Midsummer Night's Power Ranking – MD2
by Jac Coyne | Laxmagazine.com | Coyne Archive | Twitter
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Mercyhurst got the better of Adelphi in the NCAA Division II championship game, but the Panthers managed to edge the Lakers in the Midsummer Night's Power Ranking. © Lee Weissman |
It was a fascinating year in Division II. There were three teams that looked like they had the chops to be national champions at the midpoint of the season – C.W. Post, Le Moyne and Limestone – and none of them even made the title game. In walked Mercyhurst and Adelphi to give us the most entertaining contest of Memorial Day Weekend.
The 2012 season is going to be tough to predict, as well. While it could easily revert to a rematch of the '11 championship or include one of the tradition divisional powers, there is also the potential for a couple of new faces to make a splash. The cutthroat nature of D-II, which doesn't expand to an eight-team format until 2013, will always keep fans on the edge of their seats from the season opener through the various conference tourneys to see who will emerge.
To commence our slow, six-month journey to the beginning of the season, I've crafted my Midsummer Night's Power Rankings for D-II to get an early feel for who should be in the hunt when things kick off next February. (NOTE: this is not Lacrosse Magazine's preseason poll, which comes out in December). It's just a snapshot, using the amount of starters and contributors that are returning in addition to the overall momentum I feel that program has in light of losses from last season.
Without further delay, the rankings.
12. St. Michael's (10-6)
Starters returning: 7 | Points returning: 221 of 221
(100.0%) | Momentum: Upward
Did the realization that St. Michael's is bringing back
every single point from '11 factor into their spot in the Top 12?
Absolutely. When we combo that with the hot streak the Purple were
on at the end of last year (they lost to Adelphi by a goal in the
NE-10 semifinals), they are a relatively easy addition to the power
rankings. They have some questions to answer on the defensive end
even with the return of sophomore goalie Chris Demairo (6.60 GAA)
and the addition of new coach Brian
Kingsbury will mandate a transition period, but the
Knights are experienced and confident. They will be a team to keep
an eye on if they can clean up in their non-conference portion of
the schedule.
11. Catawba (12-4)
Starters returning: 5 | Points returning: 224 of 268
(83.6%) | Momentum: Upward
The Indians will have plenty of questions on defense, but
the offense should be able to pick up where it left off helped by
Braden Artem (43g, 13a) and John Scheich (19, 17). Catawba had one
of the more thrilling conference tournament runs with two overtime
victories and a narrow win over Florida Southern with the Deep
South crown on the line, and the knowledge that they can perform in
the clutch should be useful. The offense did falter at times
– in the four losses the Indians managed just 17 goals,
including a 19-3 wipeout at the hands of Limestone to wrap up the
season – but that should be a strength in '12. However, in
the South, beating Limestone is the first priority, and Catawba
still has some work to do.
10. NYIT (10-4)
Starters returning: 6 | Points returning: 98 of 259
(37.8%) | Momentum: Downward
The paucity of proven points coming back is less of a
concern with a program like Tech because of the typical ease it has
in finding high-end offensive players, but, as usual, the Bears
will only have the ability to drop one game – two at the
max. While NYIT will have to rebuild up front, the defense should
be okay with the return of a lot of experienced talent such as
senior LSM Chris Kmieciak, senior pole Justin Annunziato, sophomore
pole Danny McDermott and senior netminder William McGee (9.21 GAA).
In some respects, this year is a gravy year for the Bears. They'll
likely be looking up at Mercyhurst, Post, Dowling and maybe even
Mercy in the ECC (aka, the Central region), so any success
they have should be a springboard for the 2013 campaign, which
could hold a lot of promise for Bill Dunn and his troops.
9. Pfeiffer (10-6)
Starters returning: 8 | Points returning: 236 of 262
(90.1%) | Momentum: Upward
From Florida to Ontario, and as far west as Wyoming, Peter
Milliman is stockpiling young talent in Misenheimer, N.C., and it
could result in a big payday in '12. The Falcons were solid last
year, and were one of the few teams to make Limestone sweat (they
kept the Saints to 10 and nine goals in a pair of five-goal losses)
in the South region. In addition, Pfeiffer returns 12 of its top 13
scorers, led by sophomore attackman James Shepherd (34g, 3a). Most
of a solid defense is back, anchored by sophomore Hayden Kirk (6.19
GAA), who was the D-II statistical champion in save percentage
(65.7). The Falcons may be two years away from unseating Limestone
as the top dog in the South, but they will certainly be on the
Saints mind once the Conference Carolinas season kicks off.
8. Merrimack (11-6)
Starters returning: 9 | Points returning: 260 of 285
(91.2%) | Momentum: Upward
Considering what Merrimack has coming back, it could
probably be a lot higher, but the Warriors were extremely
inconsistent last year despite a solid returning corps. They are
even more stacked entering the '12 campaign, but questions linger.
They were good enough to travel to Le Moyne and slug out a 7-6 win
in the NE-10 semifinals, but couldn't figure out Catawba or St.
Michael's on the road during the regular season. The talent is
undoubtedly there – junior Corey Lunney (39g, 14a) is a
premium midfielder and he has a bunch of other quality midfielders
around him, and there is talent at just about every position
– but the Warriors need to find some consistency before they
can break into the elite. Consistency, and a stronger save
percentage in the cage.
7. Le Moyne (12-2)
Starters returning: 4 | Points returning: 91 of 274
(33.2%) | Momentum: Downward
If there was ever a team that had been building for a
title run 2011, it was the Dolphins. They had been to the title
game the previous five seasons and the roster was stacked, and the
postseason awards testified to that – attackman of the year
Jack Venditti, specialist of the year Corey Bulken and defender of
the year Pat Moran. When the NCAA tourney chips fell, however, Le
Moyne was the fifth team in a four-team field. The offense has been
decimated, as the points returning number attests, and the loss of
Bulken could quietly be the biggest replacement challenge for Dan
Sheehan. The Dolphins have been through this before. You don't get
to their level without a little turnover. Sheehan would likely
admit that he has his hands full this season, and the margin for
error is zero.
6. Mercy (11-3)
Starters returning: 9 | Points returning: 232 of 237
(97.9%) | Momentum: Upward
The Mavericks were the feel-good story of 2011 – the
second-year program was ranked for much of the season after
bouncing NYIT early on and playing tough with Mercyhurst (9-7) and
Post (15-12) – but nobody will have warm feelings about Mercy
as we ramp up toward the '12 campaign. The Mavs will transition
quickly from the lovable upstarts into one of the more feared
programs in the already stacked Central region with just about the
entire roster returning, in addition to undoubtedly another strong
recruiting class from Steve Manitta (my pick for coach of the year in
'11). The Mavs lose five points from the offense and
return D-II goalie of the year T.J. DiCarlo (7.58 GAA, 63.6 sv%).
More importantly, they should be a confident group heading
into the spring.
5. C.W. Post (16-2)
Starters returning: 3 | Points returning: 204 of 345
(59.1%) | Momentum: Downward
With an 18-man senior class, led by the likes of Mike
Messina, Nick Coric and Mike Giordano, last spring was supposed to
be the exclamation point on the C.W. Post dynasty. Instead, the
Pioneers flameout in the semifinals to Mercyhurst meant the
rebuilding in Brookville would have to start sooner than later.
Rebuilding to a degree, that is. Post still boasts one of the
premier finishers in the nation in Eddie Plompen (54g, 18a) and a
talented middie in Keith Rodriguez (18, 14), but there are a lot of
holes to fill. With the exception of sophomore Stephen Burke, the
starting defense, which was outstanding, has been nearly wiped
clean, meaning John Jez will have to lean on players who
apprenticed last year or plug in rookies. Not an enviable position
in the ECC.
4. Limestone (15-2)
Starters returning: 6 | Points returning: 354 of 467
(75.8%) | Momentum: Neutral
It was a special year for the Saints, but in late
match-ups against the top teams from the Central and North,
Limestone wilted. Mercyhurst shut down the high-powered attack, led
by junior Riley Loewen (54g, 20a) and senior Shayne Jackson (32,
50) in a late-season inter-regional clash and then Adelphi exposed
the Saints on defense in the national semifinals. Limestone should
have no trouble cruising through the South once again in '12, but
J.B. Clarke and his staff will have to make sure his team is
peaking in May, not March, whether it is through different
scheduling or postseason preparation. The Saints will be at the top
of the charts for much of the year, but they still have to prove
they are worthy during crunch time.
3. Dowling (11-3)
Starters returning: 7 | Points returning: 227 of 262
(86.6%) | Momentum: Upward
The Golden Lions won the showdown they needed with C.W.
Post, but they lost a trio of road games, including a devastating
loss to Chestnut Hill late in the season that bounced them out of
contention. That's the bad news. The good news is Dowling returns a
potent squad in '12 that might prosper because of last year's
adversity. Senior sniper Vito Demola (46g, 9a) returns along with
the top five scorers, and the defense just has to find a
replacement for All-American pole Andrew Casmir to pick up where
they left off (no small task). If senior netminder Ryan Dougherty
can improve on his numbers (8.49 GAA, 57.7 sv. %), the Lions are
going to be a beast in the Central, reminiscent of their '10
season.
2. Mercyhurst (14-2)
Starters returning: 6 | Points returning: 182 of 277
(65.7%) | Momentum: Neutral
Heartbroken in '07, snubbed in '10 and champions in '11
– it was a compelling five-year stretch for the Lakers.
You'll be hard-pressed to wipe a grin off Chris Ryan's face until
the first day of fall, but he'll have to get right back to work
when his kids return. The D-II field isn't expanding for another
year, so it will be another season with very little margin of error
for all the teams in the division and 'Hurst will have some
questions heading into '12. The biggest one will be the goaltending
position, where Zach Nash has been very good the last three
seasons. There are two other sophomore goalies returning, including
Nash's younger brother, Tyler, but they both have zero collegiate
minutes (Nash played every second last year). Junior playmaker
Brian Scheetz (21g, 33a), senior sniper Kyle Kallay (35, 10) and
senior middie – as well as championship game hero – Ian
Wild (18, 2) give the Lakers plenty of punch. Sophomore pole Andrew
Wagner was a revelation in his rookie campaign.
There are enough graduation losses, however, to make a
repeat a challenge.
1. Adelphi (16-3)
Starters returning: 7 | Points returning: 306 of 369
(82.9%) | Momentum: Upward
The program with the most championships in Division II
finally made its return to the national championship game after a
10-year hiatus, and the Panthers came thisclose to racking
up title No. 8. The fact that Adelphi came up short is certainly
cause for disappointment, but what is returning in '12 should have
Gordon Purdie and Panther fans everywhere very optimistic. There
are losses – superb pole Dan Gill (100 GBs), faceoff man
Jesse Colamussi (60.3%), and dangerous middie Tommy Susko (41g,
7a), among others, are gone – but the core of the team, lead
by Joe Vitale (40g, 30a) returns, including another recruiting
class. The Panthers came up short in their quest for a return to
glory, but all signs are pointing to the fact that it's just a
matter of time.
