Bucknell University
George Washington
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Takes Third at ECAC Championship with Tight 9-8 Win Over George Washington
9/21/2008 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Sept. 21, 2008
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Playing without leading scorer Richie Hyden (Melbourne, Australia/Greenwich (Conn.)) and looking to avenge last weekend's two-goal loss, the Bucknell men's water polo team defeated George Washington 9-8 Sunday afternoon to finish third at the ECAC Championship. The Bison, who were seeded fourth in the eight-team field based on last year's finish at the Eastern Championship, have now finished in the top three at the ECAC Championship three times in the last five years.
Hyden missed Sunday's contest due to a foul he committed in the third quarter of Saturday's 17-9 semifinal loss to No. 12 St. Francis (N.Y.). Last week at the Princeton Invitational George Washington, which was the second seed this weekend, defeated Bucknell 10-8 with Hyden registering five goals and eight points in the contest.
In Hyden's absence, Sean Coghlan (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice), Alex Lovell (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Chadwick) and Howie Kalter (Durham, N.H./Phillips Academy Andover) picked up the offensive slack, tallying two goals apiece as each equaled his career high in that category. Both Kalter and Coghlan dished out a pair of assists as well, giving them team-high honors with four points apiece. The four points equaled Kalter's career high, while Coghlan eclipsed his previous high of three.
A total of six Bison netted goals in the winning effort. However, the defense might have been the most impressive, especially in the third quarter when Bucknell (7-5) outscored George Washington (5-7) by a 3-0 margin after trailing 5-4 at the half. The win for the Bison was their first when they have not scored at least 10 goals.
Once again, Miles Gilhuly (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) and Nick Donahue (Brooklyn, N.Y./Lawrenceville) split time in goal with Gilhuly making five saves in the first half. Donahue also posted five saves in his half of play as he eclipsed the 100-save mark for his career.
St. Francis (N.Y.) and Johns Hopkins squared off for the ECAC Championship title immediately following Bucknell's win in the third-place game at Harvard's Blodgett Pool.
With their first championship event of the season complete, the Bison will begin league play next week when they face Johns Hopkins, Navy and this same George Washington team, all on the road.
BUCKNELL 2 2 3 2 -9
GEORGE WASHINGTON 1 4 0 3 -8
Goals: Coghlan (2), Lovell (2), Kalter (2), Nelson, Ang, Stupp.
Assists: Coghlan (2), Kalter (2), Ang (2), Stupp (2), Caillouette.
Ejections Drawn: Coghlan (2), Heiber (2), Ang (2), Lampley (2), Caillouette, Kalter, Stupp.
Saves: Gilhuly (5 svs., 5 ga., 16:00 min.), Donahue (5 svs., 3 ga., 16:00 min.).
Steals: Richley (2), Kalter (2), Nelson, Ang, Lampley, Gilhuly.
Sprints: Coghlan (0-1), Kalter (0-1), Ang (0-1), Stupp (0-1).
Record: 7-5
