Dickinson, ND - The University of Montana Lacrosse team made a trek east to the plains of North Dakota over the weekend for a pair of games against North Dakota State University, and St John’s on the Campus of Dickinson State University. Boasting a number twelve ranking in the latest New Balance MCLA Coaches Poll, the Grizzlies would look to make a statement against a pair of strong opponents from the Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference. Behind a balanced offensive attack and solid goalkeeping, Montana was able to do just that with two strong victories over the Bison, and the Johnnies.
The eleventh ranked Bison of North Dakota State University would provide Montana with their first test of the weekend on Saturday afternoon. It would be a game that was controlled by the Grizzlies from the start as Montana would get on board first, and would never relinquish the lead from that point on. Montana led by as many as six goals in the first half and would close the half with a 6-2 advantage. NDSU would close the gap behind a 4-goal push in the final stanza cutting the Grizzlies advantage to 2 in the game’s final minutes. However, it would prove to not be enough as Montana would prevail in a 9-7 victory.
A balanced offensive attack would lead the way for the Grizzlies as numerous players would get in on the act. Peter Curran, Eric Frazier, Brody Stevens, and Trent Tubbs would all tally 2 goals each in the win for Montana. Freshman Gavin Yeoumans would also chip in finishing with a goal, and an assist. Hunter Heaston would also have a sensational afternoon in goal finishing with 17 saves in the win. The Colorado native has been outstanding in his last 3 games specifically finishing with 45 saves in that span to go along with a save percentage of 72.1 %.
Montana would wrap up action on Sunday opposite Saint John’s looking to end the weekend with another victory. The Johnnies would be the team to draw first blood in the opening quarter taking a 1-0 lead. That would prove to not be a sign of things to come however as the Grizzlies would outscore SJU 13-1 the rest of the way to cruise to a 13-2 victory.
The balanced offense of the Grizzlies would once again tell the story as 6 different players would finish with at least 1 goal in the contest. Curran, Frazier, Stevens, and Miles Hess all would finish with a pair of goals. Tubbs finished with a game-high 4 goals in the victory to wrap what was a fantastic weekend. The Southern California product finished with 6 goals in the two victories for Montana and is now tied for the team lead in goals on the season with 25.
Montana (10-5) will now shift their attention to their final regular season games of 2022 back in the Garden City. Montana will host Central Washington on Friday April 15 in their first of two games of the week. Action is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday April 16, the Grizzlies will then host their final home game of the season opposite Western Washington. The opening face off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Both games will take place inside Washington Grizzly Stadium. Admittance into the game is free for children under 13, and for UM Students. Tickets are also available for only $10 dollars for the general public. You can also stream the games live on grizlax.com/videos.