Fort Lewis Skyhawks Prepare for a Championship Season

The skyhawks end a great fall ball season at 3-1 with just a heartbreaking loss to Grand Canyon University in Arizona.  Armed with a new head coach and a new group of quality freshman, the Fort looks to win an RMLC championship and make a deep run at the national title.  The Fort has reshaped the face of the team after the worst season the Skyhawks have had in the past 3 years at 6-5.  With the rejuvenated returners and a new team identity taking form during the fall, Fort Lewis could have one of the most promising seasons in recent memory.  Watch for them to reclaim a spot as one of the elite of the country.

Zane Bilgrav takes the reigns of the Skyhawks  as the head coach for the upcoming 2010 season.  Zane comes from a rich background in lacrosse with an incredible list of accomplishments as a player and coach.  Zane spent the last several years building the Durango high school lacrosse program with a panel of other coaches.  As a record setting attackman at Colorado College, Zane is sure to give the Skyhawks back the offensive potency they lacked a season ago.  Moreover with being an offensive professor he brings a great deal of discipline and overall successful team scheme to the campus in the sky.  With these weapons at his fingertips Zane is sure to help bring a conference title and great national recognition for Fort Lewis College.

The Fort returns a core of players that could match up with any program in the country.  Armed with a great senior class in: Adam Allen who tallied 2 goals, 2 assists last year and a defensive presence to be reckoned with.  Andy Grenhart that stepped into an attack role last year notching 44 points for the hawks.  Kellen Seitz brings leadership and a never back down attitude to the midfield and is prepared to make a career season topping his 13 points last year.  Lastly leading the senior class is all-American and RMLC offensive player of the year Dan Riecks.  As 2010 approaches, Dan is expecting to bring a championship back to Durango; he closes his outstanding career and expects to top his 36 points from the midfield in 2009.

Following a great looking senior class comes the leadership from the players that make up the majority of the team.  Offensively Matt Lindsley, a junior led the Skyhawks from attack with 46 points.  Sophomore Kevin Harkey will be one of the outstanding players for 2010 from the midfield and attack bringing in 40 points from 2009.  Matt Dacey and Josh Deguzman, sophomores, will be looked to for the intangibles to top of the offensive side of the skyhwaks.  Defensively the Skyhwaks return the entire defense that was able to disrupt all offenses during the 2009 season.  Sean Claussen comes into this year as what seems to be the most anticipated goalie to watch in the RMLC.  Sean had 132 saves last season with some game winning performances that will be highly valuable coming into 2010.  Mike Kelly, the sophomore stand out who was thrown into college lacrosse after surgery gets his chance to make his healthy run at a title.  Jon Bock, 2^nd team all conference defense, opens this season as one of the most valuable assets to the Fort.  Lastly Matt Cawley, all-American junior, will have the most ambitious season of his career to take the skyhawks into greatness.

The freshman Skyhawks that teams across the country will be looking out for include: Fred Waddle from Colorado Springs, Drew Larson from Columbine high school, Ian Hays from Centennial, and Brian Ourlser representing Grandview high school, Luke Blacketer, and Durango native Aaron Blue.  More than just bringing in a spectacular freshman class he Fort returns some true talent after a year off.  Erik Johnson who was an all-American attackman two seasons ago will spend his last year in the hunt for the title along with Cullen Bilgav and Zach Young.   Both of which will be bringing leadership and a high level of confidence to Fort Lewis.

The Skyhawks will begin the 2010 season with one goal in mind; to win a national title.  Watch for the Skyhawks to make a fun filled and memory-making season to tap off something special in Durango.  Thank you to all of those who will support us!

Skyhawks Finish Season with a Bang. Defeat Regis University 26-1 on the Road.

The Fort closed out their regular season on a high note, dismantling the Regis University Rangers 26-1 in Denver. Dan Riecks led the way with 10 points (5G, 5A). 13 of the 16 players for FLC recorded points. Andy Grenhart finished with 7 G, 1 A. Kellen Seitz had a great game as well, scoring 2 goals and dishing out three assists. Scoring also came from Pat McGrath (3A, 10 Gb’s, 16 of 22 faceoffs), Matt Lindsley (2G, 1A), Will Delgrosso (2G), Matt dacey (2G), Josh Deguzman (1G, 2A), Defenseman Matt Cawley (1G, 1A, 13 GB’s), D Mike Kelly (1A), Kevin Harkey (3G) and Adam Allen (1G). Regis was held without a shot the entire 2nd and 3rd quarters. Sean Claussen made 4 saves, allowing one goal towards the end of the 4th quarter. With the win, Fort Lewis finishes the regular season with a 6-5 record, and the #2 seed for the RMLC Playoffs. In a rematch of last years first round playoff game, The Hawks will meet Montana State Univerisity Thursday in Boulder, CO. The winner will take on the UNC Bears.

Fort Lewis Keeps it Close for a Half. Fall to UNC Bears 17-9

This game was close for a half. UNC outscored the Hawks 10-2 in the second half to take the 17-9 win. Fort Lewis was plagued by penalties, allowing 5 man down goals. After the Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead, FLC fought back down one goal after the first quarter. With 6:43 left in the 2nd, FLC took their first lead of the game on an unassisted goal by Andy Grenhart (2G, 2A). Two minutes later the Skyhawks would take a two goal advantage when Matt Lindsley (1G, 3A) found Kevin Harkey (4G) in front. That would be the last Skyhawk goal scored until 1:22 left in the third. UNC would tie the score 7-7 going into the half. 30 seconds into the third the Bears would take the lead and not look back, outscoring the Hawks 5-1 in each of the remaining quarters. Dan Riecks added one goal and 3 ground balls. Pat McGrath was 13 of 25 at the X (52%), scored a goal, and picked up 13 groundballs. Sean Claussen played well making 22 saves. The loss evened FLC’s record to 5-5 on the season. Up next is a RMLC game vs Regis University in Denver.

Skyhawks Win in Dramatic Fashion. Harkey’s Goal with :25 Seconds Left Seals the Deal.

Kevin Harkey’s (3G) goal with :25 secs left seals the deal and the 11-10 victory over Utah Valley. With the win, the Hawks 4th in a row, they secure the #2 RMLC Playoff spot, while UVU is knocked out of the playoffs. FLC took a 8-5 halftime advantage, only to be outscored in the 3rd quarter 4 to 1, starting the 4th tied at 9. The Fort would take the lead with 10:52 left in the game from a goal by Cade Carlson (1G, 2A) on a feed from Matt Lindsley (2G, 1A. UV would answer back on an EMO goal 2 and half minutes later. FLC, thanks in large part to the stellar 4th quarter performance of their goali Sean Claussen (16 svs , 10 GA), was able to fend off several chance by the Wolverines in the closing minutes of the game. This included successfully killing several man up opportunities, including a 6 on 4. With under a minute, the Skyhawks had some chances, but threw the ball out of bounds, turning it over. UVU, coming off a time out had to clear the ball and score to avoid overtime. Kevin Harkey read the play and forced the turnover by the Utah goali outside the box, scooped up the ball, ran it in and buried it with 25 secs remaining. Pat McGrath (1G, 1A, 11 GB’s) won 8 of 17 faceoffs while playing valuable minutes, including the crucial penalty kills at the end of the game. Dan Riecks (1G, 2A, 5 GB’s), Matt Dacey (1G), and Andy Grenhart (1G) also got in on the scoring. Will Delgrosso scored his first collegiate goal with a nifty spin dodge from up top. Matt Cawley Led the team with 13 ground balls.

This was the Hawks 4th game this season decided by 1 goal. The win put FLC up over the .500% mark at 5-4 for the season. Up next are the last two regular season games for the Fort, a meeting with #8 ranked University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Friday night, and a Saturday afternoon game against Regis University in Denver.

Fort Wins Third Straight with 10-7 Victory over Metro State. Evens Record to 4-4

The #16 Skyhawks continued to turn their season around, winning for the third straight game against #22 Metro state 10-7 at home. Kevin Harkey (1G, 2A), Dan Riecks (1G, 2A) and Andy Grenhart (2G, 1A) led the team with three points each. Cade Carlson (2G), playing his first game back in two seasons was solid with two goals, while team leading scorer Matt Lindsley also notched two goals. Defenseman Mike Kelly scored his first of the year, a empty netter from mid field with one second left in the quarter. Senior Captain Pat McGrath added one goal while grabbing 10 ground balls and winning 16 of 21 faceoffs. Matt Cawley continued to gobble up ground balls, scooping 12. The game ball went to goali Sean Claussen (15 saves, 7 GA) who played his best game of the year so far, closing the door on several great scoring chances for Metro State. Up next for FLC is RMLC West Region foe Utah Valley. A win for FLC and they are the #2 seed for the playoffs and UVU is out. A Skyhawk lose and UVU is #1 seed and the Fort takes the #3 spot.

Skyhawks Take Down Mountaineers in the Snow

Fort Lewis traveled through a snow storm to get their second win in two days, a 23-5 victory over Western State College. A game that was played in conditions ranging from driving snow, sun, wind and rain, Fort Lewis started slow, feeling the fatigue of the 6 hr drive, going down 4-1. After a timeout, the Hawks regrouped and went on a 4-0 run to lead 5-4 after 1. FLC would only allow Western one more goal for the game holding them to five and shutting them out the 2nd half. Matt Lindsley (5G, 3A) and Andy Grenhart (5G, 3A)led the Hawks in scoring. Pat McGrath was on fire once again winning 27 of 31 faceoffs (87%) while scoring 3 and assisting on 2 others. 12 of the 15 players for the Fort had points. Dan Riecks, Kevin Harkey, and Matt Dacey each finished with 2 goals 2 assists.Adam Allen (1G 1A), Josh DeGuzman (2G), Stephen Boenning (1G), and Kellen Seitz round out the scoring. Matt Cawley (2A, 16 GB’s), Jon Bock (GB’s), Mike Kelly (5 GB’s) and Steve Matt held western to 1 shot on goal the second half.

Fort Lewis Wins Thriller in Double OT vs Northern Arizona

Fort Lewis wins 14-13 in double overtime. Kellen Seitz (1G, 1A) hit Matt Lindsey (5G 1A) in front for the game winner. Sean Claussen was huge in the second half and OT with 12 of his 16 saves. Pat McGrath had his best scoring game of the year with 5 goals while winning 13 of 23 face offs and grabbing 10 ground balls. Andy Grenhart (2G, 3A) and Dan Riecks (1G, 3 A)round out the scoring. Matt Cawley led the team with 11 GB’s while anchoring the D along with Jon Bock (3 GB’s) Mike Kelly (3 GB’s) and LSM Steve Matt (6 GB’s). This win takes the #15 ranked Skyhawk’s record to 2-4. Up next is a Saturday game vs RMLC West region foe Western State in Gunnison

Hawks Lose by One in Last Minute To Westminster College

Skyhawks lose another close one when Westminster scores with 1:17 left in the game to break a 6-6 tie. This game, a rematch of last years RMLC DII final was close throughout, with a couple of lead changes. Andy Grenhart led the Hawks with 4 goals, while Freshman Kevin Harkey had 2 goals 2 assists. Matt Lindsley added three assists. Sundays game vs the University of Utah was canceled due to a snow storm. FLC will have a weekend off and then face RMLC DII West region foe Northern Arizona April 10 in Durango.

Peter Gavinksi was solid in the net for FLC as a last minute replacement for normal Skyhawk goalie Sean Claussen. Pete made 17 saves while allowing 7 goals in his first action of the year.

Skyhawks Fall to Utah State in OT

Utah Sate scored to tie just as time ran out in the fourth quarter. In overtime, Fort missed several opportunities to score early. Utah State eventually put in the golden goal for the win. Skyhawk junior Andy Grenhart led the team with four goals. Senior Pat McGrath went 19 of 21 at the face-off x, creating ample possessions for Fort Lewis. The Skyhaws travel to Salt Lake City next.

Skyhawks Run Out of Gas Against Biola

Playing their 3rd game in 4 days proved to be a little much for the 13 man Skyhawk squad which made the spring break trip to California. FLC was just never able to get over the hump and take the lead. After being down 5-4 at half time, The Hawks tied the score 5-5, eventully ending the third quarter down one 9-8. The Fort’s Captain and ground ball leader Pat McGrath (11 of 20 faceoffs, 11 GB’s) won the 1st faceoff of the fourth, but despite a sustained offensive posession and several opportunities to tie the score, FLC just could not capitalize. Biloa scored on a fast break and eventually went on to the 12-9 victory. Matt Lindsley led the team with 5 goals. Freshman Kevin Harkey continued his scoring trend contributing 3 assists and 2 goals. Dan Riecks (2 A, 2 GB), Andy Grenhart (2G, 2 GB), and Adam Allen (1 A) finished out the scoring. Matt Cawley (7GB), Mike Kelly (5 GB), and Jon Bock (2GB) played solid D infront of goalie Sean Claussen (11svs, 12 GA). Kellen Seitz (2 GB), Josh DeGuzman (2GB) and Matt Dacey contributed off the bench. This loss gives the Hawks a record of 1-2 for the season. Up next is a home game Saturday night in Durango vs Conference foe Utah State.