THE DEVIL'S ATTACK
STRIKES BACK

BARRON BREAKS OUT WITH 5 GOALS & 3 ASSISTS
AKRON'S MIKE SMOKE GOES 3 AND 3 AGAINST DEVILS
ZAPROWSKI, COLLINS-HARTWIG AND SYTY WITH 3 GOALS APIECE
CLARENCE ATTACK ACCOUNTS FOR 9 GOALS & 7 ASSISTS

(AKRON) A beautiful and sunny Spring afternoon in Akron. All the ingredients for a great game of lacrosse. As the temperatures rose to the upper 60's in WNY, the Clarence offense awoke from their deep freeze, to cruise past the Akron Tigers 15-9 in a non league contest. A tough and stubborn Akron team played a strong game throughout, as coach Gary Sundown has greatly improved his program over the past year. Dan Barron ( 5g 3a ) and Jordan Zaprowski ( 3g 1a ) extended their birthday celebrations into Saturday, playing integral parts in the Clarence victory. Jordan Collins-Hartwig ( 3g 1a ) was all over the place once again; scoring 4 points, picking up 12 groundballs and winning 10 of 18 faceoffs. The Devils defense played well in the absence of captain Nick Robinson. Sophomores' Jared Stockwell and J.D. Skura, along with veteran junior Nick Hoffman, showed why the future looks bright for Clarence lacrosse. The three underclassmen continually prodded the potent Akron shooters into several bad angle shots. The young D- poles also showed off their athleticism, scooping up groundballs and "legging them out" of the Clarence zone repeatedly throughout the contest.

The first quarter saw back and forth action with both teams trying to establish an offensive rhythm. The home team got things started right away, scoring on a shot by midfielder Hisdee Hallett. However, the Devils regrouped and tied things up on a close range shot in front of the crease by senior captain John Syty. Syty ripped home the shot which was set up by a nice pass from Dan Barron. Not to be outdone, Akron responded on their next possession as their "big man" Justin Nanticoke fired a shot from the right slot past Ryan Duff to put the Tigers up 2 to 1.

This would be Dan Barron's breakout day. Recording a school record 18 shots, Barron barraged the Akron goalies throughout the afternoon. His first goal tied things up at two apiece, ripping a "laser" from 10 yards off the left slot. Barron's next goal came shortly after and put the Devils up 3 to 2. Barron quick-sticked the shot on a beautiful pass from Jordan Zaprowski. The Tigers fought back tying the game 3 to 3 as midfielder Shawn Bevington got into the act, ripping a center top shot from about 15 yards. Bevington, an outstanding midfielder, was a factor for the Tigers all afternoon. However, great defensive play from both Josh James and Jordan Collins-Hartwig limited him to only one point on the afternoon. With only 24 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Clarence would take the lead 4-3 and never again relinquish it back to the Tigers. Syty would tally his second of the game on a assist from Dave Colicchia.

For the second game in a row, the Devils would dominate the second quarter of play. The Clarence offensive machine ripped off 4 unanswered goals during this time to take firm control of the game. Zaprowski scored his first goal of the afternoon on a beautiful passing play. The attack all got a "touch" as Barron sent a pass to Dave Colicchia ( 1g, 3a ) who fired it over to a waiting Zaprowski, who then buried it home to make it 5 to 3. The next goal came shortly therafter as Collins-Hartwig won the faceoff and quickly ran it down into the Akron zone. On the run, he then fired a pass to an open Barron who would notch his third of the day.

Dave Colicchia scored next for Clarence. "Click" found an opening in the crease area and slapped home a rebound that would make his hockey coach proud. The goal helped the Devils pull away 7 to 3 with a short time remaining before the half. The next goal was impressive as Clarence called a timeout with less than a half minute left in the second quarter. Coach Silverstein gathered the offense together and drew up a set play for the final possession. Jordan Collins-Hartwig was the beneficiary of this one, as he tapped in a beautiful pass from Zaprowski with just 8 seconds left. The goal made it 8 to 3 at halftime.

Akron's Nick Childs would re-energize the Tigers in the second half. The attackman would score from about 5 yards outside the crease to close the Devils lead to 4 goals. Clarence bounced back on the extra man offense as Collins-Hartwig fired one in off a feed from Barron. The Devils then increased their lead to 10 to 4 as Barron scored on a 15 yard bounce shot off a nice pass from Syty.

The Devils revisited their penalty habits in the third quarter, taking four trips. The Tigers would make them pay as midfielder Mike Smoke ( 3g, 3a ) fired in his first of the day from the top center area to make the score 10 to 5. Clarence would score the next two goals as Zaprowski tapped in a nice feed from Colicchia. Not to be outdone, the middies got into the act. Jordan Collins-Hartwig made a nice feed over to Syty, who then fired a hard bounce shot past the Akron goalie.

The fourth quarter found the Tigers make a slight comeback attempt at the Devils. But first, Barron fired in his fifth and final goal of the afternoon. The goal came on the extra man offense and came off a feed from Colicchia.

The Tigers would make a run in the fourth, scoring the next four goals. Smoke got his second of the game on a laser shot that beat Jeff Smith who had replaced Duff in net. Next, Robert Buyea picked up a rebound in front of the crease and fired it home to close the gap to 13-6. On the ensuing faceoff, Smoke quickly gained possession and carried it down into the Clarence zone, firing a blast past Smith for his third goal of the game.

A slashing penalty put the Devils in a man-down situation late in the fourth. Akron middie Dustin Calavano fired in the EMO goal and cut the Clarence lead to 13-9 with several minutes remaining. However, Zaprowski would add to the Devils lead late on a big goal that quelled any hopes of a Tiger comeback. The goal was setup on a nice play at midfield by Collins-Hartwig who fired the ball down to Barron, who in turn found Zaprowski for the score. Collins-Hartwig finished off the Devils scoring on this day, taking in a nice feed from Dan Salvatore. Collins-Hartwig worked his way through the Tiger defense and fired it into the back of the net to make the final score 15-9 in favor of the Devils.

Overall, a solid effort for the Devils against a team that should win alot of games this season. The Devils midfielders were much improved in this contest, recording 31 groundballs and winning many of the one-on-one battles. Ryan Duff and Jeff Smith played well in goal. Duff recorded 4 saves and fufilled his penchant for delivering at least one bone-jarring check on the opposition's attack.

The North Tonawanda game looks to be re-scheduled for early May. Clarence has a full slate of league games this week. The Devils are in action on Monday as they take on the Class A power Niagara Wheatfield Falcons up in Sanborn. On Wednesday, they will continue on the road against Lockport. Friday will bring them home for a big game against rival Lancaster. See you there!!