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The men's lacrosse season's final weekend kicks off tonight with semifinals of both the MAAC and Great Western Lacrosse League conference championships. Here's everything you need to know.

GWLL Tournament

The second and final GWLL tournament begins Friday evening in Birmingham, Mich. Undefeated Notre Dame will take on Quinnipiac in the first game while Ohio State looks to avenge its regular-season loss to Air Force in the second game.

Quinnipiac vs. Notre Dame

Maple Field -- Seaholm High School | Birmingham, Mich.
Friday | 5 p.m.

Quinnipiac and Notre Dame will meet in the GWLL semifinals for the second straight year. Last season, the Bobcats made some adjustments between their 16-6 regular-season shellacking by the Irish and the rematch in the conference tournament, pulling ahead in the first quarter before losing 10-6.

Notre Dame coach Kevin Corrigan is expecting Quinnipiac to do the same thing again this year, and that this won't be the same 10-2 game these two teams played a couple of weeks ago.

For Quinnipiac, the task at hand is much easier said than done -- crack the best defense in Division I lacrosse and then solve goalie Scott Rodgers. Notre Dame defends really well inside, allowing opposing offenses either outside or bad-angle shots. The Irish have been consistent all season, holding teams to single digits 13 times this season. Rodgers' 6.26 goals-against average is the best in the country and his .655 save percentage is good for No. 2.

Offensively, the Fighting Irish control the pace. They're capable of settling and lulling a defense to sleep but they can also shove the ball down the opposition's throat. Seven players have put up double digits in points with Ryan Hoff leading the way in goals (26) and Duncan Swezey pacing the team in assists (17).

"We need a balanced approach in everything that we're doing," Corrigan said. "We need to do a good job running our offense and being patient to take good opportunities. We need to play disciplined defensively and handle the ball in the middle of the field."

Quinnipiac will look to Ben Mullaney for another good performance at the X. Mullaney was 10-16 against the Irish in the regular-season matchup. Senior Gary Messina and junior Todd Kaiser headline the Bobcats' first midfield line, joined by sophomore Kevin Kelly, whose 20 points are second on the team. Also keep an eye on sophomore attack Jack Oppenheimer, who was the only other player (in addition to Kelly) to score against Notre Dame.

Air Force vs. Ohio State

Maple Field -- Seaholm High School | Birmingham, Mich.
Friday | 7:30 p.m.

Weather shouldn't play a factor in the rematch between Ohio State and Air Force. Temperatures are predicted to be in the high 60s in Birmingham on Friday -- slightly better conditions than the blizzard these two teams played in a couple of weeks ago.

After the Falcons' victory in their regular-season finale, coach Eric Seremet said limiting transition and contesting the shooters would be key for his team in the conference semifinal game.

Ohio State brings the GWLL's No. 2 defense backstopped by junior Brandon Freeman, who is coming off a career-best 18-save performance in the Buckeyes' loss to Notre Dame last weekend. The Ohio State offense runs through Canadian sniper Joel Dalgarno, who tied the school's all-time scoring mark with his 123rd career goal against Notre Dame. Air Force held him to two goals in their previous matchup. The Buckeyes have another crafty finisher in Jeff Ryan, who has converted on 45.3 percent of his shots.

Defense is the name of the game for the Falcons. They boast one of the most offensive-minded defensive units in the nation led by longstick middie Bryan Gilbreath, who has 11 goals on the year. Seremet has started five different goalies this season with Brian Wilson (7.70 GAA, .531 save percentage) getting the nod in the past three games, all wins for Air Force. Key for the Falcons in their regular-season victory over the Buckeyes was a stellar man-down defense, holding Dalgarno & Co. to 0-6 on the extra-man offense. The Falcons will also rely on leading scorer Ridge Flick and midfielder K.J. Landgraf.

MAAC Tournament

Providence continues its league-leading tournament appearance streak, taking on No. 1 seed Siena in the first game of the MAAC tournament on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Canisius. Manhattan and Mount St. Mary's face off in the second game at 4:30 p.m.

Providence vs. Siena

Demske Sports Complex -- Canisius College | Buffalo, N.Y.
Friday | 1:30 p.m.

This is one of the most intriguing matchups in the conference this year. And it's not just because this will be the second time these two teams play each other in as many weeks or because Siena is 3-21 all time against Providence or because the Friars are making their ninth straight MAAC tournament appearance, the longest streak in the conference.

The Saints faced almost the exact same situation in their first and only other appearance in the MAAC tournament, in 2007. Seeded No. 1, Siena was upset by the Friars in the semifinals and Providence went on to win the conference tournament and the MAAC's automatic qualifier. The sophomores on that 2007 Siena squad are coach Brian Brecht's first recruiting class and now the senior leaders of the only team to go undefeated in MAAC play since Marist in 2004.

"They have a lot of experience under their belt, big games under their belt," Brecht said. "We're a lot more mature as a team and a lot more experienced. We have a lot more depth now."

The Friars have lost three straight while Siena is riding an eight-game winning streak anchored by Jordan Loftus, who has 28 points in the past seven games, including three goals against Providence last week. Kenny Mazzone also added three and the Saints will look to dominate on faceoffs once again after going 11-17 last weekend.

Bobby Labadini and Colin Tigh lead the offense for Providence. Labadini's 39 points are a team high, and Tigh had three goals against Siena.

The focus, though, will be on the defense, as both teams' goalies rank in the top 15 in the nation. Siena also boasts a defense that allows just 6.67 goals per game, good for second in Division I.

Manhattan vs. Mount St. Mary's

Demske Sports Complex -- Canisius College | Buffalo, N.Y.
Friday | 4:30 p.m. Mount St. Mary's makes its first MAAC tournament appearance since 2006 while Manhattan looks for a better tournament performance than its last in 2008, when the Jaspers bowed out in the semifinals to eventual conference champion Canisius.

The Mount has won four of its past six games, with one of those losses coming to Johns Hopkins in the regular-season finale Tuesday. Tom Gravante's team has rebounded from last season's 2-6 conference finish on the back of an experienced defense and a young attack. All three of the Mount's starting attack players are underclassmen and freshmen Christian Kellett and Cody Lehrer lead the team with 25 and 24 points, respectively. Sophomore goalkeeper T.C. DiBartalo's .614 save percentage is best in the conference.

After starting the season 1-4, Manhattan has won four of its past five, including two straight wins over Marist and Providence. James Synowiez is the go-to guy. His 40 goals this season put him in the top 10 nationally in goals per game and are 18 more than the team's No. 2 scorer, Joe Variano, who is the leader in assists with 15.

These teams last met on March 14, with Mount St. Mary's scoring the first five goals of the game and never trailing in a 12-9 win. Sal Spatarella scored four for Manhattan while the Mount had three different players record hat tricks and 11 of its 12 goals scored by freshmen.

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