FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Merrimack Wins First NE10 Title Since 2010 Sunday in Front of Tremendous Crowd
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Fueled by a career-high five goals from senior Kyle Stenberg, another fantastic showing on the faceoff X by classmate Blake Boudreau and a career-high 12 saves from rookie Peter Brown, second-seeded Merrimack held off upset-minded Saint Anselm in the 2018 Northeast-10 Conference Championship Final. The Warriors clipped the fifth-seeded Hawks, 11-7, to win the third league tournament title in program history on Sunday at Merrimack Stadium.
Saint Anselm scored on its opening possession of the game, giving the visitors an early edge. But back-to-back tallies from rookie Sean Black in a six-second span put the momentum back in favor of the home side. That lead held until the final minute, though, as the Hawks evened it up with eight seconds left in the quarter to tie it up at 2-2 with 15 minutes in the books.
The Warriors took control in the second stanza, outscoring the Hawks by a 4-1 margin. Two of those tallies came off the stick of senior Kyle Stenberg – including a man-up strike – while sophomores Charlie Bertrand and Dom Thomas added the others, while the defense nearly put up a goose egg until the Hawks scored with only two seconds on the clock to trim the Warriors' lead to 6-3 heading into halftime.
Saint Anselm chipped away at the lead with an early third-quarter goal, bringing the visitors within two, but the Warrior offense potted another two goals in a lightning-quick sequence, as Stenberg got his hat trick at the 9:00 mark and then senior Blake Boudreau won the next faceoff and did all the work himself, burying his first of the game to make it 8-4 in favor of the Warriors. The Hawks made it a three-goal game after a long offensive possession, but Stenberg netted his fourth to give the Navy and Gold a 9-5 lead heading into the fourth quarter, matching their largest lead of the game in the process.
Black hit the hat trick threshold just 12 seconds into the final frame, but the visitors answered shortly after to keep their deficit at four. Eight minutes of back-and-forth lacrosse ensued before Stenberg potted his fifth of the day with exactly five minutes remaining. The Hawks would only get one more from there on out, however, as the Warriors closed out their third league tournament title in program history and first since 2010.
2018 NE10 Men's Lacrosse All-Championship Team
Gerard Cunningham, Adelphi
Justin Kesselring, Le Moyne
James Bassett, Merrimack
Hunter Schmell, Merrimack
Kyle Stenberg, Merrimack
Anthony Busconi, Saint Anselm
Nick Richard, Saint Anselm
NE10 Most Valuable Player - Kyle Stenberg, Merrimack
2018 NE10 Men's Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 1st
First Round
Game 1: #3 Adelphi 9, #6 Pace 7
Game 2: #5 Saint Anselm 19, #4 Saint Rose 8
Friday, May 4th
Semifinals
Game 3: #5 Saint Anselm 9, #1 Le Moyne 8, Final - Overtime
Game 4: #2 Merrimack 17, #3 Adelphi 11
Sunday, May 6th
Championship - at Merrimack Stadium
Game 5: #2 Merrimack 11, #5 Saint Anselm 7
- Information for this release provided by the athletic communication staff at Merrimack
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.