Senior defenseman Kellin Bershinsky (Poudre HS; Fort Collins, CO) played phenomenally, holding BYU's dangerous attackman Marshall Kay to just two assists. With Adam Schnirel (Mt. Lebanon HS; Pittsburgh, PA) and Kurt Nakazono (George Washington HS; Denver, CO) doing their part as well, CSU held BYU's attack to only three points on the evening. Senior goaltender Pete Jokisch (Rockhurst Jesuit HS; Overland Park, KS) made 13 saves in the game, including several right on the doorstep to keep his team in the lead.

The key quarter for CSU was the third. Leading 6-4 at halftime, the Rams got huge goals from three members of their own midfield and held BYU to just one to hold a 9-5 lead at the end of three quarters. Tyler Bue (La Costa Canyon HS; Encinitas, CA) combined with Ryan Trude (Mt. Lebanon HS; Pittsburgh, PA) and freshman Stephen Lundberg (Cherry Creek HS; Englewood, CO) for three goals in a three minute span to put the Rams in a great position to win.

CSU got a serious spark from senior midfielder Michael Murphy (Lake Oswego HS; Lake Oswego, OR). Murphy scored three goals in his most complete offensive effort of the season and kept the Cougars on their heels whenever he had the ball in his stick. Colorado State won only 8 of 21 draws, but seemed to control the game's possession time.

Colorado State never trailed in the game, scoring early and leading 3-2 at the end of one quarter. Bue got the first of his two goals on a feed from Pat Bird (Bishop O'Dowd HS; Oakland, CA) with just over two minutes gone in the game and the Rams never looked back. Bird was one of four midfielders with at least two points as CSU got scoring from several different places.

Colorado State (17-3) will play in their seventh MDIA national championship game on Saturday night. The Rams are 3-3 in their previous six appearances, winning the title in 1999, 2001 and 2003 and losing in 2000, 2002 and 2004. The only time CSU has not participated in the championship game since 1999 was in 2005 when they self reported an eligibility violation and were barred from the tournament. The Colorado Buffaloes will be in their first ever national title game after advancing to the semifinals for the first time in team history. The Buffs and Rams have tangled twice this season with CSU winning 9-6 at INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium and 8-7 in the RMLC finals two weeks ago in Utah.

The game on Saturday night will take place at in Murphy, TX at Kimbrough Stadium. Starting at 7:30 pm CST, the game will be broadcast over the internet at www.uslia.com. Follow the links to listen to the game live.

Game Notes:
- Colorado State's win snaps a two game losing streak to BYU. Before the 11-8 win this season over CSU, the Cougars also beat the Rams 8-7 in the 2004 RMLC finals.
- This game was the fourth meeting between BYU and CSU in the national semifinals and the fifth time they have played in the tournament. In 1998, CSU's first appearance in the MDIA tournament, the Cougars defeated the Rams 21-13. The Cougars also beat CSU in the 2000 national championship game by a score of 17-13. Since then, this rivalry has been all CSU. In 2001, the Rams won 10-9 in the semifinals and beat BYU 16-10 in the 2004 semis.
- Each of the last two championship games have been decided by an 8-7 score. UCSB defeated CSU and Sonoma State over the last two years to win the championship.

Score by Quarter:   1  2  3  4  F
Brigham Young . . . 2  2  1  2  7
Colorado State. . . 3  3  3  3  12

Goaltenders:
Brigham Young - Glenn Makechnie (60:00 minutes, 9 saves, 12 goals against)
Colorado State - Pete Jokisch (60:00 minutes, 13 saves, 7 goals against)