by Sports Information Student Assistant Zach Bigger
ST. LOUIS - In their last test of the season for the Trine University men’s lacrosse team, a later rally was not enough, as the Thunder overcame a two goal deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead 8-7 midway through the period, only to lose in the final seconds, 9-8. The Thunder had a chance to win, possessing the ball for almost the entire last two minutes of the game only to see it slip away on a turnover. The Griffins overcame a mountain of penalties, including nine in the first half and 13 for the game to pull off a shocking upset. The Thunder end their final season in the Midwest Lacrosse Conference 7-7 and 3-4 in MLC play.
After giving up a goal right in front of the net after the Thunder defense broke down, Trine would tie the score at 1-1 of a feed from Andy Lauer (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) up the wing to Blaine Stahley (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) with 10:43 in the first. After a penalty, the Thunder man-down unit kicked into high gear, with defenseman Chris Olney (Columbus, Ohio/Pickerington) leading the charge, pushing the ball downfield. Olney set up a fast-break opportunity and an easy goal for Patrick Walker (Round Lake Park, Ill./Grayslake).
Off a timeout, Fontbonne tied the game at 2-2 with 5:27 remaining in the first. Trine would give up a goal off after another turnover, giving the Griffins a 3-2 lead heading into the second quarter.
After not scoring on a man-up opportunity in the first quarter, the fourth time would be the charm for the Thunder, as they tied the game after Walker's second goal of the game with 11:32 remaining in the second. The Thunder got their fourth and fifth goals off man-up opportunities as well, the first an Eric Thompson (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) goal from Dalton Madsen (Westminster, Colo./Northglenn) and the second a Stahley goal from Dan LaFond (Neenah, Wis./Neenah).
Despite Fontbonne being called for six personal fouls in the quarter, Trine ended the second the same way as the first, with the man-down unit burning off the majority of a one-minute penalty, as the Thunder took a 5-3 lead into halftime.
As the second half began, the Thunder knew they would have to execute and clean up the mistakes on both sides to put away Fontbonne and turn it into the blowout it was last year. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be nearly that easy, as the Griffins took advantage of sloppy play on both sides, with the two teams combining for a 12 turnovers in the period. Trine was outscored in the quarter 4-0 as the defense finally began to bend.
Fontbonne got their fourth goal after a Thunder miscue led to a goal by Camerin Staffel, who scored three of the four goals for the Griffins in this quarter. For the fifth one, the Thunder once more turned the ball over at the top of the box and could not get back in time to setup before Fontbonne took advantage. The last two goals came in a span of sixteen seconds near the very end of the period, as Fontbonne scored in a settled situation followed by a win off the faceoff and a critical mistake on the defense to let in a goal with five seconds left, as Fontbonne took a two goal lead, 7-5 into the final quarter.
Entering the fourth, the Thunder down two and the Thunder seniors a chance to end their career on a positive note, began to pick up the pieces and make a run to take control of the game. Trine scored three goals in just under three minutes, a run which began with a Walker goal, who cut inside, and received a feed from Stahley to score his third goal of the contest.
After a Lauer goal tied the game at 7-7 with about nine minutes left, the Thunder used a two man-up situation to take the lead off a Stahley to Madsen connection with 6:36 left.
Fontbonne was not throwing in the towel however, as the Griffins tied the game with 1:54 remaining.
Initially, the Thunders prospects looked good, winning the faceoff and managing to recover the loose ball with the great hustle of Lauer, who managed to snag the ball away from a host of defenders in the middle of the field. However, fate was not on their side, as an ill-advised shot led to a quick clear and a chance to steal the game for Fontbonne with 13 seconds left, as the Griffins pushed the tempo, got off a quick shot with two seconds left and spoiled the chance for Trine to end on a winning note.
Playing in his final game for Trine, senior Alex Gregg (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) made 14 saves in goal, seven in each half.
Rob Brzezinski (Livonia, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) had a solid defensive game, picking up a team-high five groundballs and going 11-of-16 in the faceoff circle. Offensively, Walker scored a hat trick for the Thunder while Stahley had two goals and two assists on the day. Madsen and Lauer each added a goal and an assist while LaFond dished out two assists.
Stahley (95), Lauer (82) and Thompson (68) leave Trine as the first, second and fourth all-time leading scorers in school history. Thompson (227), Stahley (153) and Gregg (132) also leave as the top three players in groundballs.