WALTHAM, MA – Greg Rogowski's unassisted triple-overtime goal gave the fourth-ranked Merrimack men's lacrosse team the thrilling 6-5 victory over seventh-ranked Bentley University Wednesday evening.

Rogowski, who had scored at least one goal in every game this year, had not scored through regulation. The senior captain had three shots in first two overtimes, but Bentley goaltender Kris Dambach was up to the challenge, keeping the game tied with three overtime saves.

The Falcons had offensive chances of their own, but All-American Cory Spinale stopped one shot in each of the first two overtimes and finished with 18 saves, including four in the fourth quarter.

That set the stage for Rogowski, 1:41 into the third overtime. Following a Falcon timeout, the Warriors forced a turnover as Matthew Sweeney picked up a ground ball. The Warriors then called timeout 1:28 into the third frame, and 13 seconds after beginning the play they designed during the stoppage, Rogowski netted his 49th goal of the season and 207th of his career, third all-time in Division II.

With the win, Merrimack, ranked fourth in the country, its highest since 2000, clinches second-place in the Northeast-10 with a 7-1 conference record. The Warriors, along with top-ranked and unbeaten Le Moyne who beat Merrimack 5-4 on April 11, earn byes in the quarterfinal round. Merrimack will likely face Bentley again in the semifinals on May 1 at Warrior Field.

The Warriors led 5-3 at the end of the third quarter, but the Falcons rallied for a pair of goals in the fourth period to tie the game at 5 with 8:06 remaining in regulation. Bentley had its chances to win in the fourth, but Spinale came up big with three saves after Bentley tied the game in the fourth.

Four other Warriors scored, including Bryan MacPhie, who had two goals and an assist. Jo Pisano, David Robinson, and Brad McAdam also scored for the visitors, who held a 41-40 shot advantage.

The Warriors (12-1, 7-1 NE-10) conclude the regular season Saturday at Franklin Pierce at 4:00 p.m.

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WALTHAM, Mass. – A matchup of two of the top teams in Division II men's lacrosse lived up to its billing, as No. 4 Merrimack defeated No. 7 Bentley University 6-5 in a three overtime thriller Wednesday night in Northeast-10 play. A goal by senior Greg Rogowski with 2:19 left in the third extra frame was the winner for the Warriors.

After Bentley turned the ball over and Merrimack completed a successful clear, the Warriors called a timeout with the ball in Bentley's end. Coming out of the timeout, Merrimack put the ball in stick of Rogowski, and after making a few moves, his shot from 15 yards away to the near post found the back of the net for the win.

The Falcons came into the fourth quarter trailing 5-3, but Bentley out-scored the visitors 2-0 to force overtime. Junior Addi Van Hatcher (Tigard, Ore./Oregon Episcopal) scored with 11:02 left on an assist from junior Stephen Moulton (Danvers, Mass./Danvers). Junior Wyatt Couture (South Hadley, Mass./Avon Old Farms) then tied the game with an unassisted goal with 6:54 remaining in regulation.

Bentley goalie Kris Dambach (Chester, N.J./West Morris Central) played a tremendous game, making 16 saves and stopping several shots by Merrimack that were from point-blank range. Three of Dambach's saves came in the first two overtime periods.

The game was tied 2-2 at halftime, with Bentley getting goals from freshman Brendan Grant (Walpole, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) in the first quarter and senior Chris Woods (Duxbury, Mass./Sandwich) in the second quarter.

With Bentley trailing in 3-2 in the third quarter, Moulton brought Bentley level with 4:53 left in the quarter. Merrimack though scored twice in the final 2:06 of the quarter on goals from junior Bryan MacPhie and sophomore David Robinson.

The Falcons, who fall to 7-3 on the year and 6-2 in the NE-10, have still wrapped up the third-seed and a home playoff game in the upcoming NE-10 Tournament. They'll close out the season on Saturday afternoon at Pace.

2009-04-23