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Playoff Games: Japan – Netherlands | Czechia – Germany | Ireland – Australia | Israel – Finland
Placement Games: Belgium – China | Hong Kong, China – Chinese Taipei | Puerto Rico – Poland | Austria – Switzerland | Jamaica – U.S. Virgin Islands | Italy – Greece | Scotland – Hungary | Slovakia – Mexico
Japan – Netherlands
Japan defeated the Netherlands 12-9 in the first round of the men’s box championship playoffs to continue its undefeated campaign in Utica.
Hiroki Kanaya led the way offensively for Japan with four goals and four assists. Russel Bollinger also chipped in four goals and an assist.
After falling behind 6-4 early in the second quarter, Japan scored five straight goals over the course of the game to take a 9-6 lead, including two apiece from Bollinger and Kanaya.
Logan Schmidt cut the deficit to 10-9 for the Netherlands with just under five minutes to play, but two more goals for Japan iced a hard-fought contest.
Graham Bergsma recorded three goals and an assist for the Netherlands, and Hidde Wesseler and Joost van der Hors each added two goals. The Netherlands was out-scored 6-3 in the second half and 3-0 in the third quarter.
Japan out-shot Germany 55-32. Soya Tokumasa saved 23 shots for Japan, and Sam Haines saved 43 for the Netherlands.
Japan will play Canada, the first overall seed in the playoffs, on Thursday at 10 a.m in the quarterfinals. The Netherlands will play Germany on Friday.
Czechia – Germany
Czechia took down Germany 11-5 in the first round of the men’s box championship playoffs on Wednesday with an entrenched defensive showing.
“We kept up the tempo we had been trying to maintain the whole tournament,” said Czechia’s Jan Fiser. “Their goalie surprised us and it took us a while to score on him but in the end it worked out.”
After trailing 3-1 early in the second quarter, Czechia, led by three goals from Tomas Knotek, scored five unanswered to take a 6-3 lead with under three minutes left in the third quarter and did not look back.
Czechia outshot Germany by 11 and Viktor Blaha handled nearly everything thrown his way, facing 39 shots and saving 34.
“Our subbing was really important to prevent fast breaks and our strong defense got it done,” said Fiser. “We focused on getting back the most.”
Knotek tallied six goals for Czechia, and five players found the back of the net once. Lukas Kucera recorded three assists, and four players finished with two.
Germany’s leading goal scorer, Paul Nöring, connected twice and finished with two assists. The team saw three other players net one, including Lasse Volquardsen, who added three assists.
Keegan Lutsch-Melenychuk of Germany saved 39 out of 50 shot.
Czechia will face England, the fourth overall seed, in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Germany will take on the Netherlands in placement play on Friday.
Ireland – Australia
Ireland outdueled Australia, 12-11, in one of the best games of the men’s box championship so far that sent Ireland through to the quarterfinals.
While Ireland led 5-3 at halftime, the two teams traded dazzling displays of creativity and shotmaking in a breathless second half.
Australia led 9-8 and 11-9 in the fourth quarter, but Ireland exploded for a three-goal run in less than two minutes in the fourth quarter to grab the 12-11 lead.
From there, Ireland managed the game expertly and got a few crucial saves to hang on for the win.
Patrick Corbett amassed four goals and three assists for the Irish while Brian Gillis had a goal and six assists.
Brenden O’Sullivan and Luke Coppinger added four points each while goalkeeper Devlin Shanahan made 38 saves.
Jesse Whinnen and Matt helped Australia nearly pull off the upset with seven and five points. Colin Jeffrey made 41 saves.
Ireland will take on the United States in the quarterfinals while Australia will move into placement play against Finland on Friday.
Israel – Finland
Israel surged late to deny a Finland comeback effort for a thrilling 17-16 win in the first round of the playoffs.
“We talk about owning your role and the team, the team the team,” said Israel’s Ian Kadish. “We all focused in our role in that moment and it worked out for us. We’re lucky to have veteran leaders that haven’t just been in World Lacrosse championships, also Euro and box championships, which can be a different beast.”
Israel led 10-6 in the first half and 13-7 in the second half, and was generally dominating possessions and freeing its attackers up to score.
But Finland locked in the second half on the power play with five of its goals coming with an advantage, and the Finns tied the game at 14-14 with just over seven minutes to go.
Israel didn’t panic and found two quick goals to recapture the lead and the momentum in the game. Finland cut it to one, but Jean Luc-Chetner restored the two goal lead with a crucial strike within the final three minutes.
Finland still wouldn’t quit and got within one with 30 seconds to play, but Israel won the ensuing faceoff and forced Finland into a desperate heave with no time left to hang on for the win.
In the end, Israel’s balanced attacking five helped power the win, with Parker Pipher, Zach Pall, Brendan Lundy, Jean-Luc Chetner and Beau Chetner all recording four or more points.
“One thing we talk about as Israel Lacrosse as a whole is ‘b’yachad,’ which means together,” said Kadish. “These tournaments come pretty fast at you, and we’ve improved game to game with our b’yachad. The games are long and challenging and it really felt like we took a nice step of not getting too high or too low, just b’yachad, staying together the whole time.”
Brett Kujala and Roope Jokela went off for Finland with 12 points and nine points respectively as the Finns nearly pulled off the stunning comeback. Lauri Uusitalo also made 43 saves.
Israel moves on the quarterfinals, where it will take on the Haudenosaunee.
Finland will face Australia in placement play on Friday.
Belgium – China
Led by five goals and two assists from Ben Stewart, China picked up its first win at the World Lacrosse Box Championships with a 16-12 victory over Belgium.
Belgium jumped out to a 6-1 first-quarter lead, but China’s offense got going, and a goal by Stewart at the 24-minute mark cut China’s deficit to 8-7. Belgium answered back with two goals in the final five minutes of the first half and held a 10-7 lead at the break.
The beginning of the second half was all China, as it scored four straight goals, including one on the power play by Chris Dong, to take an 11-10 lead seven minutes in the third.
Belgium responded with two goals and led 12-11 just over 30 seconds into the fourth quarter.
But the game’s last five goals belonged to China, including two from Dong, who finished with four.
China goalie Ben Thibault recovered from a slow start, finishing with 50 saves on 62 shots. Branko Van den Wildenbergh of Belgium saved 42 out of 58 shots.
China will face Chinese Taipei on Thursday and Belgium will face Hong Kong.
Hong Kong, China – Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei shocked Hong Kong, China, 14-13, in a back-and-forth thriller for its first win at the men’s box championship.
While Hong Kong was a day removed from a tough play-in battle against Germany, Chinese Taipei was the 28th overall seed after pool play and claimed its first win against a Hong Kong team seeded 12th.
Dennis Jack Burns starred for Chinese Taipei with five goals, including the game-tying and winning goals in the final three and a half minutes. Burns also recorded four assists.
No team led by more than two goals except for Chinese Taipei’s brief 4-2 lead early in the game.
Jalen Chaster (three goals and five assists) and Corbyn Tao (five goals and two assists) stood out or Hong Kong in an effort that came up just short. Chaster found the back of the net to give his team a 13-12 lead with just over five minutes left before Burns’ two goals to end the game.
Zong-Yi Shen protected the net for Chinese Taipei despite being outshot 48-39, finishing with 35 saves. In net for Hong Kong, China, Pak Long Chan saved 25 of 38 shots.
Chinese Taipei will face China in placement play while Hong Kong will face Belgium.
Puerto Rico – Poland
Poland defeated Puerto Rico, 17-1, behind six goals and two assists from Chris Crapanzano to pick up its first win at the men’s box championship.
Poland did not look back after jumping out to a 3-0 lead after five minutes. The team led at the end of every quarter, including a 10-4 halftime advantage.
Tyler Kolodka and Jan Mikolaj Smigiel each recorded hat-tricks for Poland, and Preston Stewart added two goals and three assists. Goalie David Zajac faced 56 shots and saved 45.
On Puerto Rico’s side, Brandon Perkins and Will Rivera each connected with the back of the net twice, and Steven Ramirez added a goal and two assists. Goalie Michael Riomao saved 26 of 43 shots.
Poland will play Italy in placement play while Puerto Rico will play Greece on Thursday.
Austria – Switzerland
After overcoming a 5-0 first-quarter deficit, Austria snuck by Switzerland 10-9 for its second win in the men’s box championship.
Klaus Hauer found the back of the net with just under two minutes to play, giving Austria the win after a rollercoaster fourth quarter.
Four players scored for Austria: Hauer (2 goals, 3 assists), Gerhard Probst (4 goals, 1 assist), Josh Dawick (3 goals, 2 assists), and Adrian Balasch (1 goal, 2 assists). Andre Sucher recorded two assists, and Marvin Lerch finished with one.
On the Switzerland side, Matthew Trautman and Lukas Heri each recorded a hat-trick, and Heri added an assist. Patrick Brunner finished with two goals and an assist, and Sebastian Heri recorded three assists.
Stephan Lorenz held down the net for Austria, saving 52 out of 61 shots. Sven Baeriswyl saved 37 of 47 shots for Switzerland.
Austria will face Slovakia in placement play on Thursday while Switzerland will take on Mexico.
Jamaica – U.S. Virgin Islands
49 seconds into overtime, Phillip Melecio of the U.S. Virgin Islands secured a hat-trick and gave his country a 19-18 win over Jamaica.
It was an emotionally charged contest between both sides that featured a lengthy injury delay.
The two teams traded runs all game and the final five minutes and 15 seconds were no exception. Jamaica netted three unanswered to take a 17-16 lead with just over four minutes left in regulation.
After two goals by the USVI to regain the lead and a game-tying goal by Tanner Sims of Jamaica with under 30 seconds left, the contest went to OT, where the USVI was victorious.
Dante Poli influenced the game for the USVI with five goals and four assists. Melecio and Matt Williams each added hat-tricks, and Ryan Cochran finished with two goals and four assists. In net, Patrick Crosby saved 28 shots.
On Jamaica’s side, Sims tallied seven goals and an assist, and Damon Edwards recorded five assists to go with a hat-trick. Seven other Jamaican players scored goals, including two from Jemar Pottinger. Jacob Thompson made 28 saves.
The USVI picked up its second win in Utica and will face Scotland on Thursday in placement play. Jamaica will take on Hungary.
Italy – Greece
Italy overcame a tough test from Greece with a perfect fourth quarter to win 15-9 on Wednesday.
Coming off a physical match with the Netherlands on Tuesday, Italy faced everything it could handle from Greece, who stayed within three goals the entire match and cut the lead to 10-9 with a goal in the last second of the third quarter.
But Italy shifted gears and star forward Lucas Dudemaine scored four of Italy’s goals in a 5-0 final frame to secure the win.
Dudemaine finished with a spectacular five goals and four assists. Mitchell Zulian added five points and Lucchesi had four.
Sameul Crispo was strong in net again for Italy with 45 saves on an 83% save percentage.
Ethan Hughes had four points for Greece while Demetre Crews recorded three.
Italy will take on Poland in placement play while Greece faces Puerto Rico.
Scotland – Hungary
Scotland rebounded from the play-in round on a day’s rest to put away Hungary, 17-7, in placement play.
Scotland wasted no time on Wednesday and jumped out to a 9-1 lead at halftime that it did not relinquish.
Thom Gilbrook had the finishing touch for the Scots with six goals, and Chris Cowieson added two goals and three assists. Jake Gilmour and Zac Milne both chipped in four points.
Craig Mcfeeters made 38 saves with an 84% save percentage.
Nathan Twisk tallied six points for Hungary.
Scotland is set to face the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday while Hungary is slated to play Jamaica.
Slovakia – Mexico
Slovakia handled Mexico for an 18-7 win in the last game of placement play on Wednesday.
After the first 20 minutes, Slovakia went on an 8-0 run to lead 14-4 in the third quarter en-route to the win.
Alec Simons and Jackson Suboch both tallied seven points for Slovakia and Thomas Jeck added six.
Branislav Adam made 31 saves at an 82% clip as well.
Joshua Sanchez recorded five points in another strong outing for Mexico.
Slovakia takes on Austria in placement play on Thursday while Mexico faces Switzerland.
Playoff Galleries: JPN-NED | CZE-GER | IRL-AUS | ISR-FIN
Placement Galleries: BEL-CHN | HKG-TPE | PUR-POL | AUT-SUI | JAM-ISV | ITA-GRE | SCO-HUN | SVK-MEX
Japan – Netherlands Gallery
Czechia – Germany Gallery
Ireland – Australia Gallery
Israel – Finland Gallery
Belgium – China Gallery
Hong Kong, China – Chinese Taipei Gallery
Puerto Rico – Poland Gallery
Austria – Switzerland Gallery
Jamaica – U.S. Virgin Islands Gallery
Italy – Greece Gallery
Scotland – Hungary Gallery
Slovakia – Mexico Gallery
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