The #16/fourth-seeded Middlebury men's lacrosse team travels to Wesleyan to take on #13/third-seeded Bowdoin in the semifinal round of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers are making their 21st appearance in the NESCAC Tournament which is tied for second most in league history. 
• The team earned a spot in the semifinal round for the 18th time and second-straight season. Last Saturday, the Panthers stifled Amherst on home turf and earned a gritty 9-6 triumph in quarterfinal action.
• Middlebury is looking to claim its eighth conference title and first since 2007
• With last weekend's victory, Middlebury has now claimed 30 wins in NESCAC Tournament play, which is second-most in league history. 
• The squad is second in the conference in player-up goals (20) and caused turnovers (178) this season, while ranking third in penalty-killing percentage (.708) and goals against average (GAA - 10.58).
• The Panthers have advanced to the NESCAC Championship game 11 times, most recently during the 2023 campaign.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Russell Thorndike tallied four goals in the quarterfinal win, including a crucial marker late in the fourth frame to help Middlebury pull away. The attacker has scored a team-high 40 goals this season and leads the squad in points (53).
• Adding to the attacking output is Billy Curtis. The junior paces the team and is fifth in the NESCAC with 28 assists and is second with 52 points. 
• William Ryan has found the back of the net 26 times, which is second-most on the team and has totalled 32 points on the year.
• Patrick Jamin has been impactful as of late, recording five goals and two helpers over his last three games. The midfielder has tallied two points in each of his last five contests and is third on the team in points with 35 (13G, 22A). 
• Defense was critical during last weekend's triumph over Amherst. Luke Simpson led the way, causing five turnovers and retrieving four groundballs. Over his last two games, the senior has forced 10 takeaways and scooped up eight rollers. The duo of Teddy Curran and Henry Tarr have also dominated in the backfield. Curran leads the team and is fifth in the league in caused turnovers (25). That mark is fifth in the program's single-season record books, while his career tally of 58 is third in Panther history. Tarr is just behind his teammate with 21 takeaways, while also nabbing 28 groundballs.
• Hayden Kern continues his strong season in between the pipes. The netminder has started all 16 games, and owns a 10.07 GAA, which is third in the NESCAC. Kern has thwarted 182 shots which is fifth in the conference and has made double-digit saves in 10 contests this spring.

ABOUT BOWDOIN

• Bowdoin enters the weekend with an 11-4 overall record and an 8-2 mark in NESCAC play.
• The program claimed the third-seed in the conference tournament for the fifth time. 
• The Polar Bears are seeking their first-ever conference crown, having advanced to the championship contest on four occasions. 
• Bowdoin has appeared in 20 editions of the conference tournament. 
• The Polar Bears reached the semifinals by cruising to a 14-4 triumph over sixth-seeded Williams last Saturday. 
• Bowdoin ranks in the top-three spots in the NESCAC in nearly every statistical category. The Polar Bears are the league-leaders in penalty killing percentage (.780) and are second in faceoff percentage (.562), save percentage (.556), GAA (10.40), assists (155) and player-up scoring percentage (.459).

POLAR BEARS TO WATCH

• Will Byrne leads the league in points (92) and assists (51), while also adding 41 goals this season. The attacker has scored in every contest this year and has found the back of the net multiple times in every game but two.
• The Polar Bear's leading goalscorer is Jason Lach. The junior has scored 49 times, which is second in the league, and has tallied four or more markers in seven contests.
• Also contributing to the attack is Casey Ryan. The rookie is second on the squad with 21 helpers and third in goals (30) and points (51). In the midfield, Oliver Bernstein ranks fourth on the team in points (44), goals (26) and assists (18).
• Nate Ryan paces the Bowdoin defense, causing 22 turnovers and scooping up 25 groundballs, while featuring in every game this spring. 
• In goal, Robert Hobbs has started all 15 contests for the Polar Bears. The netminder sits third in the NESCAC in save percentage (.566) and has denied 193 attempts. Hobbs is also fourth in GAA, allowing 10.09 goals per contest. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Bowdoin meet for the 55th time in a series in which the Panthers hold a 35-19 advantage. 
• The programs have faced off just three times in the NESCAC Tournament with two of those matchups coming in the semifinal round. The squads last met in 2016 with Middlebury earning a 10-9 triumph.
• Earlier this season, The Polar Bears earned a 16-10 victory over the Panthers in Maine.

ABOUT WESLEYAN

• Wesleyan claimed the second-seed for the eighth time in conference tournament history, and for the first time since 2019. 
• The Cardinals are seeking the program's third NESCAC Title, most recently lifting the trophy in 2017.
• Wesleyan downed seventh-seeded Trinity 18-10 to reach the semifinal round and are looking to cement their place in the championship game for the ninth time.
• The Cardinals lead the NESCAC in points (460), assists (183) and player-up scoring percentage (.500) and are the most difficult team to turn over, averaging a conference-low 13.88 per game. 
• Wesleyan's offense is paced by the attacking trident of Jack Raba, Ben Burns and CK Giancola. Raba leads the team in points (64) and helpers (45), with his assist total ranking second in the league. Burns (48G) and Giancola (46G) are the Cardinals' top two goalscorers and rank third and fourth in the NESCAC, respectively. 
• Defender Joe Hurton has caused a team-best 21 turnovers this season while also grabbing more rollers than anyone on the team with 54. 
• The pair of Conor Selfridge and Sam Jewett have split time in goal this season, with each starting eight games. Selfridge owns a GAA of 9.98, which is second in the NESCAC and has made 107 saves on the year.    

ABOUT HAMILTON

• Hamilton earned the eighth-seed in the conference tournament.
• The Continentals shocked the top-seeded Jumbos in quarterfinal action, defeating the reigning champions 14-13 in overtime to earn their place in the semifinals.
• Hamilton is looking to advance to the championship contest for the first time in program history. 
• Thomas Healy leads the team in points (50) and goals (33) and sits second in assists (17) and groundballs (41).
• Also in attack, Jesse Delinsky has been on fire as of late. The sophomore has recorded 11 points (9G, 2A) in his last two games, including four goals and an assist to help defeat Tufts in the quarterfinals.  
• Frank Coyle (24G, 11A) and Will Heher (26G, 9A) are each tied for second on the team with 35 points.
• Jack Fried has been sensational in net for the Continentals. The goalie owns the best save percentage in the league (.597) and is third in saves per game (13.46), while holding a GAA of 10.96. 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Championship Central
• NESCAC Championship Records

The NESCAC Championship team will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the at-large selections being unveiled on Sunday, May 5.