Bucknell-Navy Men's Lacrosse Clash Set for Wednesday in Annapolis
3/17/2008 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
March 17, 2008
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The season's first clash of predicted upper-division Patriot League teams takes place on Wednesday in Annapolis, when 12th-ranked Bucknell travels to No. 8 Navy for a 4 p.m. start at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Bucknell has won five straight -- all at home -- since a season-opening loss at Duke. Of those five victories, three were one-goal wins and another came by just two goals. Most recently, the Bison opened up Patriot League play with a 9-7 victory over Lafayette on Saturday. Navy is now 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Patriot League after crushing Holy Cross 16-3 in Dallas, Texas over the weekend. The Midshipmen also have Patriot League wins over Lehigh (14-3) and Lafayette (8-5). Navy's lone loss came in overtime (8-7) to then-sixth-ranked Cornell. Nick Mirabito (13-16-29) paces a Navy offense that averages better than 10 goals per game, while Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Jordan DiNola heads up a strong defense that has yielded only 33 goals in seven games thus far.
With a Win over Navy, Bucknell Would ...
• ... win its sixth consecutive game and improve to 6-1 overall, 2-0 in the Patriot League.
• ... produce its first six-game winning streak since 1996, when the team finished 12-0.
• ... snap a two-game losing streak to the Midshipmen and improve to 3-4 all-time against them.
• ... defeat the Mids in Annapolis for the first time 1996.
• ... improve to 3-1 this season against nationally ranked teams.
• ... improve to 38-13 in the Patriot League since the start of the 2000 season.
Bucknell Winning the Close Ones
After running into juggernaut Duke on the road to start the season, the Bison have bounced back with five straight victories, although four of them came right down to the wire. Bucknell defeated Ohio State 8-7 in triple overtime and also has one-goal decisions over Hobart (10-9) and Fairfield (9-8) and a two-goal win over Lafayette (9-7). The Bison are now 10-3 in one-goal games in head coach Frank Fedorjaka's three seasons.
Bison up to No. 12 in Coaches Poll
Bucknell has been ranked in the USILA Coaches' Poll every week this season, with this week's No. 12 ranking representing the high-water mark thus far. It is Bucknell's highest national ranking since it peaked at No. 12 during the 2005 season. Also this week, the Bison are ranked No. 15 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and No. 14 by LAXnews.com.
Last Time Out
Joe Mele scored three goals, all coming in the second half to help stymie a Lafayette's comeback bid, and Bucknell prevailed 9-7 on Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Bucknell played a near-perfect first quarter and pitched a shutout for the game's first 35:57. But Lafayette cut into a 6-0 deficit with four straight goals in just 5:29 in the middle part of the third quarter. With all of the momentum leaning toward the Leopards, Mele scored two goals in just 11 seconds in the final minute of the third quarter, and Mele scored another big insurance marker in a two-goal game in the fourth quarter.
More From Lafayette
In addition to Joe Mele's hat trick, other multiple-point scorers for the Bison were Tim Brandau (2-1-3), Nick Marks (1-1-2) ... Michael Cooke (1-1-2) ... Cooke, a short-stick defensive middie, notched his first two points of the season ... defenseman Billy Haire assisted on Cooke's third-quarter goal for his first career point ... Bucknell outshot Lafayette 9-0 in the first quarter and 47-17 overall ... Lafayette's top scorer Tom Perini (13 goals in four games) was held to just one assist ... Bucknell won its 15th straight over the Leopards.
The Bucknell-Navy Series
Navy leads the all-time series 4-2:
4/3/96, Annapolis, Md., Bucknell, 6-5
4/2/97, Annapolis, Md., Navy, 17-7
3/13/04, Annapolis, Md., Navy, 11-5
3/12/05, Lewisburg, Pa., Bucknell, 8-7 (OT)
3/11/06, San Diego, Calif., Navy, 9-5
3/25/07, Lewisburg, Pa., Navy, 6-3
Bucknell, Navy Similar vs. Common Opponents
Bucknell and Navy have faced three common opponents thus far and fared similarly against each:
Opponent Bucknell Result Navy Result Ohio State W, 8-7 (3OT) W, 8-7 (OT) Mount St. Mary's W, 14-6 W, 12-5 Lafayette W, 9-7 W, 8-5
Oh, Brother
Two members of the Collett family are reserve defenseman in this game. Bucknell freshman John Collett has seen action in two games this season, while older brother Mike, a junior for Navy, has yet to get into a game. Both siblings starred at Delbarton in New Jersey. Their father, Doug, is a 1982 Bucknell graduate and a former Bison football player.
Bucknell-Navy Last Season
Two of the nation's top-ranked defenses locked up in a hard-hitting defensive struggle last season in Lewisburg, but it was then-fourth-ranked Navy that mustered enough offense to prevail 6-3 over No. 16 Bucknell. The Midshipmen received three goals from Ian Dingman and two goals and two assists from Bruce Nechanicky. The Bison received goals from Perry Menzies, Joe Mele and Brian Gargan as well as a stellar 13-save outing from goalie Nick Sciubba, but they surrendered all 12 faceoffs in the game and could not convert on any of five second-half extra-man opportunities. Navy led 5-1 at the 10:58 mark of the third quarter when Nechanicky took a crossing pass from Nick Mirabito and scored for his fourth point of the day. Mele, whose season ended later in the day when he tore an ACL trying to cut to the goal, got himself free on the right side of the crease and, after a nice feed from Austin Winter, barely snuck a shot across the line to make it a 5-2 game with 5:49 left in the third quarter. Then with 33 seconds left, Gargan skipped one in from deep on the right wing to bring the Bison within 5-3. Tommy Wallin was flagged for a cross-check as the goal was scored, but Navy won the ensuing faceoff and was able to kill the penalty. Bucknell had a two-man advantage for a full minute early in the fourth quarter, but Finnegan intercepted a pass in the crease, and the Mids were able to clear shorthanded. The Bison had two more EMO chances in succession in the fourth quarter but were unable to score. Navy tacked on a big insurance goal with 5:20 left in the game, when Dingman powered around a defender to complete his hat trick. The Bison outshot Navy 12-2 in the fourth quarter, but only one of the shots was on the cage. The late flurry gave Bucknell a 28-27 shot advantage, but of the 28 shots just nine were on target, as six shots were saved by Finnegan and three slipped past him. Bucknell also won the ground ball battle 23-22, led by a career-high eight from sophomore defenseman Billy Haire. Navy came into the game ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense, while the Bison were ranked No. 5.
Quick Starts
Bucknell has outscored its six opponents 17-3 in the first quarter of games this season and has been outscored in every other quarter. In each of its last two victories, the Bison have jumped out to big leads, only to have to hold on for dear life down the stretch. Against Fairfield last Tuesday, Bucknell built an 8-3 lead in the third quarter, only to see the Stags score three goals in 49 seconds to get back in it. Bucknell never relinquished the lead but prevailed by a slim 9-8 margin. On Saturday against Lafayette, the Bison were up 6-0 in the third quarter and completely dominating play, when all of the sudden the Leopards struck four times in a little over five minutes. Lafayette never got closer than two despite throwing a second-half scare into the Bison.
Working Overtime
Including its triple-overtime win over Ohio State earlier this season, the Bison have now won four straight overtime contests, and they are 5-1 in OT under head coach Frank Fedorjaka. One of those sudden-death wins was an 8-7 decision over then-No. 2 Navy on March 12, 2005 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
Ride Like the Wind
Prior to the season, Inside Lacrosse picked Bucknell as the No. 1 riding team in the nation, and through six games the Bison have lived up to the billing. Opponents have been successful clearing the ball only 67.4% of the time against Bucknell's 10-man ride. Conversely, Bucknell is clearing at an 85.7% clip, including a 20-for-21 showing against Lafayette on Saturday. Bucknell leads the Patriot League in both categories.
Patriot League Clearing Leaders Patriot League Riding Leaders 1. Bucknell .857 1. Bucknell .674 2. Lehigh .814 2. Army .708 3. Army .802 3. Colgate .715 4. Navy .793 4. Navy .761 5. Lafayette .788 5. Lafayette .763 6. Colgate .769 6. Lehigh .784 7. Holy Cross .744 7. Holy Cross .871
In the Crease
Junior goalie Nick Sciubba led the nation in both save percentage (.641) and goals-against average (6.24) in 2007, and while his numbers are not as impressive this season (thanks mostly to the Duke game), he has still been solid between the pipes. Sciubba has a 7.96 GAA and .532 save percentage thus far.
At the X
Bucknell's Achilles heel in recent years has come in the faceoff department, and the Bison are struggling there again in 2008. As a team, the Bison are winning only 39.4% of their draws, although with freshman Christian Tucker getting the bulk of the action at the X they have won 46.8% in the last three games. Bucknell has really had problems winning faceoffs against Navy in recent years. Last season the Bison were 0-for-12 against Navy and in 2006 they were 1-for-17.
Bison Still Young at Attack
Bucknell's attack unit was affectionately dubbed the "Baby Bison" last season, with two freshmen starting every game up front. Well in 2008 the Bison are starting sophomore-sophomore-junior (Austin Winter-Tim Brandau-Joe Mele) at attack, with freshman Ryan Klipstein playing with the EMO team and as the fourth attackman. The three starters have combined for 31 goals and 17 assists thus far, while Klipstein has been a pleasant surprise with six goals and four assists, with four of the goals coming in the 10-9 win over Hobart.
Patriot League Success
Bucknell is now 37-13 (.740) in the Patriot League since the start of the 2000 season. Bucknell has won or shared PL titles in 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. The Bison won outright championships in 1996 and 2001. In 1996, despite a 12-0 overall record, they were passed over for an NCAA Tournament bid, but in 2001 Bucknell received its very first NCAA invitation.
Next Up
The Bison are back in action at Towson on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.