LAXTOWN: GRAFTON & UPTON, MASS.

February 2018

2018 DIVISION 1
COLLEGE PREVIEW

After returning
to the football
field in the fall,
Bryant senior
Tom Kennedy
motivated
for larger
workload

BUSY
for Bulldogs

BODY
   Boston College star Sam Apuzzo
  Men’s rankings: Yale and BU
  Women’s rankings: BC and UMass
  Top 10 Division 1 Players to Watch
  Team-by-team capsules
 OUR STARTING LINEUP February 2018

FEATURES

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Eric Beato ��������������������������������� editor@laxjournal.com SAM APUZZO:
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DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S PREVIEW
STAFF WRITER / SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
Jonathan Sigal ���������������������������� jsigal@laxjournal.com 13 | Boston College made Sam
Apuzzo feel wanted. Now the
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players to watch and team capsules.
MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
Michelle Seamans �������� michelle@seamansmedia.com UPTON & GRAFTON, MASS. DIVISION 1 MEN’S PREVIEW  |  Bryant standout midfielder
Tom Kennedy looks to leave a final mark in his “other”
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS LAXTOWN | In Blackstone Valley,
Don Cameron  •  Hank Hryniewicz  •  Chuck Jaffe 24 a decade of growth is producing sport. Plus, Top 10, players to watch and team capsules.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS results at Nipmuc Regional High.

Braden Campbell • Craig Forde • Kevin Henkin
Marisa Ingemi  •  J.B. Knox • Ian B. Murphy
Julie Nicoletti  •  Ryan O’Leary • Phil Shore
COLUMNISTS
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Dave Arnold • Dan Leahy • Rich Miyara • Evan Scales LACROSSE NUTRITION ��������������� 29
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February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 3 

 STATE OF THE GAME
How to be a great teammate
I 7
have been blessed in my long la-
crosse career to be around a lot of
great lacrosse players, and also to
play with and witness a lot of great
teammates.
They aren’t always the same people.
Not everyone can be a great player,
but everyone can improve their game and
can find a way to contribute to a team.
Anyone can be a great teammate, find-
ing ways to make their team better no
matter what role they play, and yet great
teammates are every bit as rare as the
truly outstanding player.
Experts acknowledge that one of the
lifelong benefits of participating in sports
is learning how to function and thrive in
a team atmosphere, which has benefits in
the workplace long after playing careers
are over. Thus, while players focus on
improving their stick skills and athletic
ability, they also should embrace what it
takes to be a great teammate and work to
upgrade those aspects of their game and
their life, too.
Here are nine things to know:
1 3
Great teammates develop real
relationships.
The best relationships be-
tween teammates occur when players get
to know each other as people rather than
as someone to toss the ball around with.
That’s easy on a high school team but
can be very hard in club programs, where
talented individuals come together in
their own best interest as a potential re-
cruit rather than for love of town or school.
Great club teammates cross rivalry lines
and distance to develop chemistry.
Find ways to connect, whether that
means sitting with someone new on the
team bus or chatting with players you
don’t know so well at pasta dinners, or
simply asking new club teammates to
join you as you go in search of a bath-
4 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018
room or wander off to look at the vendors. best teammates are the hardest workers Great teammates hold them-
Great teammates seek out and engage on the team. That’s not always true, but selves and others account-
in opportunities to learn about and to you can’t be a great teammate without able for their actions and
share themselves with others. being committed — both in practice and commitment.
outside of it — to the hard work of get- The first step to being a good player
2
Great teammates willingly play ting better. and great teammate is holding yourself
accountable for your actions. Great play-
5
any role necessary to improve
the team’s chances for success. Great teammates lead by ers don’t blame circumstances or other
It can be hard to find players with a example. people for their problems.
team-first attitude who are willing to sac- There are so many examples On great teams, teammates hold each
rifice their own goals for the to set: Be on time (better yet, other accountable (rather than letting the
good of the team — especially be the first to come to prac- coaches do it). Once you’ve made your
in a club atmosphere when tice and the last to leave), commitment to the good of the team, you
players are trying to show- prepare properly for each can be the strong-willed teammate who
case what they do best for practice/game, pay attention politely reminds others of their commit-
college coaches — but they to coaches when they talk, ment and their need to put in the effort.
improve both their team and keep the energy up, treat of- Great teammates know to criticize
their teammates. ficials with respect, give each teammates, when warranted, in private,
The best teammates put drill or play 100 percent, but to praise them (when deserving) in
“we” before “me,” and accept help less-experienced play- public; they accept criticism and feed-
their role on the team and CHUCK ers learn and improve, main- back with grace and dignity.
their playing time without JAFFE tain good body language
8
complaint. If they want to (even when the situation Great teammates are reli-
change their situation, they want to earn looks bad), celebrate the accomplish- able, honest, and trustwor-
it, so that the entire team sees and appre- ments of teammates and include them thy, supporting others when
ciates their progression. in celebrating theirs, show good sports- they struggle.
manship, pick up teammates who are Describe the kind of person you want
Great teammates always have down, pay attention to the game, cheer on your side in life; reliable, honest and
a positive/energetic attitude the team during time on the bench, and trustworthy people are high on any/every
and give maximum effort. many more. list. You want those types of people on
There are few things players can con- your team, too.
6
trol, but the one thing they decide entire-
9
Great teammates know what
ly on their own is the attitude and effort they’re good at and what Great teammates have fun.
given at practice and in games. they must improve. Having fun is a priority; the
Great teammates give maximum ef- There is a role for everyone on a team. best teammates keep the environ-
fort and stay positive at early-morning There are scorers and defenders, faceoff ment happy, enjoyable and light-hearted.
practices and in long team runs, in close specialists and runners. There are kids You don’t have to be the life of the party, but
games and in blowouts, whether they start whose strengths are hustle and scoop- you should feel like it’s a celebration every
or come off the bench. They understand ing loose balls, and others who have a time you get together with your team.
that effort generates its own rewards and big shot, and a team functions best when
that giving less than your best is letting all players focus on what they do best. Chuck Jaffe is a contributing columnist for New England
your teammates and coaches down. Yes, you want to raise all areas of your Lacrosse Journal. He is a longtime observer, player, coach
game, but when everyone focuses on and official for both men’s and women’s lacrosse at all
4
Great teammates always what they’re good at — and avoids doing levels. He is a partner in the Boston Box Lacrosse League
work to improve their game. what they stink at — their team is in the and he runs BullsEye Lacrosse.
Many coaches believe the best position to succeed. feedback@laxjournal.com
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 AROUND THE REGION
Rabil, Kelly, Pannell
named to Team USA
F
ormer Boston Cannons star
Paul Rabil, former Brown
goalie Jack Kelly and for-
mer Deerfield Academy
sniper Rob Pannell were
among the 23 players named last month
to the U.S. men’s national team for the
2019 FIL World Championship, which
will be held July 12-21 in Netanya, Israel.
Rabil played seven seasons for the
Cannons after starring at Johns Hop-
kins, scoring more than 200 goals, and
he currently plays for the New York Liz-
ards.
Kelly backstopped Brown to consecu-
tive NCAA tournaments, including a run
to the semifinals in 2016, his senior year,
and was a two-time captain. As a senior,
he led Division 1 in save percentage and
was named an All-American.
Pannell, a Smithtown, N.Y., native,
set a Deerfield record with 99
goals during a post-graduate
year and went on to star at
Cornell and then with the New
York Lizards.
The roster includes eight
veterans from the 2014 World
Championship team that won
a silver medal in Denver —  Rabil
Jesse Bernhardt, Ned Crotty,
Tucker Durkin, Greg Gurenlian, Kyle
Hartzell, Marcus Holman, Pannell and
Rabil. Durkin (defense), Pannell (attack)
and Rabil (midfield) were named to the
All-World team in 2014 and named the
most outstanding player at their respec-
tive positions.
The team will have a final training
weekend in late June before heading to
Israel in early July for the World Cham-
pionship.
Several picked in MLL draft
The Cannons grabbed Richmond
goalie Benny Pugh with the No. 1 pick
in the MLL Supplemental Draft last
month, and a host of other area college
players were selected in the 11 rounds
that followed.
Fairfield midfielder TJ Neubauer
was chosen in the second round by
Charlotte. In the fourth round, two Yale
products — midfielder Mark Glicini and
defender Michael Quinn — were drafted
by Chesapeake and Ohio, respectively.
Midfielder Brian Masi of Sacred
Heart went to Chesapeake in the fifth
round. Later in that round, attack Zack
Greer of Bryant was chosen by Dallas
and middie Greg Wozniak of Boston
University was taken by Denver.
Other area players drafted were goal-
Cushing Academy
ADVANCE YOUR
LACROSSE EXPERIENCE
TO THE NEXT LEVEL
With rigorous programs
ie Christian Carson-Banister of Boston in academics, athletics,
University (seventh round, Dallas), at- and the arts, Cushing
tack Jordan Greenfield of Dover, Mass. Academy is an independent,
(eighth round, Boston), defender Robert
coeducational boarding and
Duvnjak of Harvard (eighth round, New
day school for students in
York), middie Alex Zomerfeld of Bry-
ant (ninth round, Boston), attack Greg grades 9-12 and PG, and is
Melaugh of Billerica, Mass. (10th round, located one hour northwest
Ohio), middie Sean Lawton (Abington, of Boston.
Mass.) of Western New England (11th
round, Boston), attack Conor Healey of
Southboro, Mass. (11th round, Denver),
goalie Jack Murphy (Cohasset, Mass.)
of Fairfield (12th round, Boston) and
middie Kyle Weber of Bates (auxiliary,
Ohio).
Emala joins Lax Sports Network
Lax Sports Network, based in Wo- F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N V I S I T : W W W.C U S H I N G .O R G
burn, Mass., announced last month that
Cannons player Davey Emala, who led OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS IAN BOLDT
Head Coach: Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse
the team with 32 goals last sea- Cushing Academy
39 School Street
iaboldt@cushing.org
son, has joined LSN as an on- Ashburnham, MA 01430 JESSICA DEVIN
978.827.7300 Head Coach: Varsity Girls’ Lacrosse
air analyst and contributor. admissions@cushing.org jdevin@cushing.org
Emala will appear across
LSN’s programming includ-
ing “Lacrosse Now,” pregame,
halftime and postgame shows,
and as a color analyst on LSN’s
remote game coverage.
“I am very excited to join
Lax Sports Network,” Emala said. “I be-
lieve that we share the common goal of
growing the sport of lacrosse and trying
to reach as many audiences as possible.
I am looking forward to learning more
about the industry each day, while being
able to cover the sport on many different
platforms.”
Emala was scheduled to make his on-
air debut Feb. 3 during Lax Sports Net-
work’s coverage of Ohio State at Cleve-
land State.
Hingham’s Todd honored
Longtime Hingham High School
boys lacrosse coach John Todd, the win-
ningest boys high school coach in Mas-
sachusetts — is a National Coach of the
Year.
Todd, the head coach at Hingham
for the past 29 seasons, was one of the
23 coaches across the country selected
as 2017 National Coaches of the Year by
the National Federation of State High
School Associations Coaches Associa-
tion.
Todd guided Hingham to its third
state championship last June, beating
Longmeadow, 16-7, in the Division 2 fi-
nal. His 432 wins — all with the Harbor-
men — are the most of any boys lacrosse
coach in Massachusetts.
February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 5 
 2018 COLLEGE SEASON PREVIEW  Division 1 Men

Bryant standout midfielder Tom Kennedy

looks to leave a final mark in his ‘other’

MAN
sport as Bulldogs aim high in 2018

FOR ALL
SEASONS
T
By Marisa Ingemi

he gridiron doesn’t stray too far
from the lacrosse turf. Often,
they’re the same surface.
For Tom Kennedy, that rings true
maybe more than anyone. The Bry-
ant University midfielder spends
a lot of time at Bulldog Stadium,
maybe more time than any of his teammates. In the
spring, he’s catching passes and dodging to the net to
score. In the fall, he catches different kinds of passes.
“Last year around this time during mini-camp, I
asked Coach (Mike) Pressler if he’d allow me to play
football again,” Kennedy said. “He gave me the oppor-
tunity once, and I wasn’t expecting him to give me the
opportunity again. But he said whatever I decided to
do, he supported it.”
Kennedy initially was recruited to Bryant for la-
crosse and football. After playing football his fresh-
man season, he set his sights toward lacrosse full-
time. But about a year ago, the itch to play football
returned, and suddenly he was spending a lot more
time at Bulldog Stadium again.
“He played his freshman year, then left for two,”
Pressler said. “The coaching staff changed for that,
Continued on Page 8

6 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018 Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
 Gretchen McMahon

February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 7 

 2018 COLLEGE SEASON PREVIEW  Division 1 Men

‘I’ve coached college lacrosse for 35 years (in) Divisions 1, 2, and 3.

Team USA, twice. In those years, Tom Kennedy is, without question,
one of the top two or three athletes I’ve ever coached or seen.’
— Bryant coach Mike Pressler

Continued from Page 6   After returning to the football field in the

fall, Tom Kennedy now is focused solely on his
final lacrosse season at Bryant. He scored 24
and he really wanted to play his senior
goals in an All-Conference season last year.
year of football. He came up to me and
said, ‘Coach, I’d love to go out for foot- Being a multi-sport athlete is a rarity
ball my senior year.’ at the Division 1 level. Kennedy’s coach
“If you’re a lacrosse coach, you’re at Farmingdale, Bob Hartranft, helped
thinking you’ve got to be crazy to have his player make it happen, along with
one of your best players go out for foot- the backing of Pressler.
ball, but I said absolutely. As a football “I was interested in trying to play
guy like I am, it was a no-brainer.” both,” Kennedy said. “The fall of my se-
Kennedy caught his last pass on the nior year, I decided I wasn’t going to go
football field this fall, but he has one last to school just to play lacrosse. I wanted
athletic season in him with the Bulldogs, to play football. My high school lacrosse
where he will be relied on more than ever. coach gave me the opportunity to talk to
The defending Northeast Conference schools that allowed me to do both.
champions graduated Tucker James, their “Coach Pressler knew my high school
leading scorer, which means Kennedy coach at the time, so that built a good
could have one of his busiest seasons yet. relationship. He got me on a visit my
Pressler said he isn’t concerned. senior year, and it’s awesome that every-
“I’ve coached college lacrosse for 35 thing worked out the way it has.”
years (in) Divisions 1, 2, and 3,” he said. Pressler himself had played lacrosse
“Team USA, twice. In those years, Tom and football at Washington & Lee (Va.),
Kennedy is, without question, one of from where he graduated in 1982. Even
the top two or three athletes I’ve ever going on to coach lacrosse for more than
coached or seen.” three decades, football didn’t stray too
far from him.

F
OOTBALL WAS KENNEDY’S Of course he was going to help Ken-
first love. The Long Islander nedy achieve success in both sports. It
started playing the sport when he was never a question.
was 6 years old and played all the way “There’s nothing like football,”
through high school. Pressler said. “The physicality, the grind.
By contrast, he didn’t pick up a la- There’s things you learn there. He’s an
crosse stick until eighth grade. incredible clutch player in football. He
“A lot of my friends were playing it; brings so many intangibles from the
it’s very popular on Long Island,” he said. gridiron to the lacrosse field. Not only
“I played baseball for a little bit and got for himself, but his teammates.”
bored of baseball. The sport in general, it In the fall, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound
didn’t appeal to me as much anymore. I Kennedy made a team-high 57 catches
tried lacrosse and loved it.” for 88 yards and nine touchdowns, as the
Quickly, it be- Bulldogs won their final four games to
came apparent that finish with a record of 6-5.
Kennedy was going

D
to have an opportu- ESPITE A LATE START to
nity to play lacrosse his lacrosse career, his numbers
at the Division 1 began to match his talents. He
level. He developed was named to the All-Rookie team in the
quickly, despite the NEC as a freshman and the All-NEC sec-
 Kennedy late start, and was ond team as a sophomore.
a high school All- In his junior season, he was an All-
America honorable mention at Farming- NEC first-team member, notching 24
dale High School in 2014. goals and 39 points as the team advanced
He was a two-year varsity player in to the second round of the NCAA tourna-
football and, despite the attention he ment, playing top-ranked and eventual
was getting for lacrosse, Kennedy knew champion Maryland tough in a 13-10 loss.
Photos/Gretchen McMahon

football remained in his future as well. Kennedy recorded three hat tricks,
“Any school that didn’t offer him both, including one during a 12-3 romp over
he was not interested in,” Pressler said. Robert Morris in the semifinals of the
“Being a former college football player NEC tournament.
myself, we were very much pro-that. … “His lacrosse ability has caught up
When we recruited Tom, we made it very
clear that we allowed him to do both.” Continued on Page 29

8 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018 Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
 NELJ
Div. 1 Men
Preseason
  No 1:
Top 10
Yale
AMERICA EAST
Hartford
2017 result: 6-8 (2-4 America
East, fifth place)
Coach: Ryan Martin (second
year)
Key losses: Alec Brown, M;
Jaedon Henderson, A; Connor
Daly, D; Logan Ball, D
Players to watch: Griffin
Feiner, sr., A; Justin Huggins,
sr., A; Dylan Jinks, jr., A
Outlook: After taking the
lacrosse world by storm just a
year before, winning the Ameri-
ca East tournament out of the
No. 4 seed and playing in the
NCAAs, 2017 was disappoint-
ing for the Hawks, who won
just twice in conference play.
… They’re not projected to do
much with the losses that they
had, but if Jinks (19 goals, 11
assists) and Huggins (31 goals)
play the way they can, the
Hawks may open some eyes. …
Hartford opens its season Feb.
17 at St. John’s.
UMass
Lowell
2017 result: 4-12 (1-5 America
East, sixth place)
Coach: Ed Stephenson (fourth
year)
Key losses: Nicholas Pino,
M; Martin Winter, M; Christ
Litchfield, D
Players to watch: Sean Tyrrell,
sr., A (17 goals, 23 assists); Jon
Phillips, sr., A; Austin Lane, jr.,
A; Sean Klingsporn, sr., M, Will
Puduski (Westford, Mass), sr., D
Outlook: Last year was
supposed to be the year the
River Hawks made some noise.
They did get a conference win
that had eluded them in 2016,
but the overall record was an
identical 4-12. …. UML didn’t
lose a lot going into this season
and projects to be improved.
That starts with players such
  No. 2:   No 3:
Boston Univ. Providence
  ABOVE: Providence junior goalie
Tate Boyce.    RIGHT: Fairfield junior
attack Colin Burke.
as Klingsporn (10 goals) being
consistent throughout the year,
Grant Lardieri (11.52 GAA, .498
save percentage) establish-
ing himself in net, and Lane
continuing on the pace he
started to set last season as a
goal scorer.
Vermont
2017 result: 5-8 (1-5 America
East, sixth place)
Coach: Chris Feifs (second
year)
Key losses: Cam Milligan, A;
Alex Stanko, M; Ben Cox, D;
Luc LeBlanc, M
Players to watch: Ben French,
soph., A; Dawes Michling, jr., A;
James Leary (Seabrook, N.H.),
sr., D; Jack Knight (Greenwich,
Conn), jr., A; Ian MacKay, sr., M
Outlook: Last season started
off well for the Catamounts,
but that’s where the positives
  No 4:   No. 5:
Brown Bryant
Providence College Athletics (above); Stockton Photo (below)
stopped. In the new year, how-
ever, the return of MacKay from
injury could provide a serious
spark. If MacKay can play the
way he did before he got hurt,
he could change the entire
dynamic of the conference and
make the Catamounts a con-
tender. He ranks sixth in both
career goals (111) and points
(171) in the program. … Vermont
opens Feb. 1 at Furman.
  No. 6:   No. 7:   No. 9:   No 10:
  No. 8:
Harvard UMass Fairfield Vermont UMass Lowell
CAPSULES COMPILED BY MARISA INGEMI, @Marisa_Ingemi
Neumann, D
Players to watch: Austin Goltz,
sr., A; Brendan Kearns, jr., A (32
goals, 13 assists); Nick Hatzi-
petrakos, jr., M (22 goals, 19 as-
sists); Ryan Nawrocki, soph., M;
Tate Boyce, jr., G; Sean Leahey,
soph., M, Connor Byrne, soph.,
M; James Barclay, sr., D
Outlook: The wild card for the
Friars is Boyce (8.05 GAA, .569
save percentage) in net. He’s easily
the best goalie in the Big East and
likely among the top 10 in the
nation as well. … Providence lost
some offense but has some strong
returners. The Friars should con-
tend to make the NCAA tourna-
ment and, while it would be tough
to win the Big East, a solid season
could earn them an at-large bid.
… The opener is Feb. 3 at Boston
University.
CAA
Fairfield
2017 result: 5-9 (2-3, fifth place)
Coach: Andy Copelan (10th year)
Key losses: Jake Knotsman,
M; Dave Fleming, A; Tyler
Behring, G
Players to watch: Colin Burke,
jr., A (26 goals, 15 assists);
Dylan Beckwith, soph., A;
Travis Ford, soph., M; Joe Ro-
drigues, sr., A
Outlook: The Stags were a
team that many had their eyes
out for early on, but with just
five wins, they didn’t get far.
The CAA isn’t an overly strong
conference; it’s top-heavy
with Towson and Hofstra, so
BIG EAST if the Stags play well against
conference opponents, they
could make a tournament run.
… Fairfield lost some tough
Providence games last year, including a
9-8 defeat to Penn State and
2017 result: 10-7 (3-2 Big East, double-overtime defeat against
third place) Yale. If some of those competi-
Coach: Chris Gabrielli (sixth tive games can turn into wins,
year) the Stags could go places.
Key losses: Ryan Schaffer,
A; Keenan Assaraf, A; Jarrod Continued on Page 10
February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 9 
 2018 COLLEGE SEASON PREVIEW  Division 1 Men
Continued from Page 9
  Brown
sophomore
Luke McCaleb
UMass
2017 result: 7-8 (3-2 CAA,
second place)
Coach: Greg Cannella (24th
year)
Key losses: Dan Muller, M;
Grant Consoletti, A; Gianni
Bianchin, M; Dylan Gruder, M;
DJ Smith, G
Players to watch: Noah Rak
(Norwich, Conn), sr., FO (148 of
244); Jeffrey Trainor (Billerica,
Mass), soph., M; Jesse Leung
(Brookline, Mass), soph., A;
Top 10 Division 1 Players to Watch Isaac Preparo, soph., D
Outlook: The Minutemen
advanced to the conference title
game last season thanks to a
Tate Boyce, jr., G, Providence crazy midfield shot from Muller
Boyce has been impressive in his first two seasons in the Friars cage and will be the engine that beat Hofstra in the semifi-
that drives the Friars’ success. nals. As a 7-8 team, that result was
a lot better than the Minutemen
Colin Burke, jr., A, Fairfield had earned during the season.
… UMass has a shot to make the
With 46 goals as a freshman, Burke is one of the bright spots for the Stags. He slumped a bit CAA tournament once more, but
his sophomore year, but if he has a big year, it could carry Fairfield. He led the team in points that will come only if it can win
last season and is arguably the best scorer in the CAA. games against the likes of Drexel
during the season. The non-
Morgan Cheek (Wellesley, Mass.), sr., A, Harvard conference slate against Brown,
The Crimson need Cheek to be one of the best scorers in the nation this season. They don’t Army, Providence, Yale and
have many scorers, and if he can play at an elevated level, it might be enough for the Crimson Albany will be a difficult one.
to compete in the Ivy.
IVY LEAGUE
Dylan Jinks, jr., A, Hartford
After notching 58 points his freshman season, Jinks, like Hartford in general, was disappoint-
ing last season. But for his junior year, he’s going to be relied upon to be back in form.
Brown
Ian MacKay, sr., A, Vermont 2017 result: 10-6 (4-2 Ivy
After missing time due to a knee injury, the scorer is back and he was named captain once League, second place; lost to Yale
more for the Catamounts. MacKay has the potential to change the landscape if he can play at in Ivy League championship)
the same level. Coach: Mike Daly (second year)
Key losses: Dylan Molloy, A;
John MacLean (Medfield, Mass.), soph., M, Boston University Matt Graham, M; Larken Kemp,
D; Alec Tulett, D
MacLean is going to be heavily relied upon as a sophomore. Such as the case is with team-
Players to watch: Luke McCaleb,
mate Jack Wilson, he needs to help make up for a distinct loss of offense.
soph., A; Stephen Hudak, sr., M;
Jack Kniffen (Darien, Conn.),
Luke McCaleb, soph., A, Brown
soph., A; Jackson Newsome, jr., A
It’s impossible to replace production like Dylan Molloy’s, and yet that is Brown’s task. The Outlook: The obvious loss
sophomore is going to be a big part of that. for the Bears is Molloy, the
2016 Tewaaraton Trophy win-
Isaac Preparo, soph., D, UMass ner, and that will be tough for
A strong defender named to the preseason All-CAA team, if the Minutemen go far, Preparo Daly’s squad to overcome. A
will be there as a shut-down defender. deeper look shows the losses
of Kemp and Tulett at defense,
Ben Reeves, sr., A, Yale so it could be a rough go early
for the Bears. … The Ivy League
Reeves is going to be in the conversation for the Tewaaraton Award again. One of the best is weaker than the norm, with
players in the nation, he’s the reason Yale is going places. Yale an obvious favorite and
Harvard struggling, so that
Jack Wilson, sr., A, Boston University keeps the door open for Brown
With 17 seniors graduating, the veteran presence falls on Wilson. The attacker from Long to still be one of the top teams
Island has been a force to be reckoned with for three seasons; now as a senior, he’s the guy. in the conference. … The Bears
open Feb. 17 at Quinnipiac.
10 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018 Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
Dartmouth
2017 result: 2-11 (0-6 Ivy
League, seventh place)
Coach: Brendan Callahan
(fourth year)
Key losses: Wiley Osborne,
A; Jack Connolly, M; Timmy
Burke, D
Players to watch: Harlan Smart
(Sudbury, Mass), soph., M;
Richie Loftus, sr., A (21 goals,
14 assists); Ben Martin, soph.,
A (21 goals); Jack Korzelius,
sr., M (17 goals); Kyle Clampitt,
soph., D; George Christopher,
soph., G
Outlook: The Big Green have
a much softer non-conference
schedule this season, ditch-
ing North Carolina and Navy,
and adding St. John’s and
Boston University. … With just
five home games, it might be
tough to build up momentum.
It could be a breakout year for
former Lincoln-Sudbury scorer
Smart, who already was making
an impact as a freshman, start-
ing five games and causing
21 turnovers. … Dartmouth
opens Feb. 17 at home against
Canisius.
Harvard
2017 result: 6-7 (2-4 Ivy
League, sixth place)
Coach: Chris Wojick (eighth
year)
Key losses: Ryan Norton, D;
Colin Delia, G; Jami White, M
Players to watch: Robert
Shaw, (Canton, Mass), sr., G;
Morgan Cheek, (Wellesley,
Mass), sr., A; Joe Lang, sr.,
M; Ryan Graff, soph., A; Sean
Coleman, sr., M
Outlook: Last season, the
Crimson opened up to a 4-0
start but won just two games
the rest of the way. Losing sev-
en out of nine games, most of
them conference games, always
leaves a bad aftertaste. The
Crimson will have to rebound
from that, but they return a lot
of last season’s roster. Cheek is
a potential Tewaaraton candi-
date, but the Crimson will have
to find more offensive outlets.
When they were going bad
last year, it was because Cheek
and Joe Lang were the only
offensive players doing much
of anything.

Yale
2017 result: 10-6 (5-1 Ivy
League, won Ivy League cham-
pionship); lost to Syracuse in
first round of NCAA tourna-
ment
Coach: Andy Shay (15th year)
Key losses: Eric Scott, M;
Brian Pratt, D; Charlie Better, D
Players to watch: Ben Reeves,
sr., A (42 goals, 37 assists);
Jackson Morrill, soph., A; Matt
Gaudet, soph., A; Joseph Sessa,
jr., A
Outlook: The Bulldogs were
a favorite to make a run last
season, and did. This year,
they are projected to do even
better things. Yale hasn’t
lost much, and Reeves is a
Tewaaraton favorite after
being named a finalist for
the award as a sophomore
and junior. He has 112 career
goals and 89 assists to his
name. … The Bulldogs face a
tough non-conference sched-
ule against Bryant, Michigan
and Villanova, and then the
Ivy slate, where they should
be the favorites to win the
conference once again.
MAAC
Quinnipiac
2017 result: 2-9 (1-5 MAAC,
sixth place)
Coach: Eric Fekete (17th year)
Key losses: Drew D’Antonio,
A; Kevin Diehl, M; Jack Brust,
G half against eventual cham-
Players to watch: Brian Feld-
man, sr., A (30 goals); Foster
Cuomo, jr., A; Joe Zukauskas
(Southington, Conn.), soph., G
Outlook: How the mighty
have fallen. In 2016, the
Bobcats won the MAAC, and
just one year later, they were
a two-win club. … The sched-
ule looks considerably easier
than last season, with Wagner
added in lieu of Princeton
and UMass Lowell replacing
Bellarmine. The Bobcats were
competitive in some games
last season but need more
scoring punch after averaging
fewer than 10 goals per game.
… Zukauskas got a taste of
action as a freshman, posting
a .397 save percentage in five
games.
NORTHEAST
Bryant
2017 result: 11-8 (4-2 NEC,
second place; won NEC cham-
pionship); lost to Maryland in
second round of NCAA tourna-
ment
Coach: Mike Pressler (12th
year)
Key losses: Tucker James, A;
Tom Forsberg, M; Ryan Sharpe,
M; Brett Baker, A
Players to watch: Tom Ken-
nedy, sr., M (24 goals); Cam
Ziegler, sr., A; Kevin Quigley,
jr., M (31 goals); James Werner,
sr., G
Outlook: The Bulldogs are
a sneaky challenging team,
and they have been ever since
they upset Syracuse in the
NCAA tournament years ago.
They even played a tough first
pion Maryland in the NCAA
tournament last season before
falling, 13-10. ... James and his
43 goals are a tough loss, but
the Bulldogs bring a lot back,
including Werner (7.85 GAA,
.552 save percentage) in goal.
They’ll play the same schedule
as a year ago, and it wouldn’t
be surprising to see them tack
on a few more wins.
Sacred
Heart
2017 result: 9-6 (4-2 NEC,
second place)
Coach: Jon Basti (fifth year)
Key losses: Bryce Jurk, M;
Brian Masi, M; Chase Godfrey,
D Brook.
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Players to watch: Joe Saggese,
soph., A; Max Tuttle, jr., M;
Julian Garritano, sr., M; Kevin
Cop (Southington, Conn.), sr.,
A; Brooks Dutton, soph., G
Outlook: Last season was
a rough one for the Pioneers
at times despite a good start.
Still, a tie for second place in
the conference earned them a
bid to the playoffs, where they
fell to Hobart in the semifinals.
… The majority of the offense
returns, including 30-goal
scorers Saggese and Tuttle, and
the young Pioneers could be
an improvement this season. …
The opener is Feb. 10 at Stony
February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 11
  Boston University sophomore
midfielder John MacLean
PATRIOT
Boston
University
2017 result: 12-5 (5-3 Patriot,
third place)
Coach: Ryan Polley (fifth
year)
Key losses: Cal Dearth, A/M;
Christian Carson-Banister,
G; Dominick Calisto, D; Greg
Wozniak, D
Players to watch: Joe McSor-
ley, soph., G; James Burr (Ham-
ilton, Mass), jr., A; Chris Gray,
fr., A; Jack Wilson, sr., A; Mikey
Laviano, jr., M; Drew Lukacs, jr.,
D; John MacLean (Medfield,
Mass.), soph., M
Outlook: The Terriers look
much different for the first time
in program history. Without 17
seniors, it’s the first time the
team won’t have that group
as a part of the varsity squad.
The biggest change is in net,
with McSorley taking over the
reins. ... The offense should
be fine even without Dearth.
Wilson (29 goals, 18 assists)
is back, Burr (24 goals) is fully
healthy off an ACL injury, and
MacLean has improved. … Gray
joins the fray as a freshman at-
tacker who will have an impact,
and Laviano from the midfield
will get more looks.
Holy Cross
2017 result: 5-10 (4-4 Patriot,
fourth place)
Coach: Judd Lattimore
(fourth season)
Key losses: Sean Kirkpatrick,
A; Kevin Lux, A; Jon Vogel,
A; Mac Buermann, M; Jack
Ortlieb, A
Players to watch: Logan LeB-
lond, sr., A; Jonathan Tesoro
(Groton, Mass), soph., G
Outlook: The Crusaders lost
each of their top six scorers,
from a team that wasn’t scor-
ing goals in bunches (8.53 per
game). LeBlond will be needed
to step up as a scorer and get
some help, and they’ll need
Tesoro (10.77 GAA, .451 save
percentage) to be strong in net
more than ever. … Holy Cross
opens its season Feb. 10 at
Providence.
 
 ROAD TO GILLETTE  Countdown to 2018 NCAA championships

2016 NCAA quarterfinals: Brown 11, Navy 10

‘WHAT A MOMENT’
n  Gamesmanship, resilience
and a thrilling win helped Brown

O
reach first final four in 2016
By Phil Shore

ON MAY 14, 2016, the coaches and

players of the Brown men’s lacrosse team
should have had a lot to celebrate about.
The team used an eight-goal third
quarter to roll over traditional power-
house Johns Hopkins — which owns
the second-most national champi-
onships in NCAA Division 1 his-
tory — by a score of 17-8 to advance
to the tournament quarterfinals.
While it seemed like everything went
Brown’s way, that was not actually the case.
Dylan Molloy, the eventual Tewaaraton
Trophy winner, broke his foot. If Brown
was to advance to the final four for the first
time since 1994, it was going to have beat
Navy without the team’s leading scorer.
The gamesmanship for the matchup
began immediately.
“We wondered if we could keep it quiet,
so they don’t have an opportunity to game-
plan,” said Lars Tiffany, the Brown
head coach at the time. “I remember
there was a serious discussion

Brown University Athletics

from the administra-
tion that it was a tele-
vised game. We really
should be informing
the nation, the lacrosse
world, that Dylan Mol-
loy wasn’t playing.
“I remember think- the ‘X’ attack position, join- played inside of Brown Stadium, where the and, while the Bears would never trail in
ing it was the right thing ing seniors Henry Blynn football team plays. According to a press the game again, it didn’t mean their day
to do and my assistants and Kylor Bellistri. release from the Brown website recapping was easy. Brown never was able to go on
saying, ‘No, we have to OUR SERIES One of the keys to the the game, the attendance was 11,012 fans. a run, with Navy responding and getting
do what’s best for us This is the first in a monthly game, according to Bellistri, The enormity of the event was not lost great goaltending from John Connors,
competitively.’ Instead series that will count down was not putting pressure on on the coaches or players. who would make 21 saves on the day.
of us announcing it toward the 2018 NCAA Division 1 Tills to replace Molloy, but “I’m not usually too unnerved, but as we The Bears had unheralded players
Thursday or Friday, we men’s championships at Gillette making sure they contin- took the police escort to the stadium right step up on their side as well. Filling in
announced it Saturday Stadium over Memorial Day ued to play as a team. after the Syracuse game, the Brown fans for Tills’s role in the midfield was fresh-
morning. Afterwards, weekend. NELJ will revisit some “I think with myself came in expecting a 2:30 start,” Tiffany man Foster Leboeuf. Although he played
I learned that this was memorable moments from NCAA and Henry Blynn and the said. “They were ready for us. They were sparingly, he tallied a goal and an assist
brand-new information tournament games involving other older guys, we ran so energizing and a great example of pas- against Navy, both in the second half.
for Navy that they had New England teams and players. the offense,” Bellistri said. sion New England fans have for lacrosse.” Tiffany remembered at one point late
not heard. That was a “Dylan and I worked tre- “Seeing the whole campus unite like in the game, holding on to a slim lead, Leb-
success for us.” mendously well together, that was awesome,” Molloy added. “Going oeuf started with the ball out of a timeout.
While losing the but with him out, I knew to Brown, you don’t think there’s a huge ath- “We’re trying to go to the semifinals for
best player in the nation doesn’t help a it wasn’t just one guy that needed to step letic support, but that showed lacrosse was the first time in 20 years and the ball’s in
team, Brown was deep with talent, featur- up. I didn’t need to be the hero; Bailey worth it, and we could turn some heads.” his stick,” he said, “and (assistant coach)
ing 10 players who would eventually play didn’t need to be the hero.” Navy scored the first goal of the game Sean (Kirwan) is saying, ‘Yeah, he’s got it.’”
in Major League Lacrosse. Brown hosted a quarterfinals double- just over 1½ minutes into the contest, but Brown scored two goals to begin
Senior Bailey Tills — who was listed as header, taking on Navy following a game Bellistri scored the first of his four goals of the second half, extending its lead to a
an attackman but played mostly at midfield between Maryland and Syracuse, which the game 13 seconds later. Defender Alec
— would take Molloy’s spot in the lineup at the Terrapins won, 13-7. The games were Tullet put Brown ahead 16 seconds later Continued on Page 28

12 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018 Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
 2018 COLLEGE SEASON PREVIEW  Division 1 Women
Boston College made standout Sam Apuzzo feel
wanted. Now the Tewaaraton nominee wants to
keep Eagles soaring after record-setting season.
CENTER
STAGE
  Boston College’s Sam Apuzzo
celebrates a goal during the NCAA
championship game against Maryland
last May at Gillette Stadium.
Evan Scales/New England Lacrosse Journal
By Jonathan Sigal
A
cacia Walker-Weinstein, head coach
at Boston College, insists that she’ll
never forget the first time she saw
Sam Apuzzo play, nor when the attack
came for her recruiting visit.
That’s when Walker-Weinstein,
who took over the Eagles for the 2013
season, put the full-court press on Apuzzo.
“We told her she was our big recruit and we’d do any-
thing we could to bring her in,” Walker-Weinstein said.
That urging was magnetic for Apuzzo, who admitted
BC wasn’t initially on her radar screen. A star at her high
school in West Babylon, N.Y., and on the club side for
Long Island Top Gun, Apuzzo was courted by other Atlan-
tic Coast Conference and Big 10 schools.
But one visit to Chestnut Hill later, the eventual five-
year varsity player, four-time captain and two-time high
school All-America was convinced.
“Acacia wanted me to come here, but a lot of other
coaches I met were set back and almost like they didn’t
need me,” Apuzzo said. “Acacia made me feel wanted and
made me feel like I could be a part of this up-and-coming
program.”
Flash forward, and the junior is one of the top offen-
sive threats in the country, having led BC to the national-
title game a year ago, scoring a single-season-program-
record 119 points (80 goals, 39 assists) and winning 71
draw controls along the way. During 2017, Apuzzo also
was an All-ACC first-team member and Tewaaraton
Award nominee.
That all adds up to a résumé that might induce some
Continued on Page 14
February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 13 
 2018 COLLEGE SEASON PREVIEW  Division 1 Women

‘She has established a little more respect from her teammates.

The biggest thing is getting her to understand the power
she has because she’s so well respected.’
— Boston College coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein

Continued from Page 13 and we had this old net, and we’d play ‘Horse’
and do different tricks,” Apuzzo said.
cockiness and swagger, but those who Those early days laid the groundwork,
know Apuzzo best maintain the polar op- too, for a player who’s now expected to
posite is true. step into a broader leadership role for the
“If you met Sam on the street, you’d say Eagles.
that’s the nicest girl,” said Colleen Kilgus,

I
Apuzzo’s coach at West Babylon. “You’d T REMAINS TO BE seen if Kenzie
never know what an amazing athlete she is Kent (Norwell, Mass.), the Most Out-
and how talented she is. She’s so shy and so standing Player at last year’s final four,
humble.” will play in 2018, given that she’s also a se-
Kilgus, who also was the 20-year-old’s nior captain on BC’s women’s hockey team.
high school teacher, said Apuzzo is prob- The Eagles also have graduated goalkeeper
ably the best-ever athlete to come out of Zoe Ochoa (Longmeadow, Mass.), mid-
West Babylon, given she also played soc- fielder Mary Kate O’Neill, and attacks Kate
cer and basketball. When probed further, Weeks and Kayla O’Connor (Merrimac,
Kilgus brings up Shannon Smith, the West Mass.).
Babylon native lacrosse fans might recog- In turn, Walker-Weinstein said, even
nize most. more responsibility now awaits Apuzzo.
Smith, who is the head coach at Hofstra, “We’re not trying to change her, but
won three national titles while playing at we’re trying to push her human side a little
Northwestern and also captured the Tewaara- bit and be a little more vocal,” Walker-Wein-
ton Award in 2011. Back home, Smith and stein said. “She has established a little more
Apuzzo live around the corner from each oth- respect from her teammates. The biggest
er, so the BC stalwart would often link up with thing is getting her to understand the pow-
her mentor over summer breaks. er she has because she’s so well respected.”
“I’d be home doing some extra work and Apuzzo said that charge has suited her
Sam would be down at the field, too,” Smith well so far, and she doesn’t take the job
said. “People say she’s quiet and reserved, lightly given BC boasts 13 underclassmen.
but she’d tell me how it was and would be “I can’t predict what will happen, points-
super competitive. If I dropped a ball, she’d wise, because everything changes this year,
ask me ‘What was that for?’ She wasn’t but as a leader I’m doing my best,” Apuzzo
afraid to rub it in.” said. “I’m pretty quiet, so it’s been a strug-
gle to come out and lead, but I’m doing my

W
HEN INTERVIEWED, best.”
Apuzzo is noticeably shy as And while it’s an isolated moment, Kil-
well. She doesn’t go into too gus said a moment from Apuzzo’s junior
much detail when asked about her ACL year at West Babylon shows she’s ready to
tear freshman year, which caused her to lead. They had a playoff game against West
play only nine games and then endure a Islip, another Long Island powerhouse pro-
10-month recovery period. gram, and Apuzzo came in with an injured
In talking about her hometown roots and hamstring.
family, however, Apuzzo opens up. She’s the Playing practically on one leg, Kilgus
youngest of four siblings, and neither her said, Apuzzo had five goals to beat West
parents nor three brothers ever played la- Islip.
crosse beyond high school. “Her determination and her will power
“My brothers never let me get away with to do great things even if she’s not feeling
anything easy,” Apuzzo said. “Whether I great is what really stands out,” Kilgus said.
wanted to play knockout basketball, I had “It shows the type of person she is.”
to prove I was good enough. They pushed They’re moments that add up, though,
me around and it’s where I got my competi- to a lacrosse world that’s champing at the
tive drive.” bit to see what Apuzzo has in store for a BC
Evan Scales/New Englnad Lacrosse Journal

There’s also what Apuzzo calls her program that’s undoubtedly on the rise. If
“street crew,” meaning her neighborhood all goes to plan, Apuzzo will be center stage
friends from back home. She grew up play- every step of the way.
ing with Sam Geiersbach (the 2017 Atlan- “She has no idea that she has the tools to
tic-10 Rookie of the Year at Richmond), Ni- be the most ideal leader,” Walker-Weinstein
cole Levy (who is on the 2017 Tewaaraton said. “She’s really a pure joy to coach.”
Award Watch List at Syracuse) and Kali
Benvenuto (George Washington midfield- @JonathanSigal
er), among others.
“A lot of times, we’d go into my backyard feedback@laxjournal.com

14 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL

  Boston College junior Sam Apuzzo is
one of the top offensive threats in the
country after leading the Eagles to the
national-title game a year ago while
scoring a program-record 119 points.

Evan Scales/New England Lacrosse Journal

February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 15 
 2018 COLLEGE SEASON PREVIEW  Division 1 Women

AMERICA EAST

UMass
Lowell
2017 result: 7-9 (1-5 Ameri-
ca East, sixth place)
Coach: Carissa Medeiros
(fourth year, 8-42)
Key losses: Kristy Robert-
son, M
Players to watch: Courtney
Barrett (South Burlington, Vt.),
sr., G (10.73 GAA, .449 save
percentage); Taylor Sokol (Hop-
kinton, Mass.), sr., A (19 goals);
Austin Trasatti, sr., A (19 goals);
Jane Dudley (Duxbury, Mass.),
jr., A (16-18-34); Rebecca Idson,
jr., A (25 goals); Noelle Lambert

Brian Jenkins/UVM Athletics; UConn Athletics

(Londonderry, N.H.), jr., A; Hana
Caster (North Attleboro, Mass.),
soph., M; Keeley Henry, soph., M
Outlook: With just one
senior on last year’s roster, the
River Hawks return a core that
made strides after the program
went 1-33 its first two seasons,
but there’s still lots of work to
do, especially on the offensive
end, where they ranked sixth
of seven America East teams
in goals (8.44 per game), last in
draw controls and last in turn-
overs. … The return of Lambert,
who had to have a leg ampu-
tated following a moped ac-
cident after her freshman year,
should be an inspiration. She
has been in training after being
fitted with a prosthetic limb. …
The River Hawks open Feb. 21
against Boston University.
New
Hampshire
2017 result: 3-14 (3-3
America East, fourth place)
Coach: Sarah Albrecht
(sixth year, 28-56)
Key losses: Hope Kissick,
D; Devon Croke, A
Players to watch: Cat Sen-
nott (Westford, Mass.), sr., M (34
GBs); Kate Clancy (Barrington,
R.I.), sr., G; Krissy Schafer
(Longmeadow, Mass.), sr., A (30
goals); Carly Wooters, sr., M (23
goals, 33 DCs); Rylee Leonard
(Coventry, R.I.), soph., M
Outlook: The Wildcats were
underwater from the start last
year, opening their slate with
nine straight non-conference
losses. After winning three
league games, the gap they were
chasing was outlined clearly in
a 20-3 semifinal loss to eventual
champion Stony Brook. … It’s
been nine seasons since UNH
won a conference tournament
game or reached a final. It first
needs to address offense, where
it ranked last in the league with
8.18 goals per game last year.
Clancy’s 8.35 saves per game
ranked second in America East.
… The Wildcats open Feb. 10
against Sacred Heart.
Vermont
2017 result: 1-15 (0-6
America East, seventh place)
Coach: Sarah Dalton (sec-
ond year, 1-15)
Key losses: Alison Bolt, M;
Meredith Moore, Al Brynne
Yarranton, M
Players to watch: Alex Ber-
nier (Falmouth, Maine), sr., A;
Courtney Cole (York, Maine),
sr., M; Jenna James, jr. A; Elena
McWright, jr., A; Maddy Juras,
jr., G; Molly Little (Tiverton,
R.I.), soph., M
Outlook: Again, the issue
for UVM last year was defense.
The team allowed more than 14
goals a game, worst in America
East, which was a big reason it
came up empty in conference
 Vermont senior attack Alex Bernier
returns after missing all of last season.
play. … Bernier, who missed all
of last year after tearing her
ACL in the preseason, will try to
find the form that saw her lead
the team in scoring in 2016. She
also will serve as a team captain
along with Cole and McWright.
… The Catamounts kick off their
new season at home Feb. 17
against Colgate.
ACC
Boston
College
2017 result: 17-7 (3-4 ACC,
fifth place); lost to Maryland in
NCAA championship game
Coach: Acacia Walker-Wein-
stein (sixth year, 69-33)
Key losses: Kate Weeks, A;
Kayla O’Connor, A; Zoe Ochoa, G
Players to watch: Kenzie
Kent (Norwell, Mass.), sr., A (39
goals, 38 assists); Kaileen Hart,
sr., A (49 goals, 26 assists);
Sam Apuzzo, jr., A (80 goals, 39
assists); Elizabeth Miller (New
Canaan, Conn.), jr., D (43 GBs,
31 CTs); Dempsey Arsenault
(New Hampton, N.H.), jr., M (48
GBs); Brooke Troy (Westwood,
  UConn senior attack Grace Nolan
led the Big East in points in 2017.
Mass.), jr., M (36 GBs)
Outlook: It all came to-
gether for the Eagles in May
during their run to the NCAA
championship game at Gillette
Stadium, and with 21 players
back from that team, they’re
gearing up to make more
noise. … Apuzzo, who broke the
program record for points in
a season, leads an attack that
also may feature Kent, who
racked up 77 points in just 12
games last season once joining
the team after hockey season
ended. … Replacing Ochoa in
goal is an early-season issue. …
The Eagles open Feb. 10 with
an ACC game at Notre Dame.
ATLANTIC 10
UMass
2017 result: 17-4 (9-0 At-
lantic 10, first place; won A-10
championship); lost to Navy in
NCAA second round
Coach: Angela McMahon
(eighth year, 128-18)
Key losses: Hannah Mur-
phy, M (44 goals, 89 points);
Callie Santos, A (44 goals, 68
points); Sarah Crowley, D
Players to watch: Holly
Turner, sr., A (69 goals); Hannah
Burnett, sr., A; Kiley Anderson
(Killingworth, Conn.), jr., M (42
goals); Kaitlyn Cerasi, soph.,
A; Stephanie Croke (Norwell,
Mass.), soph., M; Lauren Hiller
(North Andover, Mass.), soph., G
Outlook: UMass again ran
the table in the A-10 last spring
though the gap may be clos-
ing, as Richmond played it to
within 13-12 in the conference
championship. … Graduation
hits include Murphy, the A-10’s
Midfielder of the Year, and
Crowley, the Defensive Player of
the Year. … Firepower returns up
front with Turner, Burnett and
Anderson, who combined for
155 goals. Hiller is coming off
an impressive freshman season
in goal (11.25 GAA, .439 save
percentage). … UMass opens Feb.
17 at home against Dartmouth.
BIG EAST
UConn
2017 result: 8-8 (5-4 Big
East, fifth place)
Coach: Katie Woods (eighth

16 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018 Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
 NELJ
D1 Women
Preseason
  No. 1:
Top 10
Boston College
year, 73-45)
Key losses: Jacqueline
Jordan, A; Maggie Tripodi, A;
Jessie Beer, D
Players to watch: Grace
Nolan, sr., A (44-33-77); Cassie
Ekstrom (Sandy Hook, Conn.),
sr., D (40 GBs, 25 CTs); Kelsey
Catalano, sr., M (22-5-27); Grace
Beshlian, soph., G (12.90 GAA,
.445 save percentage)
Outlook: The Huskies took
a step back last season, missing
the Big East tournament after
finishing second in the league
in 2016. One reason was allow-
ing nearly 13 goals per game, a
stat that ranked in the bottom
half of the league. … Nolan is
coming off a season that saw
  No 2:   No. 3:
UMass UConn
her lead the league in points.
She has two All-Big East first-
team selections to her name
after getting picked as Rookie
of the Year as a freshman. …
The Huskies open Feb. 9 at
Syracuse.
IVY LEAGUE
Brown
2017 result: 6-9 (1-6 Ivy
League, eighth place)
Coach: Keely McDonald
(14th year, 83-114)
Key losses: Kerianne Hunt,
M; Ali Kim, D; Mollie Lane, D
  No. 4:   No. 5:   No. 6:
Fairfield Boston Univ. Harvard
Players to watch: Hafsa
Moinuddin (Cheshire, Conn.),
jr., M; Mikaela Karlsson, sr., G;
Carolyn Paletta, sr., M; Marissa
Hudgins, sr., D
Outlook: The Bears lose a
lot of experience on defense be-
tween Kim and Lane, but of the
15 players who scored at least
one point in 2017, only two were
seniors. … Three All-Ivy selec-
tions return, including Moinud-
din, who led the team in goals
(33), assists (12) and points (45).
The team also can look to build
off what it accomplished in
the final 10 days of the season,
winning two of its final three
games, including a 14-13 over-
time victory over Columbia. …
  No. 7:
  No 8:
Bryant Quinnipiac
CAPSULES COMPILED BY MIKE ZHE AND PHIL SHORE
The Bears open Feb. 17 against
Quinnipiac.
Dartmouth
2017 result: 7-8 (2-5 Ivy
League, sixth overall)
Coach: Danielle Spencer
(second year, 7-8)
Key losses: Courtney
Weisse, A; Taryn Deck, M;
Blake Hamblett, D
Players to watch: Kathryn
Giroux, jr., M; Kiera Vrindten,
soph., G; Kierra Sweeney, jr., A
Outlook: In Spencer’s
first year as head coach, the
team stayed the course with
February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 17
  No 9:   No 10:
Sacred Heart Brown
seven wins on the season, but
dropped from six to two wins
in the conference. The team
started the season with four
consecutive victories and
ended it with two, but losing
streaks of three games and five
games during the middle parts
of the season hurt the team.
Five of those losses, however,
came against teams ranked
in the top 20 in the nation. …
Although the Big Green lose
their top scorer from 2017, they
return four players who scored
20 or more points as well as Gi-
roux, who led the conference in
draw controls per game (7.20).
Continued on Page 18
 
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 2018 COLLEGE SEASON PREVIEW  Division 1 Women

Continued from Page 17

Top 10 Division 1 Players to Watch

Sam Apuzzo, jr., A, Boston College Harvard
The junior attack is coming off a record-setting sophomore season that saw her establish a
2017 result: 8-8 (4-3 Ivy
Boston College single-season record with 119 points (80 goals, 39 assists).
League, fourth place)
Coach: Lisa Miller (11th
Kailey Conry (Needham, Mass.), soph., A, Boston University year, 185-130)
Conry made an immediate impact as a freshman, leading the Terriers with 54 assists — a Key losses: Marisa Romeo,
single-season program record — and 68 points. A; Marina Burke, D; Maeve
McMahon, A; Megan Hen-
nessey, M
Jess DeMeo, jr., A, Bryant Players to watch: Keeley
The junior attack earned Offensive Player of the Year honors in the NEC last season after MacAfee (Needham, Mass.),
scoring 58 goals for the Bulldogs. jr., M; Julia Glynn, sr., M; Tate
Green, soph., D
Kathryn Giroux, jr., M, Dartmouth Outlook: In 2017, Harvard
went 0-5 against ranked teams,
The versatile Giroux led the Ivy League with 7.20 draw controls per game and is a key piece as including ending the season
the Big Green try to escape the bottom half of their conference. with back-to-back losses to
Cornell. The program gradu-
Kiera Kelly, sr., D, Quinnipiac ated six seniors, five of whom
One of the region’s best one-on-one defenders, Kelly was named to the All-MAAC first team were All-Ivy selections. … The
for the second year in a row. midfield in 2018, however,
should be exciting to watch,
with both Glynn (21 goals) and
Kenzie Kent (Norwell, Mass.), sr., A, Boston College MacAfee (ninth in the confer-
Boston College’s two-sport star became a great complement to Apuzzo after hockey season ence in goals per game with
ended, collecting 77 points in just 12 games. 2.31). There will be big shoes
to fill in terms of winning draw
Erin Mammele (Madison, Conn.), jr., M, Fairfield controls, as the top two on the
team in that category (McMa-
The former Daniel Hand standout set a Fairfield program record with 86 draw controls as a hon and Hennessey) gradu-
sophomore, starting all 18 games. ated. Senior middie Nekele
McCall, who finished third on
Hafsa Moinuddin (Cheshire, Conn.), jr., M, Brown the team with 22 draw controls,
could be first in line to fill their
The former Hotchkiss star led the Bears in goals (33), assists (12) and points (45) and earned a
positions.
spot on the All-Ivy second team.
Grace Nolan, sr., A, UConn
The Big East scoring leader a year ago, Nolan will try to follow up a season that saw her pump Yale
in 44 goals and assist on 33 others.
2017 result: 7-9 (1-6 Ivy
Holly Turner, sr., A, UMass League, seventh place)
Coach: Erica LaGrow (third
After scoring 69 goals, the senior will be the centerpiece of a loaded UMass attack that will try year, 12-19)
to extend its dominance in the Atlantic-10. Key losses: Hope Hanley,
A; Tess McEvoy, A; Victoria
John and Matt Risley
  Dartmouth’s Kathryn Giroux led the
Ivy League in draw controls per game.
Moore, D
Players to watch: Izzy
Nixon (Greenwich, Conn.), jr.,
A; Sydney Marks, jr., G; Mad-
eleine Gramigna, sr., M
Outlook: Yale was hit hard
with graduations following
the 2017 season. Four senior
defenders that started all 16
games (Moore, Marisa Cre-
sham, Emily Markham and
Ashley Perselay) are gone, and
while the offense set records
for both goals and points in a
season, leading scorers Han-
ley and McEvoy also have
departed. … The team should
be able to get a lot of posses-
sions (and capitalize on them),
as dual-threats Nixon (who
finished the season second in
the Ivy League in draw controls
per game while tallying 40
points and 22 ground balls) and
Gramigna (28 goals, 21 ground
balls and 42 draw controls)
both return.

July 8–July 10
July 11–July 13
Portsmouth Abbey School
Portsmouth, RI

For more information:

Al Brown
401.683.5029

A CAMP FOR
WWW.NETOP150LAX.COM EXPERIENCED PLAYERS

18 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018 Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
MAAC
Fairfield
2017 result: 12-6 (7-1
MAAC, second place)
Coach: Laura Field (third
year, 21-15)
Key losses: Alex Fehmel, M;
Riley Hellstein, A
Players to watch: Paulina
DiFatta, soph., G; Erin Mam-
mele (Madison, Conn.), jr., M;
Katie Fitzpatrick, sr., M; Brenna
Connolly, sr., A/M
Outlook: In 2017, three
goalkeepers combined to
help Fairfield have the best
goals-against average in the
conference (8.96). None of
those three are on the roster
in 2018, but Field is excited
for DiFatta to return after
tearing her ACL in the fall of
her freshman year. … Offen-
sively, the team graduates its
top two scorers and 168 points
total, but four players that
totaled 20-plus points do re-
turn, including Connolly, who
scored 20 goals and led the
team with 25 assists. … The
Stags open Feb. 10 against
Holy Cross.
Quinnipiac
2017 result: 4-13 (3-5
MAAC, sixth place)
Coach: Tanya Kotowicz
(second year, 4-13)
Key losses: Danielle La
Rocca, M; Alex Hlesciak, M;
Michele Merwin, A
Players to watch: Kiera
Kelly, sr., D; Brianna Fitzgerald
(Norwalk, Conn.), soph., M; Al-
lison Kuhn, jr., M
Outlook: The win-loss
record may not seem impres-
sive, but the Bobcats earned a
trip to the MAAC tournament
in 2017, the first time the team
has done so since joining the
league in 2014. … Eleven of the
team’s top 12 scorers return —
including leading scorer Kuhn
(26 goals, 14 assists) — as well
as the entire starting defense.
The program also will have a
new stadium to call its own.
Instead of playing home games
at Yale, the Bobcats will play
home games at the 1,500-seat
Quinnipiac Soccer and La-
crosse Stadium.
NORTHEAST
Bryant
2017 result: 13-5 (7-0 North-
east, first place; won Northeast
championship); lost to Stony
Brook in NCAA first round
Coach: Jill Batcheller (sixth
year, 65-27)
Key losses: Molly Martin,
D; Carly Cronin, D; Ali Cardi-
nal, A
Players to watch: Catlin
Brown, sr., A (26 goals, 19 as-
sists); Amanda Moss, sr., D;
Samantha Santeramo, sr., G
(8.91 GAA, .508 save percent-
age); Jess DeMeo (58 goals, 11
assists), jr., A; Lauren Britton,
jr., M; Caitlin Breglia (40 goals,
16 assists), soph., A;
Outlook: The biggest losses
for the Bulldogs were from a de-
fense that led the NEC in goals
allowed and was a big reason
they won the league after losing
to Wagner in the title game in
2016. … The 5-foot-3 DeMeo is
coming off a season in which
she was named NEC Offensive
Player of the Year. Breglia was
one of the league’s brightest
new stars. … Santeramo had a
breakout season in net and will
be an asset as the last line of
defense and the unit develops
in front of her. … Moss, Brown
and Britton are serving as team
captains. … Bryant opens its
season Feb. 10 at Yale.
Central
Conn. St.
2017 result: 4-12 (3-4 North-
east, fifth place)
Coach: Princess Livingston
(second year, 4-12)
Key losses: Marissa Soto,
M; Courtney McPartland, D;
Jessica Giangarra, A
Players to watch: Kylie
Sullivan, sr., M; Jackie Bran-
thover, jr., G; Megan Szaw-
lowski (Leeds, Mass.), soph., A
(30 goals, 27 assists); Cameron
Ruberti (Madison, Conn.),
soph., A/M
Outlook: The Blue Devils
made strides offensively last
spring, upping their output
from 6.81 to 9.44 goals per
game. But they’ll need to
replace the 50 goals scored by
Soto last year, one third of the
team’s total. … Szawlowski fig-
Rich Gannon
  Bonston University’s Kailey Conry
returns for her sophomore year.
ures to carry much of the load
after a superb freshman season.
Her 57 points were the most on
the team, two more than Soto’s
55. … Branthover, who’s played
in every game since arriving on
campus as a freshman, had the
third-best save percentage in
the league at .453 and made the
most saves. … CCSU opens Feb.
17 at St. Joseph’s.
Sacred
Heart
2017 result: 6-11 (4-3 North-
east, third place)
Coach: Laura Cook (19th
year, 156-145)
Key losses: Caitlin Delaney,
M; Brenna Betsch, D
Players to watch: Alyssa
Pearce (33 goals, 9 assists),
Averi Farhat (Hollis, N.H.), sr.,
A (22 goal, 9 assists); Domi-
COMING THIS MONTH
DIV. 1 WOMEN
RANKINGS
EVERY WEEK
IN OUR DIGITAL EDITION
Only at laxjournal.com
nique Anselmin, sr., D; Paige
Hammick (Avon, Conn.), sr., G
(12.59 GAA, .371 save percent-
age); Elizabeth Small, soph., D
Outlook: After three
straight years of missing the
NEC tournament, Sacred Heart
has lodged itself as a top-four
team in each of the last two
seasons. … The Pioneers gradu-
ated half their goal-scoring and
a superb all-around player in
Delaney. Pearce and Farhat are
the only returning players who
produced double-digit goals. …
One point of emphasis will be
converting more free-position
shots after they managed just
29 goals on 79 tries a year ago.
… The Pioneers open Feb. 10 at
New Hampshire.
February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 19
PATRIOT
Boston
University
2017 result: 10-8 (6-3 Pa-
triot League, fourth place)
Coach: Liz Robertshaw (11th
year, 119-84)
Key losses: Caroline
Meegan, G; Janelle Macone, D;
Taylor Hardison, A
Players to watch: Kailey
Conry (Needham, Mass.),
soph., A; Mickenzie Larivee
(Amherst, N.H.), sr., A; Mack-
enzie Howe (Laconia, N.H.),
soph., M; Reilly Fletcher, fr.,
M; Ryann Gaffney, fr., M; Ava
Barry, fr., A
Outlook: For the first time
since 2013, someone other
than Meegan will be start-
ing between the pipes for the
Terriers. They also gradu-
ated two starting defenders,
including Macone, who was
All-Conference and the team’s
primary lock-off defender. …
What BU lacks in experience
on defense, however, it retains
on offense. Seven of the nine
players who scored 10 or more
points return in 2018, as does
senior Sarah Anderson, who
missed all but three games in
2017 because of an injury but
recovered in time to play for
Team Israel in the 2017 FIL
World Cup.
Holy Cross
2017 result: 7-10 (2-7 Patriot
League, eighth place)
Coach: Amanda Belichick
(third year, 10-24)
Key losses: Mary Patalita,
A; Maddie Ward, M; Tess
MacKay, M
Players to watch: Julia
Maloney, sr., G; Baker Earl, jr.,
A; Jessi Button, jr., D
Outlook: The Crusaders
will look very different in 2018.
The team’s top three scor-
ers, who combined for 107 of
the team’s 208 points, are no
longer on the team. This year’s
squad also features 14 fresh-
men, including Meg Donahoe,
a three-time All-State selection
at Fairfield Ludlowe in Fairfield,
Conn. … Earl (15 goals, 4 as-
sists) is the team’s top return-
ing scorer. … The Crusaders
open Feb. 10 at Fairfield.
 
 BOSTON CANNONS

COMMITMENT
ISSUES
Quirk, Cannons brass banking
on increased player investment,
draft additions to get back
into MLL playoff picture

By Scott Souza

W
HEN BOSTON CANNONS
head coach Sean Quirk began
constructing the roster that will
enter training camp in March, talent, athleticism and comple-
mentary skill all were important factors.
Yet, there also was one trait that went beyond the measurables that was as im-
portant as any when looking to bring players in to this year’s team.
That trait was commitment.
“We were especially thorough with these guys in the offseason in the supple-
mental draft and with trades we were considering,” said Quirk (Cheshire, Conn.).
“We did a lot of talking to the guys when we could, and asking around about them,
because we wanted players who could give as much commitment to the season as
we possibly could.”
It may sound like a simple request in a professional sport. But with most Major
League Lacrosse players having full-time jobs in other professions — and not being
local to the teams they play for — that commitment level can be elusive.
Even players who sign for a full season can have responsibilities to indoor
teams, job and family obligations that conflict with the summer MLL season, and
limitations to how mentally invested they are in the program when they do make it

Major League Lacrosse

to a practice the night before a game and suit up the next day.
The hope is the research that Quirk, team president Ian Frenette, associate
coach Dom Starsia, offensive coordinator Ben Rubeor and the rest of the Cannons
scouting and coaching staff did in advance of this winter’s transactions will pay off
in the spring when the team convenes for training camp March 23.
“It was such a big emphasis,” Quirk said. “You look at teams that have been
there the past couple of years — Ohio and Denver — and they have such a tight
locker room. They play the whole season and don’t have guys coming on and off
the roster. We want to form that bond out of training camp and have it carry all the
way through the season.”   Ryan Walsh — who scored 23 goals
It wound up being a busy January for Quirk and his staff, as the Cannons made in 26 career games for New York despite
two substantial trades around the supplemental draft in forming the bulk of the not being the focal point of the offense —
training camp roster. joins the Cannons after a trade with the
The biggest move saw the team trade defenseman Matt Landis to the New York Lizards. The Cannons received assurances
that Walsh, defenseman Scott Firman and
Lizards for attack Ryan Walsh, defenseman Scott Firman and the No. 5 overall pick Tanner Scales will report to training camp.
in the supplemental draft used to select defenseman Tanner Scales.
Boston also acquired attack James Pannell from the Atlanta Blaze on the day of

Continued on Page 22

20 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018 Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
 NEW ENGLAND BLACK WOLVES

SECOND IMPRESSION
New England Black Wolves

T
By Phil Shore
Former ing that is an amazing time. I was the first
player drafted by the team, so it’s pretty cool.
HE NEW ENGLAND BLACK WOLVES came into training camp
for the 2018 season with several new faces. Veteran acquisitions such
first-round I didn’t know what to expect. I don’t think
anybody does until you play at the profes-
as David Brock and Aaron Bold arrived alongside rookie draft picks
such as Colton Watkinson and Anthony Joaquim.
draft pick sional level.”
Cockerton played in 13 games as a rookie,
The player that impressed the ownership and coaching staff the
most, however, wasn’t entirely new. Rather, he was returning to Mo-
Mark scoring 11 goals and adding 17 assists. The
team struggled, however, finishing 4-14,
hegan Sun after two years away: Mark Cockerton. Cockerton which put a damper on his first season.
“I didn’t know Mark. I wasn’t here when the team drafted him,” It also was his only season in New Eng-
Black Wolves coach Glenn Clark said. “He re-committed himself to finding his way back. is back with land. He was released prior to the start of the
He’s in very good shape. He’s very fit. He had a real good season in the pro field league, 2016 campaign.
and I think he was motivated to show he’s worthy of that draft position and really wanted to the Black “It was a weird year for us. We go 2-0 and
make a real run at it. He was very good in training camp.” then 2-14 down the stretch. You’re trying to
The Black Wolves made Cockerton the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NLL Entry Draft, Wolves, and hang on just to get a win somewhere,” Lisk
the first draft the franchise participated in after moving to Connecticut. said. “He got caught in that vortex of, ‘What
“I got a call from Jordan Hall saying because of work commitments he could not play in ready can we do to make something happen?’ Our
New England,” New England general manager Rich Lisk said. “We didn’t think (Cockerton coaches wanted to make a change and he
would) take over for Jordan Hall, but here’s a chance for a rookie to step into a spot. We to finally was at the other end.”
thought he was the best lefty available. We were happy Mark fell to us to take him there.”
Not only was Cockerton a successful field lacrosse star — helping the University of Vir- make “I was definitely shocked when Rich
called me and told me the news,” Cockerton
ginia win an NCAA championship as a freshman and graduating in a tie for eighth on the
program’s career goals list (125) — he also was an accomplished box lacrosse player. The his mark added. “I thought I had an OK camp that year.
I thought I played well, but I wasn’t putting
Oshawa, Ontario, native helped lead the Whitby Warriors to win the 2011 Minto Cup Junior the ball in the back of the net. I thought I was
A lacrosse championships, scoring three goals in the final.
“Being drafted was an honor and something I dreamt of doing,” Cockerton said. “Do- Continued on Page 22

February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 21 

 PROFESSIONAL LACROSSE
Cannnons
Continued from Page 20
the supplemental draft Jan. 23.
The trade with New York
was the first between the teams
since the ill-fated summer dead-
line deal that sent Will Manny
to Long Island in exchange for
Dave Lawson (Westford, Mass.)
and Chris LaPierre. Neither Law-
son nor LaPierre chose to report
to Boston, leaving Boston noth-
ing to show for dealing its top
scorer amid a playoff push.
“When something like that
happens, you don’t want to point
to any one reason why it hap-
pens,” Quirk said. “But it does
make you cautious. We try to do
our homework with any deal and
Ryan Walsh is a guy we know
well. We have a good re-
lationship with (Lizards
coach) Joe Spallina and
he was even the one
who asked if we want-
ed to put a clause in
this deal.”
The clause, which was
not a part of the Lawson-LaPierre
trade, states that the teams will receive additional
compensation if any of the players involved in the
deal do not report for training camp.
In Walsh, the Cannons receive a player who
scored 23 goals in 26 career games for New York
despite not being a focal point of the offense. Quirk
said he attended a game Walsh played in an indoor
league in late January and can see how he could
have an immediate impact on Boston’s offense.
“He put three, four goals in just while I was
watching him,” Quirk said. “He is a big, strong
lefty attack who should be ready to go right away
for us.”
Quirk said he envisions Firman playing some
long-stick midfield alongside Brodie Merrill this
season, and potentially hold down the fort in that
position for the Cannons while Merrill finishes
his indoor league season.
With Pannell, Quirk said he believes he has
found the “quarterback” of the offense that has
been lacking in recent seasons.
“Kylor Bellistri played ‘X’ for us the past cou-
ple of years and did a great job,” the coach said.
“But he has been a little out of position. James
played that spot at (the University of Virginia)
and is really the type of initiator of the offense
that we’ve been looking for there. He had a
breakout year with Atlanta last year and we be-
lieve that will carry over for us.”
The Cannons also received the No. 5 pick
in the supplemental draft, which was used on
Scales, another UVA alumnus.
Starsia joins the Cannons staff this year after a re-
cord-breaking run as the Virginia men’s head coach.
“He’s been great because he knows so much
about so many guys — both from Virginia and
throughout the college game,” Quirk said of Star-
22 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018
Black Wolves
Continued from Page 21
going to come in my second year
and have a breakout year.”
With a new head coach
(Clark), the Black Wolves won 10
games in 2016 and reached the
division final.
The separation was not as
positive for Cockerton. He signed
with the Rochester Knighthawks
and scored a goal in his first
game with his new team, but his
first game with Rochester also
would be his final game with the
team. He didn’t feature for anoth-
er team the rest of 2016, nor did
he play the following season.
Cockerton was left to figure
out why he struggled to stick
with a team in the NLL.
“I just think (it was) probably
the lack of indoor lacrosse the
Major League Lacrosse
past few years,” he said. “I grew
  James Pannell — an MLL All- up playing it since I was 3 years
Star last season with Atlanta after old, and then I went to college
orginally being drafted by New and played so much field and
York — could be the Cannons’ you’re late to the junior season,
new quarterback on offense. it takes a month or two to get
back to where you were. I hadn’t
sia’s counsel. “But he has been very straightfor- been able to get into that groove
ward in his evaluations. There have been a few like I was in Junior A. You have a
Virginia guys that he knows and that he’s told me short window in this league, and
can really help us. Then there are other Virginia you have to take advantage.”
guys who have come up where he’s been honest While his box career wasn’t
and told me they may not be the right fit.” taking off, he enjoyed success in
With the top pick in the supplemental draft, the the field version.
Cannons looked to shore up one of the few ques- In 2016, he totaled 24 goals
tion-mark positions left on the team: goaltending. and five assists in 13 games for
An All-American at Richmond, 6-foot-4 Benny the playoff-bound Ohio Machine.
Pugh gives the Cannons some cover if 28-year-old His role increased in 2017, when
returning starter Tyler Fiorito is unavailable. he scored 35 goals and added
Pugh was a first-team All-American at Rich- 12 assists while helping the Ma-
mond who was drafted 37th overall in last year’s chine win the Major League La-
collegiate draft, but he was left unprotected by crosse championship. He also
the Florida Launch after playing in just one game trained with Team Canada.
last summer. Lisk received phone calls urg-
Quirk said Scales was another of the team’s ing him to give Cockerton an-
top targets heading toward the supplemental other chance. He called Cocker-
draft — with his potential availability at No. 5 ton to see what he thought about
helping spur the Lizards trade. With the 10th pick rejoining the Black Wolves.
in the supplemental draft, the team took defen- “He asked me, ‘Rich, what did
sive midfielder Tim Edwards, who scored seven I do wrong to warrant getting re-
goals with three assists for Florida last year. leased?’” he said. “I went through
“We reached out to a lot of guys and did a lot of the scenario with him: ‘It wasn’t
homework on a lot of guys,” Quirk said. “We had fair. I get it. I’d like to give you
about 65 to 70 guys that we considered. And out of another chance. I can’t think of a
the top 15 to 20 guys on our board we got, maybe, better scenario, and I think we’re
eight of them. So we feel really good that we got in a better position for you, and
some guys we really wanted on the Cannons. you’re in a better position for us.
“We thought going into the process that we This could be a convex of great
still had some holes and we have tried to fill them things for both of us.’
through the trades and the supplemental draft. “I was honest with him. (I
We feel really good about our roster heading into said), ‘I’m bringing in six, seven
training camp now.” lefties. We’ll keep four. I’ll give
you that opportunity.’”
@Scott_Souza    feedback@laxjournal.com Cockerton took the opportu-
Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
nity and ran with it.
“I would have played any-
where, but when New England
called, it was special,” he said.
“I wanted to be here the entire
time. To be back, I’m just excited
for a chance to contribute and
make a championship run.”
It also was special for Lisk to
call Cockerton and tell him he
earned a roster spot.
“I did have a vested interest
in him,” Lisk said. “I couldn’t be
happier to tell him not only was
he on the team, but he was one of
the best in camp and you earned
your spot. It was the best phone
call I had to make all year.”
Cockerton played in two of the
team’s first four games, scoring
one goal as the Wolves opened
3-1. While his statistics aren’t over-
whelming, all parties are more op-
timistic about his position on the
team now than they were in 2015.
“He didn’t have great num-
bers in game one, but he proba-
bly had five or six scoring chanc-
es,” Clark said, “and those will be
converted.”
“He has all the skills. A cou-
ple years of maturity and he
blossoms into a future guy,”
Lisk added. “How much longer
will Kevin Buchanan or Stephan
Leblanc play? That’s the pro-
cess. When we first got here we
weren’t in that position. Now,
we can start building for the fu-
ture and look for the future. He’s
done very well so far.”
Cockerton sets high expecta-
tions for himself and hopes to im-
prove his scoring statistics soon.
He is happy to be back in New
England and, much like how he
won amateur box and field cham-
pionships in the same season in
2011, he hopes to do the same at
the professional level this year.
“One goal in two games is
not where I want to be, but it’s a
new role for me,” he said. “Every
practice, if I continue to get bet-
ter, midway through end of the
season I can be a big contributor
to this team. … I didn’t get that
many runs on offense, but I tried
to get loose balls and play de-
fense, whatever you can to help
the team win.”
@PShore15
feedback@laxjournal.com
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LAXTOWN
Upton & n  In the Blackstone Valley,
a decade of growth is producing
results at Nipmuc Regional High

Grafton, Mass.
By Kevin Henkin

I
n some communities, lacrosse
has a long-standing presence.
Such towns tend to enjoy boom-
ing youth programs, which set
the stage for success at the high
school level.
In the Massachusetts towns of Upton
and Grafton, which share Nipmuc Re-
gional High School in the heart of the
Blackstone Valley, lacrosse is gaining
steam at both the youth and high school
levels simultaneously.
“I think on both the boys’ and girls’
sides, you’re talking about relatively
young programs,” said Chris Schmidt,
the athletic director at Nipmuc High
School. “With a history of 10 to 12 years,
that may not sound that young, but with
the state of lacrosse in Massachusetts, it
is.”
Schmidt has been down this path be-
fore, as he was instrumental in building
the lacrosse programs in nearby Frank-
lin more than a decade ago.
“It took us 10 or 12 years to really get
it off the ground where it was a viable
program where we had girls coming in
left and right, and look at where they are
now,” Schmidt said. “I think you can un-
derestimate the impact that youth pro-
grams have.”
In 2017, the high school programs at  The Nipmuc Regional High School boys
Nipmuc reached a combined new height team went 19-2 last year before bowing out
of success. On the boys’ side, the team against powerhouse Grafton in the Central/
Western Massachusetts Division 3 semifinals.
went 19-2 before bowing out against
Grafton in the Central/Western Massa- strong as it should have been,” he said.
chusetts Division 3 semifinals. “There weren’t a lot of tight games.
“It was a great season,” said coach There were a lot of blowouts and a cou-
Eric Brockett, who won Coach of the ple of close games. This upcoming sea-
Year honors for the Mid-Mass. Lacrosse son, we’ve really upped the competitive-
League. “We did beat Grafton in our ness of the schedule, which will better
opening game. In the end, however, we prepare us for the postseason. We’ll be
fell short of our goal of winning the dis- playing one of the toughest schedules
trict title. But losing to Grafton as the in Central Mass this year. We won’t have
now three-time state finalist is certainly as good of a record, I don’t think, but we
a respectable team to lose to.” expect to be a stronger team in terms of
Reflecting back on his team’s tremen- competing at district and hopefully be-
dous season in 2017, Brockett focused on yond.”
lessons to be learned. Entering his sixth season as the coach
“Our schedule was probably not as of the high school team, Brockett also re-

24 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018 Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree

mains highly involved with the Nipmuc
Youth Lacrosse Association, of which he
was a founding member.
“You have to have a youth program
and a critical mass of experienced play-
ers coming into the high school,” Brock-
ett said. “Otherwise, you’re simply not
going to be competitive. You also have to
have that core group of players involved
year-round at the club level to compete
against the best teams.”
A continuous challenge, of course, is
the loss of top-tier players in the commu-
nity to local prep schools.
“In a good year, we’ll get eight to
10 good players coming up from the
youth program to the high school level,
but some of those kids get lost to prep
schools like St. John’s-Shrewsbury or
other schools,” Brockett said. “I hear
it from other coaches all the time, so I
know every school deals with this sort
of thing to a certain extent, but it can
sometimes have more of an impact on a
smaller program like ours.”
In his 12-plus years of involvement in
building lacrosse in the Upton/Mendon
AT A GLANCE
Location
Upton and Mendon are located in the
Blackstone Valley corridor, 15 miles
southeast of Worcester and 36 miles southwest
of Boston.
Population
About 13,000 combined
About town
Mendon was settled in 1660 and incorporated
in 1667. Upton was settled in 1728 and incor-
porated in 1735. The Nipmuc name refers to the
Native American tribe that inhabited almost all
community, Brockett has seen his share
of changes in the landscape.
“It’s become visible,” he said. “We’re
getting more fans and more public rec-
ognition at the high school level be-
cause it’s such an exciting sport and
New England Lacrosse Journal profiles
the lacrosse history and passion
of towns around New England.
In 2017, the squad finished 11-
8, falling to Granby in the first
round of the state tournament.
“The girls’ side is seeing a
real surge both at
the youth level
and at the
of central Massachusetts. The region was an high school
early center of the industrial revolution in level. That
the United States. Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon program is
is the state’s largest zoo. The Mendon Twin very much up
and coming,”
Drive-In is one of only three drive-in theaters in
Massachusetts. Brockett said.
“Chrissy has
Local legends done a great
Aerosmith’s first concert took place at Nipmuc job building them forward.”
Regional High School (now Miscoe Hill Middle It’s all added up to sport surging for-
School in Mendon) on Nov. 6, 1970. ward in the community.
— KEVIN HENKIN “I see our success continuing to grow,
on the girls’ and the boys’ sides,” Schmidt
said. “Both Eric and Chrissy have done a
we’ve done well. And the overall level of very good job of moving us forward with
play is much higher because we have a these highly competitive programs.”
lot more players coming up.”
On the girls’ side, the team also is on @CSL_Kevin
the rise. In 2016, under first-year coach
Chrissy Manzella, the team finished 14-7. feedback@laxjournal.com
February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 25 
 NELJ SPRING/SUMMER TOURNAMENT GUIDE

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Tournament location: Endicott College, Beverly, Mass. Web: www.neylat.com
Dates: July 27-29, 2018 Tournament location: Rogers Field, Devens, Mass.  |  Dates: July 7-8, 2018
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Mike Winkoff, FLG, 631-445-6543 Address: 376 Hale St., Beverly, MA 01915
Web: 3dlacrosse.com/tournaments/national-tournaments/flg-3d-summer-shootout Phone: 978-729-4807
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college coaches and All-Star games in each recruitable division. trains through 15 different goalie stations throughout the camp with an incredible staff.

Created in 1999 NEYLAT is the first competitive youth

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26 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018 Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
 GET REPS
Be willing to make mistakes to improve your game
A
lmost every lacrosse ath-
lete that trains with me at
RPM is playing lacrosse
once a week right now
either in a box, or some
kind of short field, small-sided format.
My mission this month is to help
you move the needle that points to the
quality of this experience from average
to good to great to maybe even career-
changing.
This does not
mean that your
team always wins
or that you are
the star of the
game. In fact,
my teammates
and I will agree
that some of our
best lessons were
MALCOLM
learned through CHASE
failure, and ac-
quiring the knowledge to overcome that
failure in future competition.
Heads-up
See the field in front of you, and from
above. Offense, see through defenders.
Defense, read body language and an-
ticipate passes, dodges, need for slides,
body and stick position. If you practice
dodging with your head up (Photo A),
you will dodge with your head up in a
game.
I use visual cues for the dodger like
changing numbers on my hands or col-
ors or nothing at all, which indicates
no slide and go to the rack. If you con-
sciously practice looking at your man’s
hips on a defensive approach (Photo B),
you will read hips on an approach in a
game. If you look at his shoulders, eyes,
or stick — all of which can be used to de-
Gillette
Continued from Page 12
game-high four goals, but Navy quickly
chipped away to get it back to a one-goal
deficit thanks to two Casey Rees goals in
the last 2:11 of the third quarter and a Matt
Rees goal within the first 30 seconds of
the fourth quarter.
“I don’t know how coaches coach those
types of games,” Molloy said. “I was dy-
ing. A one-goal game. I don’t know how
they go through those ups and downs. I
didn’t know if my season was going to be
over, but I was hoping they’d pull it out, so
I could try and suit up against Maryland.”
Despite the small lead, Tiffany never
28 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018
PHOTO A
PHOTO B
ceive a defender — you will get beat, and
require a slide … often.
Footwork
Lacrosse is the fastest game on two
feet for a reason. Once you get the me-
chanics right for the skill, you must prac-
tice at game speed. Go as fast as you can
while under control. Sometimes the only
wanted his team to abandon its up-and-
down style of play in order to kill the clock.
“(We couldn’t) think like we’re holding
on for dear life, but just keep playing,” he
said. “We played fast and could give up a
four-goal lead, and that happened some-
times when we accelerated our pace of
play, but that was a better option than tell-
ing our guys to be smart and hold on to
the ball. I made that mistake before, and I
wasn’t going to make it again.”
Brown and Navy would trade goals
the remainder of the game, with Bellistri’s
score with 2:22 remaining proving to be
the difference for a 11-10 Brown victory.
Bellistri finished with four goals — ty-
ing the school record for goals in a sea-
son with 62 — and two assists, and Tills
scored two goals and added an assist. Fa-
PHOTO C
way to know is to go over that line and
then reel it back.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Context
Add context to drills for yourself and
your players. If you use an agility ladder,
work a ground ball in at the end. Then
a pass. Then a dodge and pass. Then a
decision to dodge pass or shoot. There
are countless situations we can create
on both sides of the ball. Visualize the
scenario and recreate what you can with
cones, people and your imagination.
ceoff specialist Will Gural won 18 of 24 fa-
ceoffs and picked up 11 ground balls, and
goaltender Jack Kelly made 12 saves.
While the team was extremely excited to
play another day, what Bellistri remembered
was the respect the two teams had for each
other and displayed at the end of the game.
“My father played at Navy, so it was
a cool experience,” he said. “All of us
celebrated on the field. The fans, every-
one, was still standing there. Navy starts
walking off the field. The Naval Acad-
emy as a whole, the military institutions,
we respect them. We all turned around
and started clapping. The whole stands
clapped. They put up an incredible fight.”
That would be one of the final two games
for seniors such as Bellistri and Kelly, as
well as Tiffany, who took a head coaching
Free digital subscription at SeamansMedia.com/neljfree
Watch-Play-Teach
WATCH your own game film to gain
a better understanding of who you really
are as a player. As my first college coach,
Lelan Rogers (then at Ohio Wesleyan, now
the defensive coordinator at Syracuse)
told me: “Malcolm, I think you think you’re
a little bit better than you really are.”
To this day, he may still be right! But I
appreciated the much-needed humbling
because it made me work even harder.
Watch college and professional game
film to see how the best in the world do it
(Photo C). Pick a player with similar phys-
ical attributes and/or style to your own,
and emulate during controlled practice
time on your own and with teammates.
PLAY whenever you have the oppor-
tunity, provided you are challenged and
not over-training.
TEACH the game to younger players.
This is one of the key components to my
own lacrosse development, and a ma-
jor reason I like overlapping athletes of
various ages at RPM as well as Defense
Factory. Passing along knowledge and
skills to others reinforces these concepts
in your own game.
Whatever opportunity you have to
learn, be willing to make mistakes and
stay humble, as those are the greatest
opportunities to improve.
Malcolm Chase is the owner and head trainer at RPM Ath-
lete Performance in Natick, Mass. In 2003, he founded Long
Stick Middie, producing the first specialized instructional
clinics and DVD devoted to the position. He is the national
director of programming for RPM Lacrosse and has worked
with youth, college and professional athletes across the
country. Chase currently lives in Boston.
@LongStickMid23
feedback@laxjournal.com
job at the University of Virginia after the
season. For a team that was so close — Bel-
listri said their goal was to “lead the nation
in chest bumps and fist bumps” — it was a
special memory for the coaches and players
to have before going their separate ways.
“The way the New England fans rallied
— boy, what a moment,” Tiffany said. “The
team and staff and myself we’ll never forget
how much passion and love was behind us.”
“It was something I’ll look back on with
great fondness,” Bellistri added. “It was a
pretty awesome experience. I was lucky
to be a part of it and make memories with
those guys in the locker room.”
@PShore15
feedback@laxjournal.com
 LACROSSE NUTRITION
Embrace essential fatty acids
P
rotein and carbohydrates
typically take most of the
playing time in conver-
sations about nutrition.
That doesn’t mean that
healthy fats are any less important
though.
In fact, essential fatty
acids (EFAs) play a vital
role in supporting overall
health, increasing nutrient
absorption and the proper
development of the brain
and nervous system, all
of which are important to
lacrosse players.
“Essential” refers to the
fact that our bodies cannot
JULIE
produce these fatty acids NICOLETTI
on their own. They must be
obtained through diet or as a second
option, through supplementation.
Omega-3s and Omega-6s, when
in balance with one another, work
together in blood clotting, immunity
and inflammation.
Omega-3s are found in flaxseeds,
Bryant
Continued from Page 8
with his athleticism,” Pressler said. “His
lacrosse IQ is off the charts. His skill set
is second to none, and he’s the fastest kid
on the field.
“He’s a pure, incredible two-way mid-
fielder. He’s an accomplished offensive
player, better than ever. He can feed it
and shoot it. He’s a great defender, too.
A first-team All-Conference player, he’s
going to pick it up right where he was
and take it to a new level.”
For a while, it was all lacrosse for Ken-
nedy. That’s when he really took off. De-
spite some starts in his freshman year,
he rose during his sophomore season
and gave football a break.
“I took some time off just because
after my freshman year, I had a better
experience playing lacrosse,” he said. “I
played much more; I was starting after
a few games. So I thought I would just
focus on that. But I always had football
in the back of my mind, either taking a
fifth year somewhere or returning to play
for Bryant.”
The lack of an overlap between the
seasons has made it a seamless transi-
tion between the two sports. Kennedy
had the winter season off to focus on la-
crosse once football ended in November.
But that doesn’t mean Kennedy
doesn’t take some of his football skills
flax oil, walnuts, hemp and dark leafy
greens as well as fatty fish such as
salmon, mackerel, herring and sar-
dines and are often low in a young
athlete’s diet.
Omega-6s, or polyunsaturated fatty
acids, are consumed in overload in a
traditional American diet
containing cookies, crack-
ers, fast food and sweets
that contain palm, soybean,
rapseed and sunflower oil.
Consuming too many
Omega-6s in processed
foods and grain-fed meats
and not enough Omega-3s
from fatty fish and whole
foods is presenting an
issue in heart and brain
disease.
Taking in more high-quality Omega-
3s and less highly processed Omega-6s
is a powerful nutrition intervention for
both health and performance.
What about Omega-9s? Omega-9s
are just as important as 3s and 6s, but
can be derived from other foods we
back to the lacrosse field. While he says
there isn’t a ton of crossover between the
two sports, something about playing on
the same field for two sports has to bring
a few similarities.
“I think being in season, in the fall
and spring, helps me stay in really good
shape,” he said “You have to be in la-
crosse, running up and down the field.
Making people miss, running on the
field, trying to get in the open field in
football and lacrosse. Trying to get my
hands free to shoot, I think that trans-
lates a bit. There’s not too much cross-
over, but I think it’s mostly staying in re-
ally good shape.”
With his college football career over
at Bryant, Kennedy’s focus has shifted
fully to lacrosse once again. A senior
captain, he was voted as a team leader
despite missing fall workouts for foot-
ball, an ultimate sign of respect from his
lacrosse teammates.
It’s even more motivation to keep
getting better, and performing at a high
level in yet another season at Bulldog
Stadium.
“The transformation has been huge,”
Kennedy said. “From the player I was my
freshman year, looking back, there were
things I could do a lot better. Even now,
there’s things to learn. But I’m taking steps
in the right direction in my time here.”
@Marisa_Ingemi
feedback@laxjournal.com
eat and are therefore not labeled “es-
sential,” although they do play impor- Omega-3 rich salmon
tant roles in our bodies in controlling
Ingredients:
blood sugar and cholesterol.
(6 ounce) salmon fillets
Here, at right, is a recipe for an
1 teaspoon olive oil
Omega-3 rich salmon dish. Please
1 clove garlic, minced or 2 teaspoons minced
give it a try. And if you just don’t like
garlic in a jar
salmon or fatty fish, no matter how
1 tablespoon honey
much you try, consider adding fish oil
¹/₃ cup balsamic vinegar
as a supplement.
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
You don’t need a balanced 3-6-9
salt and pepper to taste
supplement; you only need Omega-3s.
#FueltheChampionWithin
Directions:
Julie Nicoletti, the Boston Cannons’ team nutritionist, is a 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking
nationally recognized sports nutritionist who specializes sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking
in coaching student and professional athletes to optimize spray or coat with coconut oil or olive oil.
performance and minimize the risk of injury through 2. In a medium saucepan, cook the garlic until ten-
nutrition. As the founder of Kinetic Fuel Performance Based der in the olive oil about 2-3 minutes. Add honey,
balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and salt and
Nutrition, Julie combines her professional training as a
registered pharmacist with her experience as a certified pepper to taste. Simmer for about 3 minutes until
sports nutritionist to customize plans for athletes and teams, it slightly starts to thicken. Remove from heat.
enabling them to see transformative results. Learn more at 3. Place the salmon fillets on the aluminum-lined
www.kineticfuel.net. baking sheet. Brush the salmon with the balsamic
glaze but reserve half for brushing on the end.
@kineticfuel1 4. Bake for about 6-10 minutes until flesh flakes eas-
feedback@laxjournal.com ily with a fork. Brush fillets with remaining glaze.
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February 2018  www.laxjournal.com 29 

PUDUSKI
Basic bio
School: UMass Lowell
Year: Senior
Position: Defender
Hometown: Westford, Mass.
High school: Westford Academy
30 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL  February 2018
Equipment
Stick: Under Armour Charge
Helmet: Cascade. “I believe we
have Rs coming in.”
Gloves: Under Armour
Pads: Under Armour
Cleats: Under Armour Highlights
Favorites
Pregame meal: “I always like to have chicken parm the
night before a game.”
Favorite visiting stadium: “Stony Brook is prob-
ably my favorite. It’s a nice big stadium because of their
football team. It’s a good environment there.”
Hangin’ out with …
Will Puduski
Will Puduski graduated from Westford Academy and joined the
UMass Lowell River Hawks for the program’s inaugural Division 1
season. Much like the program has grown in four years, so too
has Puduski. From a high school short-stick midfielder to
an America East All-Conference defenseman — the first
All-Conference selection in program history — the senior
captain has been a mainstay on the defensive unit the past
two years. He hopes to lead the program to new heights in
the 2018 season, using the lessons he’s learned from previous
experiences, both good and bad. What Puduski enjoys most
though — whether it’s on the field, in the locker room or on
the Internet — is the people he’s surrounded by.
How did you start playing lacrosse? “I began playing in
third grade. A bunch of my friends were playing and it looked
like a pretty fun sport. I was always a fan of contact sports,
and I thought it had a good balance of contact and skill.”
Why did you choose UMass Lowell? “I wanted to stay
local when I went to school. Financially, it worked out for
my family, and I always wanted to compete at the Division 1
level, and that gave me the opportunity to do so.”
What was it like to join a program entering its first
year in Division 1? “It was very interesting. There were a
lot of characters on the team. There were a lot of growing
pains. Being a senior now, we learned a lot more than your
average college lacrosse experience would because we had to
learn a lot on our own. The first year was tough, but looking
back, I’m happy I made the decision I did.”
What are your individual expectations for this sea-
son? “On the stat sheet, I’m always trying to improve from the
year before. I’m trying to put in the work to improve and be
a better teammate. I’m going to continue to sharpen up my
leadership skills. As a captain, it’s super important to me. We
want to have a great last season and go out with a bang.”
You were named America East Fans’ Choice Player of the
Year as a junior. What did that mean to you? “It was pretty
cool to get nominated for it more than it was to win it. Each team
gets a representative. It was great to be nominated. … (Coach says) it’s
like the largest extended family award. The nomination felt good to get recognized
for the hard work you put in. Winning it, it was cool.”
What do you like to do when you’re not playing lacrosse? “I always
try to fish as much as possible. I love spending time on the boat with my family
and friends. It’s relaxing.”
What’s your favorite app on your phone and why? “Instagram. I guess
I would say it keeps me the most entertained. I just like pictures.”
Where’s your favorite place to hang out on campus? “Favorite spot on
campus for me is probably the locker room. I get along with all my teammates.
It’s nice to see them on a daily basis. If I have some free time, I like to go hang
out on the couch and chat with the guys.”
What do you want to let people know about you? “I always thought it
was pretty cool that I switched from short pole to long pole my senior year of
high school. I fractured my wrist and couldn’t really play short pole and ended
up picking up a long pole and found out I was better at that. I was never too
good at scoring with a short pole.” — PHIL SHORE
UMass Lowell Athletics
Practice drill: “We call it ‘Pioneer.’ It’s 4-v-3s and 3-v-2s.
We do it almost every day. All the guys really like it.”
Actor: Will Ferrell  |  Movie: “Lone Survivor”
TV show: “Entourage”
Food: “I’m a big fan of chicken wings.” Book: “Extreme Ownership”
Vacation spot: “I spend a lot of time in Newburyport, Video game: “Rocket League”
Mass., in the summer.” Sport other than lacrosse: Football
Band: “I’m gonna go with Eddie Money.” Athlete: Julian Edelman  Team: Patriots
Song: “Shakin’ ” by Eddie Money Article of clothing: Shoes
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