Junior Tyler Ryan had a goal and a career-high seven assists and first-year Jack Savarese had three goals and three assists for the Ducks, who won their ninth straight game to improve to 13-2 on the year. The victory marked what is believed to be the 11th conference championship in program history, the third under 12th-year head coach Gene Peluso, and the first since the program moved to the MAC Freedom in 2019.
"First, I want to congratulate Coach Ricardo and the Misericordia Cougars on a great season; they play hard and with a lot of energy," Peluso said. "I am really proud of our team for the way they responded early after being down two goals and then fighting back and dominating the rest of the way."
It was Misericordia that jumped out to an early two-goal lead in the opening period, only for the Ducks to respond with six unanswered goals bridging the first and second quarters to pull ahead of the visitors. Another lengthy run in the second half, this one featuring eight straight goals, further separated the teams, allowing Stevens to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
"I told the team that winning a conference championship is special," Peluso added. "But to do it this year took sacrifice and dedication. We told the team that the fact that we were able to play 15 games so far is great and that is a testimonial to the team's commitment and hard work. But it is also due to the fact that our administration, sports medicine staff and the entire community worked hard and advocated for us to play. We are excited for what's next!"
Gebhardt's six-goal outing brought the Baldwinsville, New York native's season total to 65, moving him past Hall of Famer Joe DiPompeo, who scored 61 goals over 10 games in 1997, atop the program's single-season goal-scoring list. Gebhardt completed his 13th hat trick of the season in the second quarter, with the milestone marker taking place late in the period to provide the Ducks with an 8-3 lead. The game ball was removed from play and DiPompeo was on hand to witness the historic moment. Gebhardt previously became the program's all-time goal-scoring leader on April 14 and now sits eight points shy of matching the program's record for points in a single season.
"We gave out several game balls after tonight's win," Peluso commented. "Our offense exploded against their zone defense and I am really proud of the game our offensive players put together. Defensively, I think we did a great job shutting down their threats; our starting defense played great tonight."
Patrick Luzzi had three goals and an assist and Robert Wagner had two points for Misericordia, who closed its 2021 season 10-4. The Ducks won each of the two meetings between the programs this season.
Junior Michael Burns and senior Ryan Caplis each had three goals and two assists and junior Brendan Sullivan posted his first hat trick since Mar. 23, 2019 as 11 different student-athletes found the back of the net. Senior Shawn Coulter had a goal and an assist and sophomores Henry Murtagh and Jake Wright joined first-year Mikey Whiteside and graduate student Daniel Crotty in adding a goal, with an assist from sophomore Trevor Carroll rounding out the offensive contributions. Crotty's third-quarter goal marked the third career marker for the long pole.
First-year Jake Zeyher drew the start and made four saves to earn his ninth win of the season. First-year Christopher Bartell came on late in the game for his third collegiate appearance. Bryan DeGennaro made nine saves in defeat for Misericordia. Chris Straub and Jacob Martinelli did not make a save over 18 minutes of relief work for the Cougars.
After Luzzi and Nick Torzilli gave Misericordia an early advantage, Savarese put the Ducks on the board with his 44th goal midway through the frame and Gebhardt followed with his first of the evening to draw the teams even through one period. Ryan assisted on both first-quarter goals and then connected again with Gebhardt three minutes into the second quarter to give Stevens its first lead of the game.
After finding themselves behind in the early portion of the contest, the Ducks subsequently outscored Misericordia 14-1 to take a commanding lead midway through the third quarter. Michael Killgallon and Allen Thomas solved Zeyher to pull Misericordia to within 11 through the quarters, only to see the Ducks outscore the Cougars 7-1 in the final quarter to provide the final margin of victory. The 17-goal victory marked the largest winning margin in a MAC Freedom title game. Stevens has scored 20 or more goals in 10 of its 15 contests and has won 11 games by double digits.
Stevens finished with a 62-24 advantage in shots, including 33-10 over the first two quarters. Gebhardt led all student-athletes with 17 attempts, while Caplis had nine. Luzzi led Misericordia with nine.
In addition to finding the back of the net for the second time this season, Crotty was a force on the defensive end, causing three Misericordia turnovers as Stevens caused 10 of the Cougars' 21 miscues on the evening. Junior Aidan Hinphy added a pair of caused turnovers, while Whiteside, graduate student Bubba Brennan, senior Jason Coyle, sophomore Joe Cawley and first-year Nolan Quade each caused one.
The Ducks won 24 of the game's 35 faceoffs. Junior Larry Park went 12-6 in the 'X' and first-year Conner Park went 11-5. First-year Jesse Tareco was a perfect 1 for 1 to round out Stevens' faceoff wins. Joe Lobb accounted for four of Misericordia's 11 wins.
Coulter picked up seven ground balls in helping Stevens gain a 46-30 advantage in the statistic. Larry Park picked up six, while Conner Park, Hinphy and Brennan each scooped up four. Lobb had four to lead Misericordia.
"Once again, Shawn Coulter did everything for us tonight," Peluso commented. "What a leader and player! We are so grateful for his play and his hard work."
The Ducks were a perfect 20 for 20 in clears, while Misericordia went 17 for 20. Stevens went 2 for 4 on the man-advantage with Ryan and Gebhardt converting extra-man opportunities. Conversely, Stevens killed off both of its penalties.
Up Next: Men's Lacrosse now awaits its NCAA placement, which will be announced in Sunday evening's selection show. Please note that all event times, dates and opponents are subject to change.
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CHAMPS! Men's Lacrosse Defeats Misericordia 24-7 to Win First MAC Freedom Title - Stevens Institute of Technology
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