Tempo-Free Lax is live

After some delays getting the 2013 edition of TempoFreeLax.com going, the site should be up and fully operational. Many thanks to Paul Nelson, the technological brains behind the whole operation, Hoya Suxa from College Crosse – who sort of jump-started the concept of Tempo-Free lacrosse statistics – and Ken Pomeroy of Kenpom.com, who helped brainstorm the porting of his ideas from the basketball world onto the lacrosse field.

There is an FAQ at the top of the site if you’re totally lost as to what the whole thing is all about, what certain stats mean, etc.

The biggest new feature – and the source of the delay in getting everything up and running at full steam – is player data, and the use of the NCAA’s official statistics site in putting everything together (goodbye data entry errors). If you see anything wrong with the TFL table, always feel free to drop me or Paul a line on twitter (or you can e-mail me).

As for how this site relates to Great Lax State (other than my founding it), it will be a big part of previewing games and reviewing them as well. It has already been there in raw data form, but now I’ll be able to cite full adjusted, up-to-date info at all times.

As always, thanks for visiting GreatLaxState.com, and please check out my other lacrosse venture, and let me know what you think.

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Scores and Schedule: March 13, 2013

An in-state matchup on the ladies’ side was yesterday’s highlight.

Yesterday’s Results

Division-3 Men

Olivet 24, Green Mountain 0

Division-3 Women

Alma 3, Calvin 12

Today’s Schedule

Division-1 Women

Detroit v. Louisville, 2 p.m. (Titan Field)

Division-3 Men

Adrian @ Oberlin
Hope @ Calvin, 5 p.m. (MVP Grand Rapids)

MCLA-2

Aquinas v. Liberty, 4 p.m.

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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The Next Level: March 12, 2013

Our weekly look at Michigan natives who are playing college lacrosse at Division-1 institutions this spring:

Air Force 10, Bellarmine 11

  • Junior attack Tommy McKee (Holt) – Started and scored one Goal on five Shots and picked up one ground ball.

Detroit 4, Bellarmine 10

  • Sophomore attack Brandon Beauregard (Notre Dame Prep) – Started, recorded an Assist, took six Shots (two on goal), and picked up one ground ball. Also committed one turnover.
  • Sophomore midfielder Mike Birney (Detroit Catholic Central) – Started, scored a Goal on four Shots (three on goal) and added two assists. Also committed one turnover.
  • Senior midfielder Brandon Davenport (Grosse Pointe North) – Won 1/2 faceoffs, picking up one ground ball. Also committed one turnover.
  • Freshman LSM Nick Demattia (Clarkston) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Sophomore midfielder Scott Drummond (Birmingham Seaholm) – Started and scored a Goal on three Shots (two on goal).
  • Senior defenseman John Dwyer (Detroit Catholic Central) – Started and picked up one ground ball. Also committed one turnover.
  • Junior midfielder Nick Garippa (Notre Dame Prep) – Picked up one ground ball.
  • Sophomore defenseman Joe Gifford (Notre Dame Prep) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Freshman midfielder Andy Hebden (Brother Rice) – Started and picked up one ground ball. Also committed two turnovers.
  • Senior defenseman Jamie Hebden (Brother Rice) – Started, caused two turnovers, and picked up four ground balls. Also committed one penalty for 1:00.
  • Senior LSM/D Andrew Khalil (Warren De La Salle) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Junior midfielder Joe MacLean (Detroit Country Day) – Played, but only made the scoresheet by committing one penalty for 0:30.
  • Freshman attack Nick Melucci (Northville) – Scored a Goal on his only Shot. Also committed one turnover.
  • Senior midfielder Chris Nemes (Detroit Catholic Central) – Took one Shot on goal.
  • Junior midfielder Drew Schupbach (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) – Caused one turnover and picked up two ground balls. Also committed one turnover.
  • Freshman midfielder Mike Spuller (Dexter) – Saw his first game action, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Freshman midfielder Dylan Swanson (Ann Arbor Pioneer) – Took one Shot on goal.
  • Freshman defenseman Jordan Yono (Detroit Catholic Central) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.

Hofstra 8, Notre Dame 7

  • Senior defenseman Michael Hamilton (Brother Rice) – Started and recorded an assist. Also committed one penalty for 1:00.

Marquette 7, Jacksonville 13

  • Freshman attack Henry Nelson (Brother Rice) – Took two Shots.

Michigan 10, High Point 13

  • Sophomore defenseman Mack Gembis (Cranbrook) – Caused one turnover and picked up one ground ball.
  • Senior defenseman Rob Healy (Notre Dame Prep) – Started and picked up one ground ball. Also committed one turnover and one penalty for 1:00.
  • Freshman attack Riley Kennedy (Brother Rice) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Junior midfielder Tom Sardelli (Notre Dame Prep) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Junior LSM Dakota Sherman (Cranbrook) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.

Michigan 7, Hobart 11

  • Sophomore defenseman Mack Gembis (Cranbrook) – Started and picked up one ground ball.
  • Senior defenseman Rob Healy (Notre Dame Prep) – Started, took one Shot on goal and picked up one ground ball.
  • Sophomore attack Will Meter (Brother Rice) – Scored a Goal on his only Shot and picked up one ground ball.
  • Junior midfielder Tom Sardelli (Notre Dame Prep) – Took one Shot.
  • Junior LSM Dakota Sherman (Cranbrook) – Started, but did not accrue any statistics.

Mount St. Mary’s 9, Johns Hopkins 19

  • Senior midfielder Conor Carey (University of Detroit Jesuit) – Played, but only made the scoresheet by committing one penalty for 0:30.
  • Senior midfielder Jon Marsalese (University of Detroit Jesuit) – Won nine of 30 faceoffs, collecting three ground balls. Also committed one turnover.

Mount St. Mary’s 16, Manhattan 7

  • Senior midfielder Conor Carey (University of Detroit Jesuit) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Senior midfielder Jon Marsalese (University of Detroit Jesuit) – Won 11 of 19 faceoffs, picking up five ground balls.

Penn State 8, Lehigh 10

  • Senior Attack Nick Dolik (Brother Rice) – Recorded one Assist and took one Shot. Also committed one turnover.
  • Senior midfielder Danny Henneghan (Brother Rice) – Started and won 17 of 24 faceoffs, picking up five ground balls, and added two assists.

Rutgers 8, Holy Cross 9

  • Freshman midfielder Jacob Coretti (East Grand Rapids) – Started and scored a Goal on five Shots. Also committed one turnover.

Rutgers 8, Army 10

  • Freshman midfielder Jacob Coretti (East Grand Rapids) – Started and scored a Goal on two Shots. Also committed one turnover.

As always, corrections, additions, and stat lines from other divisions are welcome in the comments.

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Scores and Schedule: March 12, 2013

Very light schedule today – not out of the ordinary for a Tuesday. In fact, it’s more odd that there are games at all.

Today’s Schedule

Division-3 Men

Olivet @ Green Mountain

Division-3 Women

Alma @ Calvin

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

Posted in division 3 | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

High School season starts today

In celebration of the moment, a video passed along by our pals at Heat Lacrosse. It only covers West Michigan (and specifically Heat players, I assume), but still drums up the excitement for games to get rolling:

 

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Scores and Schedule: March 11, 2013

I’m assuming – perhaps incorrectly – that I’ll be talking about Michigan’s first win of the year right about here.

Yesterday’s Results

Division-3 Men

Alma 2, Concordia-Wisconsin 8
Olivet 22, Johnson State 1

MCLA-1

Western Michigan 12, Tennessee 11

MCLA-2

Siena Heights 7, Michigan-Dearborn 4

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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Michigan 7, Hobart 11

This was really a game Michigan should have won. The Wolverines dug themselves into a hole a couple times, and couldn’t recover. The wounds were mostly self-inflicted, and now the window for picking up victories this year is closing.

Tempo Free

From the official box score, a look at the tempo-free stats:

Hobart 2013
Michigan Hobart
Faceoff Wins 11 Faceoff Wins 11
Clearing 16-18 Clearing 18-22
Possessions 33 Possessions 35
Goals 7 Goals 11
Offensive Efficiency .212 Offensive Efficiency .314

Despite the absence of starting faceoff specialist Brad Lott, Michigan managed to draw even on faceoffs. By clearing slightly better than Hobart, they got back to their early-season form on the clear, and managed to come close in total possessions.

The U-M offense was a little down – not expected playing against pretty good teams, but Hobart’s D had also shown some vulnerabile moments – and the defense was about as expected. All things considered, this game played out as we might have expected without…

Notes

Michigan was playing serious short-handed. Starting faceoff specialist Brad Lott, starting poles Charlie Keady and Chase Brown, and reserve midfielder Evan Glaser were among those who I noticed didn’t see the field for Michigan. Thomas Paras was once again really limited by his hamstring injury, and J.D. Johnson didn’t see the field. Michigan was as short-handed as they’ve been all year (and they have less depth to deal with that than most teams in the country), and they still performed pretty well against a decent Hobart team.

I’ve pointed out that, after the High Point loss, there is no such thing as a “moral victory” for this team, but hanging with Hobart into the fourth while dealing with that level of personnel shortage is as close as it comes. No word on whether those who did not play yesterday will be back for Thursday’s Fairfield game.

As for those who did play, my prediction of a U-M player picking up his first goal of the year held true. Doug Bryant found the back of the net for the first time this season (after coming fourth on the team in goals last year with 13).

The leading offensive players, however, have become pretty familiar by this point. Freshmen midfielders Kyle Jackson (2G, 3A) and Mike Hernandez (2A) were right at the top of the chart, with sophomore attack David McCormack right there with one of each. Hernandez committed three turnovers, so he’s still struggling a bit in that phase of the game, but he’s really turned things up – especially since he made up for that a bit by causing two TOs – and the more comfortable he gets in the lineup, the more he looks like a star (along with Jackson, who is already on that stardom track).

Defensively, Michigan was without several top contributors, so the mediocre performance on that side of the ball is actually surprising and positive (especially since Hobart has two really significant weapons in Alex Love and Cam Stone, who still had five and four points, respectively). From a stat standpoint, nobody stood out (nobody even had multiple ground balls).

One player who didn’t have his best day was goalie Gerald Logan. Without seeing the game live, I would guess that his defense wasn’t doing him a whole lot of favors, especially given the concentration of Hobart points among two players. Still, that a .542 day can be considered “bad” for him speaks a lot to Logan’s ability.

I already mentioned the offensive standouts for Hobart, but props to Peter Zonino for outdueling Logan in the cage (albeit facing a much worse offense), and to defenseman Sean Regan for setting the Hobart record in career caused turnovers.

Props to Kevin Wylie for doing a great job on faceoffs in a tough situation. Winning half the draws with a backup FOGO and a backup LSM on the field is excellent. Given that Wylie picked up five GBs on the day, he did a lot of it himself. Good work.

The Michigan EMO was very solid, going 3-of-9 on the day. That was another area in which I expected the Wolverines to do well, so it’s good to see my predictions vindicated. A team like Michigan – which has some troubles otherwise scoring goals – needs to do very well with the extra man.

Elsewhere

I initially hated this boxscore format, and there’s still a lot to be improved on it, but it’s grown on me. Hobart recap. Michigan recap.

Up Next

I hope the Michigan team has grown comfortable on the road… after a few days in Ann Arbor for some R&R (and preparation), it’s back to the East Coast to take on Fairfield. The Stags are in the lower tier of the ECAC, but that’s obviously no guarantee of anything for this Michigan team.

The fun doesn’t stop there, as U-M has a two-day break before taking on Colgate at Citi Field (home turf of the New York Mets) Sunday afternoon. That will finally bring an end to this brutal road stretch.

Posted in division 1 | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Scores and Schedule: March 10, 2013

Close but no cigar for Michigan, Albion, and Adrian.

Yesterday’s Results

Division-1 Men

Michigan 7, Hobart 11

Division-3 Men

Albion 9, Concordia-Wisconsin 10
Alma 22, MSOE 4
Adrian 8, Oswego 10
Hope 13, Hendrix 6

MCLA-1

Western Michigan 9, Oklahoma 10 (OT)

MCLA-2

Michigan-Dearborn 7, Taylor 8
Lawrence Tech @ Judson – Canceled

Today’s Schedule

Division-3 Men

Alma v. Concordia-Wisconsin
Olivet @ Johnson State

MCLA-1

Western Michigan @ Tennessee, 1:30 p.m. (University School, Memphis, Tenn.)

MCLA-2

Siena Heights @ Michigan-Dearborn, 2 p.m.

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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Scores and Schedule: March 9, 2013

An undefeated day for the state on Friday, though today’s schedule will be a far taller task.

Yesterday’s Results

Division-3 Men

Olivet 23, Milwaukee School of Engineering 4

MCLA-1

Western Michigan 17, Iowa State 3

MCLA-2

Grand Valley State 17, SCAD 11
Northwood v. Taylor – Postponed

Today’s Schedule

Division-1 Men

Michigan @ Hobart, 1 p.m. (Geneva, N.Y.) – Preview

Division-3 Men

Albion v. Concordia-Wisconsin
Alma v. MSOE
Adrian @ Oswego
Calvin v. Elmhurst
Hope v. Hendrix

Division-3 Women

Calvin @ Mount St. Joseph

MCLA-1

Western Michigan @ Oklahoma, 1:30 p.m. (University School, Memphis, Tenn.)

MCLA-2

Michigan-Dearborn v. Taylor, noon.
Lawrence Tech @ Judson, 3 p.m.

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

Posted in division 1, division 3, mcla | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scores and Schedule: March 9, 2013

Michigan Preview: Hobart

Here it is: Michigan’s best chance of the year to come away with a win. Even though High Point has exceeded early expectations (already picking up a win and coming close in a couple other games), this is one that Michigan has to expect to win.

Hobart

Hobart Statesmen lacrosse logo

Let’s hear it for generics!

1:00 p.m. EST March 9, 2013
Geneva, N.Y.
Live Stats. Live video ($). Live audio. @UMichLacrosse.

Tempo-Free Profile

Hobart is an interesting one. The Statesmen have an uncompetitive loss to a mediocre Binghamton squad, but have also beaten a very good Colgate squad (you may have heard of this “Baum” guy they have) and smoked a Siena team that…. you guessed it, lost to the very same Binghamton team that smothered Hobart.

Regardless of their specific results against this schedule, the thing that is clear is the strength of it. Hobart has played some pretty good programs so far, so the stats should be representative of how they’d do against teams much better than Michigan.

Hobart 2013
Hobart Opponents
Faceoff Wins 46 Faceoff Wins 56
Clearing 71-84 Clearing 70-79
Possessions 139 Possessions 148
Goals 40 Goals 48
Offensive Efficiency .288 Offensive Efficiency .324

Hobart is playing at a pretty standard pace through four games. They’re at a slight disadvantage in possession thanks to below-average faceoffs and a mediocre clear. Those two factors combine (and it’s important to note the tough schedule) to give them fewer chances.

As for what they’re doing with those chances, the Statesmen’s offense isn’t too bad at all, but the defense really is. Against Michigan, there’s a pretty good chance that the numbers improve.

Offense

Junior attackman Alex Love leads the team in scoring with 11 goals and five assists. He’ll be playing the role of Dan Lomas in tomorrow’s production of “Michigan v. High Point.” Classmate (and linemate) Cam Stone is second on the team in scoring with eight and three. Behind those two, there’s a bit of a dropoff. Freshman attack/mid Frank Young is next with four goals and two assists. The third starter on attack is another junior, Jake McHenry, who has four goals and an assist.

There are only two players on the entire Hobart roster with more assists than goals, so it’s clear that this is an offense that concentrates quite a bit on players winning individual battles. Well fewer than half of Hobart’s goals are assisted.

Given the recent play of Michigan’s defense, I’m not so sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. U-M’s close D has given up their fair share of wins in individual battles, and Gerald Logan can only do so much. Rebounding from recent struggles in one-on-one battles will be paramount.

Defense

This is not a high-pressure defense – the Statesmen cause turnovers on just 16.2% of opponent possessions. They also allow opponents to take a ton of shots. This is just not a good defense. Of course, against Michigan, it has the potential to look much better.

Senior captain Sean Regan, classmate Reid Rosello, and sophomore Eric Lombardo have been the starting close defense for the most part (Lombardo didn’t start against Colgate). Junior Peter Bolte is the starting LSM. None have put up huge GB numbers yet.

Despite the holes in the close D, the Statesmen have been able to keep opponent scoring to reasonable levels thanks to an excellent goalkeeper in junior Peter Zonino (Michigan fans are hoping his younger brother Robbie, a 2013 Michigan signee, is even better). Zonino is saving .505 of shots faced without much help in front of him.

This is a matchup similar to the High Point game, though I think since the HPU defenders were able to prevent Michigan from getting any good looks on Geisler, Hobart should be able to do much of the same for Zonino. However, Zonino ain’t Geisler, so the openings that Michigan does get should be a little easier to cash in on.

Special Teams

Two players have taken significant faceoffs for Hobart, and neither Gryphin Kelly nor Charles Sipe has approached the .500 mark. Brad Lott is chugging along at a consistent .500 when not playing Johns Hopkins and Unstoppable Faceoff God Mike Poppleton, so this could be a slight area of advantage if Lott and his wings are on the same page. Given that it’s the third game in less than a week, they should be.

Hobart’s clear has been mediocre, and they don’t emphasize the ride a whole lot. Michigan had been pretty good in both, but the clear fell apart against both Army and High Point. If that can get cleaned up – certainly no guarantee – Michigan should be able to “win” both of these phases.

Hobart is allowing and committing equal numbers of penalties, but is allowing opponents to convert at a higher clip. Slight advantage to U-M, though they haven’t been their typical clean selves in recent games.

Big Picture

At this point, every Michigan game until Delaware is pretty much conceded as a loss. This is one game where a win is possible. If U-M can steal one, the tenor of the season changes. A win for the Wolverines would go a long way toward building confidence, even if the season is not going to be a broad success no matter what.

Keeping things close – and hoping for the opportunity to sneak out with a win at the end – is the goal in this game (even though there are no moral victories, etc. etc.). There’s also a stealable game against Fairfield coming up shortly after this one, so building confidence is huge.

Predictions

Like I said, every game until Delaware is conceded as a loss (and even the Blue Hens seem to be performing much better in their most recent couple games than they started the year).

  • Michigan wins the possession battle despite continued struggles with the clear. Many of the turnovers against High Point were unforced, so even a Hobart team that doesn’t emphasize the ride should be able to earn some free possessions.
  • Gerlad Logan outduels Robbie Zonino, even though he’s clearly not back to full strength yet. That includes making some saves he has no business making, but also letting down with a softie or two (as he did against High Point).
  • The Michigan defense continues to struggle against skilled attackmen. This is just something that’s going to happen until young depth is able to step up (which might not come until next year).
  • The Wolverines manage to get a goal from someone who hasn’t scored yet this season. My early thought is Brother Rice freshman Riley Kennedy, who made his first EMO appearances against High Point.

Coming off two straight poor performances, Michigan comes out and surprises a bit. Some things work offensively, and they get a nice stop or two. However, it takes more than that to pull off a win. Hobart takes this one, 13-8.

Posted in division 1, previews | Tagged , , | 26 Comments