#3 James Madison (14-4-2) won the BGSU Round Robin, going 2-0 in the tournament. They knocked off #10 Bowling Green (3-12-1) 3-2 in OT, as well as #5 Michigan State (11-6-3) 3-2 in OT. The Dukes trailed in both games (2-0 to BGSU at halftime, 2-1 to MSU in the second half) but were able to play strong in the event. None of the teams had their best lineup, and only JMU had a full 20 man roster.
Bowling Green had a great showing against JMU, taking a 2-0 lead and finally looking like a top team, but a sluggish second half led to an overtime defeat. They took the lead in the first half by catching JMU solo throws, but the Dukes were able to tighten up their strategy and win the game. In their second game, the Falcons were dropped by the Spartans 4-0. The game was over by halftime, and it turned into a trick shot affair halfway through the second half.
MSU and JMU played yet another tight battle, and after the Dukes came out on fire to start the game, State was able to catch up and score a couple of points after Mike Van Ermen (MSU #6) got a world class headshot on a JMU player. MSU could not take a point to end the half, and could not hold on to their 2-1 lead in the second half or their 5-2 man advantage in the OT point. Against BGSU it was MSU at their finest, making catch after catch and good teamwork leading to kills.
These three teams could all make some noise at Nationals, and look for them to go far on Sunday, April 14th.