Laxers have positive outlook on upcoming season

By CHRIS ANTONACCI
Collegian Staff Writer

This could be the year.

This could be the season of dreams -- the season Penn State men's lacrosse coach Glenn Thiel has been waiting for.

For the past three years, the same story has been written -- almost, but not quite. But this could be the season that all ends.

Last year, with one of the toughest schedules in the nation, the Nittany Lions came one win away from qualifying for the playoffs. Bitter losses at the hands of Duke, Delaware and Hobart sent the Lions packing. But now they have a clean slate and a new chance to finally get the monkey off their backs.

"I think we are right on the bubble -- we're right there," Thiel said. "The ultimate thing is to get to the NCAA Tournament.

"To get in the tournament, we have to knock somebody off. We certainly are on the edge, the kids know that."

On the attack

The attack took the biggest blow this off-season when it saw the graduation of Chris Killoren. Killoren, who won the George Pittinger Award as the team's most valuable senior, brought leadership and, perhaps most importantly, uncanny scoring potential to the squad. He notched six goals against Army last season, finishing with 23 goals and nine assists on the season.

Those numbers are gone, but he is not.

Killoren has opted to remain at Penn State to serve under his former coach as a restricted earnings coach.

"We're excited (to have him back)," Thiel said. "It's always good to have someone with experience within the system."

The other two members from last season's triumvirate attack return.

Senior John Chescavage brings a great deal of scoring ability to the squad. Chescavage, now a captain, notched 29 goals and dished out 10 assists last season to lead the team in scoring.

His cohort in crime, Todd Kaiser, helps solidify the attack. Kaiser brought added offensive potency to the lineup last season, tallying 12 goals and distributing the ball well for a team-high 17 assists.

"(Chescavage and Kaiser) are not the world's greatest athletes," Thiel said, "but they are pretty good lacrosse players."

The third spot will be contested between Don Mayerhofer, Tim Emmick, Ryan Haggerty, transfer Tom Johnson and freshman D.J. Romanchuk.

The men in the middle

Led by senior captain Chris Schiller, who scored 14 goals and assisted on 10 others, the midfielders have a barrage of talent and are loaded with depth.

Returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the entire season last year, Sean Huss emerges as a viable contender to receive significant playing time this season.

Also, several sensational sophomore midfielders saw considerable playing time last season where they garnered experience that should carry over into this season.

"The whole team is coming together in unity," attacker Kevin Haggerty said. "Offensively, I think we are going to do well."

Mike Kern, Randy Kleinman and Eric Wood join Schiller on the midfield and should fit in nicely for this season's playoff hunt.

Also competing for playing time this season will be freshman Will Driscoll.

"Driscoll is going to be a surprise," Thiel said. "He's not the fastest midfielder out there, but he's big and strong -- he's a horse."

But one aspect of the midfield that concerns Thiel is on the faceoff.

Haggerty returns here, and will be assigned with a lot of the faceoff duties. He will be supplemented by freshmen David Crist, Sean Droogan and Greg Demos.

"I don't know if facing off will be a weakness, but it will be a question," Thiel said. "But physically and athletically, we have some ability there."

Big men, big sticks

The defense is anchored with senior leadership.

At the defensive midfield spot, Hamilton Pollard, who led the team in penalty minutes last season, brings a great deal of versatility. A long stick with offensive spunk and innate handling abilities, he was named an honorable mention All-American for his efforts two years ago and is preseason All-America this year. He will be supported by sophomore Mike Herscha in the defensive midfield.

At close defense, senior captain Andrew Germain anchors the squad, and junior Chris Schaller along with sophomore Jan Northrop will round out the defense.

"This defense has been playing excellent for me," goalie Kevin Keenan said. "I've been really impressed with all of their play. They've all been doing an excellent job of shutting offenses down."

Last line of defense

In the goal, Keenan solidifies the defense. A senior who has started since his sophomore season, Keenan notched a .54 save percentage last year, allowing 10.08 goals per game.

Keenan will be backed up by sophomores Matt Vallone and Ian Kupferberg.

"I believe Kevin is the No. 1 goalie in the country," Thiel said. "He will be one of the keys to our success this year."