Gianforcaro, Olney, Boyden are USA Lacrosse Men's Players of the Week

This season, USA Lacrosse will celebrate the accomplishments of players across Divisions I, II and III each Tuesday with Player of the Week recognition. Players of the Week are selected by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors based on a variety of factors, including individual performance and impact on team success.

DIVISION I

MICHAEL GIANFORCARO, PRINCETON

Princeton likes to make it interesting. Last year, the Tigers failed to make the Ivy tournament but still made an NCAA Final Four berth. This year, invited to play in the Ivy tournament, Princeton made it count. The Tigers dispatched Penn and Yale, largely because of Michael Gianforcaro in the cage. He made 15 stops and allowed just eight goals in the semifinals against the Quakers, then he somehow outdid himself by making another 17 stops to beat Yale for the Ivy championship. He rightfully earned Ivy League tournament MVP honors.

DIVISION II

BRETT OLNEY, MERCYHURST

Ten first-half saves, nine more in the second half. Seton Hill outshot Mercyhurst in the GMAC Finals, but Olney was there to make sure those shots didn’t do damage. Seton Hill played a strong, clean game with a perfect mark clearing the ball and just nine turnovers, but they couldn’t solve the Mercyhurst netminder. Olney could share this honor with Shawn Doran, who lost just one faceoff in each quarter en route to an 18-for-22 day.

DIVISION III

JACK BOYDEN, TUFTS

If collecting Player of the Week awards was actually a skill, you could add it to Boyden’s stat line. But there isn’t enough room in the book for another stat when Boyden plays. Another eight points in the NESCAC title game against Middlebury brought his season total to 139.