Wheeling, WV– (4/3/2011) – The Chestnut Hill College attack was on-point this afternoon, powering the Griffins to a 13-6 East Coast Conference (ECC) win over Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU). Freshman attack Mike Melnychenko (St. Catharines, Ontario) and sophomore attack Shane Morlock (Whitby, Ontario) combined for nine goals and three assists igniting the offense for the Griffins second ECC win of the season.
Chestnut Hill College (5-3, 2-3) was up 4-0 at the conclusion of the first quarter with Morlock finding Winkelspecht for the final two scores of the period, 6:01 and 5:04. Melnychenko then made it 6-0 with his second and third goals of the contest coming at the top of the second quarter, 14:49 and 11:47. From that point the scoring was even to intermission, 9-3; but afterwards two goals from senior attack Colin Jack (Pickerington, OH) helped Wheeling Jesuit University (5-4, 1-3) cut the lead to 9-5 with 12:14 remaining in the third period. The Cardinal run was short-lived with three responding Griffin strikes, 12-5, quieting the rally. Morlock assisted on the first goal before scoring the next two himself. Each side netted one more strike before the final horn leaving the Griffins with a 13-6 triumph.
Jack led the Cardinals with two goals while freshman attack Landon DelPrince (Powell, OH) contributed a goal and three assists. Sophomore Jim LaPenna (Bel Air, MD) and freshman Joe Amsler (Rocky Point, NY) split time in the WJU net. LaPenna took the loss (5-4) making five saves in the first half while Amsler made 11 saves and played the majority (33:32).
Melnychenko recorded five goals in a game for the second time in the Griffins last three contests; he also recovered two ground balls. Morlock hustled to five ground balls in addition to his six points, while sophomore midfielder Mark Winkelspecht (Laurys Station, PA) also had a good showing with two goals and three assists. Sophomore midfielder Alex Sabia (Conshohocken, PA) aided the victory with ten ground balls and 76.2% (16-of-21) success rate in the face-circle. Sophomore goalkeeper Dakota Maurer (Lititz, PA) made eight saves in the loss (5-3).
The men's lacrosse team remains on the road, continuing their ECC schedule with an 11:00 a.m. contest at Seton Hill University on Saturday, April 9.
