April 6, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Bucknell and Colgate remain unscathed in their race for the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison and Raiders remained undefeated in Patriot League play with victories on Saturday. The wins also clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament for each squad. Navy, which meets rival Army in Baltimore on Saturday, can secure a spot in the tournament with a win over the Black Knights. Lafayette and Lehigh enter the week tied for the fourth and final tournament spot. The Leopards and Mountain Hawks are a half game ahead of Army.

Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Release 4.6.09

Offensive Player of the Week (Mar. 30-Apr. 5)

Joe Mele, Bucknell Sr., A, Westbury, N.Y. Mele scored five of Bucknell's eight goals in the Bison's 8-6 victory over Army. The senior's five goals matched a career high. He tied the game at 4-4 in the final minute of the first half with an around-the-back goal. He then scored two insurancegoals in the third period, one of which held up as the game-winner. Mele now has 20 goals this season and 95 for his career. It is the fourth straight season that he has scored at least 20 goals. It is the first time that Mele has been named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.

Defensive Player of the Week (Mar. 30-Apr. 5)

Andy Tormey, Navy Sr., D, Syracuse, N.Y. After holding Georgetown's Ryan Shuler scoreless and shotless a week ago, Tormey held his Maryland's Grant Catalino without a goal or an assist. Tormey limited his defensive assignment to just five shots, two of which were on goal, snapping Catalino's 22-game scoring streak. Tormey helped the Navy defense limit the Terps to just one shot in the third quarter. Tormey and the Mids also held Maryland to its lowest scoring output since April 4, 2008. It is the first time this season and the second time in his career that Tormey has been named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.

Goalkeeper of the Week (Mar. 30-Apr. 5)

Tommy Phelan, Navy Sr., GK, Towson, Md. Making just his second start of the season, Phelan stopped 16 of the 20 shots he faced in the Mids' 10-4 win over No. 8/8 Maryland. Phelan faced 11 shots in the first half alone, making nine saves in the process. Phelan held Maryland to its lowest goal-total since April 12, 2008. The Terps had been averaging 11.11 goals per game prior to Friday's game. Phelan's 16 saves were the most by a Navy goalkeeper since Seth DiNola stopped 21 Penn State shots in 2003. In two starts this season, Phelan has made 31 saves while stopping 72.1 percent of the shots he has faced. It is the first time that Phelan has been named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.

Rookie of the Week (Mar. 30-Apr. 5)

Chris Zielinski, Colgate Fr., A, Lancaster, Pa. Zielinski recorded his second career four-point outing in the Raiders' 10-8 win at Lehigh. He notched two goals and two assists against the Mountain Hawks. Both of Zielinski's goals gave Colgate the lead. Zielinski's 11 points are the most by a Colgate freshman since Brandon Corp recorded 25 in 2006. It is the first time a Colgate freshman has been named Patriot League Rookie of the Week since Corp won the award April 2, 2006.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Jake Clarke, Bucknell So., DM, Cos Cob, Conn. Registered nine ground balls in the Bison's 8-6 win at Army. Won 13-of-17 faceoffs, including a 6-of-7 effort in the second half. Also helped the Bucknell defense hold Army scoreless for 31 consecutive minutes, allowing the Bison to turn a 4-3 deficit into an 8-4 lead.

Nick Sciubba, Bucknell Sr., GK, Sea Cliff, N.Y. Made 12 saves while allowing just six goals in the Bison's 8-6 win at Army. Made five saves in the fourth quarter to preserve Bucknell's lead.

Brandon Corp, Colgate Sr., A, Chittenango, N.Y. Recorded his third straight game with at least four points. Finished with one goal and four assists. Scored the game-winning goal in the Raiders' 10-8 triumph at Lehigh.

Tom Perini, Lafayette So., A, Huntington, N.Y. Scored six goals in two Lafayette victories. Produced a game-high five goals in the Leopards' 11-7 win against Marist.

Bruce Nechanicky, Navy Sr., A, Montgomery Village, Md. Led Navy with a career-high three goals on three shots while adding an assist in the Mids' 10-4 win against Maryland. Also provided Navy with two groundballs. Scored two of Navy's six consecutive goals in the second and third quarters.

Patriot League Notebook

In Review Bucknell and Colgate secured their places in the Patriot League Tournament with victories on Saturday. Bucknell scored five straight goals and held off a late surge by Army in the Bison's 8-6 win over the Black Knights. Colgate won its sixth straight game and improved to 4-0 in Patriot League competition with a 10-8 win at Lehigh. Lafayette defeated Holy Cross to move into a tie with for fourth place. The Leopards are tied with Lehigh, a half game ahead of Army for the final spot in the Patriot League Tournament. Navy scored an important non-League win for the second consecutive week. Six days after topping Georgetown, the Mids claimed a 10-4 win over No. 8/8 Maryland.

On Deck Army and Navy will meet in Baltimore on Saturday for the Day of Rivals. With a win, Navy would secure a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. Bucknell and Colgate will put their undefeated Patriot League records on the line on Saturday. The Bison will host Lehigh, while the Raiders will travel to Lafayette. Holy Cross will be the lone team without a Patriot League contest this week. The Crusaders will travel to Vermont on Tuesday and host Marist on Saturday. Other non-League tilts include Bucknell hosting Penn State and Colgate against Binghamton.

Race Is Heating Up The Patriot League's regular season crown will go to either Bucknell or Colgate, with the teams' April 18 match-up determining the Patriot League Tournament's top seed. Both teams enter the week with 4-0 Patriot League records. Each squad has beaten the League's third-place team, Navy, which enters the week with a 3-2 mark.

Quality Over Quantity Colgate leads the Patriot League in goals, assists, points, man-up goals and man-down goals--all despite the fact that the Raiders have recorded the second-fewest shots among Patriot League teams. Colgate has made up for its shot deficiency by making a League-best 35.1 percent of its shots.

Patriot League Teams In The Rankings Three Patriot League teams are currently in this week's national rankings. Navy climbed four spots to No. 13 in the coaches' poll, while moving up two spots to 12th in the media rankings. Colgate held steady to its No. 15 ranking in both polls. Bucknell popped back into national polls for the first time since March 2. The Bison are ranked 19th by the coaches and 20th by the media.

2009 Men's Lacrosse Championship The 2009 Patriot League Tournament will take place on Friday, April 24 and Sunday, April 26 at the site of the highest seed. The top four teams in the regular-season standings will advance to the Patriot League tourney. The championship game on Sunday and Friday's semifinals will be broadcast on CBS College Sports. Third-seeded Colgate won last year's championship in West Point, N.Y.

Team Notebooks

Army The Black Knights dropped their third straight game, an 8-6 defeat at the hands of Bucknell. Brothers Bill and Tim Henderson anchorded Army's defensive effort. Bill Henderson caused five turnovers while limiting Bucknell's leading point-scorer, Austin Winter, to no goals and two assists. Tim Henderson held the Bison's leading scorer, Charlie Streep, to just one shot-on-goal. Army will meet rival Navy in Baltimore, Md. on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The Black Knights will be seeking back-to-back wins against the Mids for the first time since doing so in 1996 and 1997. Prior to last season's win against Navy, Army had lost 13 straight against its rival.

Bucknell The Bison remained undefeated in Patriot League play with an 8-6 triumph over Army in West Point, giving Bucknell four straight wins against the Black Knights for the first time in school history. It also marked the first time that Bucknell has beaten Air Force, Army and Navy in the same season. Austin Winter moved into a tie for third place on the school's all-time assists list. The junior had two assists against the Black Knights, giving him 82 for his career. The Bison will host Penn State on Tuesday before meeting up with Lehigh on Saturday.

Colgate The Raiders won their sixth straight contest, a 10-8 victory at Lehigh. Brandon Corp, who notched one goal and four assists, now has 46 points (25 goals, 21 assists) this season. The 21 assists are a career-high for Corp. He is the first Colgate player with a 20/20 season since Derek Laub in 1993. Also scoring on Saturday was defenseman Andrew Watkins. The senior co-captin scored his first career goal on a long shot from beyond the midfield stripe. The Raiders will host Binghamton in a non-League bout on Tuesday. Colgate will then hit the road to take on Lafayette in a Patriot League duel on Saturday.

Holy Cross The Crusaders were dealt their fourth straight loss on Saturday, a 7-4 defeat at Lafayette. Holy Cross fell to 0-4 in road contests. Colin McGeehin notched a hat trick in the loss, scoring three of the Crusaders' four goals. McGeehin also picked up two ground balls. Kenny Minor scored the Crusaders' other goal, giving the junior at least one goal in seven straight contests. Holy Cross will be the lone Patriot League team without a League game this week. The Crusaders will play at Vermont on Tuesday before welcoming Marist to Worcester on Saturday.

Lafayette The Leopards have now won three consecutive games after notching victories over Marist and Holy Cross last week. Senior goalkeeper Jeff Canfield made nine saves in each of the Leopards' wins. Tom Perini scored six goals during the week, including a five-goal effort against Marist. With Lafayette's win over Holy Cross, the Leopards are now tied with rival Lehigh for the fourth and final spot in the Patriot League Tournament. Lafayette will host No. 15/15 Colgate on Saturday.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks lost their third straight game, a 10-8 defeat at the hands of No. 15/15 Colgate. Lehigh rallied back from a 5-2 halftime deficit to pull within a single goal early in the fourth quarter, but the Raiders added two more scores and held on for the victory. Freshman Cameron Lao-Gosney scored a goal for the sixth consecutive game. He notched two goals against the Raiders, marking the fifth time that he has scored at least two goals in a game this season. Lehigh will hit the road to take on No. 19/20 Bucknell on Saturday.

Navy The Mids knocked off No. 8/8 Maryland by a 10-4 count on Friday. It marked the first time since 2004 that Navy has beaten both Georgetown and Maryland in the same season. Sophomore Brian Striffler extended his point-scoring streak to seven with a goal in the fourth quarter. Freshman Ryan O'Leary recorded his first career point, providing the assist on Bruce Nechanicky's goal with eight seconds left int he third quarter. Navy can clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament with a win this weekend. The Mids will battle rival Army at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday.