BearLaxTraxFax by John Nichols 04.02.2018

BLTF 040218

D-I

With the calendar flipping from March to April, we are heading into the final third of the regular season.  Conference play steps to the fore now as teams vie for their league’s post-season tournament seeds with the hope of winning there and getting a slot in the NCAA tournament.  April is all about putting your team in a position to play late into May.

BEARS vs. BEARS

#14 Bucknell (Sean O’Brien-Team Captain, Jarett Witzal, Colin O’Brien) 10

Army (Drennan Greene) 7

Army kept Bucknell off the scoreboard for the first 20 minutes of the game but only managed three goals of their own over that time.  The Bison closed out the scoring in the second quarter, putting three past the Army goalie to even things up at the half.  After each team scored early in the second half, the Bison scored twice to give them a lead that they would hold on to until the final horn sounded.

In addition to Bucknell winning this Bears vs. Bears match, Sean O’Brien of Bucknell won the Sean O’Brien vs. Sean O’Brien match up as Bucknell’s Sean scored once on four shots and collected two ground balls while Army’s Sean was held scoreless on two shots.  Jarret was 10-for-21 on faceoffs and had five ground balls and a caused turnover.

The win clinches a spot in the Patriot League Tournament for Bucknell while Army needs to beat Boston U. next week to improve their chances of making the tournament.

#13 Cornell (Jack Bolen, Colton Rupp, Andrew Fowler) 22

Dartmouth (Landon McKenzie) 11

Big Red versus Big Green sounds more like a Christmas time match than Easter.  Cornell raced out to an early lead on the strength of first half scoring runs of eight and six goals to go up 15-2 at the half.  The teams traded short runs across the second half, but the outcome was sealed in the first.  Colton took one shot in the game andJack played as well.

Cornell is now 2-1 in Ivy League play and their offense has come alive, scoring twenty or more goals in their last three games.  This week’s match with Harvard will be important for Big Red’s post-season hopes.

#2 Maryland (Justin Shockey) 13

#17 Michigan (Will Amoroso) 5

Maryland did a far better job of protecting the ball, giving up just six turnovers while forcing 18 by the Wolverines.  That possession advantage led to a shot advantage which led to the win.  Michigan pulled within one with ten minutes left in the third quarter, but the Terrapins shut down the Michigan offense from there on out and scored seven unanswered goals to close out the game. Michigan’s goalie made 15 saves to keep the score respectable.  Justin won three of twelve faceoffs and had one ground ball.  The game was the BigTen season opener for both schools.

OTHER GAMES

Colgate (Griffin Brown) 7

#12 Loyola 11

Colgate’s strong play in goal and at faceoffs was not enough to overcome their higher rate of turnovers and Loyola’s very efficient shooting.  Griffin scored one goal on five shots for Colgate.  Colgate, at 2-3 in Patriot League play, is fighting to make the Patriot League tournament.  This coming week, Colgate faces Navy (Bears vs. Bears), which has already clinched a spot in the tournament, then finishes out with Holy Cross and Lafayette, both of which are 0-5 and league play so far.

#13 Cornell (Jack Bolen, Colton Rupp, Andrew Fowler) 23

Air Force 5

Cornell scored the first seven goals of the game in just 11 minutes of game time.  Big Red had two more four goal runs before Air Force could post their first back-to-back goals of the game. Colton had his most productive game of the year, starting at attack for the third straight game and scoring on all 3 of his shots and Jack had a caused turnover.

Hobart (Riley McTague, Koko Avedisian) 19

Canisius 9

Hobart benefited with some quick strike scoring, twice scoring three goals in a minute and a half of game time.  The Statesmen built a six-goal lead through three quarters of play by several making mini-runs while allowing Canisius to score successive goals only once.  Hobart dominated scoring over the final quarter, scoring five straight and keeping Canisius scoreless until just under a minute was left in the game.  Kokohad one ground ball for Hobart.

Jacksonville (Hunter Sells, Andrew Mitchell) 9

High Point 11

High Point built an 8-3 lead midway through the second quarter, starting the first and second quarters with runs of three and four goals, respectively, before the Dolphins started chipping away at their lead.

Jacksonville pulled within two with three minutes left in the game but couldn’t convert any of the six shots they took through the end of regulation. Hunter had a rough game in goal, giving up eight while saving none in the first half before being replaced.

Jacksonville is one of four one-loss team tied for second place in Southern Conference standings.  The Dolphins next three contests, two against other teams with one loss in conference and one against league leader Furman, will help decided whether they make the league’s four-team tournament in May.

#6 Johns Hopkins (Sam Lynch) 13

#9 Rutgers 12

For the second straight weekend, the Blue Jays overcame a slow start with strong play over the game’s final two quarters.  Down three with five minutes left in the third quarter, Hopkins rallied to take their first lead by scoring four goals in just over four minutes.  Rutgers tied the game up at ten, then the teams traded pairs of goals, creating a 12-12 tie with three minutes left.  After a critical save by their goalie, Hopkins was able to gain possession, work the game clock down, and then get the winner home with just fourteen seconds left.  This game was the first BigTen contest for both schools.

Navy (Tom Evans) 5

Holy Cross 4

You probably had to be a fan of one of these teams to endure this contest.  Holy Cross opened up a 3-1 advantage in the first quarter but would only score once more.  Navy shutout Holy Cross 2-0 in both the second and fourth quarters to do just enough to win.

St. Josephs (Thomas Halm) 12

Wagner 7

The Hawks’ six goal run that spanned the end of the first period through the middle of the third proved to be the difference in the game.  Thomas capped off the scoring for St. Joe’s when he netted his second goal of the season with two minutes left in the game.

After dropping their first three games of the season, St. Joe’s has put together a five game win streak with the last two wins being conference wins which makes the Hawks one of the two Northeast Conference teams without a loss in league play.

#11 Virginia (Ryan Pride) 14

Richmond 10

Richmond took a two goal lead with just under seven minutes left in the third period then UVA clamped down. The Cavaliers limited Richmond to just one goal in the remaining 22 minutes of game time while putting up seven, including a run of five straight that flipped that two-goal deficit into a three-goal lead.

Polls

This Coming Week

Colgate (Griffin Brown) travels to Annapolis to take on Navy (Tom Evans) in this coming week’s only Bears vs. Bears game.

D-III

Catholic (Asst. Coach Tom Minkler, Sean Feldman) 6

Scranton 16

Scranton won each of the first two quarters 3-2 and used a 3-2 scoring advantage over the first six minutes of the third quarter to build a three-goal lead.  They then went on salt the game away by scoring the last seven goals of the game.

Marymount (Asst. Coach Wes Lincoln)  1

Randolph-Macon 12

Randolph-Macon was up 9-0 late in the third quarter before the Saints got their first (and only) goal of the game.

Marymount (Asst. Coach Wes Lincoln) 3 

Frostburg State 16

Similar to the game against Randolph-Macon, the Saints found themselves down 8-0 in the third quarter before they got their first score.

#12 Ohio Wesleyan (Tyler McTague) 14

John Carroll 5

The Battling Bishops seven goal run that spanned the second and third quarters decided the outcome of Ohio Wesleyan’s last non-conference regular season game.

#12 Ohio Wesleyan (Tyler McTague) 20

Hiram 7

Tyler picked up his second goal of the season as Ohio Wesleyan moved to 3-0 in North Coast Conference play.

#11 Salisbury (Brian Menendez) 25

Wesley 3

The Seagulls won 25 of 30 faceoffs, forced 19 turnovers and out shot Wesley 52-18.  Briansaw playing time in this game.

#11 Salisbury (Brian Menendez) 22

Southern Virginia 9

Salisbury’s goalie only made one save of Southern Virginia’s ten shots on goal, but even if that one had gotten by him, the game still would have been a rout.  Apart from saves, Salisbury dominated every other statistical category to go 2-1 in Capital Athletic Conference play.

Trinity (Spud Dunn) 13

Babson 12

Babson shot more often, but Trinity shot more accurately as the Bantams won their final regular season non-conference game.  The game was tied seven times, the last tie at 12 all with just under three minutes remaining.  The Bantams got the lead with just 59 seconds left in regulation then were able to get the save on Babson’s last shot of the game.

Trinity (Spud Dunn) 7

Bowdoin 10

Trinity shot accurately again, but Bowdoin’s volume of shooting, aided by advantages in faceoffs and ground balls, plus strong goalie play, overcame the Bantam’s efficiency.

#3 Tufts (Luke Kurtz) 11

Connecticut College 8

The Jumbo’s 6-0 advantage in the second quarter turned out to be the difference make in this game.  Connecticut College had three-goal runs on either end of the Jumbo’s second quarter shutout, but never got closer than down two in the second half.  Luke saw playing time in the game.

Washington College (Will Oliver) 13

Ursinus 12

Ursinus jumped out to a 3-0 lead but the Shoremen battled back to close that gap to one goal at the half.  Washington came out of the break hot, scoring four straight goals, the last one when down a man.  Ursinus whittled Washington’s three-goal lead down to one with three and a half minutes remaining but failed on two of three clearing attempts in the game’s closing moments with the one successful clear resulting in a turnover before they could get off a shot.

Washington College (Will Oliver) 16

McDaniel 8

The Shoremen shutout McDaniel 7-0 in the first period and were up 8-0 in the second before McDaniel got their first goal.  Willplayed in the game.

Polls

USILA Coaches’ Poll:

#3 Tufts

#11 Salisbury

#12 Ohio Wesleyan

Nike/USL Poll:

#3 Tufts

#13 Ohio Wesleyan

#14 Salisbury