BEARS LAX TRAX 021222 by John Nichols

D-I

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

Bears vs. Bears

JOHNS HOPKINS (Joey Epstein) 18

TOWSON (Mo Sillah) 12

Joey may have been shut out in Hopkins’ season opener, but in game two he came out firing.  His six-goal performance is one shy of his most productive outing as a Blue Jay and helped drive the Jays to a 12-6 lead at the halftime.  Turns out the Jays needed every one Joey’s scores as Towson used a five-goal run in the third quarter to cut the Hopkins lead to two heading into the final period.  That’s as close as Towson would get as the Jays pitched a 4-0 shutout in the fourth.

In addition to his game high six goals (the result of 16 shots, nine of which were on goal), Joey contributed an assist and a ground ball.  Mo saw playing time for the Tigers.

MARYLAND (John Geppert, Matt Kopp) 20

LOYOLA (Cam James) 8

Maryland posted their second win of the seasons with another big game for the Terrapins’ offense.  After Maryland scored the first three goals of the game, the Greyhounds tightened things up with back-to-back scores.  That was as close as Loyola would get.  For the balance of the game, Maryland would put up shorts runs of goals while allowing Loyola on single scoring opportunities.  Loyola would not score successive goals again until there was two minutes left in the contest.

John had four ground balls and a caused turnover for Maryland.  Both Matt and Cam also saw playing time in this game.

Other Games

BUCKNELL (Drew Wellington) 14

Robert Morris 12

The Bison picked up their second win in their second game of the season, already matching their win total from last season.  Drew is starting on defense for the Bison and contributed to the win with three ground balls and a caused turnover. 

Bucknell scored the first three goals of the game and managed to hold Robert Morris at bay until late in the third quarter.  The Colonials tied the game with the third of three straight scores.  The Bison answered back with a pair of goals, the second coming with just a second left in the quarter.  That reconstructed lead was enough to get the win as each team scored but once in the closing period.

DENVER (Ryan Giles) 13

Air Force 9

Denver dominated most statistical categories but Air Force’s goalie kept them in the game, saving 18 of the 31 shots that the Pioneers put on goal.  Denver’s dominance in ground balls and face offs limited Air Force’s scoring chances.  While Denver never put together any big runs of goals, they usually answered any score by the Falcons with one or two of their own.

Ryan saw playing time for Denver.

JOHNS HOPKINS (Joey Epstein) 8

Georgetown 16

The Jays suffered their first loss of the season, falling to a stout Georgetown squad that is looking to build on last season’s success.  Joey’s first goal of the game staked Hopkins to an early 5-2 lead.  The Hoyas closed out the first period with a goal that turned out to be the starting point of an eight-goal run by Georgetown.  Joey’s second goal of the game stopped that Hoya run.  Georgetown put the game away with a five-goal run to start the fourth quarter.

Joey had a pair of goals and put ten of his thirteen shots on goal.

MICHIGAN (Zach Johnson, Graham Hertzberg) 21

Detroit Mercy 5

Last week Michigan scored twenty or more goals for the first time in program history and this week they did it again.  Zach was again in the starting line up for the Wolverines and was tied for second on the team with four ground balls.

NAVY (JT Thomas) 15

Mercer 5

Navy kept Mercer scoreless through the first half, surrendering that first goal to the Bears about a minute into the second half.  A second score for Mercer came on the heels of that goal, but Navy answered right back with three in a row.  Navy took 61 shots on the day, half of them on goal, with equal amounts in goalie’s crosse and in the cage.

PENN STATE (Nate Buller) 12

Villanova 13

Trailing by four early in the second half, the Nittany Lions put together a five-goal run to up by one heading into the final quarter.  Villanova reclaimed the lead with the first two goals of the final frame.  After that, the teams traded scores with Penn State twice tying the score, and Villanova inching back out with an answering goal. Penn State had a chance in the game’s closing minute, but the ball glanced off the post.

D-I USILA POLL

1t. Maryland

1t. Virginia

3. Georgetown

4. North Carolina

5. Notre Dame

6. Yale

7. Duke

8. Rutgers

9. Syracuse

10. Penn

11. Denver

12. Army

13. Cornell

14. Loyola

15. Johns Hopkins

16. Lehigh

17. Delaware

18. Princeton

19. Bryant

20. Villanova

THIS COMING WEEK

The Ivy League is back!  Looking forward to the season openers for Dartmouth (Brendan and Brett Gallagher), Harvard (Joey Graham), Penn (Stephen Bou) and Yale (Jake Cohen).  Also, just one Bears vs. Bears contest this week as Johns Hopkins (Joey Epstein) takes on Loyola (Cam James).

D-III

Our D-III teams got off to a rough start, losing all three games on the schedule.

COLORADO COLLEGE (Max Becker) 7

Illinois Wesleyan 14

Illinois Wesleyan put Colorado College in a deep hole to start the game by going on a five-goal run to start the game.  A second string of five by Illinois Wesleyan stretched their lead to nine goals

COLORADO COLLEGE (Max Becker) 14

Grove City 22

The Tigers were done in by an early big run as Grove City scored six straight goals over a five-minute period in the second quarter.  Colorado College fought back in the second half but could get no closer than within three. 

WASHINGTON & LEE (Will Bou) 6

Catholic 13

The Generals led by one at the end of the first period, but the Cardinals controlled the game from there on out, never allowing successive scores for Washington and Lee while stringing together short runs of two, three, or four goals.

THIS COMING WEEK

Gettysburg (Billy Banfield) and Salisbury (Jace Menendez) kick off their 2022 seasons this week.