring the Lions 11-0 in the second half to advance to their 17th straight Division III Eastern Championship title game as Hopkins will seek its 11th crown after capturing the 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 championships.

In goal, Leandro Azvedo and Jacob Hayden made 11 saves for PSU-Behrend, while Chris Hutchens and Andrew McTammany stopped five of the Lions shots.

PSU Goals: Anthony Spoto (2); Andre Pranckevicius; Derek Seiber

JHU Goals: Sean McCreery (3); Arya Zarinesfat (3); Peter Davis (2); Jake Honig (2); Jesse Fox; Reid Fox; Chris Hemmerle; Joey Jankiewicz; Josh Kratz; Ryan McCormack; James Neuwirth; Chris Rochester

PSU Goalie Saves: Leandro Azevedo (4); Jacob Hayden (7)

JHU Goalie Saves: Chris Hutchens (2); Andrew McTammany (3)

Ejections: PSU 4, JHU 4

Game 5 – Connecticut College vs. Washington & Jefferson College

Connecticut College scored seven unanswered goals over the final 10:09 of play to rally past Washington & Jefferson College 13-7.

Trailing 6-2 with 5:06 left in the first half, the Camels exploded for four goals to tie the game by the break as San Nasati (3:59), Wright Scott-Kern (3:19), AJ Bricetti (1:06) and Connor Matziner (00:32) found the back of the cage.

Washington & Jefferson retook the lead midway through the third period as Justin McMichael scored at the 3:59 mark, but Connecticut closed the period with the first two of its seven goal spurt to end the game. Scott-Kern started the run with a goal at 2:09 to knot the score at 7-7 before Bob Kyne registered the eventual game-winning tally with 1:03 left in the period.

Bricetti then took over the game scoring back-to-back goals at 6:40 and 5:14 in the fourth period to push the lead out to 10-7. Nasuti (4:20), Scott-Kern (2:55) and Kyne (00:25) finished the scoring as Connecticut will play in the third place game at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 22.

Washington & Jefferson will conclude the tournament at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday in the fourth place game.

Connecticut Goals: AJ Bricetti (4); Sam Nasuti (3); Wright Scott-Kern (3); Bob Kyne (2); Connor Matzinger

W&J Goals: Andrew Whittam (3); Justin McMichael; Joseph Hamilton; Andrew Bell; Brian Train

Connecticut Goalie Saves: Alex Feinstein (14)

W&J Goalie Saves: Andrew Wnuk (15)

Ejections: Connecticut 6, W&J 2

Game 6 – MIT vs. Penn State Behrend College

Kevin Amdent and Devin Lewis scored three goals each, while Nick Souza and Patrick Alayon combined for four saves as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology defeated Penn State Behrend College 13-7 to clinch a berth versus Johns Hopkins University in the 2006 Division III Eastern Men's Water Polo Championship game at Penn State Behrend.

The title game will mark the eighth straight championship meeting between the Engineers and the Blue Jays as MIT won the 2000 and 2003 crowns, while JHU captured the 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 crowns. Overall, Hopkins and MIT have met 10 previous times for the Division III title as Hopkins won the 1994 and 1995 meetings and MIT picked up the 1996 showdown.

MIT took the early lead in the game as Lewis and Amendt scored with 7:49 and 7:06 left in the first period, respectively, but PSU fired back to take a 4-3 lead by the end of the period.

The margin increased to 5-3 midway through the second period, but MIT engineered its way back into the game behind goals by Morgan Laidlaw, Mark Artz and Lewis as the Engineers held a 6-5 lead at halftime.

PSU tied the game at 6-6 with 6:51 left in the third period as Derek Seiber ripped in a shot, but MIT answered back with a three goal spurt in the period to carry a 9-7 into the fourth period.

MIT sealed the way in the fourth adding on four more scores for the 13-7 final.

Penn State will continue the tournament on Sunday, October 22 at 10:00 a.m. as the Lions will meet Connecticut College in the third place game. It will mark the second meeting between PSU and Connecticut in the tournament as the Camels fell 13-12 in overtime to Penn State in the second game on Saturday.

PSU Goals: Anthony Spoto (3); Ian Johnson (2); Andre Pranckevicius; Derek Seiber

MIT Goals: Kevin Amendt (3); Devin Lewis (3); David Dryjanski (2); Morgan Laidlaw (2); Mark Artz; Rob Kalwarowsky; Mike Smith Bronstein

PSU Goalie Saves: Leandro Azvedo (4); Jacob Hayden

MIT Goalie Saves: Nick Souza (3); Patrick Alayon (1)

Ejections: PSU 4, MIT 4

Game 7 – Connecticut College vs. Penn State Behrend College

Six Penn State-Behrend College players scored, including pairs of goals by Andre Pranckevicius and Leandro Azevedo, as the Lions captured the third place game with an 8-6 victory over Connecticut College.

Behrned controlled the pace of the game from the beginning jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first 3:13 of play as Azevedo and Pranckevicius found the back of the cage. Connecticut responded in the waning moments of the first period as AJ Bricetti scored twice to knot the game at 2-2 entering the second period.

The Camels took their first lead of the game 70 seconds into the second frame as Wright Scott-Kern tallied a goal, but PSU countered 30 seconds later as Pranckevicius netted his second and final goal of the game for a 3-3 tie. The Lions went back in front with 1:28 left in the period as Bob Kyne scored for a 4-3 lead at halftime.

Penn State tied the game back up in the third period as Azevedo scored at the 4:49 mark and went ahead 5-4 with 3:14 to play. Connecticut pulled even with 2:08 left in the period on another goal by Bricetti to set up a climatic fourth period.

The Lions put the game away in the first 3:09 of play in the period as Derek Seiber scored at 5:35 and Jacob Bernstein banked in the game-winning goal with 4:51 on the clock. Connecticut attempted to climb back into the game as Sam Nasuti scored at 4:26 to pull the Camels to within a goal, but could pull no closer as PSU added an insurance goal.

Connecticut Goals: AJ Bricetti (3); Bob Kyne; Sam Nasuti; Wright Scott-Kem

PSU Goals: Leandro Azevedo (2); Andre Pranckevicius (2); Jacob Bernstein; Mitchell Dwelley; Ian Johnson; Derek Seiber

Connecticut Goalie Saves: Alex Feinstein (5)

PSU Goalie Saves: Leandro Azvedo (2); Jacob Hayden (7)

Ejections: Connecticut 5, PSU 7

Game 8 – Johns Hopkins University vs. MIT

Sean McCreery scored six goals to account for two-thirds of Johns Hopkins University's offense as the Blue Jays defeated the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 9-6 to take the 2006 Division III Eastern Championship on the campus of Penn State Behrend College.

The title game marked the eighth straight championship meeting between the Engineers and the Blue Jays as MIT won the 2000 and 2003 crowns, while JHU captured the 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 crowns. Overall, Hopkins and MIT now met 11 times for the Division III title as Hopkins won the 1994 and 1995 meetings and MIT picked up the 1996 showdown.

Trailing 3-2 at the end of the first period, Hopkins rallied to take the lead by halftime behind goals from Chris Hemmerle, McCreery and Peter Davis as JHU went on a 3-0 run to take a 5-3 lead with 3:58 remaning in the first half. MIT trimmed the lead back to 5-4 by halftime as Morgan Laidlaw put in a shot with 1:10 left in the half.

Hopkins inched the lead to three goals in the opening minutes of the third period as McCreery scored a pair of goals within 18 seconds as he found the back of the cage at the 7:21 and 7:03 marks. The Engineers pulled to within 7-5 to 4:32 left in the period on a goal by Kevin Amendt, but McCreery scored back-to-back goals at 1:19 and 7:08 as Johns Hopkins jumped out to a 9-5 lead.

Facing a shortage of time, MIT attempted to rally as Palmer Rosemond scored with 5:05 left on the clock, but the Johns Hopkins defense locked down to hold on for the three goal victory.

Following the conclusion of the game, McCreery was named the Division III Player of the Year and MIT head coach Felix Mercardo was honored as the National Coach of the Year.

JHU Goals: Sean McCreery (6); Chris Hemmerle (2); Peter Davis

MIT Goals: Kevin Amendt; Rob Kalaworowsky; Morgan Laidlaw; Devin Lewis; Palmer Rosemond; Mike Smith Bronstein

JHU Goalie Saves: Chris Hutchens (3); Mitch Williams (3)

MIT Goalie Saves: Nick Souza (4), Robert Truax (4)

Ejections: JHU 10, MIT 10

Game 9 – Connecticut College vs. Washington & Jefferson College

Brian Train scored three goals as Washington & Jefferson College clinched fourth place with a 10-8 win over Connecticut College in the final game of the 2006 Division III Eastern Championship hosted by Penn State-Behrend College.

Tied 3-3 at halftime and 4-4 with 5:55 left in third period, the Presidents went on a 3-0 run courtesy goals by Joseph Hamilton, Andrew Bell and Edward Werner to go ahead 7-4 and never look back.

Connecticut Goals: AJ Bricetti (3); Rene LaPlante (2); Wright Scott-Kern (2); Ben Pedley

W&J Goals: Brian Train (3); Andrew Bell (2); Joseph Hamilton (2); Steve Hilty; Brent Johnson; Edward Werner

Connecticut Goalie Saves: Alex Feinstein (11)

W&J Goalie Saves: None

Ejections: Connecticut 10, W&J 12