With only two weeks remaining in the men's lacrosse regular-season, all six America East teams remain alive for a bid to the four-team conference tournament. The playoff picture will become much clearer after Saturday's action, which features three league contests. Vermont and UMBC will commence the day's action at 12 noon in Burlington, while Hartford hosts Binghamton one hour later at 1 p.m. Stony Brook and Albany wrap up the day's games with a 7 p.m. contest, which will be televised in the Capital Region on TW3.
Stony Brook (8-3, AE 3-0), which has already secured a tournament berth, can secure at least a share of the regular-season title for the second straight year with a win. The Seawolves, who are ranked 12th in both national polls, would earn the No. 1 seed and right to host two rounds of the tournament, should they advance, with a win and a Vermont loss to UMBC.
Albany (3-9, AE 2-1) can secure a bid to the league championship for the ninth straight season with a win over Stony Brook Saturday. The Great Danes can also lock up a berth with a loss, combined with wins by UMBC and Hartford.
UMBC (3-7, AE 2-1) will earn a spot in the tournament for the seventh consecutive year with a win Saturday and can secure the No. 2 seed and right to host a semifinal matchup with a win and an Albany loss. The Retrievers, the reigning league champions and winners of three of the last four titles, would also make the tourney with a loss and a Binghamton win over Hartford.
Vermont (3-10, AE 2-1) is on the verge of its first championship appearance since 2003 and can secure a bid with a win over UMBC Saturday. The Catamounts, who have already won mulitple league games for the first time since 2005, can also earn a berth with a loss and a Hartford win over Binghamton or an Albany win over Stony Brook.
Binghamton (3-9, AE 0-3) and Hartford (3-9, AE 0-3) both need wins to keep its tournament chances alive. The Bearcats also need a Stony Brook win over Albany, while the Hawks need a Vermont win over UMBC.
The 2010 America East Men's Lacrosse Championship begins Wednesday, May 5 with semifinal contests at the top two seeds, while the title game will be played Saturday, May 8 at the higher remaining seed.