Box Score
Denison 16, Ohio Wesleyan 13

Senior attacker Steven Hildebrand (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) scored to give Ohio Wesleyan a 12-9 lead late in the third quarter, but 11th-ranked Denison opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run and went on to a North Coast Athletic Conference win over the Bishops on Saturday at Selby Stadium.

The win sends the NCAC championship to Denison.  The Big Red will be the No. 1 seed in next week's NCAC tournament, while Ohio Wesleyan will be the No. 2 seed and will host third-seeded Kenyon in a tournament semifinal game on Thursday.

Hildebrand put the Bishops on the scoreboard with an early goal, then set up senior attacker Drew Gouhin (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) on a man-up score for a 2-0 Ohio Wesleyan lead.

The Big Red evened the game with scores by Jake Waxter and Chris Haimbaugh, but Ohio Wesleyan reeled off the next 4 goals, with sophomore attacker Will Anton (Madison, N.J.) scoring goals just 7 seconds apart before opening the second-quarter scoring with a goal.  Senior midfielder Jack Jeschke (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) added a goal midway through the second period for a 6-2 Bishop lead.

Jeschke scored early in the third quarter to extend the Ohio Wesleyan lead to 9-4, but Denison went on a 5-1 run that included 3 straight scores from Spencer Butler and goals from Butler and Owen Armstrong that brought the visitors within 10-9 with 4:44 left in the first half.

Freshman midfielder Russell Perciballi (Glen Cove, N.Y./St. Dominic) won the ensuing face-off and scored just 5 seconds later, and Hildebrand followed with a score that put the Bishops ahead, 12-9, heading into the fourth period.

Butler and Ryan Kirkpatrick tallied goals to open the period before Butler scored to tie the game at 12 with 10:22 left in regulation time.  Haimbaugh's goal midway through the period put the Big Red ahead to stay, and Pittroff and Bowdy followed with goals before Butler ended the Denison run with a goal at the 2:01 mark.

Hildebrand collected 2 goals and 3 assists for Ohio Wesleyan, while Anton and Jeschke scored 3 goals apiece.  Junior Joey Sichenzia (Sayville, N.Y.) recorded 14 saves.

Butler led Denison with 7 goals.  Reeves McKenney had 17 saves for the Big Red.

Box Score