Men's Lacrosse | 4/30/2023 2:43:40 PM
Top-seed St. John Fisher University is looking to win its fourth straight league title, as four teams will vie for the 2023 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which takes place with semifinal action on Wednesday, May 3 and the title game on Saturday, May 6, with all games played at the higher seed. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which begins May 10.
Final 2023 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Seeds
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (7-0 E8, 8-9 Overall)
No. 2 – Alfred University (6-1 E8, 11-4 Overall)
No. 3 – Nazareth College (5-2 E8, 9-8 Overall)
No. 4 – Hartwick College (4-3 E8, 6-5 Overall)
The 2023 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
2023 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 3 - Semifinals
No. 4 Hartwick College at No. 1 St. John Fisher University – 4 p.m. – LIVE STATS/VIDEO
No. 3 Nazareth College at No. 2 Alfred University –
4 p.m. – LIVE STATS/VIDEO
Saturday, May 6 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed
St. John Fisher enters the 2022 Championship with a perfect 7-0 record in league play, having won 27 straight games against league opponents since the 2019 season. The Cardinals are looking for their fourth straight league title and have out-scored opponents, 158-40 in seven league games. Ten different players have at least 10 goals this season. Timmy Salit leads the Cardinals in scoring with 59 points on 26 goals and 33 assists. Brady Mason has a team-high 37 goals in just 12 games, while Matthew Kemmis has added 29 goals. Logan Grom has won 54 percent of his face-offs taken and has a team-high 81 ground balls. The Cardinals won 76 percent of their face-offs taken in league play. Brian Jantz has a team-high 18 caused turnovers on the defensive side. In net, Ben Hammond has won six games this season.
Alfred is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the third straight season and fourth time in program history. The Saxons enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed for the first time, having finished 6-1 in league play with an 11-4 overall record. Ten players have scored at least 10 goals for Alfred this season, as the team has out-scored opponents, 232-147. Kevin Matson leads the Saxons and the Empire 8 with 54 goals and is second with 67 points, while Paul Forte has 40 points on 17 goals and 23 assists. Face-off specialist Hunter Cupp leads the league with 234 face-off wins, a .650 winning percentage in the “X” and 146 ground balls. Andrew Schuhwerk leads the Saxons with 21 caused turnovers, while Max Freeman IV is right behind with 19. Scott Kimiecik, the reigning E8 Goalkeeper of the Year, is 10-4 in goal with a league-best .588 save percentage.
No. 3 seed Nazareth is looking for its 11th Empire 8 title in program history and first since 2017. Quinn McKercher leads the the Empire 8 in scoring with 69 points on 39 goals and 30 assists in 17 games. Braeden McKercher has 25 goals, while Jack McOsker and Louis Cogliandro have 23 goals apiece. Jakob Denkenberger and Luke Suchyna have split time at the face-off “X” this season. Suchyna has a team-high 62 ground balls, while Jesse Woodill leads the Golden Flyers with 15 caused turnovers. Eric Almquist has played in all 17 games in net with a .560 save percentage, second best in the conference. He leads all E8 goalkeepers with 216 saves.
Hartwick is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the second straight season and seventh time in program history. Pete Conley leads Hartwick in scoring this season with 45 points on 25 goals and 20 assists in 11 games, while Garrett Frost and Shayne Kerrigan have scored 20 goals apiece. Daniel Beltran has won 58.6 percent of his face-offs taken and has a team-high 93 ground balls. Kyle McKee has appeared in all 11 games between the pipes for the Hawks and sports a .550 save percentage to go along with a 10.17 goals against average.
Wednesday’s semifinal contest between St. John Fisher and Hartwick will mark the second meeting of the season between the two programs. St. John Fisher recorded a 22-9 victory vs. Hartwick on April 15. It is also the second meeting of the year between Alfred. The Saxons defeated Nazareth, 13-11 on April 7.
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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