Montana Takes PNCLL Tournament Title to Clinch National Tournament Berth

Caldwell, ID - The Montana Grizzlies Lacrosse Team took part in the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) Tournament over the weekend at Simplot Stadium on the Campus of the College of Idaho. The twelfth ranked Grizzlies entered the four team field looking to punch their ticket to the MCLA National Championship presented by New Balance by winning the tournament crown. After a convincing 18-7 victory over Northwest Nazarene in semi-final action Saturday, the Grizzlies would turn their attention to the Yotes of the College of Idaho who advanced to the final with a win over Western Washington. 

The Yotes entered the contest Sunday with an unblemished 10-0 mark. The College of Idaho also boasted the number 1 ranking in the latest MCLA Division II Coaches Poll that was released Wednesday. Behind an offensive effort that would never waver, Montana found a way to take down the number one ranked team in the land to earn the PNCLL Tournament Crown by a final tally of 13-12. The win for Montana secured their first PNCLL Tournament title since 2017. 

The College of Idaho would set the tone in the opening quarter of action taking an early 2-0 lead behind three goals from former All-American attackman Casey Davies. Despite the quick start, Montana would find an answer in the quarter thanks to a 4-0 scoring run to close the quarter with a 5-3 advantage

After entering the halftime break tied at 5, Montana’s offense would find some breathing room thanks to a 6 goal quarter. The Grizzlies would lead by as many as 4 goals in the quarter. It would be the largest deficit The College of Idaho  had faced to that point in the season. The Yotes did close the quarter with a pair of goals however to cut the Montana lead to 2 at 11-9. 

The College of Idaho would do all they could to close the gap tallying 3 goals in the final stanza. The Grizzlies would do just enough down the stretch in the final quarter holding the Yotes scoreless in the final 8 minutes of regulation to earn the 1 goal win. The 13 goals allowed by the College of Idaho would be the most they had allowed to any opponent this season. 

The offense for Montana flourished thanks to a balanced attack that saw 8 different players find the back of the net. Brody Stevens, Eric Frazier, Gavin Yeomans, and Miles Hess each scored 2 goals apiece in the win to lead the charge. Senior Captains Trent Tubbs, and Luke Johnson also would chip in finishing with one goal each in the victory. 

A defining moment of the season for Montana came on March 12 when these same Votes embarrassed the Grizzlies on their home field in Missoula in a deflating 19-6 defeat. However, the Grizzlies would not let that loss define the season as Montana would finish 9-2 in their final 11 games.  Montana head coach Tucker Sargent was thrilled with how his team reacted to that loss and worked hard down the stretch to earn a National Championship berth. 

“So proud of these players, All 36 of them earned this championship,” Sargent said. “They worked hard every day from our first fall practices back in September through snow and ice in January to today. College of Idaho is a great team and it was a group effort to beat the #1 nationally ranked team. Them beating us in March was the best thing that happened to this team. It made them hungry and embarrassed. Today's win has a lot to do with the fire that was ignited after that game. Not a lot of people outside our coaches and players thought that we could win this game but our guys have slowly been building to this moment and it’s nice to get a positive result. I hope both teams do well in Round Rock and represent the PNCLL well.”

Montana (14-5) will now head to the 2022 MCLA National Championships Presented by New Balance which is scheduled to take place from May 9-14 in Round Rock, Texas. The Grizzlies enter the tournament with a #6 seed and will face #11 seeded Florida Gulf Coast in the opening round of action on Monday May 9. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time. 

The Grizzlies will surely enter the national tournament with confidence having won each of their last 6 games to wrap up the season. There is no saying where the journey at Nationals will take Montana. But a win over the number one team in the country sure seems like a good starting point.