Complete Release | PDF

SALT LAKE CITY – The fifth-ranked Westminster College men's lacrosse team will play two games at home this week against teams from the state of Utah. On Wednesday, Westminster will face The University of Utah at Dumke Field at 4 p.m. Then on Saturday, the Griffins welcome rival Utah Valley to Dumke for a 1 p.m. start. Both games will be broadcast live on Griffins TV.

Griffin Notebook
Westminster enters the week with a 6-1 overall record and is 1-0 in home games. They are coming off an 18-9 win over Utah State in Logan last Saturday. The Griffins are 6-0 this season against teams from the MCLA and 2-0 against MCLA Division I foes.

As a team, Westminster is averaging 14.6 goals per game while taking 46 shots per contest. They have outscored the opposition 103-52 over the season while holding the opposition to 26.9 shots per game. The Griffins have a 267-118 advantage in ground balls with a 78.9% success rate in clears. Westminster dominates the faceoff department with a 78.9% win percentage.

Gian Sexsmith is the team's top scorer with 32 points. He is second on the team with 21 goals while adding a team-high 11 assists. Matt Hearn leads the Griffins with 23 goals and has seven assists for 30 points. Collin Madsen has scored 13 goals and is tied for second on the squad with eight assists. Marshall Serzen has collected a team-best 44 ground balls and wins 80.1% of the faceoffs he has taken.

Chris Burckle has played the majority of minutes in the Griffin cage. Burckle has a 65.2% save percentage while allowing just 6.21 goals per game. Craig Patrick has made 15 saves with a 60% save percentage with Adam Marfice stopping 41.2% of the shots on goal he has faced.

Game Coverage
Both games this week will be streamed live on Griffins TV. With multiple camera angles, Griffins TV provides one of the best streaming options in all of the MCLA. The stream goes live approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the game. Westminster will also offer Live State for both of the games this week. Links for both of these features can be found at WestminsterGriffins.com.

Tracking the Nike MCLA Rankings
After sitting in the No. 6 position on the first two Nike MCLA Coaches' Polls, Westminster has come in at No. 5 in the last two polls. The Griffins received 273 points in the poll that was released on Tuesday which kept them in the No. 5 position for a second straight week.

Inside the LAX Power Computers
The Griffins are rated No. 1 in the LAX Power computer ranking on March 13. Westminster has a rating of 79.90 to claim the top spot. Dayton is in the second spot with Concordia (Calif.) placing third.  The Griffins are also on top of the TSI rankings and place fourth in the RPI. The computers rank the Griffins strength of schedule at No. 6.

Chasing a Milestone
With 21 goals this season, Sexsmith has moved into the No. 2 spot in career goals in Westminster history. The senior from Stuart, Fla. needs just three goals to become just the second Griffin ever to score 100 career goals. He entered the season third in school history with 76 goals and he currently sits fifth with an average of 1.76 goals per game in his career.

Dominating the Faceoff X
Serzen is having one of the best season's in MCLA history when in comes to winning faceoffs. The senior from Sandy, Utah has won 125-of-156 faceoffs attempted. His 80.1% winning percentage leads the MCLA and is on pace to shatter his previous school record of 65.3% set last season. Serzen also leads the team with 44 ground balls and he needs just 26 more to set the school record for ground balls in a season.

Dumke Advantage
Westminster has been close to unbeatable when playing at home since the program was started in 2007.  The Griffins have an all-time record of 27-6 on Dumke Field and only once lost multiple home games in a single season.  They had a 14-game home winning streak over the 2008 and 2009 seasons.  Westminster was 3-1 at home last season and they are a perfect 10-0 at home in RMLC games all-time. They defeated Montana, 15-8, on March 4 in the only home game they have played this season.

Preseason Favorites
Westminster was selected as the top team in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference in a poll of the league's coaches.  The Griffins are the defending conference champions and have a 19-2 all-time record in RMLC division games.  They are a three-time RMLC champions, including winning the title in 2011.

A Tough Slate
The Griffins will once again challenge themselves this season.  Westminster has nine teams on the schedule that are ranked in the current MCLA Top 25 Polls. After facing two teams inside the top 17 this weekend, Westminster will have five games left against teams ranked in the DII Top 25.  They will also play Utah (No. 17 DI) and Brigham Young (No. 1 DI) along with NCAA foe Dominican (Calif.) this year.