GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan -- The Lake Erie men's lacrosse team traveled to Davenport on Wednesday afternoon and came away with a gritty, hard-fought win, prevailing by a score of 8-4. Tied at halftime, the Storm blanked the Panthers in the second half behind their most impressive defensive performance of the season. The victory clinches a G-MAC playoff berth for Lake Erie and improves their conference record to 6-2, tying them with Walsh for the second-best mark in the league. While Walsh currently holds the head-to-head tiebreaker for second place and the coveted first-round bye, their final matchup comes against the undefeated (7-0) Seton Hill Griffins—leaving the door open for Lake Erie to potentially leapfrog them with a win against 1-6 Tiffin on Saturday.

Game Recap

The first 15 minutes were a back-and-forth contest, as the Storm and Panthers kept exchanging goals throughout. Graduate student Joey Ellison started the Storm off strong, scoring two minutes into the contest. It took nearly six minutes, but Davenport responded with a goal of their own, followed by Lake Erie midfielder Kyle Gardner reclaiming his team's lead. The Panthers used all of 20 seconds to tie the game at two-apiece, but John Collins ended the period strong for the Storm, netting his 16th goal of the season and giving Lake Erie a 3-2 advantage.

The second period began with Joey Ellison scoring once again, marking a 4-2 lead, but midway through, Davenport rattled off back-to-back scores in just 35 seconds, tying the game at four-all. The remaining eight minutes would go scoreless on both sides, showcasing just how tightly contested the game really was. Despite 24 first-half shots, the Panthers had just four goals to show for it.

Out of halftime, Lake Erie delivered a defensive masterclass, blanking the Panthers for the final 30 minutes of action. Much like their game earlier this season against Thomas More, where the Storm led the Saints 9-8 at the break and ended up winning 12-8, Lake Erie's halftime adjustments, defensive intensity, and will to win proved to be the difference-maker, helping them secure a critical win for playoff seeding.

Robert Weil kicked off the third period with a Storm goal after four minutes of play, and then two Ellison scores in the final two minutes not only gave him four goals on the day, but gave his team a commanding 7-4 advantage heading into the final 15-minute stretch.

With 13:26 left to go, Andrew Cramer scored off a Zephaniah Scott assist, marking the final goal for either side. Gavin Conlan held it down the rest of the night in goal, saving three attempts in the final frame to solidify the victory.

Player Notes

• Goalkeeper Gavin Conlan was incredible tonight. His save percentage of 76.5% is not just his best this season, but marks his highest percent over his 24-game career. Additionally, his 13 saves increase his total to 140 on the season, good for seventh in the conference.

• Joey Ellison continued his excellent stretch of play, notching four key goals tonight. This performance marks his fifth hat trick of the season and puts him at 24 goals overall.

• Joshua Tucker led the way with ground balls, collecting five, while Lasse Litfin, Jack Allen, and Gavin Conlan each collected four.

• Nicolas Shankland, Jack Allen, and Sean Gavin each forced multiple turnovers for the Storm.

Team Notes

• Team accounting stats were relatively equal across the board, further cementing just how impressive Wednesday night's win was for Lake Erie.

• The Storm edged out Davenport in shots (39-34), shots on goal (18-17), and saves (13-10).

• Additionally, Lake Erie handily won the turnover battle 19-12, leading to eight additional successful clears.

• The hometown Panthers slightly won ground balls 31-28, thanks in large part to their standout face-off man Logan Flaherty, who leads the conference in ground balls by a margin of 40. In Wednesday's game, he won 13 of 15 faceoffs and grabbed 14 total ground balls.

• Both teams failed to convert on extra-man opportunities, with each side going 0-4.

The Matchup

Wednesday's victory puts Lake Erie on top 3-1 all-time against the Panthers. The improvement is evident, as the Storm lost to Davenport by a score of 13-5 last season.

Looking Ahead

The last remaining regular season battle for the Storm is scheduled for Saturday, April 19 at noon, when they square off at Tiffin. The Dragons are 1-6 in conference play and 2-8 overall, with wins over Felician and Davis & Elkins. Entering Saturday's matchup on a three-game losing streak, the Dragons will continue to lean on sophomores Aiden Criteser (team-high 12 goals) and Conner Gucwa (points leader with 10 assists).