MAAC Bracketology

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Tim

More teams, but a little more simple than the Big Ten bracketology by virtue of a slightly more stratified league.

  • Marist, at 5-0, cannot be caught even in the unlikely event of a a loss to Siena.
  • Quinnipiac, at 4-2, is locked into the No. 2 seed. 3-2 Detroit is the only team that can catch them in the standings, but the Bobcats hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
  • Manhattan, at 0-5, is eliminated from conference tourney contention.

Games

Away Home
Siena (2-3) Marist (5-0)
Canisius (2-3) Detroit (3-2)
Manhattan (0-5) Monmouth (2-3)
Bye: Quinnipiac (4-2)

Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision

Seeds 3 and 4 are still up for grabs. We’ll start with possible outcomes if Detroit wins, because that’s by far the simpler scenario. UDM is in with the three-seed, then…

  • Canisius is eliminated if either of Monmouth (likely over Manhattan) or Siena (unlikely over Marist) gets a victory.
  • If only one or the other of Monmouth and Siena achieves a win, that team gets the No. 4 seed.
  • Monmouth holds the tiebreaker over Siena, so in the event that both win, the Hawks make the tournament.
  • If all three squads lose, they’re in a mini-conference scenario tied at 2-4, which Monmouth wins with head-to-head victories over the other two.

If Detroit loses to Canisius, the situations can get pretty complicated, unless both Monmouth and Siena lose. That would drop them to 2-4, so Canisius is the three-seed (head-to-head victory) and Detroit is the four-seed with both sitting at 3-3.

If Canisius wins and at least one of Monmouth and Siena wins, we’re in a multi-way tie that will have some complicated mini-conference tiebreakers at play. There is one simple outcome (Siena wins, Monmouth loses):

Result 3-seed 4-seed Eliminated Eliminated
Siena win, Monmouth loss Canisius
(3-3, 2-0 mini-conference)		 Detroit
(3-3, 1-1 mini-conference)		 Siena (3-3, 0-2 mini-conference) Monmouth (2-4)

If Canisius, Monmouth, and Siena all win, we’re at a deadlock down the standings. The mini-conference would see Canisius, Detroit, and Monmouth at 2-1, with Siena at 0-3, eliminating the Saints, but seeing the resulting mini-conference deadlocked at 1-1 all around. Goal differential would come into play there. Current standings as follows:

  • Monmouth +2
  • Detroit +1
  • Canisius -3

The only relevant game to the mini-conference is the Detroit/Canisius contest, so goal differential in that game would be the deciding factor. Remember, this is onlt in the event of a Canisius win over Detroit, so…

  • Canisius wins by 1 goal. Monmouth plus-2, Detroit even, Canisius minus-2. Canisius eliminated on goal differential.
  • Canisius wins by 2 goals. Monmouth plus-2, Canisius minus-1, Detroit minus-1, Titans eliminated by virtue of head-to-head loss.
  • Canisius wins by 3-4 goals. Monmouth plus-2, Canisius even (or plus-1), Detroit minus-two (or minus-3)
  • Canisius wins by 5 goals. Monmouth plus-2 (wins head-to-head tiebreaker), Canisius plus-2, Detroit minus-4.
  • Canisius wins by 6-plus goals. Canisius plus-3 (or more), Monmouth plus-2, Detroit minus 5 (or more).

If Siena loses to Marist but the other two results (Canisius over Detroit and Monmouth over Manhattan) hold, the mini-conference is just set up one tiebreaker earlier, and the scenarios for goal differential remain the same.

So. Easy path for Detroit to make the conference tournament: Just win, baby (or lose by only one goal). Detroit is the three-seed with a win, and the four-seed (or totally eliminated) with a loss.

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Big Ten Bracketology

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Tim

With just one regular-season game remaining for each Big Ten team, the outcomes of the conference standings (and therefore the options of seeding for the conference tournament) are set. Let’s look at what can happen…

Basic:

  • Maryland, Ohio State, and Johns Hopkins are in the tournament.
  • Rutgers has been eliminated from contention.
  • Penn State and Michigan will play for the final tourney spot this weekend, locked into the No. 4 seed.

On to the possibilities. Things aren’t quite hammered down with the 1-3 seeds. Maryland (4-0) can drop out of the top spot, passed by either of the other two teams based on tiebreakers.

For the sake of simplicity, we’ll assume Ohio State beats Rutgers. If they don’t, the seeding is fairly straightforward: Maryland winning the conference makes the Bucks No. 2 and Hopkins No. 3, or Hopkins winning the league makes UMd No. 2 and Ohio State No. 3. In the more likely scenario that Ohio State takes care of business against the Scarlet Knights, a Maryland win means it’s Terps 1 (5-0), Ohio State 2 (4-1), Hopkins 3 (3-2).

If Johns Hopkins does knock off their rival, however, the scenario will come down to goal differential, as all three will sit at 4-1 in the league. As things stand now, Ohio State is plus-2 in goal differential in the three-team mini-conference. Maryland is plus-1, and Hopkins is minus-3.

  • Hopkins wins by one goal. Ohio State plus-two, Maryland even, Hopkins minus-two.
  • Hopkins wins by two goals. Ohio State plus-two, Hopkins minus-one, Maryland minus-one. Hopkins beats out Maryland for No. 2 seed thanks to head-to-head victory.
  • Hopkins wins by three-four goals. Ohio State plus-two, Hopkins even (or plus one), Maryland minus two (or three).
  • Hopkins wins by five goals. Ohio State plus-two, Hopkins plus-two, Maryland minus four. Ohio State beats out Hopkins for top seed based on head-to-head result.
  • Hopkins wins by six or more. Hopkins plus-three (or more), Ohio State plus-two, Maryland minus five (or more).

A Hopkins win ensures Ohio State is the top seed unless the Blue Jays win by six or more. A Hopkins win by more than a single goal (but fewer than six) gives the Buckeyes the top seed with the Blue Jays locked into second. A six-goal Hopkins win seems out of the realm of reality, but would make the Blue Jays the top seed.

The most likely outcome, of course, seems to be that Maryland wins The Rivalry Trophy, with LaxPower projecting a three-plus goal victory at home, and the seedings are straightforward at that point. Michigan and Penn State are playing for the right to face Maryland, with a chance to play Ohio State if the Terps trip up against Hopkins.

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The Next Level: April 22, 2015

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Tim

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

Bellarmine 6, Richmond 11

  • Sophomore attack/midfield Graham Macko (Brother Rice) – Did not see game action.

Binghamton 11, Canisius 9
Binghamton 13, Stony Brook 14 (OT)

  • Freshman midfielder Liam Reaume (Brother Rice) – Did not see game action.

Canisius 9, Binhamton 11
Canisius 20, VMI 6

  • Freshman midfielder Keith Pravato (Novi) – Did not see game action.
  • Sophomore midfielder Steve Wizniuk (De La Salle) – Did not see game action.

Delaware 11, Fairfield 12 (2OT)

  • Senior defenseman Bennett Packer (Brother Rice) – Did not see game action.

Detroit 14, Siena 13

  • Senior midfield/attack Brandon Beauregard (Notre Dame Prep) – Started, recorded three Assists, took four Shots (two on goal), and picked up six ground balls. Also committed two turnovers and one penalty for 1:00.
  • Sophomore attack Kyle Beauregard (Notre Dame Prep) – Started, recorded one Assist, took seven Shots (four on goal), and caused one turnover. Also committed one turnover.
  • Senior midfielder Mike Birney (Detroit Catholic Central) – Did not see game action.
  • Freshman midfielder Sean Birney (Detroit Catholic Central) – Took tour Shots (all on goal) and picked up two ground balls. Also committed one turnover.
  • Senior midfielder Scott Drummond (Birmingham Seaholm) – Scored four Goals on seven Shots (all on goal), and picked up two ground balls. Also committed three turnovers.
  • Sophomore goalie Connor Flynn (Rockford) – Did not see game action.
  • Senior defenseman Joe Gifford (Notre Dame Prep) – Picked up one ground ball.
  • Redshirt freshman attack Alex Gilhooly (Detroit Catholic Central) – Took one Shot.
  • Sophomore midfielder Ben Gjokaj (Walled Lake Central) – Did not see game action.
  • Sophomore midfielder Brad Harris (Saline) – Scored two Goals on three Shots (two on goal). Also committed one turnover.
  • Freshman midfielder Charlie Hayes (Utica Eisenhower) – Picked up one ground ball.
  • Junior midfielder Andy Hebden (Brother Rice) – Scored a Goal on two Shots (one on goal).
  • Sophomore LSM JD Hess (Birmingham Seaholm) – Started and picked up three ground balls.
  • Sophomore attack/midifeld Connor Maks (UD-Jesuit) – Did not see game action.
  • Sophomore midfielder Greg Marzec (Brother Rice) – Started and won 2/8 faceoffs, picking up one ground ball.
  • Redshirt freshman defenseman Bryan Matney (Ann Arbor Pioneer) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Freshman midfielder Chris Perry (Utica Eisenhower) – Did not see game action.
  • Freshman LSM Austin Ross (Warren Mott) – Did not see game action.
  • Senior midfielder Thomas Sible (Forest Hills Central) – Picked up one ground ball.
  • Freshman midfielder Brett Spanski (Traverse City Central) – Did not see game action.
  • Freshman defenseman Travis Sparling (Novi) – Did not see game action.
  • Junior midfielder Mike Spuller (Dexter) – Scored a Goal on two Shots (one on goal), added an Assist, and picked up four ground balls. Also committed one turnover and one penalty for 0:30.
  • Redshirt freshman attack Adam Susalla (Birmingham Seaholm) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Junior defenseman Jordan Yono (Detroit Catholic Central) – Started, but only made the scoresheet by committing one penalty for 0:30.

Duke 17, Stony Brook 11
Duke 15, Marquette 8

  • Freshman midfielder Matthew Giampetroni (Cranbrook) – Did not see game action.

Marquette 8, Duke 15

  • Junior midfielder K.C. Kennedy (Brother Rice) – Won 8/22 faceoffs, picking up six ground balls.
  • Junior attack Henry Nelson (Brother Rice) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.

Michigan 9, Johns Hopkins 16

  • Sophomore faceoff specialist Brian Archer (Brighton) – Did not see game action.
  • Senior defenseman Mack Gembis (Cranbrook) – Started, caused one turnover, and picked up four ground balls. Also committed one penalty for 1:00.
  • Junior midfielder Riley Kennedy (Brother Rice) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Senior attack Will Meter (Brother Rice) – Started, scored a Goal on his only Shot, and picked up two ground balls.
  • Senior midfielder Thomas Orr (Detroit Catholic Central) – Picked up one ground ball. Also committed one turnover and two penalties for 2:00.
  • Junior defenseman Chris Walker (Brother Rice) – Did not see game action.

NJIT 5, Dartmouth 7

  • Freshman midfielder Brent Lubin (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) – Caused one turnover.

Notre Dame 15, North Carolina 14

  • Sophomore midfielder Sergio Perkovic (Brother Rice) – Started, scored three Goals on seven Shots (five on goal) and picked up one ground ball. Also committed one turnover.

Penn 15, Dartmouth 12

  • Sophomore goalie Ahmed Iftikhar (Detroit Country Day) – Did not see game action.

Providence 11, Brown 15

  • Freshman midfielder Joshua Keller (East Grand Rapids) – Scored a Goal on six Shots and picked up three ground balls.

Providence 9, Denver 13

  • Freshman midfielder Joshua Keller (East Grand Rapids) – Scored a Goal on two Shots.

Richmond 11, Bellarmine 6

  • Sophomore attack JP Forester (Brother Rice) – Started, scored two Goals on 11(!) Shots (six on goal), added two assists, caused one turnover and picked up two ground balls. Also committedtwo turnovers.

Robert Morris 9, Air Force 10

  • Sophomore attack Kento Nakano (Rockford) – Did not see game action.

Rutgers 6, Penn State 11

  • Junior midfielder Jacob Coretti (East Grand Rapids) – Did not see game action.

VMI 5, High Point 18
VMI 6, Canisius 20

  • Senior midfielder Andrew Erber (Dexter) – Did not see game action.

Yale 11, Albany 12

  • Freshman midfielder/attack Jason Alessi (Brother Rice) – Recorded two Assists and took one Shot on goal. Also committed one turnover.
  • Sophomore midfielder John Lazarsfeld (Ann Arbor Greenhills) – Did not see game action.

Use the comments for corrections, discussion, and statlines from other divisions.

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Michigan 9, Johns Hopkins 16

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Tim

Michigan has the talent to run with a team like Hopkins (which, if you look at the record, might not be saying much, but that’s one of the country’s most talented squads, at the very least), but not the depth. They also have a few key failings – that have recurred all year – that prevent them from reaching their potential.

Young program, growing program, but this really felt like the year they might take that big step forward(they’ve taken some smaller ones), and yet they’re probably one year off.

Tempo Free

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

Johns Hopkins 2015
Michigan Johns Hopkins
Faceoff Wins 8 Faceoff Wins 19
Clearing 18-20 Clearing 15-18
Possessions 31 Possessions 39
Goals 9 Goals 16
Offensive Efficiency .290 Offensive Efficiency .410

Hopkins basically dominated the possession game thanks to a strong performance on faceoffs. Michigan managed to keep things under control by clearing well and forcing a handful of Hopkins failed clears on the ride.

Still, the efficiency marks tell the bigger story: Hopkins was the better team. As to whether some of that comes because Michigan was worn down by always being on defense is another story.

Notes

So at this point in the season (second- or third-to-last game, I’m really going out on a limb here), I’m willing to say Michigan stinks at faceoffs. Yes, they’ve gone up against some of the best specialists in the country, but it takes more than that to see the levels of possession deficit they’re experiencing. Brad Lott went 1/5, Mike McDonnell 4/12 (though he did show some signs at times), and Chase Brown 3/10. Plenty of those were ground balls that UM just got out-competed for, as well.

As mentioned above, Hopkins really seemed to wear down Michigan early in the game. They didn’t build a big lead (3-3 tie after the first quarter and 8-5 at the half), but the Wolverines’ D was run ragged to a degree, and that allowed the Blue Jays to play with confidence – if not too much more output – after the break. They knew they could dominate the ball and score if it came to that, so they managed to slow things down a bit while Michigan unsuccessfully struggled to play catch-up.

This was a bit of a reverse of the standard Gerald Logan experience (in part because of the above-mentioned weardown factor), wherein he started the game very well – kept his team right in it through the first, in fact – but faded later in the contest. He saw a lot of rubber – 27 shots on goal, 11 of which he saved – and after the first quarter, didn’t do much to save his team’s bacon.

Longpole Stefan Bergman had an outstanding four caused turnovers and four ground balls on the game, while Mack Gembis had one and four in those categories, respectively. When the opposition puts up 16 goals on 39 possessions, you’re looking for any sort of silver lining, I guess.

Hopkins hasn’t been a great defensive team this year, but Michigan did have a nice output in scoring, especially given that they were out of the contest pretty early and you often see a team wing ineffective shots at the keeper just to feel again, man in that situation. If you excise the fourth quarter (when both of the Wolverines’ failed clears took place, along with just one goal), Michigan scored eight goals on 20 possessions. Against a team with Hopkins’ talent (if not results), you can see where they’re just a player or two away from a breakthrough.

David Joseph (2G), David McCormack and Mikie Schlosser (1G, 1A each) were your only multi-point scorers. Only three of Michigan’s nine goals were assisted (the other assist went to Ian King, who I believe was held goalless for the first time he’s been healthy enough to play in an entire game).

Hopkins is having some goalie issues this year, but switched goalies in the first to oft-maligned Drew Schneider, who you could make an argument helped win the game. Starter Will Ryan saved zero of three shots faced, while Schneider made 13 saves and allowed just five goals in just over three quarters of action.

The Brothers Stanwick were standouts, with three goals and an assist (Wells) and a goal and two assists (Shack). Holden Cattoni and John Crowley had two goals and an assist apiece.

Elsewhere

Boxscore. U-M recap. Re-watch the whole darn thing. Hopkins recap.

Up Next

U-M’s final regular-season game has huge implications for both teams. The winner between Michigan and Penn State will see its season continue with a berth into the Big Ten Tournament, where Maryland (top seed), Ohio State, and now Hopkins (Nos. 2 and 3, depending on results this weekend) have already secured bids.

Penn State has the same league record as Michigan: 1-3, with the lone victory over Rutgers, so the head-to-head game will vault one to 2-3 and the conference tourney and the other to the end of its season.

The game is a Sunday night game at home for the Maize and Blue, and should feature one of the best atmospheres – especially given the stakes – of the year.

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Detroit 14, Siena 13

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Tim

Detroit is living on the edge, winning seemingly every game by a single goal. At the very least, the MAAC standings see a win as a win, nothing more or less (though the advanced metrics probably wouldn’t look too kindly on the resume).

Tempo Free

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

Siena 2015
Detroit Siena
Faceoff Wins 15 Faceoff Wins 14
Clearing 17-19 Clearing 16-17
Possessions 35 Possessions 33
Goals 14 Goals 13
Offensive Efficiency .400 Offensive Efficiency .394

The teams were about dead even in every way. Detroit won an extra faceoff, had an extra couple clearing opportunities, and scored an extra goal. Therefore, they won. Of course, delving deeper into it, things hardly played out evenly.

Notes

Lacrosse is a game of runs, yes, but this was an even more extreme example. We’ve routinely seen UDM fall behind early in games, only to claw back for the late win (I even wrote about it last week). They’re sustaining it, but… it’s unsustainable. Detroit needs to show up ready to play from the beginning of the game to reach the NCAA Tournament. They aren’t going to give up the first five goals of the game twice in the MAAC Championships and still win. It’s really that simple.

So anyway, they did just that Saturday, and managed once again to pull their feet from the fire. Siena played a big part in helping out: four of 14 Titan goals came with the man advantage (and they had two more EMO chances without capitalizing, at the very least wearing down the Saints’ D). If you have a four-goal lead late in the third quarter and give up three straight extra-man goals, you deserve to lose.

Greg Marzec started the game on faceoffs, and really struggled, going 2/8. Damien Hicks entered and had a pretty dominant 13/21 outing. Hicks picked up three ground balls, as well.

This game seems like it was ludicrously fast – and even looking at the stats, I’m like “yeah, that’s a fast game” – but just 68 possessions really isn’t that impressive from a sheer volume standpoint. Still, the pace going faster (though most of that pace was in the first half) aids a comeback attempt.

Plenty of offensive heroes in a high-scoring game. Mark Anstead scored two goals and added three assists for a five-point game.  Scott Drummond scored four goals on seven shots. Shayne Adams had two goals and an assist, and Brandon Beauregard notched three total assists. UDM assisted on nine of 14 goals.

Not the greatest game for goalie Jason Weber, who let in 13 goals while saving just ten shots. Not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but not really up to his typical standards. He did face a ton of action early in the contest (five goals against and four saves in the first quarter, with four goals and two saves in each of the following two), and once the rate of shooting slowed down, he was a bit more dialed in. He shut out Siena in the fourth quarter with two saves, and Detroit needed both of them to secure the win in regulation.

Chris Shevins earned a start and got Detroit its best longpole performance, causing two turnovers and picking up two ground ball (though he committed one turnover as well).

Elsewhere

Boxscore. Detroit recap. Highlights. Mark Anstead continued his MAAC weekly honors train. Siena recap.

Up Next

The Titans close the season at home against Canisius Saturday. I’d have to break down every tiebreaker scenario, but I believe they’re in the MAAC Tournament, win or lose. It would take a convoluted path (they have tiebreakers over two of the teams right behind them in the standings, and only Canisius would alter that).

Regardless, Canisius is a back-of-the-pack team in the league this year, so a home game should be very winnable for UDM, locking up the No. 3 seed (and a first-round game against Quinnipiac) in the league tourney.

Game takes place at 2 p.m. at Titan Field.

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Detroit Season Catch-Up

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Tim

Since I was derelict in my duties as a blogger for a good portion of the middle of the season, it’s time to get our knowledge back to where it should be this season. I’ll be trying to recap all the games I missed, but for the time being, here’s the big picture.

Current Record: 6-5, 202 MAAC
Good Wins: Ohio State
Bad Losses: Quinnipiac

Stat Leaders

Goals: Shayne Adams (20), Mark Anstead (18), Brandon Beauregard (16), Scott Drummond (14)
Assists: Anstead (13), Adams (11), Beauregard (10), Mike Birney (6)
Faceoffs: Damien Hicks (77/164, .470)
Caused Turnovers: Paul Bitteti (13), Chris Shevins (12)

Jason Weber Save Percentage

.607 (a slight disappointment after a stellar freshman year)

Mike Birney Shooting Percentage

.143, .460 shots on goal (both team-worst among anyone who has taken a single shot, and he has the most on the team).

The Big Picture

Detroit is about what we thought it’d be coming into the season. The big season-opening win against Ohio State has been a little outweighed by a conference loss to a weak Quinnipiac team that will be a bit of an albatross around UDM’s neck until they are solidly in for the MAAC Tournament.

The attack is carrying the team more than it has in the recent past, and with Anstead showing that he’s a very solid complement to Adams, that’s probably a good thing. At this point the midfield is going to be a “they are who we thought they were” situation. That’s right down to shooting inaccuracy from Birney, though he’s added an assist dimension to his game that helps make up for it a bit.

The defense has been just OK, and Jason Weber hasn’t been quite the outstanding keeper he was last year (of course, with the defense in front of him always a factor in his individual play).

The Titans should be positioned to make a run.

MAAC Bracketology

With just two conference games left, it’s time for a chart of the Titans’ possibilities in the tournament. With the league sporting seven members, this may be a bit of an exercise, so bear with me. I’ll come back to them in a moment, but at 4-0, Marist is the only team currently locked into the Championships. At 0-4, Manhattan is the only team eliminated.

Every team has two games remaining in the conference except Quinnipiac and Canisius. Fortunately, Detroit’s two remaining games are against the Golden Griffins and Siena, the two worst non-Manhattan teams in the league.

Team Current Record Week 1 Week 2
Marist 4-0 (9-3 ovr) @ Manhattan Siena
Quinnipiac 3-2 (4-7 ovr) Monmouth X
Detroit 2-2 (6-5 ovr) @ Siena Canisius
Monmouth 2-2 (5-6 ovr) @ Quinnipiac Manhattan
Siena 2-2 (5-6 ovr) Detroit @ Marist
Canisius 2-3 (2-10 ovr) X @ Detroit
Manhattan 0-4 (1-12 ovr) Marist @ Monmouth

Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision

Let’s make a couple assumptions here (I’ve done this in the past and it hasn’t worked out, but that’s life): Manhattan and Siena will both lose to Marist. Manhattan will lose to Monmouth. All other games are theoretically up for grabs.

  • If Detroit splits the final two games in either fashion (beat Siena but lose to Canisius, lose to Siena but beat Canisius), they will lose the tiebreaker to the team that they lose to, but cannot be passed by the team they beat (whether it’s Canisius, which would drop to 2-4, or Siena, which would finish at worst tied 3-3 with UDM and losing the tiebreaker).

    With lost tiebreakers to Marist and Quinnipiac, the only thing that could keep them out of the conference tournament is Monmouth winning its final two games – upsetting Quinnipiac and doing the expected against Manhattan – to pass Detroit at 4-2, rendering UDM’s tiebreaker over them useless.

  • If Detroit loses both remaining games, they’re eliminated. They would have a 2-4 record, and both Siena and Canisius would finish with at least three conference wins (Marist and Quinnipiac are already at that mark).

    Monmouth, with tiebreakers over both of those teams, would be in as long as they split the final two, unless Siena wins against Marist, in which case they’d bump the Hawks at 4-2. If Monmouth wins both of the final two, they’re in over Siena regardless of the outcome of that Saints-Red Foxes game.

  • If Detroit wins both of the final two games, they’d be in the tournament as the three-seed with a 4-2 record (at best tied with Marist and Quinnipiac, but down both tiebreakers).

    Siena and Monmouth would be battling it out for the final spot. Siena would have to beat Marist to reach 3-3, and hope Monmouth loses both of its final two games (one of them is against Manhattan).

The verdict? Detroit is definitely in with a sweep of the final two games, and in decent shape with a split – though their bid would be out of their hands in that instance. Surprisingly, Monmouth has already done enough that they’d have a tough time not making the conference tournament. A split in the final two games should be enough, and in some scenarios, they don’t even need that.

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Michigan 8, Ohio State 13

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Tim

This… could have gone better. A win may not have been in the cards, but this one turned from competitive to a semi-blowout in short order. On with the show:

Tempo Free

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

Ohio State 2015
Ohio State Michigan
Faceoff Wins 16 Faceoff Wins 9
Clearing 15-16 Clearing 14-21
Possessions 39 Possessions 31
Goals 13 Goals 8
Offensive Efficiency .333 Offensive Efficiency .258

Michigan was less efficient than Ohio State, yes (more on that in a moment), but they lost this game by being bludgeoned in the possession game. The final number of possessions wasn’t a huge spread, but the way in which those possessions were and were not utilized was huge.

Notes

U-M lost the faceoff battle handily. Brad Lott went 3/6 (not bad at all, actually, but with just one GB, there were some 50/50 scrums contributing to that), Mike McDonnell and Kevin Wylie were 0-fer on four and one attempts, respectively, and Chase Brown went 6/14 (though he had four GBs, like Lott, his success was a lot about GB scrums). That did not help in possession.

More harmful in possession was an awful day clearing the ball. Michigan went .667 on clears and forced only one fail by Ohio State. If you look at effective offensive efficiency – excising possessions on which the offense didn’t have a chance to convert because the ball never even got to the box – according to Lacrosse Film Room (and the math checks out on my end), they were 8/24, .333 on offense. Ohio State was 13/38, or .342.

Delving into a bit more specifics, I count two Buckeye goals coming directly off faceoff wins (one scored by Chris May himself, one by Carter Brown before the settled half-field offense took root).  It doesn’t look like there are any direct rideback goals from the boxscore, but I’d have to review the broadcast to confirm.

It felt like the Wolverines were playing a pretty sloppy game, but the scoresheet says “just” 14 turnovers in 31 possessions, albeit eight of them unforced (and one of the caused turnovers, on a clear, just a hilariously bad decision). A few dumb errors (an offside that was incorrectly called according to the broadcast team, though again I haven’t reviewed, a delay of game knocking a Buckeye over on the way to the box, and a too many men call) also resulted in a more penalty-filled outing than the Maize and Blue are used to. This Michigan program has grown past simply not having the stick skills to compete, but they can’t overcome mental errors and physical ones against a team like Ohio State.

On to the individuals… Michigan didn’t have many offensive standouts. Kyle Jackson (2G) and Mike Francia (1G, 1A) were the only multi-point getters. Ian King scored a single goal, though it took him 10 shots – five of them saved by the keeper – to get there.

On defense, it was not a banner day for Gerald Logan. His defense put him in a couple bad positions – they were solid for much of the day, but transition off faceoffs hurt, and the sheer amount of time they had to spend on the field wore them down. Mack Gembis has a nice day on close D with two caused turnovers and four ground balls (and no turnovers committed himself).

Ohio State started the year relying too heavily on Jesse King – if you could shut him down, you stymied the Buckeye offense – and while he’s still a very important part of the unit, there’s been more built up around him. That should have been the case all along with David Planning and Carter Brown on the roster as well. It wasn’t early, but now they’re playing solid (if slow, outside of transition) offense. Colin Chell had three goals and two assists, Planning split five points the other way around, and Carter Brown had two and one.

Tom Carey saved 11 of 18 shots faced, a very strong performance from the Buckeye keeper (and one that could be considered a game-winner if Michigan had hung in a little longer). Backup Cameron Stephens allowed a goal on his only shot faced.

Elsewhere

Boxscore. Michigan recap. Photo gallery. Ohio State recap. Buckeyes Tom Carey and Colin Chell were given conference honors for their performances.

Up Next

Michigan travels to Baltimore to take on Johns Hopkins. That’s as intimidating as it sounds, with a young Michigan program serving as the road team at Homewood Field.

However, this Hopkins team… it is not very good. The Blue Jays match Michigan’s 5-6 record on the year (albeit with a much tougher strength of schedule), and have struggled in all phases of the game, particularly defense. They’ve allowed double-digit goals in all but four games.

If Michigan can stay even in the possession battle – and we know that’s no guarantee – this is a winnable game beyond the intimidation factor of the names on the front of the jerseys.

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Michigan 8, Notre Dame 17

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Tim

It’s a little unfair to review this game after the rest of the season has shown the Irish are pretty clearly the best team in the country, but… that was apparent at the time too, right?

Tempo Free

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

Notre Dame 2015
Notre Dame Michigan
Faceoff Wins 17 Faceoff Wins 12
Clearing 17-20 Clearing 17-23
Possessions 43 Possessions 38
Goals 17 Goals 8
Offensive Efficiency .395 Offensive Efficiency .211

Notre Dame won the possession battle and was ruthlessly efficient on offense. Michigan’s offense wasn’t bad per se, but with most of the scoring after the game was already decided, it’s clear that they just weren’t on Notre Dame’s level.

Notes

Right, so Notre Dame is the top team in the country, and justifiably so. They did what you expect of a national power against a Michigan team that has made strides but is probably still a year away from belonging on the field with a team like this.

Delving into possession, faceoffs were relatively even until the fourth quarter. ND had a slight advantage in the second and third frames, but really sealed it with the fourth (again, when the game was already out of reach). LSM Chase Brown was the best of the bunch, winning 50% of his draws. He’s more than a defensive concession at X, and probably will continue to get significant run in games when the Wolverines don’t feel good about the matchup at X.

The transition game was the bigger disappointment. The Wolverines failed at least one clear in each quarter – and I don’t remember if I’ve ever seen them do that before. The Oosterbaan advantage in the ride was minimized as well, forcing only three failed Irish clears on 20 attempts.

Defensively, Gerald Logan actually had a nice game despite giving up 16 goals. With 16 saves, he was right at .500 against a really good Notre Dame offense (Robbie Zonino entered to make a save and allow a goal himself). He just faced a ton of rubber thanks to the possession advantage the Irish built up, pretty good shooting accuracy (34 of 44 were on cage), and the ability of ND to back up the shots that they did miss. Holding a team with 43 possessions to 44 shots isn’t bad, but against a talented squad like Notre Dame, they’re going to make the most of them.

Mikey Wynne, Matt Kavanaugh, and Conor Doyle had big days offensively. That is one heck of an attack unit, so it’s no surprise. Brother Rice alum Sergio Perkovic added two goals from the midfield, and faceoff specialist Nick Ossello had a pair of assists. In the settled defense, Michigan was able to hold their own with Notre Dame’s midfielders, but the attackmen were just too good.

For the Maize and Blue, attack Ian King notched four goals and added two assists (giving him a hand in 75% of Michigan’s eight goals), and linemate Will Meter had two goals and an assist himself. Notre Dame is more known for its strong defense than explosive offense (at least until this year), so the offensive efficiency is actually a bright sign, rather than a disappointment.

As is tradition, Michigan played a really clean game – just one penalty, albeit one that ended in an EMO goal for Notre Dame. They went 1/3 on the EMO with five Notre Dame penalties total, converting on a two-man EMO once and failing to capitalize a second time.

Elsewhere

Boxscore. Michigan recap. Photo gallery. Notre Dame recap.

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The Next Level: April 14, 2015

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Tim

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

Bellarmine 17, Jacksonville 9

  • Sophomore attack/midfield Graham Macko (Brother Rice) – Scored a Goal on two Shots and added an assist.

Binghamton 11, Albany 15

  • Freshman midfielder Liam Reaume (Brother Rice) – Did not see game action.

Canisius 6, Cornell 12
Canisius 7, Quinnipiac 9

  • Freshman midfielder Keith Pravato (Novi) – Did not see game action.
  • Sophomore midfielder Steve Wizniuk (De La Salle) – Did not see game action.

Delaware 8, Drexel 9

  • Senior defenseman Bennett Packer (Brother Rice) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.

Detroit 9, Monmouth 8

  • Senior midfield/attack Brandon Beauregard (Notre Dame Prep) – Started, recorded an Assist, took two Shots (zero on goal), and caused one turnover. Also committed two turnovers.
  • Sophomore attack Kyle Beauregard (Notre Dame Prep) – Started, scored a Goal on five Shots (two on goal), and picked up two ground balls. Also committed two turnovers.
  • Senior midfielder Mike Birney (Detroit Catholic Central) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Freshman midfielder Sean Birney (Detroit Catholic Central) – Scored a Goal on two Shots (both on goal)
  • Senior midfielder Scott Drummond (Birmingham Seaholm) – Scored a Goal on 10(!) Shots (six(!) on goal) and picked up one ground ball.
  • Sophomore goalie Connor Flynn (Rockford) – Did not see game action.
  • Senior defenseman Joe Gifford (Notre Dame Prep) – Started, but only made the scoresheet by committing one penalty for 0:30.
  • Redshirt freshman attack Alex Gilhooly (Detroit Catholic Central) – Took one Shot on goal.
  • Sophomore midfielder Ben Gjokaj (Walled Lake Central) – Did not see game action.
  • Sophomore midfielder Brad Harris (Saline) – Scored a Goal on his only Shot. Also committed one turnover.
  • Freshman midfielder Charlie Hayes (Utica Eisenhower) – Started and caused one turnover.
  • Junior midfielder Andy Hebden (Brother Rice) – Did not see game action.
  • Sophomore LSM JD Hess (Birmingham Seaholm) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Sophomore attack/midifeld Connor Maks (UD-Jesuit) – Did not see game action.
  • Sophomore midfielder Greg Marzec (Brother Rice) – Won 8/12 faceoffs, picking up two ground balls, and scored a Goal on his only Shot. Also committed one penalty for 1:00.
  • Redshirt freshman defenseman Bryan Matney (Ann Arbor Pioneer) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Freshman midfielder Chris Perry (Utica Eisenhower) – Did not see game action.
  • Freshman LSM Austin Ross (Warren Mott) – Did not see game action.
  • Senior midfielder Thomas Sible (Forest Hills Central) – Picked up one ground ball. Also committed two turnovers.
  • Freshman midfielder Brett Spanski (Traverse City Central) – Did not see game action.
  • Freshman defenseman Travis Sparling (Novi) – Did not see game action.
  • Junior midfielder Mike Spuller (Dexter) – Took three Shots (one on goal) and picked up three ground balls. Also committed one turnover.
  • Redshirt freshman attack Adam Susalla (Birmingham Seaholm) – Did not see game action.
  • Junior defenseman Jordan Yono (Detroit Catholic Central) – Started, caused three turnovers, and picked up four ground balls.

Duke 15, Virginia 8

  • Freshman midfielder Matthew Giampetroni (Cranbrook) – Did not see game action.

Marquette 7, Notre Dame 14

  • Junior midfielder K.C. Kennedy (Brother Rice) – Won 8/21 faceoffs and picked up one ground ball. Also committed one penalty for 1:00.
  • Junior attack Henry Nelson (Brother Rice) – SPLayed, but did not accrue any statistics.

Marquette 14, Providence 10

  • Junior midfielder K.C. Kennedy (Brother Rice) – Won 0/3 faceoffs and picked up one ground ball.
  • Junior attack Henry Nelson (Brother Rice) – Scored a Goal on his only Shot.

Michigan 8, Ohio State 13

  • Sophomore faceoff specialist Brian Archer (Brighton) – Did not see game action.
  • Senior defenseman Mack Gembis (Cranbrook) – Started, caused two turnovers, and picked up four ground balls.
  • Junior midfielder Riley Kennedy (Brother Rice) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Senior attack Will Meter (Brother Rice) – Started scored a Goal on three Shots (two on goal), and picked up one ground ball.
  • Senior midfielder Thomas Orr (Detroit Catholic Central) – Caused one turnover and picked up three ground balls. Also committed three turnovers.
  • Junior defenseman Chris Walker (Brother Rice) – Did not see game action.

NJIT 4, Marist 20

  • Freshman midfielder Brent Lubin (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.

Notre Dame 14, Marquette 7

  • Sophomore midfielder Sergio Perkovic (Brother Rice) – Started, scored three Goals on seven Shots (five on goal), added two Assists, caused one turnover and picked up three ground balls.

Penn 10, Harbard 9

  • Sophomore goalie Ahmed Iftikhar (Detroit Country Day) – Did not see game action.

Providence 10, Marquette 14

  • Freshman midfielder Joshua Keller (East Grand Rapids) – Scored a Goal on three Shots and picked up two ground balls.

Richmond 20, High Point 4

  • Sophomore attack JP Forester (Brother Rice) – Started, scored four Goals on 11 Shots (nine on goal), added two Assists and picked up one ground ball.

Robert Morris 10, Mount St. Mary’s 7
Robert Morris 8, Bryant 10

  • Sophomore attack Kento Nakano (Rockford) – Did not see game action.

Rutgers 8, Maryland 9

  • Junior midfielder Jacob Coretti (East Grand Rapids) – Did not see game action.

VMI 5, Furman 13

  • Senior midfielder Andrew Erber (Dexter) – Did not see game action.

Yale 16, Brown 10

  • Freshman midfielder/attack Jason Alessi (Brother Rice) – Took two Shots (one on goal), picked up one ground ball, and committed one turnover.
  • Sophomore midfielder John Lazarsfeld (Ann Arbor Greenhills) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.

Feel free to use the comments for discussion, corrections, and statlines from other divisions.

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Detroit 9, Monmouth 8

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Tim

Wipe a little sweat off your brow, Titans. Monmouth is improved enough this year that a loss to them in its own would not classify as “disaster.” The implications for the rest of UDM’s season, on the other hand, would have been grim.

Tempo Free

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

Monmouth 2015
Monmouth Detroit
Faceoff Wins 7 Faceoff Wins 14
Clearing 15-19 Clearing 13-15
Possessions 28 Possessions 31
Goals 8 Goals 9
Offensive Efficiency .286 Offensive Efficiency .290

In a game where one possession either way could have changed the outcome, the Titans did what they had to do in order to get the win. They were slightly more efficient, controlled the rubber a bit more, and got the win.

Notes

How about those first three quarters, huh? I feel like UDM has been digging itself a hole pretty regularly throughout the course of the year. Fortunately, they’ve been able to climb all the way out a few times, but it’s advisable to be the better team for 60 minutes, rather than just the final 15 or 30. Over all games this year, they’re being outscored 60-49 in the first half, and are up 55-48 in second halves. In games with a final margin of fewer than five goals (excising big losses against Michigan and Marquette, and big wins against Mercer and Manhattan), it’s 38-25 in the first half, and up 39-29 in the second. That’s somethin’ needs fixin’.

Back to this game in specific, The Titans opened scoring, but let Monmouth notch seven of the next eight, taking us to the 10-minute mark of the third quarter. From there, it was all Titans, with seven of the final eight goals.

The offensive standouts for Detroit were the usual suspects: the attack duo of Shayne Adams and Mark Anstead, with two goals and an assist each. Their linemate Brandon Beauregard contributed the only other assist of the game (on nine goals), and five difference Titans had a single goal apiece, including FOGO Greg Marzec.

Speaking of Marzec, he was a big part of this win. The goal he scored came on a clean faceoff win six seconds after Monmouth scored to take their biggest lead of the game, and not only stopped momentum, but swung it the Titans’ way in major fashion. He also won 8/12 draws (Damien Hicks was also at 67% with 6/9), and although Hicks had a better GB rate on his wins, Marzec clearly played a factor as well, including his contributions on offense.

It was not the finest day for Jason Weber, especially considering the general mediocrity of the Monmouth offense. He saved eight and allowed eight goals, which isn’t bad per se, but given the expectations for an outstanding keeper like Weber (and the competition faced), you’d like to see a shinier number there.

For two middling offensive efficiencies, this was actually a statistically prolific game for the defenses. Monmouth caused 12 turnovers (and Detroit committed four more on their own) while the Titans caused 10 (and Monmouth added three of their own). UDM’s consistent issues with turning the ball over return, but weren’t enough to cost them the game. On the positive side, Jordan Yono caused three Monmouth turnovers.

Mike Birney played – but did not start, nor did he take a single shot – but Scott Drummond filled the niche of taking a ton of shots, with 10. Six of them were on cage, but only one made it through the keeper.

For Monmouth, the offensive output was a little more concentrated (though they also had a general lack of assists). Starting attack Bryce Wasserman had a goal and two assists, while Zach Johannes and Tyler King had a pair of goals each. Goalie Garrett Conaway had 15 saves and nine goals against.

Elsewhere

Boxscore. Detroit recap. Photo gallery. Monmouth recap. Postgame interviews with Marzec and coach Chris Kolon:

Up Next

Detroit heads on the road the Loudonville, N.Y. to face Siena. This isn’t your slightly older sibling’s Siena team, though. The longtime MAAC overlord is 5-6 on the year, 2-2 in the league with losses to Monmouth and Canisius. There’s a win there for the taking.

Should such a win happen, it puts Detroit in comfortable position for making the MAAC Championships (it would almost take some complex tiebreaker s to keep them out in that instance). Things aren’t over with a loss, but a win against Canisius the following week and some tiebreak mojo may be necessary.

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