Bucknell University Athletics
Deeper Bison Men's Lax Team Hoping to Find Comfort Zone in 2007
2/15/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 15, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Bucknell men's lacrosse team has come a long way in just a few short months. Last offseason, the team was working overtime to learn new coach Frank Fedorjaka's offensive system, and the Bison were trying to cope with the loss of three of their best offensive players, two to graduation (All-American Chris Cara and All-Patriot Leaguer Patrick Christensen) and one to injury (then-junior Brian Gargan, who tore his ACL in the preseason). Since then, there has been an infusion of wonderful young talent and the vets have taken to Fedorjaka's plan nicely, leading to high hopes for Bucknell Lacrosse in 2007.
The Bison kick off the new campaign this Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, hosting St. John's at 11 a.m. Admission is free.
Typical of a young team rebuilding with a new coach, Bucknell's fortunes strayed all over the map last season. The highlight was the best win in program history, a 7-6 double-overtime upset at No. 1 Maryland in mid-March. The Bison also knocked off 13th-ranked Penn State on the road and had a satisfying come-from-behind win at Air Force. On the downside, the team lost seven games by three goals or less, plus another back-and-forth affair against No. 4 Navy that got away late, accounting for all eight losses in a 6-8 season. For the first time since the Patriot League instituted a postseason tournament to crown its champion in 2004, Bucknell did not qualify. Still, most lax pundits felt the team was one, perhaps two, wins shy of qualifying for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament based on the quality road victories.
A year later, Fedorjaka feels like that roller-coaster ride will be replaced by a gentler journey back to the postseason. Offensive coordinator Pat Myers' system is now firmly in place, and an attack unit that was paced by two freshmen and a junior a year ago is now much deeper and more seasoned, particularly with the expected healthy return of Gargan. Bucknell's midfield, both offensive and defensive, figures to be as deep as it has been in recent memory. The close defense took a hit with the graduation of two-time All-Patriot League selection Michael Abou Jaoude, but three veterans with starting experience do return. Entering the season, the team's biggest concerns are in the crease, where the Bison will feature a first-year starting goalie for only the second time in the last eight years, and at the faceoff X, which has been a source of recent trouble.
"Last season we lost seven games by a combined 13 goals, and every game we lost we were right in it in the fourth quarter," Fedorjaka recalls. "We were so close last year, but ultimately we were just a bit too young and inexperienced. This year's team is very hungry. The guys played in the fall with a bit of a chip on their shoulders. I have never seen a team work as hard as this one has since the end of last season. They want it so bad, and because of that commitment level, I have never enjoyed coaching a team more."
Fedorjaka, who replaced legendary coach Sid Jamieson on the bench prior to the 2006 season, admits that having a new coach in many ways made the team even younger than their actual age.
"Everything seems so natural now," says Fedorjaka, who will once again be assisted this season by former Ohio State star Pat Myers along with newcomer Tim Robbins. "We came back in the fall and picked right up where we left off, which obviously did not happen the previous year."
Up front, the Bison attack unit will be led by sophomore Joe Mele, the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Mele was a terrific find last season. He ranked second in the Patriot League in goals with 26 en route to rookie of the year honors.With sophomore John Togneri, another returning starter, moving from attack to midfield, a couple of highly touted freshmen are challenging for starting attack positions. Tim Brandau comes from the Baltimore area and appears to be a tremendous finisher. At 6'4" tall, fellow newcomer Austin Winter brings an added size element to the attack unit. High school All-American Chris Palmer could also contribute at either attack or middie, while rookies Ryan Bakker, Zander Crawford and Griffin Shay also have bright futures.
That's plenty of depth at attack, even without considering the return of Gargan, a neat success story who hopes to be back near 100 percent this spring after a year of rehab from the ACL injury. A former walk-on, Gargan quickly made his presence felt at Bucknell and was an everyday starter in each of his first two seasons at the college level when he averaged a goal per game. The injury occurred in preseason prior to the 2006 campaign, and with the loss of Cara and Christensen, who had combined for 97 points the previous year, Gargan's injury put even more pressure on a young attack group still learning a new offense.
Unfortunately the Bison experienced another tough injury setback this preseason, as senior attackman Kirk Klett, a three-year starter, suffered a torn ACL in a scrimmage game against North Carolina.
Junior Nick Marks and sophomores Togneri and Perry Menzies make up the projected first-line midfield unit. Marks came in as a gunner with a rocket of an outside shot, but with two full years of college experience now under his belt, he has become a much more complete player. Togneri was one of the league's top rookies in 2006, scoring 22 points on 13 goals and nine assists. He moves from attack to middie this season as Fedorjaka looks to exploit his ballhandling, dodging and feeding abilities. Menzies might just have the biggest upside in this group. A terrific athlete with plus size and speed, Menzies contributed six goals and three assists last season while learning to pick up the offensive system. With more than a year in the program now, Fedorjaka predicts Menzies will explode into an all-conference caliber midfielder in 2007.
The Bison feature excellent depth at middie, and Fedorjaka will not hesitate to use multiple lines this spring. Senior Steve Case, junior John Schlicher and sophomore Doug Buckley comprise the probable second unit. Expect to see Case all over the field this season as one of Bucknell's most versatile players. Schlicher was one of the team's most improved players and had just moved into the starting lineup when he suffered a horrific leg injury in the Navy game in San Diego early last season. He is back at 100 percent now -- he even got back on the field near the end of fall ball -- will almost certainly contribute in 2007. Buckley played in every game, with a handful of starts, as a freshman last season and finished with four goals and one assist.
At short-stick defensive midfield, Fedorjaka has four experienced players to rotate at his discretion, giving him the luxury of allowing them to make long runs and try to create offensive chances knowing they can get a blow if needed. The most experienced of the group is talented junior Mark Lane, who has essentially been a starter his entire career. Juniors Patrick Keeney and Andrew Goodhand, along with speedy sophomore Michael Cooke, all bring different strengths and styles to the position, allowing the coaching staff to match them up against different types of opponents. Two veterans will share the bulk of the playing time at long-stick defensive middie. Senior co-captain Paul Stansik comes in with 32 games of experience. A lacrosse fanatic, Stansik has refined his game to an all-league level and will be a key part of a Bison defense that annually ranks among the nation's best. Junior Tommy Orr, like Stansik, has been a contributor since his freshman year.
Abou Jaoude's departure will hurt, but the Bison should again be strong at close defense with the return of senior co-captain Greg Sowyrda, junior Evan Burns, and maybe the best of the group, sophomore Billy Haire. Freshman Scott Monfort is a highly regarded newcomer who earned some starts in the fall in Burns' absence.
The Bison are in the unusual position of breaking in a new goalie in 2007. Three-year starter Matt Baran, who replaced a four-year starter in Justin Sussman, has graduated. Both were All-Patriot League netminders who later signed pro lacrosse contracts, so the new goalie will certainly have big shoes to fill. Sophomore Matt Antonelli has the inside track to the starting job since he has a year in the program to his credit. Right on his heels, however, is UMass transfer Nick Sciubba, who was the backup goalie as the Minutemen made a remarkable run to the national title game last spring.
Of course the Bison would like to limit the number of shots fired at their goalies this year, and improvement in the faceoff area will help in that regard. Bucknell really struggled at the X last season, winning only 38.0 percent, and on top of that its two most-used faceoff men from a year ago will not be back in 2007. The frontrunner entering the season appears to be senior Danylko Kulczycky, a big, physical defenseman who is attempting to re-define himself as a faceoff specialist. Eventually, Fedorjaka thinks he has an outstanding faceoff man in freshman Andrew Alexanderson, but he missed all of the fall season with an injury and his status is in doubt this spring.
On special teams, Bucknell converted 31.4 percent of its EMO chances last season while killing 67.2 percent of man-down chances. Both figures ranked in the middle of the pack in the Patriot League. Bucknell has been among the national leaders in penalty killing in recent years, a perch it aspires to get back to. The Bison were the league's most penalized team in 2006, taking about 4.5 per game, a figure they would also like to improve.
Bucknell was picked fourth in the preseason poll of Patriot League head coaches and sports information directors, behind Navy, Colgate and Army.
