FALCONS EXPLOIT DEVILS
MISTAKES IN 12-8 WIN

COLLINS-HARTWIG REGISTERS 3 GOALS FOR RED DEVILS
FALCONS' ZOYHOFSKI IMPRESSIVE, REGISTERS 7 POINTS
DEVILS TAKE AWAY POSITIVES FROM IMPROVED OFFENSE

(CLARENCE) After a month of road games, the Red Devils returned home to face their Class A nemesis, the Frontier Falcons. Last season's 15 to 6 playoff ousting was still fresh in their minds as they took to the field hoping to knock off one of WNY best lacrosse programs. The Falcons team played a solid game, taking advantage of several Red Devils mistakes en route to a 12 to 8 win. However, the game was suprisingly close and became a testament to how very far the Clarence mens lacrosse program has come in the past couple years. Overall, the Red Devils offense played their best game, racking up eight goals against a stiff Frontier defense.

The first quarter saw back and forth action with both teams searching for some offensive rythym. The Falcons got on the board first as attackman Aaron Ward ( 3g ) blasted a shot past goalie Jeff Smith ( 4 saves ) from about 10 yards out. Frontier looked strong out of the gates as they went ahead by the score of 2 to 0 as Mark Zoyhofski ( 2g, 5 a ) fired a beautiful shot from 10 yards out. Zoyhofski, one of the top attackman in WNY, was dominant throughout the contest. The Red Devils struggled with his shiftiness and speed, as he continually buzzed around the crease creating possible scoring opportunities.

Clarence struck back on a goal by Dave Colicchia ( 1g, 1a ). Jordan Zaprowski ( 3a ) made a nice feed from behind the net as Click found a seam in the Frontier defense to hammer it home. The goal closed the Frontier lead to only one goal and helped to quell the fast Falcons start.

Frontier scored the next goal of the contest. A Clarence penalty left them man-down as Frontier's extra man offense went to work. Attackman Kyle Horton ( 2g ) fired one in past Smith off the right crease area. Horton's goal was setup off a nice pass from midfielder Matt Dunkle ( 2g, 1a ). The Falcons upped their lead to 3 to 1.

The growth of the Red Devil lacrosse program was apparent on this day. Despite the loss, Clarence continually showed that they will respond and battle any opponent they may come up against. Junior midfielder Mark Bryce ( 1g ) had one of his better games of the season, winning 13 faceoffs and collecting four groundballs. Bryce's hard work paid off as he scored the next Clarence goal on a quick bounce shot past Falcon goalie Jon Curry. Dan Barron ( 2g, 1a ) set up the play on nice pass from in back of the crease. The goal was critical for the Red Devils, and showed Frontier that this game would not be a "walk in the park" like years past. The quarter ended with the Falcons up by a score of 3 to 2.

The second quarter has been kind to Clarence throughout the 2007 season. However, the Frontier game would be the exception, as they were outscored 5 to 2. This letdown was probably the difference-maker in an otherwise even contest. Frontier got another goal from Aaron Ward. Ward sniped in his second of the game on a shot from the right crease past goalie Ryan Duff ( 7 saves). The assist went to Zoyhofski, who set up at X and fired a quick feed to Ward for the score. The Devils let things slip away a little as they picked up a slashing penalty and once again fell victim to the Falcon's EMO unit. It was Horton once again on the man-up, beating Duff with a quick-stick shot. However, the story behind this play was Zoyhofski, who made his best feed of the day, firing a skip pass through three Clarence D-poles to an awaiting Horton. Horton's goal built up a formidable three goal lead for the Falcons.

Junior captain Jordan Collins-Hartwig ( 3g ) settled down the Red Devils, scoring a timely goal to keep Clarence within reach of the high-flying Falcons. Zaprowski found Collins-Hartwig cutting his way through the Frontier defense and hit him with a quick, hard pass. Collins-Hartwig converted it into a goal, making the score 5 to 3.

The response from the Falcons came once again by Ward who scored his third and most impressive goal of the day. Ward made a nice dodge toward the net and then abruptly pulled up and fired a shot off the right side of the crease past Duff. The three goal cushion was again restored and the wild quarter of offense continued.

The Frontier defensive pairing of Justin Russ and sophomore Clay DelPrince played very well throughout, continually making it difficult for the Red Devil attack. However, the Clarence offense was playing at their best and Dan Barron would make his mark in this game. Barron played one of his strongest games of the season, scoring two goals. The quality, not quantity of Barron's goals were most impressive. Barron closed the Falcon lead to two goals, scoring on a great dodge. The Frontier defense was tight on Barron all day. However, Barron made a powerful dodge towards the net, pressing the defender and then ripping a beautiful off-hand shot past Curry. Score: Frontier 6 - Clarence 4.

The Red Devils defensive corps have played quite strong for the team in the first half of this season. However, the last moments of this second quarter were utterly forgettable, as the Falcons' Matt Dunkle scored two goals to knock the wind out of the Red Devils. The first Falcon tally came again on the extra man offense. Clarence, penalized for an illegal body check, were victimized as Dunkle bounced the ball past Duff on a quick dodge through a hole in the defense. The second Dunkle score came shortly before the half was ready to expire. Dunkle ran off from the right sideline unchallenged. Confusion among the D-poles ensued, and with no one but the goalie to beat, Dunkle rifled it home, giving the Falcons a four goal lead at the half.

This game had several notable performances by Red Devil players. Senior goalie Jeff Smith played extremely well, starting the game and stopping 4 shots against the Falcons. Smith has been very strong in net when asked to fill-in several difficult situations this season. His contributions have not been overlooked by the Clarence coaching staff. The development of the younger players have been apparent in the last couple of games. Sophomore Josh Rawdin has picked up his game and been an important factor, battling in the midfield and picking up four groundballs against Frontier. Defensman J.D. Skura has been a stalwart with his defensive pole, punishing the opponent's attackman and showing why he will be one of the top defensive players in the area before his career is over. Skura has contributed throughout the season and has become an important on-field leader .

The third quarter was all defense as both teams managed just one goal a piece. Clarence closed the gap to 8 to 5 when senior captain Jon Syty scored on a nice feed from Colicchia. The quick stick goal beat Curry and the Devils hoped to chip away at the Falcon lead. However, Frontier midfielder Jimmy Meyer popped home a feed from Zoyhofski to keep the Red Devils at bay.

The fourth quarter played out even, with both teams scoring three times. The Red Devils were awarded several opportunities in the fourth as the Falcons were assessed with six penalties. The Clarence offense failed to take advantage of a critical two man advantage late in the quarter which may have made the game a little tighter. However, credit goes to the Frontier D-poles who played strong, and limited the extra man offense to only a few shots.

The Falcons' Nick Batista scored first in the the fourth quarter. Clarence was man down due an illegal substitution penalty. Batista fired one home off the right crease after a nice feed from Zoyhofski. Barron's second goal of the day came on another great individual effort. Barron curled up from behind the net and fired a great shot past the netminder. Again the defense on Barron was extremely tight, with Dan winning the battle with his twelfth goal of the season.

Jordan Collins-Hartwig's second goal of the contest came from the right slot, ripping the shot past Curry. Dan Salvatore made the pass over to Collins-Hartwig who put it away. Collins-Hartwig has been one of the most consistent Red Devil players as of late. The junior captain has shot the ball extremely well as well as scooping up a team leading 53 ground balls on the season.

Frontier would respond with two of their own goals to curtail a possible Red Devil comeback bid. Zoyhofski's goal off a fastbreak found the Clarence defense unsettled. Dunkle got the assist, and Frontier led 11 to 7. The final score for the Falcons came from midfielder Brian Khimdowski who shot it into an open net as goalie Ryan Duff was caught chasing the Frontier attack behind the net. Collins-Hartwig would rip a 15 yard shot in from the top middle in the final moments of the contest to make it a 12 to 8 Frontier victory.

The Red Devils will play two more games this week as they entertain both Williamsville North on friday and a re-scheduled North Tonawanda game at 3:00 on saturday. We had great crowd support for our home game against Frontier. Thanks to all for coming out. Hope to see you all on friday!