With time running low, sophomore
Ryan Schmidt scored his fourth goal of the game to lift the third-seeded St. John Fisher College men's lacrosse team to a
15-14 win over No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Championship.
For the first time in school history, Fisher will host the Empire 8 Conference finals at noon on Sunday, as No. 4 seed Nazareth upset No. 1 Ithaca 13-12 in overtime.
Fisher stretched a one-goal halftime lead to a 14-10 margin with five goals to open the second period, including four in the third frame. Although the Cardinals seemed to have a strangle hold on the game following Denhoff's goal with 12:18 to play in the contest, the Ducks refused to give in.
Stevens attacker Eric Smith, who finished with a team-high five points (4g, 1a), headed up the Ducks' rally down the stretch with a pair of goals in a 4-0 run that cut Fisher's lead to just one with just over three minutes to play.
The Ducks won the subsequent faceoff and worked their offense in an attempt to net the equalizer, but Jon Cortina and the defense held strong to secure the win.
“This was another great win for our program” said head coach John Johnson, who has guided the Cardinals to a 15-2 record this season. “Having the chance to win an Empire 8 Conference Championship and an NCAA berth at home is going to be special.”
Fisher got going early behind a strong start from junior midfielder Dave Malone. After the Ducks won the opening faceoff and quickly went up 1-0, Malone handed out three assists, including two to Kyle Denhoff, as the Cardinals jumped out to a 4-1 lead just 4:50 into the game.
The Cardinals took a commanding 5-1 lead when Ryan Schmidt found the back of the net at the 3:36 mark of the opening period, but the Ducks, ranked 20th nationally, stormed back. Over the next 11:39, the Ducks rattled off two separate 3-0 scoring runs, and took their first lead of the game, 7-6, when J.R. Oreskovich lined up a shot just inside the post.
Fisher used every bit of the final 4:37 to outscore the Ducks 3-1 and take a slim 9-8 lead into the locker room. Jeff Price and Denhoff each scored in the run, before Scotty Bowen found Chris Schmidt with just four seconds remaining in the half.
First-year players Denhoff (4g), Schmidt (4g, 1a), and Connor Henderson (4g) combined for 12 of Fisher's 15 goals, with Chris Schmidt adding two goals and one assist. Faceoff specialist Dave Wood won 20-of-32 draws, while Jon Cortina made all eight of his saves in the second half.
