ITHACA, N.Y. – The 16th-ranked Ithaca College men's lacrosse team (13-4) is making its 11th straight appearance in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. The top-seeded Bombers host second-seeded St. John Fisher (12-4) for the title game Saturday at Higgins Stadium at 4 p.m. Ithaca tallied a 9-7 semifinal victory over Stevens Institute of Technology Wednesday, while the Cardinals used a come-from-behind performance to outlast Nazareth, 11-10, to advance to the championship game.
 
Live stats, a live webcast and live radio will be available for the championship game.
 
Ithaca is 17-1 all-time against the Cardinals dating back to 2002. Having won five consecutive, the Bombers recorded an 11-9 victory in Rochester earlier this season. Ithaca is 4-0 in Empire 8 tournament play against the Cardinals. The Bombers most recently edged Fisher, 12-11, in the 2010 semifinals.
 
Ithaca owns a pair of Empire 8 crowns, while Fisher is in the hunt for its first. This will be Ithaca's eighth appearance in the championship contest and the Cardinals' second.
 
The Bombers won five of their last six regular-season games to qualify for the playoffs and finished the Empire 8 season with a 6-1 record. They have had a winning record in the league all 14 years that it has existed. Having not lost in over a month, Fisher entered the tournament riding a seven-game win streak. The Cardinals also went 6-1 in E8 action.
 
Saturday's winner will receive the Empire 8's automatic qualifier and advance to the NCAA Tournament.