Division III Men :      May 28, 2000 [ The Game Story]
Middlebury 16 Salisbury State 12 Scoring: Scoring: David Seeley Holt Hopkins Matt Dunn Zach Herbert Steve O'neil Jamie Haire Bryan Sanchez Greg Carroll Curt Goldman (5, 1) (2, 2) (2, 0) (2, 0) (1, 1) (2, 0) (1, 0) (1, 0) (0, 1) Rob Bates Josh Bergey Tim Parks Ryan Mckenzie Ryan Fisher Rob Bookhamer Hirbod Azmi Chris Turner John Karcher Kevin Fox (2, 1) (1, 2) (2, 0) (1, 1) (2, 0) (1, 1) (0, 1) (1, 0) (1, 0) (1, 0) Saves: Saves: Dave Campbell 14  (0.538) John Dodson Pat Tewes 8  (0.421) 5  (0.500) Current Record :     (15-1) Current Record :     (17-2) Team Page For 2000 Team Page For 2000       The Game Story:

Salisbury won the opening face. Chris Turner stuttered from top right and fired one lefty (the book on him was all right) but was denied by a sharp looking Dave Campbell. Middlebury's first offensive possession resulted in a John Dodson stuff on Holt Hopkins from the crease and the Gulls went on O. Playing a tight man, Middlebury faced the Gull's invert offense with Jimmy Barnes, Rob Bates and Turner taking runs at the open space created by the rest of the offense camped out up top. 4 shots and a Jed Raymond kayak later, the Panthers got it back on offense. They made quick work as Holt Hopkins drove past a fallen Hirbod Azmi and fed attackman David Seeley for a wide open 10 foot crank high, at 10:55. Salisbury won the face and went into the same iso offense, from behind and the wings, but Campbell made a save on a low bouncer by Salisbury's Josh Bergey. At 8:02, the Gulls finally got on the board when Ryan McKenzie drove from up top and fed Rob Bookhamer on the crease, beneath the sliding Panther D. At 6:45, the Gulls made it 2-1, when Tim Parks wormed his way through a triple team, bag, shaft and ball, and came around the net to finish high. The Panthers answered a minute later when Salisbury's Jordan Austin missed an over the head on Panther attackman Zach Herbert, who took it to the cage and finished five hole, 2-2. After a 10 second call on the ensuing face because of great D by the Gull's lumber-laying Dave DiPaola, the Gulls went on offense for 2 minutes. At 4:18, Salisbury's Bergey took advantage of his short stick matchup to finish on the run low, but he paid for it when Middlebury's Sebastian Estrada layed a crushing hit. After surviving a fast break off the face, the Gull's Azmi fed John Karchner to finish off a 3 on 2 break low and away, 4-2 Salisbury at 3:53. Middlebury would not got away, however, and Ryan McKenzie scooped up another pipe rebound to make it 4-3 at 2:34. After Middlebury D-man Ben Fritz made a smart play to hold on to the ball as he was being pushed out of bounds on the endline, Salisbury's Bergey fed Rob Bates on the crease to make it 5-3 in the final seconds of the first quarter. Despite being down by 2, Middlebury's tight man defense looked strong as short sticks Derek Esposito and John Rice played excellent position defense and Jed Raymond was throwing well timed butt end back rap checks all over the place.

After winning the 2nd quarter opening face, Middlebury's Seeley iso'd from the left wing, rolled inside and finished 5 hole with little or no angle, at 13:34, 5-4 Gulls. A minute later, the Gulls made it 6-4 when middie Ryan Fisher ripped one from 18 yards out. The Panthers went on a sustained offensive run to try and answer back, but Dodson came up big, making 2 saves with his left elbow, and the Panthers eventually threw it away. The Gulls returned the favor on the throwaway and the Panther's Matt Dunn answered back with a drive from up top, at 10:49. 10 seconds later, Middlebury tied it up, 6-6, when John Boynton finished off a face-off fast break from Peter Soden with a 15 yard bounce shot. Three minutes of scoreless play would follow with disciplined defense by both teams and hard hitting, well-refereed play. At 5:49, Middlebury went up 7-6 when Holt Hopkins made an unbelievable 30 yard look to Steve O'Neil on the crease to finish the slow break off a Salisbury turnover. The Gulls tied it up a minute later when Kevin Fox worm-burned one in through a screen from 15 yards out. The Panthers liked the lead, however, and said so with a goal by Jamie Haire off a feed from O'Neil at 3:43. 14 seconds later, the Panther's Seeley ended up with it after a gb scrum to score his fifth of the day to make it 9-7. The Gull defense slammed their sticks to the ground and Gull coach Jim Berkman called a timeout to calm everyone down.

No luck. Middlebury's Hopkins finished off a feed from Curt Goldman at 2:42. A minute later, Salisbury's Turner scored a debatable goal when he dove (was he pushed?) through the crease and went behind the back in mid air. It would have been a sick goal if that was still allowed, but I guess it's a judgement call. With :58 to go in the half, Middlebury's Hopkins ducked under an Azmin 2 fist check, pumped high, and finished low to make it 11-8. Salisbury's Parks would cut it to 11-9, when he rocked and rolled until he was he able to let a 10 yard righty crank go that found the bottom of the net, at :28. The teams went into the locker rooms to discuss the 2nd half proceedings and figure out how to come out ahead of the rapid scoring pace. The 20 goals scored was the most ever in a D3 championship half.

Middlebury continued their air tight defense holding the Gulls scoreless on a 2 minute opening possession. At 12:06, Middlebury's lightning quick Bryan Sanchez broke his cover's ankles from up top to finish righty on the run low to make it 12-9 Middlebury. Immediately after, another Gull possession was denied by strong defense by Brian Nickel on the Gull's Craig Rhodey. 2 minutes later, Middelebury's Nickel would strip a falling and noticeably absent Joe High. The Gulls were looking anxious as players drove to the cage trying to let shots go with Panther defender's sticks on their hands. At 7 and change, Middlebury's Sebastian Estrada doubled from the crease to crush a roll dodging Rhodey. At 5:29, Salisbury's Turner tried to power to the crease against Nickel and go behind the back, but Campbell held pipe to make the save and leg it out for possession. Finally, after over 8 minutes of dominating possession, the Gulls Greg Fisher powered in to the crease from the right wing to finish high, 12-10 with 3:53 to go in the 3rd. The Panther's would go up 3 again when Jamie Haire stuttered from up top to finish lefty on the run, 13-10 Panthers with 1 and change to go. Salisbury's Ryan McKenzie would connect off a feed from Bergey with :54 to go to cut the lead to 2. But the Panthers would answer right back when Greg Carroll made a nice in and out move from behind catching Gull D-man Bryan Shanahan stepping forward. He stepped by to come around and finish near pipe to make 14-11, Middlebury.

After going man-down, Middlebury's Campbell would make a smooth-looking save at 13:40. Middlebury would get a flag on the clear but could not convert. The Panther D would hold the Gulls shotless and scoreless on another 3 minute possession with Gull players falling when they tried to make cuts and Raymond doubling to lay crushing hits. After clearing it, Middlebury's Dunn would finish off a righty sweep from up top after just 20 seconds on offense to make it 15-11 with 9 and change to go. Alternating turnovers would follow, and Salisbury would go on offense in desperate need of a spark. But they let go a shot with no backup and Middlebury went on the stall with 7 and change to go. The Panthers would turn it over, and Salisbury's Rob Bookhamer fed Rob Bates on the weak side of the Panther slide to make it 15-12 with 5:59 to go. At 5:17, Middlebury's Raymond kayak-stripped Salisbury's Bergey, but the Gulls got it back to call a timeout with 4:57 to go.

The ensuing Salisbury possession would end in a drop and the Panther's went on the stall. At 3:17, Middlebury was forced to score as the Gull defense was in panic mode. Midlebury's Zach Herbery fed Seeley on the crease to make it 16-12 Middlebury. The Panthers faceoff man Peter Soden would come up huge to win the ensuing face, and his team's offense killed a minute. Salisbury got a brief possession, but took a rushed shot. With 1:36 Salisbury got a last chance, but the crowd knew it was over, and so did the Gulls as Middlebury would leg out a rushed shot for possession.

Middlebury played a defensive masterpiece to win the 2000 D3 Men's Lacrosse Championship. Jed Raymond was a dominant presence on the field, and his well-timed aggressiveness trickled down to the rest of his defense to defeat the high-powered offense of the Salisbury Gulls.