Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Lax Returns Plenty of Firepower as 2014 Opener Looms Saturday vs. Delaware
2/7/2014 11:03:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Fans wishing for a taste of spring might not get it in terms of the weather forecast this weekend, but spring will be in the air on Saturday evening when the Bucknell men's lacrosse team makes its 2014 debut at home against Delaware. The Bison, ranked 14th in the Warrior Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and 15th in the USILA Coaches' Poll, will be opening up against the Blue Hens for the third year in a row. Each of the last two have been one-goal games, with the road team winning each time.
The 5 p.m. start will be webcast live on Bison Vision on the Patriot League Network. The high-definition stream is free of charge. It will be the second half of a Bison Vision doubleheader beginning with the Bucknell-Holy Cross women's basketball game at 2 p.m. The lacrosse game would be joined in progress if the basketball game runs long. All seven men's lacrosse home games will be streamed live this season.
While Bucknell has scrimmaged Maryland, Villanova and Towson over the last two weeks, Delaware already has an official game under its belt. The Blue Hens routed High Point 10-3 last Saturday in Newark, led by a 15-save performance from goalie Conor Peaks. Jeff Heath and Steve Delargy paced the offense with two goals apiece.
Last season the Bison won 9-8 at Delaware, snapping a 21-game series losing streak against the Blue Hens that dated back to 1974. One-time rivals in the Middle Atlantic Conference and East Coast Conference, Bucknell and Delaware met on the lacrosse field in 2012 for the first time since 1994. The Blue Hens own a 24-4 lead in the all-time series.
In last year's game, the Bison charged out to a 5-0 lead, Delaware rallied to go up 8-7 in the fourth quarter, and then a pair of freshmen midfielders came up big for Bucknell. Brock Ghelfi tied the game with 6:12 to play, and Thomas Flibotte scored the game-winner with 3:30 remaining.
Frank Fedorjaka's Bison return seven starters and 25 lettermen from last year's squad that finished 12-4 overall and 5-1 in the Patriot League. Among the returnees are 2013 Third Team All-American David Dickson, who moves from midfield to attack this season, and 2014 Preseason All-America defenseman Jackson Place. The Bison also bring back reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year Sean Doyle, First Team All-Patriot League middie Flibotte and career 96-goal-scorer Todd Heritage.
Following the Delaware game, Bucknell will have a tough road test against defensing Northeast Conference champion Bryant on Feb. 15 in Providence, R.I. Then it's quickly into the teeth of Patriot League play, with Navy, Colgate and Lehigh looming on each of the next three Saturdays before the Bison make a trip to No. 2/3 North Carolina on Tuesday, March 11.
Below is a closer look at the Bison entering the 2014 campaign:
Legendary basketball coach Al McGuire once said, “the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores.” The Bucknell men's lacrosse team counted on six first-year players in prominent roles on a very good team last season, and now head coach Frank Fedorjaka has watched all of them improve their games dramatically as they enter their sophomore campaigns. Combine that with a large group of talented veterans, and it is apparent that hopes are high for the No. 14/15 Bison entering the 2014 season.
Bucknell finished 12-4 in 2013, falling to Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament final. The Bison were ranked as high as sixth in the nation last season, and they were the last team left on the outside looking in when the NCAA Tournament selection committee allotted its at-large bids.
Motivated by a sense of unfinished business, Bucknell will have plenty of veteran leadership coming from the likes of senior captains Jackson Place, Todd Heritage, Sam McDonough and Peter Burke, each of whom will return to prominent starting roles. The Bison also return a Third Team All-American in junior David Dickson, who moves from midfield to attack in 2014, and another outstanding junior in defenseman Ben Kellar. And as comforting as that stable of dependable, experienced stars is for Fedorjaka, his excitement is doubled when he thinks about the progress his sophomore class has made since last year.
“I love the fact that all of those freshmen are now sophomores,” said Fedorjaka. “The biggest period of improvement comes between the first and second years, and that has definitely been the case with this group. And it all stems from our leadership. One of the most important keys to success at Bucknell is how your seniors lead, and our seniors have done a great job keeping our team unified. The camaraderie is great.”
The Bison do have some important parts to replace, as former All-Patriot Leaguers have graduated at attack (Chase Bailey), close defense (Mike Huffner), goalie (Kyle Feeney) and faceoff specialist (Ryan Gutowski). The move of Dickson and his uncanny feeding ability to attack will help offset the loss of Bailey's 36 goals. Junior Sam Grinberg is set to take over in goal for the four-year starter Feeney. Burke and junior Gavin Sullivan take the majority of the faceoffs, and look for a pair of freshmen to figure prominently on defense.
At ATTACK, the Bison will start three of the Patriot League's top offensive players in Dickson, Heritage and reigning PL Rookie of the Year Sean Doyle. Dickson smashed Bucknell and Patriot League records with 48 assists last year, the fourth-highest total in Division I lacrosse. After only two collegiate seasons, he already ranks fifth on Bucknell's career assist chart, and coming off an All-America season at midfield, Dickson moves up to attack to give Fedorjaka two stellar feeders there along with Doyle.
Doyle did a little bit of everything in his first season in 2013. Even with missing two games due to injury, Doyle logged 42 points on 27 goals and 15 assists, and he ranked in the top 10 in the Patriot League in both points and assists.
“Having Dickson and Doyle together gives us a great two-man game,” said Fedorjaka. “It's really tough to defend them both. They are ultimate set-up guys, and they work together to help the other five guys. David and Sean have both improved as shooters as well, which makes their games even more diverse.”
Hoping to be the beneficiary of all of that passing prowess is Heritage, who has long been an elite finisher on the crease. Heritage enters his senior year with 96 goals, seventh-most in program history, and he might even have his sights set on Justin Zackey's 20-year-old Bucknell goal-scoring record (138). Heritage is a natural lefthander with terrific hands, and he can turn errant passes into goals from tight spaces.
Junior Alex Ryan and sophomore Shane Fee are vying for minutes as the fourth attackman, as is a very promising freshman in Cincinnati native Quinn Collison.
At offensive MIDFIELD, which was ranked the fifth-best unit in the country by Inside Lacrosse, the senior Burke will likely run with a pair of talented sophomores on the first line. Burke has used strength and quickness to produce 43 goals and 28 assists in 45 career games. In addition to his duties as a middie, Burke will also be taking faceoffs, something he did extensively in high school.
Sophomores Thomas Flibotte and Brock Ghelfi play with different styles, but both have loads of potential. Flibotte was mainly a second-line middie as a freshman in 2013, and he still earned First Team All-Patriot League honors. Using a powerful blend of strength, speed and a rocket of an outside shot, Flibotte scored 29 goals and was one of only two rookies to make the All-PL squad. Ghelfi is one of the smallest players on the team at 5'6”, but he is also one of the fastest. Featuring an outstanding shot on the run, Ghelfi started every game last year and pocketed 16 goals.
Senior Tom Black has one of the best outside shots on the team and figures to see plenty of time both 6-on-6 and with the EMO unit. Junior Ryan Joseph played in 15 games last season and scored three goals. Fedorjaka loves his toughness and thinks Joseph is ready for a breakout season. Same goes for sophomore Kyle Shanahan, who saw action in all 16 games as a freshman and did everything but score a goal. At 6'3” and 214 pounds, Shanahan has the size and strength to be an elite midfielder, and he has improved significantly from his rookie year.
Sophomore Adam Lynne and freshmen Tommy O'Connor, Grayson Helm and Nick Steinfeld are also pushing hard for playing time.
“We do have a lot of our firepower back,” said Fedorjaka. “I would expect us to score goals at a higher rate and more efficiently this year.”
Bucknell has plenty of experience back at SHORT-STICK DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD, even with the graduation of Kyle O'Keefe. A former walk-on, McDonough has emerged as one of the best in the league at this position. McDonough was elected team captain this year, and Fedorjaka says he has become one of the vocal leaders of the defense.
Junior Mike Ondrusek, a native of nearby Lancaster, Pa., brings even more grit and toughness to the position, and his ground ball skills make him very effective as a faceoff wing. Sophomore Zach Henkhaus emerged late last season, and he has a similar game to Ondrusek: quick, strong and terrific on ground balls.
Senior Tyler McLamb has had some injury problems throughout his career, but he is extremely fast and can be effective in the clearing game. Sophomore Brett Pearce moved from offensive to defensive midfield this year, and Fedorjaka feels that once he gets caught up in learning Bucknell's sophisticated system, he has plenty of potential. Freshman Ben Foley is also a transplanted SSDM and is very athletic.
Sophomore Alex Spring headlines a talented group of LONG-STICK DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS. Fedorjaka calls Spring one of the best ground ball guys he has ever coached. He takes every wing on faceoffs, is a strong 1-on-1 defender and brings plenty of speed in transition.
The Bison had high hopes for sophomore Eric Monfort a year ago, but he suffered a season-ending injury after only two games. He is back at full strength in 2014 and will likely factor into the long-pole rotation. Also keep an eye on freshman Evan Bernstein, who can play both defensive midfield and close defense. Jobs are open at both positions, and Bernstein has looked like a strong contender for one of them.
Sophomore walk-on Mike Adelman made the team this fall after fully recovering from a high school injury. He is a hard worker and will be battling for playing time.
Fedorjaka has always relied on a stable of big, physical CLOSE DEFENSEMEN as the foundation of his high-pressure, switching defensive system, and this year is no different. Place and Kellar are two of the best returning defensemen in the Patriot League, and Place was named a Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse's Face-Off Yearbook.
Place was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection a year ago, and in January he was selected in the fourth round of the MLL Draft by the Ohio Machine. Place ranked 17th nationally in caused turnovers a year ago, and he will once again be matched up against the opponent's No. 1 attackman.
After missing all of his freshman year with a knee injury, Kellar started all 16 games last season and was a key part of Bucknell's nationally ranked defense. Kellar has a keen understanding of the team's system, and now two years removed from the injury, his speed and quickness is better than ever.
Freshman Brad Dotson is poised to see plenty of action on defense. The 6'5”, 219-pounder from Virginia is another physical presence, and he has good footwork and has picked up the system very quickly.
The Bison have plenty of depth at close defense. Junior Cam Buglione is the most experienced, and the hard worker is battling for that fourth defenseman spot. Sophomore Bret Brachman-Goldstein has worked hard on his physical conditioning, and with added consistency could be poised for additional field time. From the freshman class, Mike Schiappa, Jack Slater and Nader Sharif-Emami all join the defensive unit. Schiappa has terrific speed, and Slater is a strong ground-ball guy who could soon help out on the faceoff wings.
After the graduation of four-year starting GOALIE Kyle Feeney, the job now belongs to junior Sam Grinberg. The New York City native was tested late last season with some relief appearances in big spots. Grinberg was the winning goalkeeper in the regular-season finale at Colgate. In that game he came in with Bucknell trailing 7-5 in the third quarter and made six saves while the Bison finished the game on an 8-1 run. He earned Patriot League Goalie of the Week honors for his efforts, and then he played 31 minutes in the league championship game at Lehigh.
Grinberg is a strong ball-stopper who brings a sense of calmness to the crease. One of Feeney's biggest strengths was his ability to direct the defense vocally, and now Grinberg is working hard to replicate that key function.
Backing up Grinberg will be junior Frank Morelli and freshmen Jake Kennedy and Robbie Coe.
Gutowski earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors as a FACEOFF SPECIALIST last season, when he took nearly 70 percent of Bucknell's draws, won just over 50 percent of them and led the team with 75 ground balls.
This will be a key area for Fedorjaka to shore up. Sullivan took 75 faceoffs last season, the second-most on the team behind Gutowski, and he won 43 percent. Burke was a faceoff man in high school, and his hockey background lends well to the position, but he has not seen action at the X yet at the collegiate level. If needed, Monfort can take draws with his long pole, and newcomers Matt Sharkey and Colin Farawell also add depth at the position. Sharkey is a transfer from Cornell, while Farawell made the squad as a walk-on after competing with the Bison wrestling team a year ago.
“If we can be solid in goal and on faceoffs, we can be very tough 6-on-6,” said Fedorjaka. “Our guys have high expectations, and we are not afraid to say that our goal is to win a national championship. We think we have enough to do that. We have good chemistry and balance, but we also know how tough it is to navigate through the Patriot League. The league is better than ever, especially with the addition of Loyola.”
The Bison also have three very difficult non-conference road games in North Carolina, Bryant and Fairfield, and they will play Delaware, Brown and Mount St. Mary's at home. In Patriot League play, Bucknell gets Navy, Lehigh, Boston University and Lafayette at home, and it will face Colgate, Holy Cross, Army and Loyola on the road. The Loyola contest will end the regular season on Apr. 17 and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
