Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Closes Regular Season Sunday, Games to Air on Bison Vision
10/30/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 30, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell men's water polo team will have its final tune-ups for the postseason this Sunday, Nov. 1, when it hosts Penn State Behrend and St. Francis (N.Y.). The 18th-ranked Bison will play the Lions at 12 p.m. and will close the regular season at 2 p.m. opposite the 19th-ranked Terriers. Both games will be broadcast live on Bison Vision.
The Bison Vision video broadcast will be available through BucknellBison.com for a small subscription fee. Doug Birdsong will handle the play-by-play, while a select Bucknell women's water polo player will provide analysis.
Sunday, Nov. 1 (Kinney Natatorium)
Penn State Behrend at No. 18 Bucknell, 12 p.m. (Bison Vision
)
No. 19 St. Francis (N.Y.) at No. 18 Bucknell, 2 p.m. (Bison Vision)
Penn State Behrend vs. No. 19 St. Francis (N.Y.), 4 p.m.
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Notebook (13-10, 6-2 CWPA)
• Bucknell has been idle since an Oct. 17 loss at Navy. In fact, the Bison have played just two games since wrapping up their California trip Oct. 11.
• Both games Sunday are non-conference affairs for Bucknell. The Bison wrapped up their league schedule with a 6-2 record. Bucknell sits in a first-place tie with Princeton entering the final weekend of the regular season, but the Bison lose the tiebreaker to the Tigers due to goal differential. Navy (4-2) will face Johns Hopkins and George Washington this weekend and if the Mids win both games, they will own the tiebreakers over Bucknell, bumping the Bison down to third place despite the three-way tie.
• Bucknell has alternated wins and losses over its past five games. The Bison have just two losing streaks this season, with both being two games.
• Bucknell is 4-0 at Kinney Natatorium this year and 34-17 since the facility opened in 2003.
• Bucknell has drawn 179 ejections this year, the fourth-highest total in program history since the stat began in 1996.
• Despite owning an above-.500 record, Bucknell has been outscored by 10 goals this season. The Bison have struggled in the first and fourth quarters where they have been outscored by a total of 17 goals (124-107). Bucknell has not been outscored over an entire season since 2003.
• Bucknell is vying for its fourth consecutive above-.500 finish. The Bison own a 65-52 record over the last four years.
• Bucknell is ranked No. 18 in the latest national poll. It is the fifth straight week the Bison have been ranked. Overall, Bucknell has been ranked seven weeks this year, climbing as high as No. 17.
• Bucknell has faced 13 ranked opponents this year. The Bison are 3-10 in those games with all three wins over ranked foes coming at Kinney Natatorium. Bucknell has played four top-five teams this year.
• Bucknell is 42-1 in its last 10 games it has netted at least 10 goals. The lone loss in that stretch came Sept. 19 against Johns Hopkins (L, 11-10).
• With 13 wins this year, Bucknell has accumulated double-figure victories for the 13th consecutive season. The Bison are aiming for their fourth straight above-.500 mark.
• After registering 47 saves in his first 11 games, senior goalie Nick Donahue has accumulated 115 stops in the last 12 contests. He has seven double-figure save outings this year, all in the last 12 games. Donahue's 17 saves earlier this year against league foe George Washington marked the most by a Bison since 2004. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native enters the weekend with 422 career saves and a .522 career save percentage.
• Sean Coghlan ranks third on the team with 43 points, but has been on quite a roll lately. The junior has eight multiple-point outings in the last 11 games and has registered at least one point in 10 of the last 11 contests. He has seven games this year with at least three points, including a career-high six points vs. George Washington.
• Junior Richie Hyden continues to draw closer to the Bucknell career top-10 lists for goals, assists and points. He has 168 goals, 111 assists and 279 points in his three-year career. He is 16 goals, 14 assists and 33 points shy of 10th place in each category.
• In addition to his goal-scoring prowess, Hyden is adept at giving Bucknell a man-advantage by drawing ejections. He has drawn a team-high 48 ejections this season, a figure that is tied for fourth on the Bison single-season list. He had 13 total ejections drawn in a pair of league games at Johns Hopkins and Navy two weeks ago. The seven ejections he drew against Navy were the most by a Bison since at least 2004.
• Freshman Brian Barron has won 28 of 52 sprints this season. The 28 sprints won place him eighth on the Bison single-season list, and it is the highest total ever by a freshman.
• Junior Howie Kalter has been held without a goal just one time this year (vs. No. 3 USC). He has found the back of the net in 35 of his last 36 games and has equaled his career high with a team-best 42 goals this season.
• After registering 68 points a year ago, senior co-captain Johnny Stupp has seen his offensive production decrease this season to 23 points. However, the St. Louis, Mo., native has still been strong on the defensive end with a team-high 29 steals. He enters Sunday's competition with 98 career steals, the 10th-best figure in program history.
• Kalter, Coghlan and Andrew Nelson are the only Bison to start all 23 games this year. Ten different players have appeared in all 23 contests.
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2009
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Richie Hyden (Sept. 7, Oct. 19), Nick Donahue (Sept. 28), Howie Kalter (Oct. 5)
CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Week
- Brian Barron (Sept. 28, Oct. 5)
Bison Athlete of the Week
- Howie Kalter (Oct. 5)
Bucknell vs. Weekend Opponents
• Penn State Behrend: 3-0 (Bucknell has won three meetings by combined 40-6 score; teams met in 2000, 2002, 2003)
• No. 19 St. Francis (N.Y.): 3-22 (St. Francis has won last 19 meetings dating back to 1998)
About Penn State Behrend
• 3-16 overall record with five straight losses.
• Been outscored 347-150.
About St. Francis (N.Y.)
• 11-6 record.
• Plays Salem International on Friday and Iona on Saturday.
Up Next
• Bucknell will host the Southern Championships next weekend at Kinney Natatorium. The three-day, 17-game tournament will start Friday night and run through Sunday afternoon. To follow all the action and for schedules and results, click HERE. Seeds will be announced early next week.
