SALT LAKE CITY – In a show of power befitting the toughest conference in Division II, the top four seeds – all out of the Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference (UMLC) – cruised past their first-round opponents at the 2018 MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour.

No. 2 North Dakota State (9-2) d. No. 15 Central Conn. State (12-5), 10-4
Justin Linderholm had a pair of goals and Ryan Stover added a pair of assists, leading NDSU to a 10-4 triumph over Central Conn. State.

The Bison were clinging to a 2-1 lead after the first quarter, but exploded for a 7-1 run bridging the second and third quarter to take a 9-2 lead into the final quarter.

Ben Crandall made five saves to pick up the victory in net, aided by a stout back line that kept the Blue Devils to 0-for-9 on extra-man opportunities midway through the fourth quarter.

Jameson Steinhardt led CCSU with a goal and an assist while Mason Colon made 11 saves.

No. 1 St. Thomas (13-1) d. No. 16 Missouri State (12-3), 16-2
Alex Vijums recorded a hat trick and the St. Thomas defense pitched a shutout for the first 50 minutes of the contest as the top-ranked Tommies rolled into the quarterfinals with a 16-2 victory.

St. Thomas jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter and were still leading 13-0 heading into the final frame.

Drew Bouman backstopped the UST defense with 10 saves. Scott Thomas stopped 15 shots in the loss.

No. 3 Minn.-Duluth (11-5) d. No. 14 College of Idaho (10-3), 22-8
Scott McNamara had four goals and two assists, spearheading a powerful Duluth offense that recorded a 22-8 triumph over the College of Idaho.

It was 9-0 after the first quarter and the Yotes would draw no closer. Blake Nastrom made two saves to pick up the victory.

Nich Guzzetti had four goals and an assist in the losing effort. Jonah Jordan made 14 saves for the Yotes.

No. 4 St. John’s (10-5) d. No. 13 UC Davis (10-7), 18-3
St. John’s exploded for seven goals in the second quarter and pitched a second half shutout as the Johnnies advanced to the quarterfinals with an 18-3 victory.

Joey Goudreau led the St. John’s offense with five goals while Ryan Nelson turned away a dozen shots to pick up the win.

Arthur Anotonio was credited with eight saves for the Aggies.