For the first time in NSCLA history, a team from the midwest has won the National Championship. True Lacrosse Michigan’s 2012/13 squad, led by rising senior faceoff specialist Alex Hrapkiewicz of Holt, defeated the #2 and #1 seeds in the final two rounds to capture the crown.
True Lacrosse Michigan Captures NSCLA Championship
Here’s the recap of the final game:
The first half was a wavering battle as both teams found the net but True again found themselves ahead at halftime leading 4-2. The second half was marked by impressive goaltending from Tate Ferris (Northview 2012) who stonewalled several Roadhawk shooters including an impressive off hip split save from a Roadhawk midfielder #14 as he dodged from up top. Faceoffs would again prove to be the key factor as CNY tried using a long pole to stand up and battle FOGO Alex Hrapkiewicz (Holt 2012) for the groundball. This strategy would prove fruitless as the Roadhawks began to rack up penalty minutes keeping True on the offensive end. True capitalized on the advantages with 8 different players scoring offensively en route to a 10-5 victory that shocked many at the tournament. Never had a Midwestern team won the event, let alone in such convincing fashion.
Goalies Tate Ferris and Matt Henry split Defensive MVP honors, while Dylan Swanson took home the Offensive MVP.