Complete Game Notes

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College men's lacrosse team will make its 11th consecutive appearance in the Centennnial Conference (CC) playoffs when it takes on Haverford College on Friday.

The second-seeded and 17th-ranked Bullets (10-5, 6-2 CC) will take on the third-seeded and 10th-ranked Black Squirrels (11-3, 6-2 CC) in the CC semifinals at 4 p.m. at tournament host Dickinson College. In the other semifinal, top-seeded and sixth-ranked Dickinson (14-1, 8-0 CC) will play fourth-seeded Ursinus College at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

The two semifinal winners will meet in the conference championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday back at Dickinson. The conference champion earns an automatic bid in the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Bullets will be aiming for their 11th straight CC tournament opening-round victory, as they have won every conference semifinal since the league began holding a championship tournament in 2001. Gettysburg has won 13 Centennial Conference championships, including eight since the conference has used a postseason playoff to determine the champion.

Gettysburg and Haverford will be facing off in the conference playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years. The two teams have met in the CC title game in each of the past two seasons, with the Black Squirrels winning last year and the Bullets prevailing in 2009. Gettysburg also defeated Haverford in the semifinals in both 2006 and 2007. When the two teams met earlier this season in Gettysburg the Bullets won 10-4, pulling away by outscoring the Squirrels 6-1 in the fourth quarter.

Dickinson finished in first place for the first time in conference history, and it will mark the first time the CC tournament will be held anywhere other than Gettysburg, Haverford, or Washington College.

The Bullets enter the postseason on a high note, having won their last four games of the regular season. The team features the top-ranked defense in the conference, as the Bullets lead the league in both goals-against average (6.76) and caused turnovers (10.40 per game). Only two opponents have reached double figures in scoring against Gettysburg this season. Sophomore #J.T. McCook# has been the goalie of record in every game and ranks second in the conference in goals-against average (6.84). Senior defenseman Tommy Barnett leads the team in ground balls (39) and has caused 24 turnovers while classmate John Odierna leads the Bullets with 29 caused turnovers and has scooped 31 ground balls. Junior Billy Grayson has also been a force in the back row, posting 32 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers.

Offensively, a trio of Bullets have scored over 20 goals, with junior Pat Sartory leading the way with 25 to go with 10 assists. Senior #J.C. Ward is tops on the team with 40 points on 23 goals and 17 assists while classmate Danno Lynch has added 20 goals and eight assists. Senior Chris Cahill# has racked up 16 goals and 14 assists.

At the face-off X, sophomore Nick Avedisian has played well late in the season, including stellar performances in wins over Washington (17-for-22) and McDaniel (8-for-10). For the season he has won 61.1 percent (77-for-126) of his attempts.