Top-Seeded Men's Lacrosse Opens Postseason Play Against Hartwick On Thursday

What's At Stake

• On a mission for its sixth consecutive Empire 8 title, the top-seeded St. John Fisher men’s lacrosse team begins postseason play against No. 4-seeded Hartwick in the conference semifinals at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Growney Stadium. 
• The Cardinals have won nine straight games against Hartwick since a 6-5 loss in 2018. 
• Fisher has beaten Hartwick in the E8 semifinals in each of the last three seasons. The Cardinals are 5-0 all-time against the Hawks in the postseason. 
• The winner of Thursday’s game faces No. 2-seeded Nazareth or No. 3-seeded SUNY Geneseo in the conference title game on Saturday.

Fisher Streaks

• The Cardinals have won 44 straight games against Empire 8 teams. 
• The Cardinals have won 10 consecutive Empire 8 postseason games. 
• The Cardinals have finished .500 or better in each of Dave Dobbins’ eight seasons as head coach. This season marks the Cardinals’ sixth with more than 10 wins under Dobbins, who took over the program before the 2018 season.

Milestones Reached and Milestones Ahead 

• Dobbins needs just three more victories to reach 100 for his career. 
• The Cardinals need four more wins to match the 2019 team for the most single-season wins in program history. 
• The Cardinals’ 13 regular-season wins this year marked the second most by a team in school history (the 2019 team won 14 games in the regular season). 
• The Cardinals scored 30 or more goals in two games this season, including a program record 32 against SUNY Poly on April 12. 
• Fifth-year senior Timmy Salit (106 career assists) recently passed Ian Evans (105 assists from 2019-22) for third on the program’s all-time assists list. Salit is tied for fourth all-time in total points (194). 
• Senior Brady Mason moved up to seventh in program history in goals (121) and eighth in points (184) during the regular season. Mason leads the team with 42 goals and 63 total points. 
• Senior defender Jack Cornell enters the postseason with 181 career ground balls, tied for the ninth most in Fisher history. 
• Senior Ethan Kesselring (84g, 26a) and fifth-year senior Jordan Leuze (65g, 63a) surpassed 100 career points this season. 
• Junior goalkeeper Tyler Manning made 19 saves in a win over Colorado College on March 8, tied for the third most in a single game in program history.

Other Numbers To Know

• Sophomore Robbie Salit played a key role in Fisher’s offense in E8 play, tallying all of his goals (15), assists (7) and points (22) against conference foes. 
• Manning ranks 11th in Division III in goals against average (7.92) and 27th in save percentage (57.9%). 
• Junior Bryce Riffel enters the postseason 24th in Division III in face-off winning percentage (.657). 
• The Cardinals have the fourth-highest clearing percentage in Division III (91.0%). 
• Fisher ranks 13th in the country in scoring offense (16.94 goals per game) and 18th in scoring defense (8.24 goals allowed per game). 
• The Cardinals have the ninth-highest scoring margin in Division III (8.71). 
• The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 288-140 overall entering the postseason.

About Hartwick

• Hartwick advanced to the E8 Semifinals with a 9-7 victory over No. 5-seeded Brockport on Tuesday. The Hawks rallied from down 9-7 late in the third quarter by scoring five of the next six goals, including three in a span of 1:39 midway through the fourth quarter. 
• The victory marked Hartwick’s first E8 postseason win since 2005.
•  Senior faceoff specialist Liam Downey collected 92 ground balls and won 49.8% of his face-offs (141-for-283) in the regular season. 
• Junior attackman Colin August leads the Hawks with 41 goals and 45 total points.
• Senior midfielder Garrett Frost ranks second on the team with 38 points, including a team-best 10 man-up goals.

E8 Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament Central

Final 2025 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Seeds
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (9-0 E8, 13-4 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth University (8-1 E8, 12-5 Overall)
No. 3 – SUNY Geneseo (7-2 E8, 10-6 Overall)
No. 4 – Hartwick College (6-3 E8, 8-6 Overall) 
No. 5 – SUNY Brockport (5-4 E8, 8-8 Overall)
No. 6 – Alfred University (4-5 E8, 6-8 Overall)

2025 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 29 – First Round
No. 4 Hartwick College defeated No. 5 SUNY Brockport, 12-11 – BOX SCORE
No. 3 SUNY Geneseo defeated No. 6 Alfred University, 16-7 – BOX SCORE

Thursday, May 1 - Semifinals
No. 3 SUNY Geneseo at No. 2 Nazareth University – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 4 Hartwick College at No. 1 St. John Fisher University – 7 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

Saturday, May 3 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12