Haverford College Men's Lacrosse

2nd Annual Nick Colleluori Lacrosse Classic a Success

Ridley, Pa. The HEADstrong Foundation and the Colleluori Family are very pleased to announce that the 2nd Annual Nick Colleluori Lacrosse Classic was a tremendous success. The impact of Saturday’s Classic is staggering and far reaching. Cheryl Colleluori, HEADstrong Foundation’s President and mother of Nick estimates that the Colleluori Classic will raise an estimated $150,000 towards the foundation’s mission. An estimated 10,000 people attended the Classic held at Ridley High School on Nick’s home turf which featured 18 games over a 12-hour period.

In two short years, the Nick Colleluori Classic has become recognized a major Fall Ball Tournament and an even more renowned charity event. It was Nick’s dream to help raise awareness and funds so others affected by blood cancer could have a better chance to recover and an improved quality of life. Saturday, Nick’s dream was fulfilled as 13 men’s lacrosse teams got the chance to do just that. The HEADstrong Foundation recognizes the coaches and members of Bellarmine University, Cabrini College, Haverford College, Hofstra University, Lehigh University, Loyola College, University of Maryland, Penn State University, Princeton University, St. Joseph’s University, University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, and Widener University Mens’ Lacrosse teams for their involvement and thanks them for raising awareness by selling HEADstrong t-shirts and for their "relentless" efforts on the field Saturday.

Additionally, each of the teams was assigned an ‘Honorary Captain," someone who is recovering from blood cancer. These people were the true heroes of the day. We are grateful that each team welcomed their "Captain" and made them feel part of their team.

Plans are already underway for next year; Haverford has committed to the event through 2009.

For the Black Squirrels, the day began with a 10:15am game vs. Widener Univ., and finished with a 12:00pm game vs. Lehigh Univ. Official scores were not kept throughout the tournament, but the Squirrels strengths on the day were faceoffs, solid goalie play, and transition. Overall, the tournament was for a great cause and offered Haverford excellent opporunities to see where they stand against two strong opponents.

Squirrels set to Participate in Second Annual Nick Colleluori Classic

October 9, 2008

The Haverford College Men's Lacrosse Team will participate in the second annual Nick Colleluori HEADstrong Classic on Saturday, October 11th at Ridley High School in Folsom, PA.

Directions Ridley High School

Each team in the Nick Collelouri Classic will have an honorary captain on the sideline and in uniform with them. The honorary captain for Haverford will be KC Peterson '08, who was diagnosed with cancer in July 2006 and not only beat his cancer, but was cleared to play lacrosse again on January 27th, 2007. KC serves as a stong message to those who are fighting cancer, old and young, that you can beat it, and the team is proud to have him on our sideline once again. There is an excellent article on KC and the Nick Collelouri Classic at PhilyLacrossse.com.

In addition to the Squirrels, Bellarmine University, Cabrini College, Villanova University, Hofstra University, LehighUniversity, Loyola College, University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, Princeton University, St. Joseph’s University, and Widener University will also participate. One-hour games will begin at 9am. Haverford will play Widener at 10:15am, and Lehigh at 12:00pm. Admission cost will be $5 per person, with all proceeds donated to the HEADstrong Foundation.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE and INFO

The thirteen-team charity tournament and clinic will raise money and awareness for the HEADstrong Foundation (www.HEADstrongfoundation.org), which was created to raise money for blood cancer research as well as help those afflicted by the disease.

The HEADstrong Foundation was founded in memory of former Hofstra lacrosse player Nick "Head" Colleluori, a 2004 graduate of Ridley High School. Nick, who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in the fall of 2005, lost his relentless battle to cancer on November 28th, 2006 after fourteen months. The HEADstrong Foundation was Nick's creation and the Foundation continues to work to make sure Nicks' dream of ending this disease is realized.

In addition to a day of lacrosse competition, there will be a 1PM youth lacrosse clinic and autograph session professional and ex-college players. This clinic is open to all paid tournament attendees between 3rd and 8th grades.

For more information regarding this tournament and the HEADstrong Foundation, please contact the tournament director at matt.flynn@gte.net.

2008 Alumni Game

October 4, 2008 - Twenty four alumni came to Swan Field to play the first ever lacrosse game on the new fieldturf surface. Though they fought hard, the elder Squirrels fell 13-7. Dean Granoff '08, Joe Mauri '06, Mike Distler '08, Colin Bathory '99 and Matt Keller '06 did the scoring while Peterson and Mendlinger shared time in the goal. The day's standouts were Mike Cannon '76 and Kyle Danish '83, who roamed the field at Midfield and Attack throughout the day.

Censer, Distler and Granoff Named USILA All-Americans & USILA Scholar-Athletes with Thorne-Fitzgerald

2008 Division III All-Americans
2008 Scholar All-Americans

BOSTON, Mass. – Seniors Joel Censer, Mike Distler and Dean Granoff of the Haverford College men’s lacrosse team were named United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Honorable Mention All-Americans over the Memorial Day weekend.

All three players earned All-Centennial Conference honors this season. Censer and Distler were named first-team and Granoff garnered second-team recognition. This marks the second consecutive year that Haverford placed three student-athletes on the USILA All-American team. In 2007, K.C. Peterson ’07, Steve Selsor ’07 and Max Tcheyan ’07 all made honorable mention.

Censer started all 16 games this season on defense and scooped up 39 ground balls. He finished his career tied for 12th in program history with 174 ground balls.

Distler tallied 41 points on 22 goals and 19 assists as a senior. The Redding, Conn. native finished his career tied for 10th all-time at Haverford in assists with 62. He also tallied 75 goals over four years.

Granoff scored 21 goals and dished out 11 assists this season. Over his four-year career, Granoff tallied 113 points (78G, 35A). He leaves Haverford as the all-time leader in games played (63) and second in man-up goals (13).

In addition to All-American honors, Censer, Distler, Granoff and fellow senior Matt Thorne-Fitzgerald were all named 2008 USILA Scholar-Athletes.

Censer, Distler and Granoff Selected to Play in North-South All-Star Game

2008 Division III North-South Rosters

HAVERFORD, Pa. – Seniors Joel Censer, Mike Distler and Dean Granoff of the Haverford College men’s lacrosse team have been named to the South squad for the 67th Annual United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) North-South Senior All-Star Game to be held on Friday, May 23, in Cambridge, Mass. at Harvard Stadium at 2 p.m.

All three players earned All-Centennial Conference honors this season. Censer and Distler were named first-team and Granoff garnered second-team recognition.

Censer started all 16 games this season on defense and scooped up 39 ground balls. He finished his career tied for 12th in program history with 174 ground balls.

This is the second straight season that Haverford has been represented in the North/South All-Star Game. Last year Max Tcheyan and Steve Selsor played for the South team.

#9 Men's Lacrosse Downed by #6 Cabrini, 13-10, in NCAA Second Round

RADNOR, Pa. – Playing in its first NCAA Championships in school history, the No. 9 Haverford College men’s lacrosse ended its season with a 13-10 loss to No. 6 Cabrini College in the second round at Edith Robb Dixon Field on Saturday afternoon. The Fords took the lead early in the third period, but witnessed Cabrini score six consecutive goals, which proved to be too much to overcome.

Max Hjelm had a hand in six goals for Haverford (11-5) with three goals and three assists. Brian Fleishhacker scored twice, while Jason Leeds, Mike Distler, Matt Thorne-Fitzgerald, Grant Firestone and David Lawrence all scored a goal.

Cabrini’s (17-2) Scott Reimer led all players with five goals. Matt McKinney and Casey Grugan both netted two goals and four other Cavaliers scored a goal.

Distler scored the games first goal more than four minutes into the opening frame on an assist from Hjelm. The game was scoreless for the next four minutes until McKinney got the Cavaliers on the board with 6:50 remaining. Rich Romanelli and Pat Jenkins both scored in the final 5:10 of the first to put Cabrini up, 3-1.

Haverford wasted little time regaining the lead with three goals in the first 3:12 of the second period. Fleishhacker scored on an assist from Distler 59 seconds into the second. 15 seconds later Thorne-Fitzgerald fed Hjelm for his first goal of the day, which tied the score. At the 11:48 mark Fleishhacker scored one again to give the Fords the lead.

Reimer tied the score with 8:31 remaining, but Firestone netted an unassisted goal 19 seconds later to give HC a 5-4 advantage. McKinney and Grugan scored the last two goals of the half to give Cabrini a 6-5 lead heading into the half.

The third period started out the same way the second did as Haverford scored early to take the lead. This time it was Leeds and Thorne-Fitzgerald who scored eight seconds a part to put the Fords up, 7-6.

That was the final lead Haverford had for the rest of the game. Cabrini scored six unanswered goals to close out the third period with a 12-7 lead. In that span Reimer scored three goals.

Haverford cut the Cavaliers lead to 12-10 with 8:31 remaining as Lawrence scored a goal and Hjelm scored twice. The Fords could only manage three shots over the next seven minutes and a man-up goal by Reimer with 1:29 left on the clock sealed the victory for Cabrini.

The Cavaliers will take on #1 Salisbury University in Salisbury, MD this Wednesday.

Haverford finishes its season with a program-record 11 wins. The previous best was 10 wins in the 2006 season. The senior class has left their mark on the program with 38 wins, which is the most wins in a four-year span for Haverford.

Men’s Lax Defeated in Conference Semifinals by #4 Washington College
#4 Shoremen Roll 11-6, but #9 Squirrels Secure NCAA Bid
By Ian Holmes '10

Despite leading in almost every statistical category, the Haverford Black Squirrels were thwarted in their pursuit of a Centennial Conference championship by the 2nd-seeded Shoremen on Friday. Opposing goalie Gordon Cohen had 18 saves on 22 shots on goal to stymie the Haverford assault.

The Shoremen got on the board just 33 seconds into the game as Jimmy Kielek found Andrew Generazio off the faceoff for a crease finish. Haverford was unable to respond for nearly 9 minutes, as opportunity after opportunity was blocked by Cohen. Finally, with 5:37 left in the quarter, Max Hjelm ’11 ripped an unassisted goal to the top corner of the net to knot the score.

The Squirrels worked tirelessly for another opportunity while their stingy defense prevented a single Shoremen shot on goal for nearly 8 minutes. Finally, Dean Granoff ’08 scored from the high right wing off a feed from Jason Leeds ’11 to give the Squirrels the lead.

Unfortunately, that was all the scoring that the Squirrels would muster until the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, the Shoremen offense capitalized on the drought for an 8-0 run. The Squirrels continued to try to disrupt Washington College in transition, but just could not seem to get a break.

The Shoremen scored twice within 15 seconds in the second quarter, and took advantage of two man-up opportunities in the 3rd to stretch their lead. Finally, Washington seemed to suck all the air out of the stadium with a goal off of an endline play by Kolyn Kirby as time expired in the 3rd.

However, the Black Squirrels remained undaunted and launched a counterattack of their own in the 4th. Mike Distler ’08 scored an unassisted goal on a broken play just 1:22 into the quarter to open the scoring. Hjelm followed up with another rip less than 2 minutes later to make it 9-4.

The Shoremen stole the momentum back with 9:01 left in the game. Kielek slipped through for an unassisted goal, and Matt Moreton added another just 4 minutes later to stretch the deficit to 11-4. Still, the Squirrels kept pushing. Hjelm scored his 3rd of the game off of a feed from Distler with 4:12 left. Haverford got another goal as seniors Matt Handel and Shane Hafer connected in transition. Unfortunately, the 1:43 remaining just wasn’t enough time, and the Squirrels’ Centennial championship dreams expired along with the clock.

Hjelm lead the scoring for Haverford with 3 goals. Distler and Granoff added 1 goal and 1 assist each. Jake Mendlinger ’08 kept the Squirrels in it with 11 saves on 58:02 in goal.

Haverford lead in nearly every statistical category throughout the game, including shots, ground balls, clears, rides, and turnovers. Unfortunately for the Squirrels, the crucial stats turned out to be saves and faceoffs, which Washington won with tallies of 18 and 11, respectively.

Despite the unfortunate result, the Black Squirrels have received an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament round of 16. They will face off at Cabrini on Saturday. It is the first ever tournament bid in the history of the program.

#9 Haverford 10, Swarthmore 4

SWARTHMORE, Pa. The Haverford College men’s lacrosse team defeated Swarthmore College, 10-4, in the final regular season game Saturday afternoon.

Max Hjelm scored the first two goals of the game as Haverford (11-3, 6-2 CC) held Swarthmore (8-7, 1-7 CC) scoreless in the first half. Hjelm scored all three goals in the second quarter to give the Fords a 8-0 lead at the break.

The Garnet scored two goals in the third quarter and the teams traded four goals in the fourth quarter. All of the goals in the game, except for one, were scored at even strength.

Hjelm led the Fords with six goals. Dean Granoff netted two goals and two assists. Jason Leeds also had two assists. Jake Mendlinger started the game for Haverford, going 30 shutout minutes with nine saves. John-Paul Cashiola made three saves in the second half.

Tyler Bradshaw netted a pair for Swarthmore. Frank Mazzucco made seven saves in net.

Haverford, the #3 seed will face the #2 seeded Washington College at 4:30pm on Friday, May 2, in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference playoffs. The game will be play at the #1 seed, Gettysburg.

#6 Haverford 13, McDaniel 10

HAVERFORD, Pa. The No. 6 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team was victorious over McDaniel, 13-10, on Saturday afternoon at Walton Field in Centennial Conference action.

Brian Fleishhacker led the Fords with five goals. Max Hjelm scored three and Mike Distler added three.

Matt Buschman had five goals for McDaniel (4-9, 0-7 CC). Mike Hatton netted two goals and three others scored a goal.

Haverford (10-3, 5-2) took an early four-goal advantage with two coming from Hjelm. The Green Terror scored twice before the first period ended.

Buschman scored twice and Hatton one to open the second which tied the score at 5-5. Andrew Kim broke the tie with a goal at the 1:25 mark.

Matt Thorne-Fitzgerald and Distler got the scoring started in the third period for an 8-5 Fords lead. HC scored three more goals in the period to hold a three-goal lead heading into the final 15 minutes.

Travis Gregory and Hjelm both scored a goal in the fourth to keep the game at arms-length.

Jake Mendlinger and J.P. Cashiola each played 30 minutes in goal. Both had six saves and Mendlinger recorded the win.

The Fords close out the regular season next Saturday at Swarthmore at 1:30 p.m.

#8 Cabrini 13, #6 Haverford 8

HAVERFORD, Pa. The No. 6 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team lost to No. 8 Cabrini College, 13-8, Wednesday afternoon on Walton Field.

Brian Fleishhacker led the Fords with three goals. Mike Distler netted two goals. Grant Firestone and Jason Leeds each had two assists. Jake Mendlinger had 12 saves in net.

Scott Reimer and Matt McKinney led the Cavaliers with three goals each. Paul Skulski and Casey Grugan each netted a pair. Bobby Chambers played the first half in net, making two saves. Kevin Chenoweth took the cage in the second half, making six saves.

Fleishhacker opened the scoring just 18 seconds into the game to put Haverford (9-3) up by one. Cabrini (11-2) answered at the 10:53 mark. The teams traded goals until the score was knotted at three.

The Cavaliers’ Grugan broke the 3-all tie at the 8:43 mark of the second quarter and Carbini never relinquished the lead. Distler scored his first goal of the game to make the score 5-4 Cabrini. The Cavaliers scored two more goals before Distler scored his second goal with 29 second left in the first half make the score 7-5 at the break.

Cabrini scored the only two goals in the third quarter to take a 9-5 lead. The Fords cut the lead to 9-7, but the Cavaliers kept Haverford at bay and won the game by a 13-8 score.

Cabrini capitalized on five of its seven extra-man opportunities. The Fords converted 1-of-5.

Haverford will get back to Centennial Conference action on Saturday as it hosts McDaniel for a 1 p.m. game at Walton Field.

Mendlinger Named Defensive Player of the Week

LANCASTER, Pa. Senior goalkeeper Jake Mendlinger of the Haverford College men’s lacrosse team was named Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Mendlinger turned away 24 of 33 shots on goal (72.7 save percentage) as the Fords registered two key wins last week. In 55 minutes of work against Ursinus, he made eight saves and allowed three goals in the 6-5 victory. Mendlinger had 16 saves in the 10-6 win against Franklin & Marshall and did not allow a goal in the final 11:47 of the contest.

For the season, the senior goalkeeper has made 118 saves and .567 save percentage to go along with an 8.22 goals against average.

Haverford (9-2, 4-2 CC) is currently ranked No. 6 in the country and hosts No. 8 Cabrini College in a non-conference showdown on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

#8 Haverford 10, Franklin & Marshall 6

HAVERFORD, Pa. – The No. 8 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team created some space for themselves in the Centennial Conference standings with a 10-6 victory over Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday afternoon at Walton Field. Both teams came into the game with identical 3-2 conference records and in a three-way tie for third place with Ursinus.

Haverford (9-2, 4-2 CC) scored the final four goals of the contest after the Diplomats tied the score at 6-6 early in the fourth period. The Fords held a two-goal lead for the majority of the third quarter until Franklin & Marshall (7-4, 3-3 CC) scored with eight seconds remaining and then early in the fourth to tie the score.

Brian Fleishhacker and Max Hjelm both had three goals and two assists for Haverford. Mike Distler, Andrew Kim, Matt Thorne-Fitzgerald and Jason Leeds all scored a goal.

Sean Oliver led the Diplomats with three goals. Three other Dips scored a goal each.

Oliver got F&M on the board 3:31 into the game on an assist from Peter Moon. Haverford wasted little time, scoring its first of four straight goals just over two minutes later. Fleishhacker scored two goals in the span to help the Fords to a 4-1 lead.

F&M’s Jeff Ritter scored with 1:33 remaining in the second period to bring the Diplomats within two goals at the half. Mark Hild scored 41 seconds into the third period making the scored, 4-3.

The scored stayed 4-3 for nearly eight minutes until Fleishhacker scored at the 6:34 mark. Hjelm scored with 1:10 left in the third to put HC up by three, but F&M cut into the deficit in the final minute. Noah Wilkinsky scored on an assist from Sean Murphy with 42 seconds remaining. Oliver scored with eight seconds left in the period and followed that up with another goal at 11:47 in the fourth to tie the score.

Haverford used a combination of timely scoring and solid defense to take back the lead. Hjelm and Thorne-Fitzgerald scored goals 33 seconds a part to put the Fords up by two. Kim made it a three-goal game with a goal at the 7:17 mark. Leeds added a goal with 2:14 left.

HC’s defense did not allow F&M to score for the games final 11:47. Haverford picked up 29 ground balls to F&M’s 19. Jake Mendlinger notched his ninth win of the season with 14 saves.

The Fords take on #9 Cabrini College at Walton Field, in their final non-conference game of the season, on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m.

#8 Haverford 6, Ursinus 5

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. For the second consecutive game the No. 8 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team scored in the final minute of regulation to pull out a Centennial Conference victory. The Fords defeated Ursinus College, 6-5, on Wednesday afternoon on a Brian Fleishhacker goal with 26 seconds left.

Fleishhacker led Haverford (8-2, 3-2 CC) with two goals, while Mike Distler, Max Hjelm, Matt Thorne-Fitgerald and Alex Guy all scored one goal. Jason Leeds had two assists and Andrew Kim had one.

Ursinus’s (5-7, 3-2 CC) Dane Mangin and Pat Nagle scored two goals a piece. Mangin also had two assists.

The Bears scored the first goal of the game, but Haverford scored the next three goals to close out the first period. Guy, Fleishhacker and Distler scored the Fords goals with Leeds assisting on two of them.

The game took a turn for the worse for the Fords in the second period as Ursinus scored three goals and did not allow HC to score. The Bears three goals gave them a 4-3 lead at the half.

Neither team scored a goal in the third and for the first 6:36 of the fourth period. Haverford broke the drought on a goal from Hjelm at the 8:24 mark. Mangin gave the lead right back to UC on an assist from Pat Gillen with 6:47 left.

Ursinus held a 5-4 lead for the next 5:36 until Thorne-Fitzgerlad tied the score on an unassisted goal. Haverford won the ensuing faceoff and called a timeout, but lost possession. UC promptly turned the ball over after they cleared and Kim picked up the ground ball with 33 seconds left and got the ball to Fleishhacker who scored the game-winner with 26 ticks on the clock.

The Bears won the faceoff and got a shot off that went wide before time ran out.

Jake Mendlinger picked up his eighth win of the season with eight saves in goal. John Paul Cashiola logged 5:02 in goal.

Haverford returns home to host Franklin & Marshall on Saturday at 1 p.m.

#8 Haverford 12, Dickinson 11

CARLISLE, Pa. The No. 8 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team fended off a feisty Dickinson College team with a 12-11 win on Saturday in Centennial Conference play. The Fords held a three-goal lead after three periods, but Dickinson scored four goals in the final period to tie the score.

Brian Fleishhacker led Haverford (7-2, 2-2) with four goals. Max Hjelm and Mike Distler each had two goals. Dickinson’s (6-4, 1-3) Ted Sirvaitis lead all players with five goals. Derek Still scored three and Mike Outwin had two for the Red Devils.

Haverford scored the first two goals of the game with Andrew Kim scoring at 13:37 and Fleishhacker putting one in the net on an assist from Grant Firestone with under five minutes to play in the period. Sirvaitis scored for Dickinson before the period ended.

Fleishhacker scored just 12 seconds into the second stanza on an assist from Matt Thorne-Fitzgerald. Distler and Jason Leeds added goals to give HC a 5-1 advantage. The Red Devils scored the next to goals to cut the deficit to two. Dean Granoff scored with 2:17 remaining in the half, but Sirvaitis scored with seven seconds left to make it 6-4 at the half.

Dickinson opened the third period with a goal from Derek Still just six seconds into the period. The Fords then expanded their lead to 10-5 with two goals a piece from Fleishhacker and Hjelm. The Red Devils closed out the third with two goals from Still.

Outwin got Dickinson within two goals; scoring just 33 seconds into the fourth period. Thorne-Fitzgerald answered back with a goal just 15 seconds later to make it 11-8. Sirvaitis then took the game over; scoring three goals in a 10 minute span to tie the score with 3:10 remaining.

The Fords won the ensuing faceoff and got two shots with Thorne-Fitzgerald missing wide and Dickinson goalie Russell Matthews making a save on a shot by Dean Granoff. The Red Devils picked up the ground ball and cleared with 2:11 left. Sirvaitis got a shot off, but Jake Mendingler made a save. After Haverford cleared they called a timeout with 1:34 on the clock.

Out of the timeout, Distler scored with 47 seconds remaining for the game-winner. The Fords did not escape without Dickinson getting one last shot. After winning the faceoff and calling a timeout. Still’s shot was blocked and Matt Handel picked up a groundball with three ticks on the clock to end the game.

Mendingler picked up his seventh win if the season in goal. He made 10 saves.

Haverford plays next at Ursinus College on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

#5 Washington 12, #8 Haverford 6

The #8 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team lost to #5 Washington College, 12-6, on Saturday afternoon at Walton Field in Centennial Conference play. The Ford tied the game in the second period, but the Shoremen scored four goals to take a three-goal lead.

Haverford (6-2, 1-2) was lead by Max Hjelm’s two goals. Brian Fleishhacker, Matt Thorne-Fitzgerald, Jason Leads and Alex Guy each scored a goal.

Chris Read led Washington (9-0, 4-0) with four goals. Kolyn Kirby had three, while Jimmy Kielek and Matt Moreton scored twice. Nick Gregory also scored for the Shoremen.

The Fords got on the board first when Jason Leeds scored with 12:59 left in the first quarter, but the Shoremen scored the next three goals to go up, 3-1. Haverford scored back-to-back goals from Fleishhacker and Thorne-Fitzgerald early in the second period to tie the score at three-all. Washington ended the half with three unanswered goals.

The Shoremen extended their run to five unanswered goals and took an 8-3 lead by scoring the only two goals of the third quarter. The Fords cut the lead to four goals three times in the fourth quarter on two goals from Hjelm and one from Guy, but could get no closer. Read scored the last two goals of the game in the final three minutes to extend the Shoremen’s lead to six.

The Fords travel to Dickinson next Saturday, April 5 for a 1 p.m. game.

#9 Haverford 14, Muhlenberg 9

The #8 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team won its first Centennial Conference game of the season with a 14-9 victory over Muhlenberg College at Walton Field on Wednesday afternoon. With the scored tied at the half, the Fords out scored Muhlenberg 9-4 in the second half.

Dean Granoff led all players with six goals. Max Hjelm scored three goals and both Mike Distler and Brian Fleishhacker chipped in with two. Mike Brown led the Mules with three goals.

Haverford (6-1, 1-1) led after the first period 3-2, thanks to back-to-back goals by Granoff and Distler. The teams exchanged goals in the second period and that helped Muhlenberg (2-4, 0-3) tie the score at five-all at the half.

The Mules briefly took the lead with a man-up goal by Brent Siebold at the 12:56 mark in the third period. HC answered right back six seconds later on a goal from Hjelm assisted by Peter Hannapel. That goal sparked a rally as the Fords scored the next four goals and did not allow Muhlenberg to score until 33 seconds into the fourth period. Hjelm added another goal with just under two minutes to play in the third to make the score 10-6.

Muhlenberg scored three goals in the fourth, but the Fords lead was too big. Granoff scored three of his five goals in the fourth.

Goalie Jake Mendlinger made 10 saves for his sixth win of the season.

The Fords remain home this Saturday in a clash with No. 5 Washington College. The game is slated for 1 p.m.

#10 Haverford 12, Hampden-Sydney 6

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The tenth-ranked Haverford College men’s lacrosse defeated Hampden-Sydney College, 12-6, on Saturday afternoon at Episcopal High School in Alexandria. The Fords never trailed in the game and scored seven consecutive goals and held Hampden-Sydney scoreless for 21:38.

Max Hjelm led the Fords with three goals and two assists. Senior Matt Thorne-Fitzgerald added two goals and seven other Fords scored goals.

Hjelm got Haverford (5-1) on the board first with two goals 1:06 a part. Hampden-Sydney (2-4) evened it up with consecutive goals from Mark Miller and Doug Carpenter. Hjelm scored with 1:29 remaining in the first period to make it 3-2 Fords. That goal by Hjelm marked the turning point in the game as Haverford scored seven straight goals that gave the Fords a 9-2 lead with under 10 minutes in the third stanza. Carpenter broke the Fords scoring streak with a man up goal with 6:12 remaining in the third. The Fords answered back with goals by Dean Granoff and Mike Distler 41 seconds a part to put HC up 11-4.

Carpenter added three more goals and Will Ashwell added one, but it was too late for the Tigers. Myles Monaghan scored the Fords 12th goal on an assist from Hjelm with under four minutes to play.

Jake Mendlinger recorded his fifth win in goal; making 18 saves.

The Fords return home on Wednesday, hosting Muhlenberg College at 4 p.m.

#9 Haverford 12, Gettysburg 17

The No. 9 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team suffered its first loss of the season to No. 2 Gettysburg College, 17-12, Saturday afternoon in the opening game of Centennial Conference action at Gettysburg.

Max Hjelm led the Fords with four goals. Grant Firestone, Andrew Kim and Brian Fleishhacker each netted two goals. Jake Mendlinger had seven saves in net.

Trip Dyer scored four goals for the Bullets. Tom O’Donnell, Drew Duckworth, Zach Pucci and Joe Brody each had three goals. O’Donnell added four assists. Charles Floeckher notched seven saves.

Gettysburg (5-0, 1-0 CC) had a quick start, jumping out to a 4-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. Hjelm scored the first goal for Haverford (4-1, 0-1 CC) with 6:26 to go in the first quarter. The Fords cut the lead to 5-3 with goals by Kim and Fleishhacker, but the Bullets three of the next four goals to take an 8-4 lead into the break.

The Fords again cut Gettysburg lead with three straight goals in the middle of the second half to make the score 13-10, but after the teams traded goals, the Bullets netted three goals of their own to make the score 17-11. Firestone scored with 1:17 left, but the Fords could not get any closer. The final score was 17-12.

Haverford will return to action next Saturday, March 22, when it travels to play Hampden-Sydney at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA. The game is set to start at 1 p.m.

#9 Haverford 13, Eastern 5

The No. 9 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team remained perfect on the season, defeating Eastern University on Monday afternoon, 13-5. The Fords trailed 3-2 in the second period, but scored eight unanswered goals.

Max Hjelm led all players with four goals and four assists. Brian Fleishhacker scored three goals while Mike Distler recorded three goals and three assists. Jake Mendlinger turned in another solid performance in goal with nine saves.

Michael Hofmeister gave Eastern (0-4) a 1-0 lead 46 seconds into the contest. Haverford (4-0) did not get on the board until the 8:40 mark on a goal by Fleishhacker. The scored was tied at two-all after one period, but the Eagles made it 3-2 on a Ben O’Donnell goal 1:26 into the second.

That was Eastern’s final lead of the game as Haverford scored the next eight goals and did not allow the Eagles to score until the 1:49 mark in the third period. Hjelm and Distler scored goals to give the Fords a 4-3 advantage heading into the half.

Hjelm scored two goals 43 seconds a part early in the third period to extend the lead to three goals. Seven different Fords scored a goal in the contest. Haverford outshot the Eagles 41-18.

The Fords open Centennial Conference play this Saturday at No. 2 Gettysburg. Haverford upset Gettysburg, 6-5, in the conference opener last season when the Bullets were also ranked No. 2. However, the Bullets were ranked No.2 when they defeated HC, 12-11, in the Centennial Conference semifinals.

#18 Haverford 14, #4 Lynchburg 13 (ot)

Dean Granoff scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give No. 18 Haverford College men’s lacrosse team the 14-13 win over No. 4 Lynchburg College Saturday afternoon at the Haverford School.

Brian Fleishhacker led the Fords with four goals. Mike Distler, Andrew Kim and Granoff each scored three and Max Hjelm added one. Distler added four assists. Jake Mendlinger notched 11 saves for the Fords.

For Lynchburg, Ryan Cranston and Tyler Tolson each netted three goals. Seven other Hornets each scored one goal. Michael Mundorf had three assists. Garrett Curran made 11 saves for the Hornets.

Lynchburg (2-2) started the game quickly by taking a 2-0 lead two-and-a-half minutes into the contest. Haverford (3-0) responded with two goals 29 seconds apart. The Hornets then scored two goals to mark the score 4-2 after the first quarter.

The teams traded goals in to begin the second quarter. The Fords finished the quarter with two goals from Granoff and Fleishhacker to tie the score at six-all for the break.

The second half showcased much of the same. The score was tied five times during the third and fourth quarters. The Fords had a goal disallowed in the third quarter that would have tied the score at nine because the head flew off the stick on the attempt. After a discussion, the officials waived the goal off.

In the fourth quarter, the Hornets broke an 11-all tie with two goals 14 seconds apart with 2:34 left in regulation.

Kim answered by scoring two of his three goals at the 1:23 and 1:14 mark of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 13-all and send it into overtime.

Granoff scored the game winning goal at the 1:07 mark to give the Fords their first lead and win the game.

The Fords will travel to Eastern on Monday for a 4 p.m. contest.

Fleishhacker Named Centennial Conference Player of the Week

Sophomore attack, Brian Fleishhacker of the Haverford College men’s lacrosse team was named the Centennial Conference Player of the Week on Monday, as announced by the conference office.

Fleishhacker scored 12 goals and added three assists in a 2-0 start for the Fords. He had five goals in a 19-6 win against Messiah and a career-high seven goals and three assists in a 14-2 win versus FDU-Florham. Fleishhacker scored his 12 goals on just 18 shots a 66.7 shooting percentage.

The Manhasset, N.Y. native is already halfway to his 2007 goal and assist totals. Last season he notched 21 goals and 6 assists.

#19 Haverford 14, FDU 2

HAVERFORD, Pa. The No.19 ranked Haverford College men’s lacrosse team scored 14 unanswered goals in a 14-2 victory over Fairleigh-Dickinson Florham on Saturday afternoon at the Haverford School. Brian Fleishhacker scored seven goals and had three assists. Dean Granoff scored three times and Andrew Kim added two for the Fords.

Peter Fleming scored the games first goal just 1:14 into the contest. From that point on Haverford (2-0) held FDU-Florham scoreless for the next 54:08 of the contest. The Fords defense allowed just 19 shots for the game and goalie Jake Mendinger tallied eight saves.

Granoff answered back 22 seconds later with a goal from the right wing. Haverford went on to score 13 more goals before FDU-Florham got on the board again with less than six minutes remaining in the game. Fleishhacker scored twice and Kim once to give HC a 4-1 advantage after the first period. Max Hjelm, Fleishhacker and Kim all scored in the second period to up the Fords lead to 7-1 at the half.

The Fords scored seven more goals in the second half. Fleishhacker added four goals in the half. For the game, Haverford out shot FDU-Florham 45-19.

Haverford remains home next Saturday, hosting Lynchburg at Walton Field at 1 p.m.

Men’s Lax Routs Messiah in Season Opener

Fleishhacker Leads the Way with 5 Goals in 19-6 Win
By Ian Holmes

Despite driving snow and wind, the Haverford Men’s Lacrosse team opened its 2008 campaign with a resounding win over visiting Messiah College, 19-6. Brian Fleishhacker ’10 had 5 goals and the Black Squirrels went on 2 separate runs of 8 unanswered goals en route to the victory.

Haverford jumped on Messiah early, as Max Hjelm ’11 ripped home a shot off a Mike Distler ’08 feed to put the Squirrels on the scoreboard. Hjelm and fellow freshman Myles Monaghan added one more apiece before 5 minutes had even expired in the opening quarter.

After a brief lull in the action, Messiah responded by taking advantage of a Haverford holding penalty, as Nick Ricucci slithered through the Haverford defense to put home a quick shot. But the Squirrels remained undaunted, and Fleishhacker, Dean Granoff ’08, and Kiley Norton ’11 all put away goals for Haverford before the quarter ended.

Just 9 seconds into the second quarter, Matt Thorne-Fitzgerald ’08 stuck a howitzer of a shot from 15 yards to set the tone for an 8-0 run. The Squirrels capitalized on their momentum and stretched their lead as far as 11-1 before Messiah could react. However, Messiah closed out the half on two goals from Ricucci, leaving the score at 11-3 at the break.

The third quarter was all Messiah as the Squirrels seemed to skip a beat coming out of halftime. Ricucci notched another man-up goal and Hamilton Anderson added another during the brief run by the Falcons. Suddenly, Haverford faced a very vulnerable 11-6 advantage going into the fourth.

Fortunately, the Squirrels responded to the pressure. Granoff fired in an unassisted goal on a right-handed sweep with 1:45 gone in the quarter to get the scoring started. Fleishhacker slotted in an assist from Alex Guy ’10 on a man-up play to stretch the lead, and Monaghan raised the ante with an excellent in-close finish on the Falcon goalie.

Finally, the Squirrels put the game permanently out of reach on a quick-stick goal from captain Distler. Fleishhacker added another pair of goals off of Hjelm assists to close out the victory.

In addition to Fleishhacker’s 5, Hjelm and Granoff each added 3 for Haverford. Distler tallied 3 assists to go with his 2 goals, as well. “It was far from a perfect game, but it was definitely an exciting start to the season,” remarked Distler.

On the other end of the field, goalie Jake Mendlinger answered the call with 8 saves for a 57% save percentage. The defensive core of Joel Censer ’08, John Magovern ’08, and Scott Kelley ’11 were equally impressive, with several artful takeaways and solid play throughout.

The men’s team will remain at home for the next two games, facing Fairleigh-Dickinson on March 1st and #5 Lynchburg College on March 8th, both games will be held at the Haverford School.

Haverford Lacrosse Participates in Habitat for Humanity in 3 Local Towns

Players and coaches for the Haverford Men's Lacrosse Team took joined Hanitat for Humanity in three local towns at the end of winter break, from January 17th to January 19th. Players and coaches split time over three days between Norristown, Camden, NJ and Pottstown. The projects were all in different stages, varrying from clean up and site prep to
Habitat '08

actual construction (as pictured in Norristown).

Haverford Defeats Division I St. Joseph’s in Fall Tournament
Squirrels Go 1-2 at Nick Colleluori Classic
By Ian Holmes '10

The Black Squirrels of Haverford clashed with Division I opponents St. Joseph’s and Bucknell, as well as top Division III rival Cabrini College, at the Nick Colleluori Classic on October 7th. Haverford went 1-2 in their last tournament of the fall, steamrolling the Hawks 12-3 while falling to Bucknell and Cabrini by 1.

The Squirrels took the field for a short scrimmage against Cabrini, who finished last season at #14 in Division III. Both defenses established themselves early and kept the offensive tallies low throughout all 20 minutes. For the entirety of the first 10 minutes, each offensive effort ended in a turnover or a gritty ride that resulted in a loose ball. With little time left, the Cavaliers managed to eke one in during a transition, but the Squirrels remained within striking distance throughout.

Haverford finally got their chance on an extra man opportunity. Midfielder Alex Guy ’10 slotted a clever pass through the sticks of several Cavaliers and found attackman Jory Fong ’11 low on the crease. Fong handled the feed admirably and wrapped a shot around the Cabrini keeper for his 1st of 3 tallies in the tournament.

The Squirrels were energized by the tying score and played with a lot of grit over the next few minutes. A penalty against Haverford did nothing to quell their vigor, because the Squirrels’ man down unit squashed Cabrini’s opportunity by forcing an errant shot. Freshman keeper Raffi Williams made 2 saves and showed a lot of promise throughout.

On the other side of the field, the young attack, featuring several promising freshmen, peppered the Cavalier keeper with shot after shot. Unfortunately, Haverford just couldn’t break through, and in the waning moments the Cavaliers took advantage of a transition to score what would be the winning goal. Despite the 2-1 loss, Haverford could remain optimistic because of the performance of their talented core of freshmen.

After a brief break, Haverford took on St. Joseph’s in their first full scrimmage of the tournament. The Squirrels were eager to prove their mettle in their first-ever game against a Division I opponent, and their enthusiasm showed early. The offensive unit jumped on the Hawks immediately, as midfielder Andrew Kim ’10 took a feed from captain Mike Distler ’08 and ripped a shot past the St. Joseph goalie.

The Haverford assault continued unabated for the next 3 possessions as 3 different members of the offense found the twine. Right away, Distler took a feed from Myles Monaghan ’11 on the right wing and fired an absolute laser to the top corner of the net. Distler reciprocated Monaghan on the next possession for an easy fast break goal, and finally Guy buried a pass from David Lawrence ’10 in the back of the net to put the Squirrels up 4-0.

St. Joe’s fought back on a man-up possession, when a close-range shot got the Hawks on the scoreboard for the first time. However, the Squirrels responded immediately, as Kim scored an unassisted tally for his 2nd of the game. The first half expired as Fong found the net yet again; this time, it was off an assist from Brian Fleishhacker ’10.

The Squirrels didn’t let up in the second half, pumping in 6 goals to the Hawks’ 2. Fleishhacker, Fong, Dean Granoff ’08, Robert Breckinridge ’11, and Grant Firestone ’10 all scored for Haverford. Fleishhacker, Granoff, Monaghan, and Derek Lief ’08 provided the assists. On the other end, the ‘Ford defense locked down the Hawks and allowed few shooting opportunities, as the Squirrels coasted to an easy finish.

Finally, the Squirrels took on 16th-ranked Division I Bucknell in their marquee matchup of the day. The Bison took the fight to Haverford early and jumped out in front with 2 quick goals from their midfield. Haverford could have rolled over against their highly ranked opponent, but they held tough and answered back with 2 of their own. The Fleishhacker-Monaghan tandem was good for an easy close-range finish in a transition play. The next possession, Shane Hafer ’08 used some crafty handles to snag a pass on the crease from Distler and slip it by the Bucknell keeper. Unfortunately, the Bison fired off 3 quick goals and the game started to look out of reach.

However, the Squirrels came out fired up in the second half and put on a defensive clinic against the highly-touted Bucknell offense. Longpoles Joel Censer ’08, John Magovern ’08, and Matt Dooley ’10 did an excellent job of keeping the Bison’s biggest guns in check, and keeper JP Cashiola ’08 was phenomenal between the pipes. Cashiola netted 4 saves, including 2 on shots within 5 yards, for an impressive scoreless half.

On the other end of the field, the Haverford offense was working tirelessly to get back within striking distance of Bucknell. Once again, Fleishhacker took a feed from Monaghan in transition for a textbook dip-and-dunk goal, but afterwards the attack seemed to falter. Five scoreless possessions passed until Firestone managed to instigate a fast break and feed Monaghan in the slot. Monaghan fired his shot past the Bucknell keeper to bring the ‘Fords within 1. This time, the offense continued to keep the pressure on. The Bison goalie had to stand on his head to save a couple of Haverford attempts, and 2 cross-crease passes came breathtakingly close to becoming the tying score. Given more time, a Haverford goal seemed inevitable, but the clock ran down and closed out any chance of an unexpected upset. Still, the Squirrels could take heart that they had hung tough with one of the best lacrosse programs in the country.

The Classic was created in memory of Nick Colleluori, a defenseman at Hofstra who died of lymphoma and established the HEADstrong Foundation to raise funds for blood cancer research and care. Each team in the tournament sold shirts to raise money for the Foundation. Hofstra, Colleluori’s alma mater, also auctioned off their lime green memorial jerseys and brought in Major League Lacrosse stars to run clinics. At the end of the day, over $70,000 had been raised by the teams for this worthy cause.

Haverford will not return to action until the spring, when they will open their season with a scrimmage against St. Mary’s on February 16th.

Squirrels set to Participate in Inaugural Nick Colleluori Classic

August 28, 2007

HAVERFORD, PA - The Haverford College Men's Lacrosse Team will participate in the inaugural Nick Colleluori Classic on Sunday, October 7th at Ridley High School in Folsom, PA.

In addition to the Squirrels, Hofstra University, Bucknell University, Saint Joseph's University, the University of Maryland at Baltimore County (UMBC), and Cabrini College will also participate. One-hour games will begin at 9am. Haverford will play Cabrini at 10am, Saint Joseph's at 12:30pm, and Bucknell at 1:30pm. Admission cost will be $5 per person, with all proceeds donated to the HEADstrong Foundation.

The six-team charity tournament and clinic will raise money and awareness for the HEADstrong Foundation (www.HEADstrongfoundation.org), which was created to raise money for blood cancer research as well as help those afflicted by the disease.

In addition to a day of lacrosse competition, there will be a noontime lacrosse clinic and autograph session given by Bill McGlone (Washington Bayhawks, Chicago Shamrox), Kyle Harrison (Team USA, New Jersey Pride), and Brett Moyer (Philadelphia Barrage) as well as other professional lacrosse players. This clinic is open to all paid tournament attendees between 3rd and 10th grades.