Penn State (2-4, 1-1 ECAC) will visit defending national runner-up UMass (2-5, 0-1 ECAC) in an ECAC Lacrosse League game this coming Saturday in a 12 p.m. game.

The Nittany Lions are coming an outstanding 10-7 win over No. 12 Fairfield in an ECAC clash last Saturday. Penn State used a hat trick from senior Gil Pearsall and outstanding goalie play from sophomore Drew Adams to post an impressive 10-7 ECAC Lacrosse League win over No. 12 Fairfield.

Pearsall accounted for five points with three goals and two assists while Adams collected 13 saves in a game that featured a combined 19 man-up opportunities. Penn State, which fell behind early, used a 6-0 burst in the second period to take the lead for good.

Gil Pearsall leads Penn State with 11 points off a team-best nine goals and two assists. Freshman Chris Hogan checks in with eight goals while Pat Heim has seven and two. Brian Boyle has the team lead with four assists. Boyle has four goals as well for eight points. Sophomore keeper Drew Adams has 65 saves and an 8.72 goals against average while Devin Madden has solidified the face-off unit and (after winning 10 of 19 against Fairfield) has a .434 face-off percentage. UMass comes in with a 2-5 record after a tough 10-8 loss at Loyola on Saturday. UMass outshot Loyola 47-26 but the greyhounds rode a 15-6 edge in goalie saves to the conference win. The Minutemen are being led by Brett Garber, who has 17 points off 14 goals and three assists. Jim Connolly has 16 off 11 and five while Tim Balise has 15 off nine and six. Goalie Doc Schneider has an 8.04 goals against average with 71 saves.

ADAMS NAMED ECAC LACROSSE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (3/28)
Sophomore goalie Drew Adams was named ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending March 25. Adams, the reigning ECAC Goalie of the Year, collected 13 saves against 20 shots on goal in Penn State¡¯s 10-7 ECAC win over No. 12 Fairfield. Adams also led Penn State with 11 ground balls in the game, which was Penn State¡¯s second straight win. The Springfield, Pa., native has an 8.72 goals against average and has a team-high 46 ground balls.

HEIM A FINALIST FOR 2007 LOWE¡¯S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Pat Heim has been named a finalist for the 2007 Lowe¡¯s Senior Class Award, a newly formed award given by Lowe¡¯s for the first time this year. The honor is presented to an NCAA Division I men¡¯s senior lacrosse player who excels both on and off the field. Candidates were selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student athlete. While the on-the-field performance during their collegiate lacrosse careers is a factor in determining candidates and the eventual winner, their personal character and off-the-field achievements in the classroom and community are major areas of focus. The winner will be announced during the weekend of May 26 during the 2007 NCAA Lacrosse Championships in Baltimore, Md. Head coach Glenn Thiel¡¯s team (2-4, 1-1 ECAC) will visit UMass this Saturday for a 12 p.m. ECAC Lacrosse League contest.

PEARSALL NETS HAT TRICK, 5 POINTS, TO LEAD PSU OVER NO. 12 FAIRFIELD
Senior Gil Pearsall scored a hat trick and totalled five points to lead Penn State to a convincing 10-7 win over No. 12 Fairfield on March 24. Pearsall¡¯s five point outburst (three goals, two assists), combined with four points from Brian Boyle (two goals, two assists) helped Penn State grab its first home win of the season.

PENN STATE¡¯S GAME AT STONY BROOK ON 3/17 CANCELLED
Penn State¡¯s March 17 game at Stony Brook was cancelled due to a winter storm that blew through the Northeast. No make up date for the contest has been set as of yet.

SHEA¡¯S FIRST HAT TRICK LEADS LIONS TO WIN OVER COLGATE
Freshman Brian Shea scored three goals for Penn State in its 7-4 win over Colgate on March 13. The rookie¡¯s first hat trick helped Penn State garner its first win of the year in a game played at Georgetown Prep in Maryland.

MADDEN IMPRESSES HIS ALMA MATER
Junior Devin Madden, a transfer from St. John¡¯s and a graduate of Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Md., sparked the Nittany Lions¡¯ 7-4 win over Colgate in a game played at Georgetown Prep. Madden won 10 of 15 face-offs in the victory to help spark PSU to the neutral site win.

LIONS FALL IN FINAL SECONDS TO ECAC FOE LOYOLA
The Penn State lacrosse team watched a late fourth-quarter lead disappear as Loyola¡¯s Shane Koppens scored with just :04 seconds remaining to give the visiting Greyhounds a 10-9 win in the ECAC opener for both teams. The goal was Koppens¡¯ second of the game. Pat Heim had three goals to lead Penn State.

HEIM NETS HAT TRICK VS. LOYOLA
Senior Pat Heim scored three goals in Penn State¡¯s tough 10-9 loss to Loyola on 3/3. It was Heim¡¯s first hat trick of the season and the first for Penn State during the 2007 campaign. Heim¡¯s last game with three or more goals was against Bucknell on 4/22/06.

ADAMS AND HEIM NAMED TO TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
Two members of the Penn State Nittany Lion men¡¯s lacrosse team have been named to the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy Preseason Watch List. The list, compiled by the Tewaaraton Award Foundation, includes all those considered early contenders and players to watch for the post-season award.

Sophomore Drew Adams and senior Pat Heim both on the list of nearly 50 individuals considered preseason contenders for the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy, given each year to Division I¡¯s player of the year. Adams, a sophomore goalie for the Nittany Lions, was the 2006 ECAC Lacrosse League Goalie of the Year, ECAC Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year and was a member of the 2006 All-ECAC first team. He ended last year with an 8.25 goals against average and a .603 save percentage. Heim, now in his fourth year as a starter for Penn State, is one of Penn State¡¯s captains this season. He entered this year with 44 goals and 23 assists for his career and has quickly added three goals and an assist in Penn State¡¯s first two games this campaign. Heim was a first team All-ECAC pick last year as well. Both he and Adams were USILA honorable mention All-Americans in 2006. The list will be voted upon by coaches and narrowed down as the season progresses, ultimately reaching a final list of five players who will constitute the award¡¯s finalists.

HOGAN HAS SOLID COLLEGIATE DEBUT
Freshman middie Chris Hogan had a solid collegiate debut, scoring two goals to lead Penn State in the Nittany Lions¡¯ 10-5 loss to Denver on 2/17. Hogan took five shots, connecting on two of them for a team-best .400 shot percentage. He also collected three ground balls.

HEIM, MULQUEEN AND SALTSMAN NAMED 2007 TEAM CAPTAINS
The Penn State Nittany Lion men¡¯s lacrosse team, under the direction of veteran head coach Glenn Thiel, will rely upon a trio of veteran leaders in 2007. Seniors Pat Heim, Dan Saltsman and Matt Mulqueen have been named captains for the 2007 campaign.

Heim returns for his final go-round with the Nittany Lions after earning his second straight first team All-ECAC nod in 2006. The midfielder had 22 points off 17 goals and five assists last year and posted a .254 shot percentage. He also had 28 ground balls. Over three years as a starter, Heim has 67 points off 44 goals and 23 assists. ¡°Pat is the backbone of our offense,¡± Thiel said. ¡°He will team with Gil Pearsall to give us great leadership on attack.¡± Heim was also an honorable mention All-American last year.

Saltsman emerged as a defensive anchor for Penn State in 2006. He started all 13 games in the backfield and had 28 ground balls. Saltsman was honored as a first team All-ECAC pick. He has played in 40 games at Penn State. Mulqueen also played in 13 games last season, starting eight of them. He was third on the team with 38 ground balls as he helped anchor the defense with Saltsman. Mulqueen has played in 33 games over three seasons as a Nittany Lion. ¡°Defensive captains Saltsman and Mulqueen are Penn State prototypes,¡± Thiel said. ¡°They are hard working, intense and physical defenders.¡±

HEIM NAMED INSIDE LACROSSE PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse player Pat Heim (Wayne, Pa.) has been named a second team pre-season All-American by Inside Lacrosse magazine. Heim is a senior co-captain on head coach Glenn Thiel¡¯s squad. Heim is a three-year starter at midfield for Penn State. A two-time first team All-ECAC pick, Heim has 67 career points off 44 goals and 23 assists. He has played in 41 games for Penn State through three seasons with the Nittany Lions and was a 2006 USILA honorable mention All-American.

A trio of Nittany Lions were named to the Inside lacrosse honorable mention list. Senior co-captain Dan Saltsman (Concord, N.H.), senior attacker Brain Boyle (Derry, N.H.) and sophomore goalie Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) were all on the pre-season HM list.

PENN STATE RECEIVING VOTES IN BOTH USILA COACHES AND NIKE/INSIDE LACROSSE MEDIA POLLS
Penn State is receiving votes in both the USILA Coaches Poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Polls. Cornell continues to top the team rankings in both cases while Georgetown leads the ECAC entries with a No. 7 ranking by the coaches and a No. 9 nod from the media.