March 25, 2008
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
TODAY'S GAME: The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team (4-3, 1-1 ECAC) will play its first home ECAC Lacrosse League game when it hosts UMass (2-5, 0-1 ECAC) on Saturday, March 29, at 12 p.m. Penn State is riding a riding a three-game win streak while the Minutemen will be looking to snap a three game losing skid.
Penn State is coming off super 7-2 win at Fairfield last Friday night, claiming its third straight win and evening its ECAC Lacrosse League mark at 1-1. Rob Forster had two goals and two assists for Penn State in the game while the Nittany Lion defense, led by Earl Ross's six ground balls, flustered the Stags into only ten shots on goal. Charley Henneghan returned to the line-up with two goals and Drew Adams notched his third game of the year giving up three or fewer goals.
Rob Forster leads Penn State with 17 points off nine goals and eight assists. Max VanArsdale checks in with 11 off eight and three while Andrew Mackrides has six and three for nine. The Nittany Lion defense is being sparked by Tommy Zichelli (19 ground balls), John Stuckey (10 ground balls), Kevin Etter (10 ground balls) and Ross (11 ground balls) among others. As a team, Penn State's defense is limiting its opponents to .233 shooting and an ECAC best 7.14 goals per game. Adams has a conference best .631 save percentage and a league-best 7.20 goals against average.
Massachusetts is coming off a tough 15-1 loss to conference foe Loyola. Evan Blum had UMass' goal in that game. Tim Balise leads UMass with 17 points off 13 goals and four assists. Peter McNichols and Zach Rogers have 11 points each.
Penn State will continue ECAC Lacrosse League play on Saturday, April 5, when it visits Hobart for a 1 p.m. contest with the Statesmen.
PENN STATE VS. UMASS: THE SERIES UMass holds a slim 5-3 edge over Penn State in the all-time series between the two teams. The Minutemen won 6-5 at UMass last year in overtime while Penn State won 7-5 here in State College back in 2006. The Minutemen last won at Penn State on April 3, 2004.
ADAMS STELLAR GOALIE PLAY LEADS LIONS OVER VISITING VERMONT - NAMED ECAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Two-time ECAC Lacrosse League Goalie of the Year Drew Adams had a superb outing in Penn State's 7-4 win over visiting Vermont on 3/15. Adams shut the Catamounts out during the first half on his way to collecting 16 saves against 38 shots (20 of which were on goal). He was named ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.
McALEENAN SPARKS LIONS TO WIN OVER `NOVA Junior Ryan McAleenan scored all of his game-high three goals in the first half of Penn State's 12-3 victory over Villanova on 3/11. The early hat trick helped Penn State bolt out to a 6-1 halftime lead.
LION DEFENSE SHINES AGAINST WILDCATS The Penn State Nittany Lion defense, led by Tommy Zichelli, Kevin Etter and John Stuckey, was solid in the Nittany Lions' 12-3 win over Villanova on 3/11. The Nittany Lions limited VU to 20 shots, only 14 of which were on goal. Goalie Drew Adams gave up only two goals in over 54:00 of play in another outstanding outing for the Tewaaraton Trophy candidate.
FORSTER LEADS PSU IN CLOSE LOSS AT #15 LOYOLA Junior Rob Forster grabbed half of Penn State's total points in a close 7-4 loss at No. 15 Loyola on 3/1. Forster had one goal and Penn State's only two assists in the contest for three of the PSU's six points.
ADAMS ON TEWAARATON TROPHY LIST Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse player Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) has been named to the 2008 Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List, as announced by the Tewaaraton Award Foundation. Adams, a junior goalie for Penn State, is in his third season as a starter for the Nittany Lions. Already a two-time first team All-ECAC Lacrosse League pick, Adams has won the last two ECAC Lacrosse League Goalie of the Year awards. He was also the ECAC Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year in 2006. The native of Springfield, Pa., started all 26 games during his first two seasons at Penn State and collected 317 saves. He allowed only 209 goals in over 1500 minutes played for a superb 8.01 goals against average.
DONLEY NETS TWO AT NOTRE DAME Freshman Will Donley scored two goals in Penn State's 15-9 loss at No. 8 Notre Dame on Feb. 24, leading Penn State with two points along with Brian Shea, who had a goal and an assist.
VanARSDALE AND LOY NOTCH HAT TRICKS Junior Max VanArsdale and sophomore Matt Loy scored three goals each to lead Penn State in goals during PSU's 18-2 season opening win over Robert Morris on 2/16. VanArsdale added an assist for four total points in the contest. Loy took only four shots in the game, finding the net on three of them.
FORSTER'S FIVE POINTS LEAD NITTANY LIONS OVER ROBERT MORRIS Junior Rob Forster had two goals and a game-high three assists to lead Penn State to an 18-2 win over visiting Robert Morris on 2/16. Forster was one of four Nittany Lions with more than one goal and one of three with more than one assist.
16-POINT MARGIN OF VICTORY MOST SINCE `95 Penn State's 16-point margin of victory over Robert Morris on 2/16 (an 18-2 win) was the largest Penn State margin of victory since the Nittany Lions downed Stony Brook by 16, 20-4, on April 8, 1995.
FIRST SEASON OPENING WIN SINCE `05 Penn State snapped a short two year losing skid in season opening games by downing Robert Morris 18-2 on 2/16. The Nittany Lions had last won a season opener in 2005, when Penn State beat No. 14 Ohio State 9-7 on Feb. 19, 2005. 2005 was also Penn State's last trip to the NCAA tournament.
ZICHELLI AND ADAMS NAMED TO 2008 PRE-SEASON ALL-ECAC LACROSSE TEAM Two members of Penn State's men's lacrosse team have been selected to the 2008 Preseason All-ECAC Team as chosen by the conference's eight head coaches. Senior Tommy Zichelli ( Severna Park, Md.) and junior Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) represent Penn State on the squad. Zichelli, a defender, has played in 38 games during his Penn State career. He heads into his senior season as one of Penn State's captains and is coming off a solid 2007 that saw him collect 25 ground balls. He has six points off four goals and two assists with 64 ground balls during his Nittany Lion career. Adams, the lone goalie on the preseason squad, is a two-time All-ECAC Lacrosse League first team pick and league Goalie of the Year. In 2006, he was also voted ECAC Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year and was an honorable mention All-American. Adams has started all 26 games of his prior two seasons and has an 8.01 goals against average with 317 saves and a .603 save percentage.
ADAMS EARNS PRE-SEASON HONORS FROM INSIDE LACROSSE MAGAZINE Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse goalie Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) has been named to the Inside Lacrosse Magazine Pre-Season All-ECAC Team, helping Penn State to earn the No. 2 spot in the magazine's pre-season team poll. Adams, the two-time ECAC Goalie of the Year, has started all 26 games of his collegiate career. He has a superb 8.01 goals against average in over 1500 minutes played. Adams has 317 saves and only 209 goals against and sports a .603 save percentage. As a freshman, he was ECAC Rookie of the Year as well and is a two-time first team All-ECAC pick. In addition, the Nittany Lions were picked to finish second by Inside Lacrosse in the pre-season team poll. National power Georgetown was predicted to win the team crown, followed by Penn State, UMass, Loyola, Rutgers, Fairfield, St. John's and Hobart.
MACKRIDES AND ZICHELLI NAMED CAPTAINS Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse coach Glenn Thiel has announced that seniors Andrew Mackrides (Newtown Square, Pa.) and Tommy Zichelli (Severna Park, Md.) have been named team captains for the 2008 season. The seniors are two of only four seniors on a very young Penn State roster. Mackrides is a 5-8 middie who is coming off a solid 2007 that saw him play in all 13 games for Penn State, scoring two goals. He has played in 40 games during his first three seasons at Penn State and has nine goals and one assist for ten points. Zichelli is a 6-3 defender who also played in all 13 games for the Nittany Lions in 2007. He had 25 ground balls, which was fourth on the team. Zichelli has played in 38 games over three years, has four goals and two assists for six points as well as 64 ground balls.
NITTANY LIONS HAVE TWO TV DATES The Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse team, under the guidance of veteran head coach Glenn Thiel, will have two of its games televised during the 2008 season. Penn State's contest at Loyola on March 1 aired live on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. MASN is the first Regional Sports Network in the mid-Atlantic area owned by two Major League Baseball franchises -- the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles. The Nittany Lions' contest at St. John's on April 12 will begin at 1 p.m. and air on CN8. CN8 provides more than 9 million Comcast cable viewers with a unique brand of live, interactive television delivered over its own fiber-optic network to 12 states and 20 television markets stretching from Maine to Virginia and Washington, D.C.