Lenoir-Rhyne’s dream season will continue into the NCAA Division II Men’s national championship game — the Bears’ first appearance in the final in program history.

Before Lenoir-Rhyne could book its ticket to Hartford, it had to get past South Atlantic Conference rival Wingate for a second time this season. Thanks to six goals and an assist from star attackman Eric Dickinson, the Bears pulled away for a comfortable 18-10 win over the Bulldogs in the NCAA semifinals.

Four different scorers helped Lenoir-Rhyne, playing at home in front of a raucous crowd, jump out to a 4-1 lead at the end of the first quarter. Dickinson had two goals in the second quarter, a back-and-forth period that saw the Bears emerge with an 8-4 halftime lead.

Toron Eccleston and Dickinson combined for a three-goal run out of the break to give Lenoir-Rhyne plenty of breathing room at 11-4 early in the third quarter. Bobby Padden cut the Wingate deficit to four goals with 2:08 left in the third, but a four-goal Lenoir-Rhyne run sealed the victory.

Lenoir-Rhyne goalie Noah Johnson had 12 saves in the winning effort.

Le Moyne Back in Title Game for the First Time Since 2016

Le Moyne overcome an early deficit against a determination Mercyhurst team to advance to its 10^th NCAA Division II championship game in program history.

Matt Hutchings had a team-high seven points on two goals and five assists to lead the Dolphins to the 11-9 victory over the Lakers.

Third-seeded Mercyhurst tallied the game’s first two goals thanks to Nicholas Mabe and Nathan Grenon. Hutchings, Evan Kelly and Devin Andrews answered with a three-goal run to give Le Moyne a 3-2 lead early in the second period.

Grenon scored his second goal with 50 seconds left in a back-and-forth second quarter, giving Merychurst the 5-4 halftime lead. He added another coming out of halftime, but Le Moyne found the offensive momentum soon after.

Zach Pierce and Ben McCreary each scored multiple goals in a six-goal Dolphins’ run that lasted over 15 minutes, allowing Le Moyne to take a commanding 10-6 lead with 10:33 left in the game. Just 26 seconds and a faceoff win later, Bryce Johnson scored to kickstart a three-goal Mercyhurst run over the course of less than two minutes.

The Lakers had a few chances to tie the game, but two turnovers led to a Jake Nelson goal with 5:02 remaining — the final goal and the dagger for Mercyhurst’s hopes.