M. Lax | Goals before Graduation

Wearing the Red and Blue jerseys for the final time Saturday, M. Lax's seniors played a game they won't soon forget.

The Quakers got all but two of their goals from the graduating class and held off Army in the fourth quarter for an 11-10 victory.

"We were absolutely all about going out and having fun today," senior goalkeeper Greg Murray said. "Last game of our careers - no regrets."

And Penn (5-8) played like it, rattling off 12 shots in the first quarter as co-captain Craig Andrzejewski set the tone with a score in the first two minutes.

Classmate Casey O'Rourke added a goal of his own at the six-minute mark, and sophomore Morgan Griff notched another shortly thereafter to put Penn up 3-0 after the first period.

But the Black Knights (6-10) fought back, trimming the lead to one after three scores in the second left the Quakers up just 4-3 at the half.

"Our defense played great," Murray said. "They held it down until the offense got it going in the second half."

That didn't take long, as senior Garvey Heiderman scored twice after intermission before two minutes had ticked off the clock.

From then on, the Red and Blue withstood seven scores from the Knights - including two in the waning minutes - by matching them nearly goal-for-goal down the stretch.

"We won some key faceoffs at the end and when we didn't we got some key stops," coach Brian Voelker said.

Integral to the defensive effort was Murray. The senior goalie from Thornton, Pa., notched 17 saves in his final game as a member of the Quakers, leading his squad to its second-consecutive victory over the Knights.

"He played great. . His play inspired everyone," Heiderman said.

Heiderman and Andrzejewski both had hat tricks for the Quakers, with Andrzejewski adding four assists.

Also contributing from the class of 2009 were J.J. Lian and Drew Lassiter on the defensive end and Drew Collins and Alex Weber on the offensive end, who both chipped in key fourth-quarter goals to keep Penn on top.

Though the Quakers were out-shot, 42-31, and committed 18 turnovers to the Knights' 14, they made the plays they needed to, winning 13 of 25 faceoffs and cashing in on both man-up opportunities.

Though Penn couldn't muster a .500 season, it won four of the final six games as the senior class carried the team on its back.

Five of the Quakers' top six points scorers were seniors, and the Class of 2009 scored 76 of the team's 109 goals (69.7 percent).

"Over four years you know when it's gut-check time," Heiderman said. "And we realized that today and just wanted to make the most out of it."

Murray agreed that a win was the only fitting way to go out.

"Great way to end our careers. It's going to be a great memory someday," he said.

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