An Encouraging Look for the 2004 Season

Nov. 6, 2003

One year removed from Endicott's first NCAA tournament appearance, the 2003 men's lacrosse team had one of its most successful seasons ever. It was a record-breaking year for the Gulls with both team and individual accomplishments during the year. The team came away with 13 victories, topping the old record of 12 and, as a result, finished undefeated in conference play and competed in the finals of the ECAC championship tournament.

The 2003 team played against one of the toughest schedules in New England for Division III, as three of their games were against ranked teams and four were against NESCAC schools. Still, the Gulls put together an outstanding season despite many early season injuries. With those key players back, and the addition of another outstanding recruiting class, 2004 holds great promise for the Gulls. Endicott returns six of their eight CCC All-Stars from a year ago. Only All New-England defenseman, Nick MacKenzie and sharp shooter Andre Digou, graduated from the list of honorees. Returning senior All New-England and CCC All-Star Paul Lord leads a strong nucleus of players into the 2004 season.

However, Endicott still has goals to achieve. Having winning records, CCC playoff appearances and perennial CCC All-Stars have become a habit for Endicott. The team's main focus is another chance to play in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Although Endicott made it to the ECAC championship game in 2003, they still fell short of their ultimate goal. Through dedication during the pre-season, the Gulls have improved in many areas. Returning to the action after injury, some key stars were previously unble to compete in the 2003 season.

Most of the improvement will come at defense. Depth was the defense unit's malice last season with the injuries to freshman sensation Ryan Fraine and starter Scott Bartush that took two-thirds of Endicott's top defensemen. With those two out of the lineup, the lack of depth and chemistry at the defensive end showed throughout their playoff run. By the end of the season the unit began to gel, largely because of the play of CCC All-Star Josh Maciorowski and Mike Clifford. Both will be back this season with plenty of help added through newcomers and the return of Fraine and Bartush, who was named a Captain during the off-season.

Looking to play major roles will be sophomores Brian Tompkins and Brian Kelly along with freshman Patrick Gaffney, a high school All-American. Also look for Junior Pat Phelan, Senior Chris Manzelli and newcomers Rick Hancock, Greg Russo, and Brian Thierfeld to break into the lineup early in the season. Short stick fenders Jesse Blackwell and Greg Colcord bring back their tenacity and experience to this unit.

Sophomore Nate Tower, who had a strong year facing off for the Gulls last season as a freshman, will be challenged by another strong face-off player this year, sophomore Brendan Delaney. The two should create a formidable face-off unit.

Endicott's strength continues to be at the midfield where the unit returns three of the team's top four scorers from a year ago. Captains Paul Lord and Cory Fox, along with CCC Rookie of the Year Kevin Lally form one of the most dangerous midfield lines in Division III. Fox, who returned part way through last season after recovering from a knee injury, that occurred in fall ball, is back at full speed and is ready to take face-offs again.

One player who is expected to have a break out year is junior Marc MacMillan who will return to the midfield after playing the majority of the 2003 season at the attack. Sophomore Elliot Diesenhaus, Senior Charlie Cole and newcomers Jeff Clattenburg, Ryan Tobin, Alex Howe, Travis Odenbach and Parker Sowles add a tremendous amount of depth and talent to the midfield.

A good mix of veterans and newcomers will make up the Gulls attack unit for the 2004 season. Leading the way for Endicott is returning CCC All-Star Sam Chidester. A big, strong attackman, Chidester is one of the best shooters in Division III. He is expected to be one of the top attackmen in New England this season. Possibly, the biggest impact will come from the return of Burt Fahy who suffered a season ending knee injury a week before the 2003 opener. Fahy's explosiveness and quickness is back and he wants to make up for lost time. Freshmen Dan Ryan and Josh Gilbert showed tremendous ability to distribute and finish in fall practices and they look to carry that into the regular season. Freshmen Andrew McCarty and Henry Eppinger will also add depth to this unit.

The goaltending situation at Endicott is the deepest and most competitive unit on the team. Starter and CCC All-Star Ryan Walsh had a brilliant sophomore season last year posting a .643 save percentage while also scoring two goals from his goalie position. His mixture of technique and athletic ability make him one of the most exciting players in Division III. Graduate student Matt Bagshaw, a former Div III All-American, also returns from a season ending injury and looks to push Walsh, along with sophomores Jeff Pardue and Adam Partaledis. With all four very talented goalies seeing action last year, the battle for the top spot between the pipes should be a good one with the starter playing at the top of his game.

The 2003 team fought through many injuries and obstacles and still achieve the school record for wins. The talented group that makes up the 2004 squad is committed and focused as they continue their quest to win their conference championship and achieve national recognition in 2004.