Four PSU Men’s Lacrosse players named to All-LEC Team

            PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Four members of the Plymouth State University men's lacrosse team were honored Tuesday with selections to the Little East Conference All-Star Team for the 2009 season.

            All four Panthers that were honored were All-LEC Second Team selections - senior defenseman Tim Nicholson (Franklin, Mass.), junior defenseman Logan Irish (Somers, Conn.), junior long-stick midfielder Derick Smith (New London, N.H./Kearsarge) and junior midfielder Tim Hadley (New London, N.H./Kearsarge).  It is the first All-Conference honor in lacrosse for all four Panthers, and Nicholson was also First Team All-Conference in football last fall as a tight end.  

              Nicholson (near right) and Irish (far right) are two of PSU's three starting defenders, and Smith (below left) is the top defensive midfielder.  They have helped the Panther defense hold opponents to 9.4 goals per game, keeping five of its opponents to single-digit scoring.  Smith is the team leader with 46 ground balls, and Irish and Nicholson are right behind with 38 and 37, respectively.

              Hadley (near left) is the top face-off man on the team, winning 69 of 137 draws (50.4 percent).  He has also contributed 18 goals to the offense, third-most on the team, and picked up 31 ground balls.

            This group will lead the Panthers into the ECAC New England Tournament for the third year in a row.  Fourth-seeded PSU will host fifth-seeded Massachusetts Maritime Academy Wednesday at Panther Field (7:00 p.m.) in a first-round match-up. 

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