April 13, 2005
The Wednesday National Notebook takes a look at college lacrosse being played beyond Division I.
Lacrosse Magazine Jinx?
"Sports Illustrated has its jinx. John Madden Football has its jinx. Are we witnessing the advent of the Lacrosse Magazine jinx?"
Every morning begins with optimistic hope. By the end of the day that hope usually dwindles down to nothing more then a shoulder shrug, a big gulp of water and some aspirin. So many questions are left unanswered as the hopeful souls pace around their living rooms like Jeff Gordon under caution at the Checker Auto Parts 500. Lacrosse box scores litter the floor.
Mini conversations run through their heads: "Should I start him or sit him?" "Is he healthy?" "I can't start him he has missed three games!" "But he did throw up some sick numbers last year. I have to sick with him."
(SNAP!)
Okay, back to reality. Lacrosse hasn't quite caught the fantasy fever, let alone in Division II and III. But those who'd have been banking on Le Moyne's Brandon Spillett and Tufts' Bryan Griffin, both of whom would surely have been first-round picks in your mock draft, the wind in those sails have been knocked out quicker then the free falling price of a Frank Thomas rookie card. You just wasted $50 on the entry fee,
Coming into the 2005 lacrosse season, who wouldn't have had Spillet and Griffin high on their draft boards? If you went to your league draft prepared with the March issue of Lacrosse Magazine you would have recognized Spillet as the Division II Preseason Player of the Year and Griffin as the Division III Preseason Player of the Year. Those two were the hottest names in small college lacrosse by the end of the 2004 season. So who didn't expect a big encore in `05?
Well, you can go ahead and add the Lacrosse Magazine Preseason National Player of the Year to the list of sports jinxes, like being on the cover of Sports Illustrated or a John Madden Football video game.
Spillet made a name for himself in last year's NCAA Division II National Championship game, in which he scored seven goals including the game-tying and winning goals in dramatic fashion. The Liverpool, N.Y. native accumulated 45 goals and 20 assists in 16 games. But after offseason knee surgery, the senior this season has yet to regain form. A month after the championship game, Spillet tore his ACL in a summer league game in Syracuse. The set back cost Spillet fall ball and has made it difficult for him to get in a flow in 2005.
"Brandon is 99 percent healthy coming off an ACL injury. He is playing very well," said Le Moyne coach Dan Sheehan. "Brandon is not averaging eight points a game but that doesn't mean he is not a huge impact on our team."
The top-ranked Dolphins began their season with back-to-back games on turf fields, which limited Spillet to only playing on man-up opportunities. Through eight games, he has eight goals and six assists, which places him sixth in team scoring - a significant drop-off from last year. To match his 2004 numbers, Spillet would need to score 37 goals in four remaining regular season games and the playoffs.
But that's where the importance of the team comes into play more so then the numbers. It was not Brandon Spillet who won Le Moyne's only national championship in school history - it was the team.
"His numbers are certainly diluted," said Sheehan. "In games like Franklin Pierce he only played a quarter. Any blow out game is time to get guys in, not a time to pad stats."
Griffin is the opposite of Spillet. He started the season solid for the Jumbos with three straight multi-goal and assist games. The senior attackman looked like he picked up where he left off in 2004. Griffin, the two-time NESCAC Player of the Year, scored 41 goals and 35 assists last season for Tufts.
Things derailed for Griffin and Tufts just four games into the season. In a NESCAC game against Amherst, Griffin went down with a PCL knee injury. The early reports stated he would be back in one to four weeks. Phone calls by Lacrosse Magazine to the Tuft's men's lacrosse office inquiring on Griffin's latest status were not returned yesterday. Since Griffin's injury, the Jumbos have gone from a No. 3 ranking in the USILA polls to No. 14. They have lost the last two games to unranked opponents, and the schedule doesn't get easier in the competitive NESCAC.
Needless to say both of these players are important to their teams and are key ingredients at making a run at a national championship. Le Moyne should be able to make the Division II Final Four because of the depth, talent and experience on its roster and Tufts will have to grit it out in the NESCAC and hope for some lucky breaks to make a run in Division III. But for those unlucky to have Spillet and Griffin on their fantasy rosters, "Thanks for the $50."
Line of the Week
1 goal, 2 assists
Conor Fitzgerald - Junior Attackman
Bowdoin College
The one goal and two assists may not jump out to you as eye-opening numbers but for Bowdoin College the steady play this past week by Conor Fitzgerald was huge. The junior attackman scored one goal and passed out two assists in two big wins for the Polar Bears. Bowdoin took down No. 3 Tufts 8-5 last Wednesday and Wesleyan 9-3 on Saturday to keep itself undefeated in the very tough and competitive NESCAC. The Polar Bears (7-2, 4-0) propelled themselves into the USILA Top 20 poll on Monday with a No. 12 ranking.
From the Men's Sidelines
Division II: No. 3 Mercyhurst held No. 6 Adelphi to its lowest goal total in 11 years in its 7-4 win over the Panthers on Saturday.
Division III: No. 9 Gettysburg scored 10 unaswered goals in the first half of Saturday's Centennial Conference showdown with No. 8 Washington College to run the Shoremen off the field with a 15-6 victory. . . . It took five overtime periods for Connecticut College and No. 14 Bates to decided the winner of Saturday's game, but in the end the Camels came out on top 8-7, handing Bates its first loss of the season.
From the Women's Sidelines
Division II: Top-ranked Stonehill rallied Tuesday to over come a 7-3 first-half deficit to beat No. 2 West Chester by a goal, 11-10.
Division III: Unranked Geneseo beat No. 3 Cortland for the first time ever with a stunning 14-12 victory on Tuesday.
Wednesday National Notebook Archives
4-06-05: Cortland Gets Revenge, Eyes Final Four
3-30-05: Bates Turns It Around
3-23-05: Limestone's Home Away From Home
3-16-05: Colorado State Exacts Revenge Over UCSB
3-09-05: Gannon Ready To Make Run
3-02-05: Young Generals Make Statement
