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Men's Lacrosse Earns Berth In 2009 ECAC New England Championships, Travels To Plymouth State For Quarterfinal Round Action Wednesday Evening
May 4, 2009

Buzzards Bay, Mass. -- The Massachusetts Maritime men's lacrosse team has earned a berth in the 2009 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Championships, as the fifth-seeded Buccaneers (8-6) will take on fourth-seeded Plymouth State (7-8) in tournament quarterfinal round action on Wednesday, May 6th at Panther Field in Plymouth, N.H. beginning at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

Massachusetts Maritime brings a four-match winning streak into post-season play, as Head Coach Barry Joyce's squad netted 54 goals over that span to finish with their highest victory total in five seasons, including three triumphs in Pilgrim Lacrosse League action. The Buccaneers are led offensively by junior attack Brian Burke (Del Mar, Calif./San Diegutio Academy), who has amassed 33 goals and 13 assists for 46 points to date that includes 40 ground balls, nine caused turnovers and six hat tricks. Fellow junior Connor Burke (Del Mar, Calif./San Diegutio Academy) sits on his brother Brian's other side on attack for Massachusetts Maritime, as he has notched 21 goals and 10 assists for 31 points, while senior Kevin Schultz (Crofton, Md./South River) follows with 17 goals and nine assists for 26 points.

Sophomores Jake Bickley (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) and Ryan Linn (Bourne, Mass./Bourne) lead the way in the midfield for the Buccaneers with a combined 28 goals and 15 assists for 43 points, while senior co-captain John Herman (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) has registered 13 goals and five assists for 18 points. Herman leads Joyce's crew with 52 ground balls and has been the top performers on face-offs throughout the spring.

Junior James Hitchings (Dover, Mass./Dover-Sherborn) has been a solid last line of defense for Massachusetts Maritime, as he has posted a 6-4 mark with a 10.54 goals against average in 12 contests, having made 131 saves for a .550 saves percentage.

Plymouth State posted seven regular season victories, including a 4-3 mark in Little East Conference action, under first year Head Coach Gordon Webb, and the Panthers are led up front by junior Brian Giroux (25-5-30) and sophomore Andrew Eriksen (20-9-29). Sophomore Kevin Hayes has posted five wins and an 8.62 goals against average in net for Plymouth State, making 102 saves for a .548 saves percentage.

Massachusetts Maritime and Plymouth State last met on March 15, 2008 at Commander Ellis Field, and the Panthers posted a 9-6 victory over the Buccaneers despite a hat trick off the stick of Brian Burke.

The winner of Wednesday night's Massachusetts Maritime-Plymouth State advances to the 2009 ECAC Division III New England Men's Lacrosse semi-finals on Saturday, May 9th to take on top-seeded and 17th-ranked Endicott (15-4) on the Gulls' home field in Beverly, Mass. beginning at 3:00 p.m. EDT. The 2009 ECAC Division III New England Men's Lacrosse championship match will take place on Sunday, May 10th at Endicott beginning at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Wednesday's other quarterfinal round matches feature seventh-seeded Becker (9-3) visiting second-seeded Wheaton (7-7) and sixth-seeded Castleton (11-6) heading to third-seeded New England College (8-7).

For more information on the 2009 ECAC Division III New England Men's Lacrosse Championships, log-on to www.ecac.com.