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Three Hope Freshmen Honored with All-CCLA Honors (4/24/08)
Freshmen Pieter Norden, Brent Martin, & Eric Weber were all awarded All-Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association second team status this week.

The Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association: Division II is comprised of twelve teams from Pennsylvania, Ohio & Michigan. The CCLA operates under the auspices of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association who sanctions Division I and II lacrosse across the nation. Hope College competes in Division II vs. Grand Valley State University, Saginaw Valley State University, Northern Michigan University, Ferris State University, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Calvin College, University of Dayton, Grove City College, Carnegie Mellon University, Taylor University, and Rose Hulman Institute of Technology.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony during the halftime of the CCLA Championship game which will take place at 7:00 PM Saturday, May 3.

Goaltender Pieter Norden (Dublin, OH – Dublin Scioto) amassed a total of 196 saves in the eleven game regular season for an average of 17.8 per game. Midfielder Brent Martin (Portage, MI – Portage Central) anchored the midfield for the Flying Dutchmen winning 71% of his face-offs, averaging 12 ground balls per game, and scoring 17 goals with 10 assists.

Attackman Eric Weber (Ann Arbor, MI – Ann Arbor Pioneer) led all MCLA Divisions in the nation in goals-per-game average with 5.89. The freshman scored 69 goals and tallied 24 assists.

Hope Goes 3-0 to Win Holy Cross Invitational (4/26/08)
The Flying Dutchmen finished their season off on a winning note by taking the Holy Cross Invitational; going 3-0 on the day in games vs. Holy Cross College, Northwood University, and University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. The tournament victory moves Hope to 8-6 on the season and sends the seniors out on a winning note.

In the first contest Eric Weber scored the game-winning double-overtime goal to lead Hope to an 8-7 victory over host Holy Cross College. Weber had five goals and an assist in the game, with Tim Paver, Brent Martin, and Austin Jule scoring single goals for the Flying Dutchmen. Vince Ganapini had five hard-earned ground balls for Hope. Goalie Pieter Norden had 21 saves, including 5 down the stretch to keep Hope's chances alive. The second game of the day vs. Northwood University also went down to the wire in regulation with Ron Radcliffe creating a big turnover with the Dutchmen down by a goal late in the second half. Austin Jule took advantage of the possession and used his jets to get open for the tying goal. Radcliffe then won the face off and Hope's Eric Weber again sealed the deal with the game winner with under a minute left in regulation. Weber had four goals, and Dan Burns and Austin Jule each had one. Goalie Pieter Norden had 12 saves.

In the final game of the day Hope ran away from University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown with a 13-3 victory. In his last college contest senior Tim Paver had a goal and three assists to lead the Dutchmen to victory. Dan Burns, Ron Radcliffe, Zach Gray, Brad VandeVusse, and Brent Martin (2) all scored in the victory. Eric Weber capped off a sensational freshman season with five goals and an assist for Hope.

All-American candidate Eric Weber finished the season with 82 goals. Weber scored more goals than any other MCLA player in the nation, and he leads all divisions of the MCLA in goals-per-game.

Outstanding saves from goaltender Pieter Norden sparked the spirits of the Flying Dutchmen all day. Backstopping an aggressive defense by Zach Gray, Paul Carollo, 'Tex' Frank, and Andy Palkowski; Norden recorded 43 saves for the tournament and affected the momentum of each contest with his dramatic saves.

Flying Dutchmen Laxers Take Down Britons 16-5
On another gorgeous sunny afternoon at Buys Field, the Flying Dutchmen earned a 16-5 victory over the visiting Britons from Albion College.

It was a solid team effort from the Hope squad as they scrapped for 60 ground balls in the contest and led the entire game.

Goalie Pieter Norden assumed captain duties for the injured Keith Trojniak and Billy Woodard and led the Dutchmen defense with 21 saves on the day. Zach Gray, Duncan Wierengo, Paul Carollo, & 'Tex' Frank turned in excellent performances pressuring the Albion ballhandlers and forcing turnovers.

Senior Tim Paver had four goals and an assist in his last home game. Freshman Ron Radcliffe had two spectacular goals and two assists in a breakout performance. Andy Palkowski added to his goal total with another goal from the crease. Freshman attacker Eric Weber had 8 goals and 2 assists, and attackman Dan Burns had 5 assists on the afternoon. It was all in a day's work for Brent Martin as he had a goal and an assist, scooped up 12 ground balls, and won 13 face offs. Brad VandeVusse tallied two assists in the effort.

Bright spots for Hope were freshman goaltender Pieter Norden who had 20 saves against heavy pressure; and Eric Weber who figured in all of the goals for Hope with 3 goals and 1 assist. Dan Burns had the other solo goal for Hope, and Brent Martin had two assists and won 11 faceoffs.

Hope looks to regroup tomorrow by hosting traditional MIAA rival Albion College at home at 5:30 at Buys Fields. GVSU holds the #1 ranking in the nation (MCLA Division II) and they will compete for a CCLA conference championship.

Calvin Takes Hope in a Fiercely Fought Rivalry Game
Calvin expanded on a 10-7 halftime lead in the third quarter to grind out a 20-13 hard fought victory over Hope in Saturday evening action under the lights at Holland Christian High School. Hope was hampered by penalties in the third quarter and Calvin was able to take a five goal advantage into the final quarter. The Flying Dutchmen would not give in and they rallied behind goalie Pieter Norden's 21 saves in the contest and attackman Eric Weber's 7 goals and 3 assists.

Senior captains Tim Paver and Keith Trojniak both notched goals in their final Calvin game. Brent Martin had 2 goals and 16 faceoff victories, Austin Jule scored on a nice curl around the crease, and Taylor 'Tex' Frank had a spectacular coast-to-coast sprint and shot to tally his first-ever career goal. Ron Radcliffe and Brent Martin led the team in ground balls with 10 each, and Andy Palkowski had 7 for the Dutchmen.

The win secured a berth into the CCLA Playoffs for Calvin, and dashed Hope's chances for a postseason invite. Hope looks to rebound in the final week of the season against GVSU and Albion. Hope will wrap up the season at the Holy Cross Invitational tournament on Saturday at Holy Cross College in South Bend.

Hope Freshman Tops Nation in Scoring (4/17/08)
Freshman attackman Eric Weber (Ann Arbor Pioneer HS) has scored 50 goals in just eight games. He is leading all scorers in the nation MCLA Division's I & II with a 6.25 GPG average. In the team's most recent victory he scored six goals and had three assists despite being dogged by a defender who shadowed him over the entire field. His game-by-game scoring summery is: versus Saginaw Valley State University (7), Davenport University (5), Bethel College (9), Dordt College (4), Ferris State University (6), Northern Michigan University (4), Albion College (9), and U of M- Dearborn (6).

Laxers Move to 4-4 on the Season with Home Victory (4/16/08)
Hope's lacrosse team jumped out to a 10-2 halftime lead over visiting University of Michigan – Dearborn behind the faceoff dominance of freshman Brent Martin who went 22/3 from the faceoff x. Hope maintained possession and steady pressure on the visiting Wolves and secured a 17-7 victory on a beautiful sunny day at Ekdal J. Buys Field.

It was another excellent team win for Hope where all 21 players saw action and several firsts were recorded for the Dutchmen. Nick McBride scored his first career goal on an 'el rollo' shot from the crease, Jonathan Winne scored on a textbook rip from the wing, and converted midfielder Andy Palkowski used his wheels to dodge for his first. Evan Dekker had two spectacular clearing plays, as did Patty McElgunn. Chris Wendt had three crushing body checks from crease defense, and Austin Jule showed his jets clearing the ball in Hope's transition game.

Despite being dogged by a defender who followed him over the whole field, freshman sensation Eric Weber scored six goals and had three assists. Weber is leading all scorers in the nation (MCLA Divisions I & II) in goals per game with 6.25 per contest.

Ron Radcliffe had 13 ground balls, Brent Martin had three goals and two assists, Tim Paver had three goals and one assist, Keith Trojniak had two goals, and Dan Burns had two assists in the action for the Flying Dutchmen.

Duncan Wierengo, Zach Gray, & 'Tex' Frank were all disciplined in Hope's match-up pressure zone defense. Each starting defender had over five ground balls in the contest.

Freshman goalie Pieter Norden had 13 saves for the Dutchmen including several in the second half on good inside rolls from UMD's All-CCLA attackman Chris Cascadden.

Hope gears up for the rivalry game against the Calvin College Knights, Saturday night @ 7 p.m.at Holland Christian Stadium. The game is the culmination of the Holland Christian LaxFest that features youth, middle school, JV, and Varsity games all day. All proceeds will benefit youth lacrosse at HC.

Flying Dutchmen Post Victory Over Albion (4/9/08)
On a muddy field at Albion, Hope secured a 16-9 victory over the host Britons behind another nine goal performance by freshman attacker Eric Weber. The Flying Dutchmen outpaced Albion with scoring from Tim Paver, Brent Martin, Andy Palkowski, and Keith Trojniak. Albion scored in transition to cut into Hope's lead, but steady pressure from the Hope defenders and another outstanding 22-save day from freshman goalie Pieter Norden helped seal the victory. Hope plays two more exhibition contests this weekend at Alma.

Flying Dutchmen Bow to Northern Michigan 21-9 (4/4/08)
Northern Michigan came out hot tonight and raced to a 6-0 lead over Hope College in CCLA DII play at Grand Rapids Christian High School. Hope rallied to tie the score at 6-6 in the first half, but steady pressure from the Wildcat midfield led to the 21-9 victory for NMU. Pieter Norden was outstanding in the cage for the Dutchmen with 23 saves under heavy pressure from the NMU shooters.

Hope's young squad has been decimated by injuries in the past week. Hope is missing the services of Billy Woodard, David Visintainer, Duncan Wierengo, Allen Campbell, Derek Street, Nick Jakobcic, and Austin Stauffer. League-leading scorer, Eric Weber, left the game with an injury just after halftime for Hope tonight. Weber had four goals in the first half.

Defensively, the Dutchmen had an opportunity to play Evan Dekker, and Pat McElgunn who fought hard in the loss. Chris Wendt had some impressive body checks from his crease defense position and Taylor Frank, Zach Gray, and Andy Palkowski played hard wire to wire.

Brent Martin turned in another stellar performance scoring three goals and winning 13 faceoffs. Tim Paver had a goal and two assists. Keith Trojniak had a goal and an assist. Daniel Burns had two assists, and single assists were recorded by Andy Palkowski and Brad VandeVusse.

Hope looks forward to a week of recuperating with no MCLA DII contests next week. The Dutchmen will play exhibition matches against Albion, Alma and Holy Cross and then look to return to CCLA action the following week.

Flying Dutchmen Edge Ferris in Spirited Match (4/2/08)
The Flying Dutchmen held on for a 12-11 victory over the Bulldogs of Ferris State University in CCLA Division II conference action Wednesday evening at Holland Christian Stadium. Ferris rattled off five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter before Hope scored the game-winner in the final minutes. Taylor "Tex" Frank scrapped for a loose ball and created a turnover at midfield, which allowed the Dutchmen to run the clock out and seal the upset for the Flying Dutchmen.

It was a spirited team effort for the injury plagued Hope squad. Hope battled for 44 ground balls to 20 for Ferris. Brent Martin had 12 faceoff victories. Hope's defense was stout and freshman Pieter Norden had 21 saves in net for the Dutchmen. Ron Radcliffe was excellent on the ride creating two spectacular turnovers in the midfield. Andy Palkowski had nine ground balls playing longpole for the Hope defense. Senior captain Zach Gray played through a knee injury to lead the Dutchmen defense.

Hope's attack fought through an onslaught of 21 penalties from the Bulldogs. Senior Tim Paver had his first hat trick on the season. Allen Campbell led all Hope scorers with six points on four goals and two assists. Eric Weber continued his scoring tear with five goals, and Dan Burns and Keith Trojniak each had an assist for Hope.

Hope plays again Friday evening at 6 p.m. vs. CCLA Division II opponent Northern Michigan University at Grand Rapids Christian High School.

Comeback by Dutchmen Falls a Goal Short (3/29/08)
Hope fell to Dordt 9-8 in a frenzied comeback attempt in MCLA cross conference play at the Holy Wars Tournament in Wheaton, Ill. Looking to capitalize on their momentum from Friday's victory over Bethel College (17-11) the Flying Dutchmen found themselves down 8-1 in the second half to a very physical Dordt Sowers squad. Penalties hurt the Dutchmen as they tried to rally from the deficit, but the young Hope squad fought hard enough to come all the way back in the second half only to lose by one.

Key injuries were sustained to captains Billy Woodard and Zach Gray; and also to freshman Derek Street (who sparked the Dutchmen on Friday night with two goals, ground ball victories and much energy). Eric Weber led the way again for Hope in the goals department with 4, Allen Campbell had 2 goals, 3 assists and 5 face off wins, and Brent Martin had 2 goals and 5 face off wins. Weber has amassed a league leading 26 goals in only four games.

Hope's laxers will make a tour of Christian high schools in West Michigan this week with games vs. Ferris State University on Wednesday at Holland Christian's stadium, and vs. Northern Michigan University on Friday evening at Grand Rapids Christian High School. These are both key games as Hope looks to get back in the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association conference chase.

Flying Dutchmen Post Season's First Victory (3/28/08)
Defensive pressure, ground ball victories, and offensive possession paved the way for a great team victory over Bethel, Ind. 17-11 at the Holy Wars tournament in Wheaton, Ill. Hope broke a 5-5 tie at halftime to take a three goal lead and never looked back. Excellent goaltending by Pieter Norden, timely face off victories by Allen Campbell, Brent Martin and Billy Woodward; nine goals by Eric Weber; and excellent and spirited team play helped the Dutchmen secure their first MCLA victory of the season. Hope competes against Iowa's Dordt College in tournament action Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CST.

Hope Falls to Davenport University 17-8 (3/12/08)
Davenport University showed skill and depth in outpacing the Flying Dutchmen 17-8 in a non-conference contest at MVP Fieldhouse in Grand Rapids, MI. The young Hope squad put up a fight and showed their competitiveness by playing hard the whole contest. Hope came out strong and scored six goals in the second half after falling behind early in the first quarter. Pieter Norden (freshman from Dublin Scioto, OH) had an outstanding game in goal for Hope with 17 saves on the contest. Brent Martin (freshman from Portage Central HS) got Hope on the board with a face off victory and a goal in the second quarter. Martin finished the game with 2 goals, 7 face off wins, and seven ground balls. Freshman Eric Weber (Ann Arbor Pioneer HS) had 5 goals and two assists. Weber is averaging 6 goals and 7.5 total points per game. Derek Street (freshman from Brighton HS) had a goal and an assist from his attack position. Dan Burns (Wheaton Warrenville, IL) had two assists, and team captain Billy Woodard had an assist and five face off victories.

Flying Dutchmen Edged in Season Opener (3/8/08)
Hope fell 13-10 to Division II MCLA Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association member Saginaw Valley State University on a partially frozen MVP Fieldhouse field in Grand Rapids. SVSU came out hot in the second half and won 75% of the faceoffs and most of the ground balls. Hope tried to rally, but were shut down on the doorstep several key times by hot Cardinal goaltending. Senior Tim Paver had 4 assists and one goal for the Dutch. Outstanding performances by freshmen Eric Weber (7 goals 1 assist), Allen Campbell (2 goals 3 assists), Ron Radcliffe (7 ground balls), and Brent Martin (8 ground balls) point to great things for the Dutchmen as the season progresses. Defensively Taylor Frank led the way for Hope with 7 ground balls and aggressive checking. Freshmen goaltender, Pieter Norden, was solid in goal with 11 saves.

2008 Spring Schedule/Results (8-6)

MARCH
8 - Saginaw Valley 13, Hope 10
12 - Davenport 17, Hope 8
28-29 - at Holy Wars Invitational, Wheaton, Ill.
Hope 17, Bethel 11 / Dordt 9, Hope 8

APRIL
2 - Hope 12, Ferris State 11
4 - Northern Michigan Univ. 21, Hope 9
9 - Hope 16, Albion 9
16 - Hope 17, UM-Dearborn 7
19 - Calvin 20, Hope 13
22 - Grand Valley State 19, Hope 4
23 - Hope 16, Albion 5
26 - Hope won all three matches at Holy Cross Tournament

Home games are played at DeVos Fieldhouse field, 222 Fairbanks Ave., Holland, Mich. Directions

2008 Spring Roster

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Year	Hometown
2	Duncan Wierengo	D	6-0	180	Fr.	East Grand Rapids/East Grand Rapids HS
3	David Visintainer	A/M	5-9	175	Sr.	Ann Arbor/Father Gabriel HS
4	Aaron Knighton	M	6-0	170	Sr.	Glen Elyn, Ill./Glenbard West HS
5	Daniel Burns	M	6-2	195	Jr.	Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warren HS
7	Pieter Norden	G	6-2	205	Fr.	Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Scioto HS
8	Keith Trojniak	AM	5-10	160	Sr.	Walled Lake/Redford HS
9	Allen Campbell	AM	6-0	160	Fr.	Holland/Holland HS
10	Billy Woodard	M	5-10	172	So.	Piscataway, N.J./St. Joseph HS
13	Paul Carollo	LSM	6-1	185	Sr.	Rochester Hills/Bethesda HS
14	Austin Stauffer	A/M	6-1	165	So.	Holland/West Ottawa HS
16	Ron Radcliffe	M	6-2	185	Fr.	Mt. Prospect, Ill./Mt. Prospect HS
17	Evan Dekker	M/D	5-9	200	So.	Littleton, Colo./Chatfield HS
18	Zach Gray	D	6-0	200	Sr.	Alanson/Harbor Light HS
19	Jonathan Winne	M	6-1	195	So.	Highlands Ranch, Colo./Denver Christian HS
20	Eric Weber	A	6-0	147	Fr.	Ann Arbor/Pioneer HS
21	Nick McBride	M	6-2	185	Fr.	Grandville/Grandville HS
22	Brent Martin	M	6-1	185	Fr.	Kalamazoo/Portage Central HS
28	Taylor Frank	D	6-0	190	Fr.	Dallas, Tex./Episcopal HS
30	Brad VandeVusse	A/M	6-0	150	Fr.	Grosse Pointe/Grosse Pointe HS
32	Andy Palkowski	LSM/D	6-2	195	So.	Portage/Kalamazoo Christian HS
33	Derek Street	A/M	5-10	140	Fr.	Brighton/Brighton HS
40	Patrick McElgunn	D/G	5-5	175	So.	Midland/Midland HS
41	Nick Jakobcic	LSM	5-9	175	Jr.	Spring Lake/Spring Lake HS
44	Tim Paver	A	6-0	240	Sr.	Ada/Forest Hills Central HS
45	Rob Cammenga	D	6-3	260	S0.	Spring Lake/Spring Lake HS
77	Christopher Wendt	D	6-2	285	Jr.	Muskegon/Muskegon Christian HS

2007 Fall Results
Davenport 24, Hope 6
Grand Valley State 17, Hope 8
Alumni 12, Hope 10
Oakland 9, Hope 4
Central Michigan 10, Hope 5
Hope 14, Alma 3