Tournament Central  |  Albion-Hope box score

Albion 8, Hope 5

Second-seeded Albion notched an 8-5 victory over No. 1 seed Hope in the championship contest of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament on Saturday, May 7.

Albion led the Flying Dutchmen for the first 16:40 of the game.  Jace Conley and Jacob Castles each contributed a goal during that time, giving the Brits a 2-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.  Jack Radzville was first to put the Flying Dutchmen on the board with a second-period goal at the 13:20 mark.  Teammate Zach Wiggins tied the game 2-2 with 12:31 remaining in the first half.  Albion's Brock Yabs and Hope's Michael Mann exchanged goals for a score of 3-3, but a goal by Brit Grant Chafee at the five-second mark gave Albion a 4-3 lead at halftime.

The Brits started the second half with two-straight goals by Timmy Salinas and Sam Puzevic to extend their lead to 6-3.  Wiggins scored a second goal for the Flying Dutchmen, but Gerald Haadsma kept it a three-point game by the end of the third stanza (7-4).  Conley was the final Brit to score with a goal at the 6:01 mark.  Hope's Sam Bowen closed out the contest's scoring with a goal in the final 2:26.  Albion secured the MIAA Tournament crown with an 8-5 victory over Hope.

Albion goalie Jack Gognois totaled 14 saves throughout the 60 minutes, while Hope goalkeeper Ian Bosman tallied 10.

Conley led the Brits with two goals, five shots on goal, and five ground balls.  Gerald Haadsma and Bear Nelson each caused two turnovers.

Hope was led by Zach Wiggins with two goals and five shots on goal.  Flying Dutchman Brayden Blackburn totaled four ground balls.  Four players each caused two turnovers including Blackburn, Liam Cunningham, Andrew Conlon, and Michael Mann.

The Brits receive the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament.  The NCAA will release the bracket on Sunday, May 8.