http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/index/ en minnesotalacrosse@gmail.com Copyright 2009 2009-04-25T17:30:00-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_mushes_the_huskies/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_mushes_the_huskies/#When:18:30:00Z For Immediate Release: Contact: Adam Gamradt minnesotalacrosse@gmail.com 612-799-9927 (Duluth, MN) Minnesota awoke to a cold morning in Duluth.  The windy evening had turned to snow, and warm ups were a good deal more important for things other than sticks and hands.  In contrast to the previous night, a locker room substitute was found.  Huddled in the tunnel under the stadium, the Gophers huddled together, and prepared themselves for their opponent, the Huskies of St. Cloud. A jovial mood permeated the sidelines from the opening faceoff, despite the cold.  With the coaching staff feeding off the players, and vice versa, Minnesota jumped out to an early lead and was never threatened. Senior Attackman Kevin Bice (5g, 4a) had his second dominant performance in as many days, and controlled the pace of the offense.  The Gopher ride was very effective against a disinterested St. Cloud team, stripping the ball more often than not.  Minnesota’s man down unit was effective as well, as sloppy play combined with a deep bench to give SCSU a few more man up opportunities than Minnesota would have liked. The Gophers did well clearing the ball, only failing a handful of times all game.  Faceoff’s were another positive for Minnesota, losing only one or two per quarter.  This allowed the Gophers to dictate every facet of the game, from the opening whistle to the final horn. 2009-04-25T18:30:00-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/umd_handles_minnesota/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/umd_handles_minnesota/#When:08:55:00Z For Immediate Release: Contact: Adam Gamradt minnesotalacrosse@gmail.com 612-799-9927 (Duluth, MN) The temperature dropped quickly as the sun set on Griggs field tonight.  With a cold wind blowing in from Lake Superior, a large and boisterous crowd gathered to see the first match up between these teams on Griggs field since 2005.  It was chilly evening under the lights in Duluth. Always intense, this game had a bit more urgency than usual.  Needing to win the UMLL Championship to advance to the National Tournament, the Gophers matched the Bulldogs intensity for the first three quarters.  Behind a sturdy defense, and some patient possessions, the visitors were able to frustrate the home team for much of this game.  Goalie Barry Wientraub (7 saves), played well under pressure, and made some nice saves in close. Senior Attackman Kevin Bice (5g) was dominant.  Taking a reprieve from his primary role as a set up man, Bice scored most of his goals by taking advantage of breakdowns in man to man defense. Minnesota handled their own on face offs, which led to a few fast break opportunities.  A source of weakness in years past, this years Golden Gophers have two players winning faceoffs, Junior Nate Robitschek and Freshman Tom Van Valkenberg continued their solid play this season.  Sophomore Adam Zimmerman played very well on the wing, and frustrated Duluth’s star Midfielder Dan Pitzl.  Who in addition to his four goal game, also had two penalties unsportsmanlike conduct.  For much of the contest, the Gopher man up unit was the source of thier offense.  Despite blowing a critical three minute man up to start the second half, the maroon and gold took advantage of the Bulldog’s mistakes. Given the non traditional layout of the field at UMD football stadium, where the crown sits right behind the benches, the crowd was certainly a factor.  The Bulldog fans were aggressive all evening.  Mix in a bullhorn and several cocktails, and that energy was sure to be transferred somewhere. The rematch, should it happen, will be entertaining.  Perhaps the new staff at Minnesota has the team’s attention, and they in turn, have UMD’s. 2009-04-19T08:55:00-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_hosts_uw_milwuakee/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_hosts_uw_milwuakee/#When:10:57:00Z For Immediate Release: Contact: Adam Gamradt minnesotalacrosse@gmail.com 612-799-9927 (Menamonie, WI) The Gophers were golden this Saturday, beating UMLL new comers UW-Milwaukee by a score of 26-4.  Played on a freshly taped field at UW-Stout, Minnesota hosted another home game in under pleasantly sunny conditions.  The game, initially to be played last week, cancelled due to poor weather, was worth the wait for Minnesota. Led by sophomore attackman Alex Eckstien (7g, 4a), who scored four of his goals in the first quarter, Minnesota’s attack dominated the UW-M defensive unit.  Senior Kevin Bice (1g, 5a) also got in to the act in the second half, and led the team with a game high 5 assists.  Senior Jesse Brown (3g) also notched his second consecutive hat trick. Midfielders Jason Rose (3g, 1a) and Thomas VanValkenberg (4g), each played solidly for Minnesota.  Their play allowed the team to dictate the pace of the game, and overall Gopher midfield dominated this game on both ends of the field. The scoring continued in the fourth quarter as the home team emptied it’s bench.  Rookie Eric Klemm (1g) finished a nice left handed catch and shot on the crease for his first collegiate goal.  Senior Dan Nides (1g) notched his first goal as well, on another inside look from the wing.  And Aron White (1g) who was moved to goalie this season, scored his first goal filling in for some absent midfielders.  Aron, or Whitey as he is known, also did a nice job on the face off X, winning some key second half contests for the Gophers. The defensive effort from the midfield was consistent, allowing the Gophers to stifle the majority of UW-M’s clears.  Minnesota was also a perfect 10 for 10 clearing the ball in the third quarter, and only lost a single faceoff in that same period. Senior Captain Michael Storts, who picked up a short pole and filled a first half hole at midfield, said during the second half “It’s a good thing we have a solid lead, I’ve got a little indigestion after all that running.  I like to help the team wherever and whenever I can, but I highly prefer close defense.” Storts also provided some levity and entertainment to the sidelines with some light footwork during his first half run at midfield.  Practically prancing at one point, his unabashed enjoyment of the game of lacrosse is rubbing off on the younger players, yet his intensity was indicative of the game as a whole. Peter Kramer summed up the afternoon nicely “All these guys reminded me why I play lacrosse. It was beautiful day to play and the 3 guys scoring make it one of my favorite lacrosse moments ever.” After the game, Senior Peter Kramer said of the game “We didn’t have all of our guys, due to it being Easter weekend, but we still played an amazing game. Three of my teammates scored their 1st collegiate goals. Just writing it gives me Goosebumps.” 2009-04-13T10:57:00-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/uw_m_make_up_game/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/uw_m_make_up_game/#When:19:59:00Z We’ll be playing UW-M this Saturday at 1PM at UW-Stout. This game is a make up date for last weekends game that was cancelled due to weather. 2009-04-09T19:59:00-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_points_toward_home/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_points_toward_home/#When:18:05:01Z For Immediate Release: Contact: Adam Gamradt minnesotalacrosse@gmail.com 612-799-9927 (St. Paul, MN) Minnesota dominated this game from warm ups.  Bringing only 11 players to the game, Steven’s Point was never in contention for the win.  This is disappointing for a team who only a few years ago was a competitive program in the UMLL.  The loss of Coach Munson has clearly had an impact on this program.  Minnesota hopes the Pointers can regain the fire he brought to their program, and again become a force to be reckoned with in the UMLL. UWSP started out in a zone package, which was unexpected.  Minnesota’s offense took a bit of time to adjust, only putting in two goals in the first quarter.  The Pointers strategy was solid, as with so few subs a full man to man defense would have proved exhausting.  The goals started flowing in the second quarter, with Minnesota getting solid looks from 6-8 yards, causing UWSP to abandon their zone and try to play man to man. Minnesota led comfortably at the half 8-0. The third quarter opened with quarterback Kevin Bice (4g, 1a) making good decisions and dictating the deliberate pace of the offense.  Fellow Attackman Alex Eckstein (4g, 1a) also had a nice game for Minnesota, making good on the majority his opportunities to score.  Minnesota scored 9 goals, and held UWSP to a single goal in the third quarter.  The fourth quarter found Minnesota content to work on possessing the ball.  With the poor weather on the horizon, and another game to play afterwards, the clock was best kept running. Highlights of the game also included team President JC Stahl (3g) scoring not just his first collegiate goal, but three of them for the hat trick.  The team was nothing less than overjoyed to see their leader make an impact on the score board.  Switching from Close Defense as a freshman, JC played short stick defense last year, and is starting to make his presence known on the offensive half of the field.  Despite being a somewhat quiet leader, JC carries a big stick.  It was good to see him score some goals, in addition to playing some good defense during the Pointers limited possessions. Senior Danny Nides (0g, 0a) played a nice game at the midfield, nearly scoring a goal on the crease.  He also takes credit for the newly established record of largest number of frat bros in attendance at a Gopher home game.  Many thanks to Danny and his bros for the support, we hope to see you folks at the next game. 2009-04-08T18:05:01-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_calms_the_cyclones/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_calms_the_cyclones/#When:18:04:00Z For Immediate Release: Contact: Adam Gamradt minnesotalacrosse@gmail.com 612-799-9927 (Ames, IA) The Gophers took the wind out of the Cyclones in Ames with a 17-0 shutout.  Goalies Barry Weintraub and Aaron White combined to hold Iowa State scoreless.  A strange non goal did occur, which bounced of a Gopher Defenseman, but was called off due to an ISU crease violation.  Another ISU goal was also called off due to an illegal stick.  Overall, it’s still fun to get a shutout, even if it wasn’t the prettiest of efforts. Highlights of this game included Freshman Thomas Van Valkenberg (4g, 1a) taking control of the vast majority of faceoff’s.  His work along with Nate Robitschek (3g, 2,a) led to Minnesota winning nearly all of the contests at the X. Senior Captain Jesse Brown (4g, 0a), had a solid game, despite receiving a heck of a bump on his arm.  Pictures will be posted but are not for the faint of heart, take my word for it, it was pretty nasty.  Jesse is a tough kid, after the game he was overheard saying.  “I wish my shot was on today, I could have made a run at the Golden Sombrero”. For the uninitiated, the Golden Sombrero is a mythical award, given to any Gopher player who scores nine goals in a single game, a hat tricks hat trick.  Rumors hold that Coach Mooney himself once caught a brief glimpse of this wonderful hat, during a six goal outburst, while playing this very team. 2009-04-08T18:04:00-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/suprise_home_game/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/suprise_home_game/#When:22:04:01Z Due to weather, we’re not playing in St. Cloud this weekend. Our game against WSP will be played Saturday at McMurray field in St. Paul at 6PM.  We are asking for a suggested donation of $3 to offset the unexpected cost of hosting this event.  We are also selling some really nice limited edition shirts, so get them while they last! 1101 West Jessamine Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota‎ Also, our game against UWM on Sunday is now being played at 9AM at St. Thomas Football Stadium. Let’s get a crowd out and gnaw em down! 2009-04-02T22:04:01-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_routes_iowa_state/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_routes_iowa_state/#When:18:18:00Z Minnesota dominated Iowa State from the opening face off, scoring early and often.  The final score was 17-0, a full game write up will posted shortly. 2009-03-31T18:18:00-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/time_change_for_sundays_game_against_isu/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/time_change_for_sundays_game_against_isu/#When:15:52:00Z Due to Kansas St. cancelling their game against UMD at the last minute, we’ve been asked to push our game up.  Therefore, we’ll be playing Iowa State at 145pm on Sunday, rather than the orginially scheduled 3PM. 2009-03-24T15:52:00-06:00 http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_visits_top_ranked_michigan/ http://mnlacrosse.gregmajor.com/index.php/site/minnesota_visits_top_ranked_michigan/#When:14:55:01Z The University of Golden Gophers came out a little slow versus the University of Michigan. The Gophers found themselves down 5-0 at the end of the first quarter. Five more goals from Michigan followed in the beginning of the second quarter. Jesse Brown Finally scored in transition with 6:57 remaining in the period on an assist from Nate Robitschek. The Gopher Defense then held the home team scoreless for the remainder of the half.  Minnesota struggled throughout the half clearing the ball, as Michigan’s dedicated ten man ride and low ceilings proved to be obstacles of Trojan proportions. The wooden horse in this analogy was a halftime adjustment to the clear that allowed for Minnesota to clear more effectively in the second half. Minnesota finished the game 13-34 in clearing. The second half began with three goals from Michigan as they stretched their lead to 13-1. With :55 left in the quarter Gopher’s defender Peter Kramer stopped the bleeding with a sixty yard shot on the run against the net vacated by the ten man ride. Fifty-two seconds later Michigan answered and the score was 14-2 going into the final quarter. Michigan again started strong with the first two goals of the fourth quarter. The Gophers got into a bit of a groove late, scoring three straight goals in 1:28 worth of playing time.  Jesse Brown scored his second goal in the game with 6:28 left in the contest, this time unassisted. At 5:26 Alex Eckstein scored with the help of a Kevin Bice assist. Thirty seconds later Alex Eckstein scored again, this time unassisted. Michigan ended the day’s scoring tallying their final goal with six seconds left in the game. Minnesota’s man down unit killed both of Michigan’s man up opportunities. Michigan completed their second consecutive home game without receiving a penalty. Minnesota’s Barry Weintraub made 11 saves and was relieved with 2:18 remaining by Aaron White. Michigan’s starting keeper Andrew Fowler received the victory but did not record any saves. Mark Stone replaced him at the half and finished the game with 4 stops. 2009-03-23T14:55:01-06:00