Powell is the only player to win the Jack Turnbull Award as the top attackman in Division I lacrosse four consecutive times.

He wore the #22 Syracuse jersey, the same number previously worn by both of his older brothers (Casey and Ryan), and by lacrosse legends Gary Gait and Charlie Lockwood.

[13] In his freshman season, Michael Powell tallied 30 goals, 40 assists (70 points), and 69 groundballs while leading Syracuse to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship title game against Princeton University.

In the championship game, he scored an unassisted goal with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, but Syracuse lost to Princeton on a B.J.

With four goals and three assists in the championship game, he was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player and won his first Tewaaraton Trophy.

In the NCAA tournament, Syracuse defeated top-seeded Johns Hopkins in the semifinal round 15–9 and then beat second-seeded Navy in the championship game 14–13.

On March 21, 2007, Powell, along with Ben DeFelice and a 2008 conditional draft choice, was traded from the Baltimore Bayhawks to the Boston Cannons in exchange for Ryan Curtis and Conor Gill.

The U.S. team fell to Canada in the championship game, 15–10, marking the second time the Americans had lost to the Canadians in 14 contests.