Conference Previews for the 2023 season - NE10

INtro

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of In the Crease with Danny and Kevin, a coast-to-coast discussion of D Two Men's Lacrosse. I'm your co-host, Kevin Stenzrim, and with me as always is the real granddaddy of them all, Danny Moran. Hey Danny, how you doing?

SPEAKER_02 0:27

Hey, Kev, how's it going out there in Northern Virginia, the granddaddy? Um, I am a granddaddy. I have two grandkids now, so it's very cool to be a granddaddy.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

But you're, you know, from a from a D2 lacrosse perspective, you're kind of like, I consider you the Mecca of information and the granddaddy of them all.

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Oh shoot, you know, I have been I have been around a while now in the D2. You know, with my oldest son who's now 32, who's the was a D2 kid. So I've been around it a while now. So yeah, I guess you could say a little bit of a granddaddy in the D2.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

There you go. There you go. But that kind of is just a prelude, obviously, foreshadowing, as they say, the of what we're going to be talking about today. So we're into our last preview, last conference preview of the season as we as we roll into the 2023 season. And that obviously is we're finishing

NE10 Preview

SPEAKER_01 1:24

off with the NE10.

SPEAKER_02 1:27

The granddaddy of them all, as Kevin Stenschem likes to say all the time. Yes, the NE10, the NE10 conference, the old storied blue-collar conference from the Northeast, uh, been around a long, long time. A lot of good teams, a lot of history, uh, a lot of championships in this conference. Just overall, pretty good, pretty good conference historically as well as you know, academically and athletically, just a great conference.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

Yeah. So why don't we just start off and get into it? And let's start off with the team that is always near the top. Uh did not get there last year, and is rumored to be going D1, and that's the Le Moine Dolphins.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

Wow. I'm not I'm surprised you're not starting with the conference champions, which was the Adelphi Panthers. I'm surprised. All right, we'll go with Le Moine first. All right. That's what you're doing.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

That was probably how that's probably how I had it. We can do Adelphi first if you want.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

No, that's okay. No, let's go with, let's roll with Le Moyne. Hey, the the dice are thrown. All right. So the Le Moine Dolphins, great team last year, Kev. They went nine and one in conference, 16-4 overall. Coach Dan Sheen, what can you say? What can you say about the Le Moine Dolphins?

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, I I went got to see them play in person last year, and I was more amazed at how they run their the way they play, watching them live than when I see them on a TV or on a monitor. It's just amazing. They're they always seem to be ahead, they're just so well coached. And I thought they were going to be in a roll, and then they lost to Florida Southern in their fifth game of the season, but they did that. They did go on a roll, and they didn't lose again until they did lose to a Delphi in their last game of the regular season.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Yeah. Um, Lemoyne had a great season. You know, like you said, the way they play, they play so methodically. Everybody knows where they're gonna be. The ball's there, it gets there. They all know, they all know. They don't make mistakes, they play at such a high IQ level. They're athletic, they're defensive, they're physical, they're quick, they're shifty, they're all of that, Kev. But you know what? Last year, they had Sipik, Collins, McCreary, Pierce on offense. Yeah. They're all gone. They had Nate Arnold on defense and and Frank Delia at the goalkeeper. And guess what? They're all gone.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:57

They've all moved on. They've graduated and they're out in the real world. Saipic, Collins, McCreary, Pierce, Arnold, and Delia. All conference guys, all Americans, all regional, just amazing ball players, every single one of them. They're all gone. I mean, Kevin Sheehan comes back, and he's he's a great player as well. He comes back, he had 20 goals and 18 assists last year. You know what? But it's time for like guys like Ryan Eiserman and Sam Lambert to kind of step up a little bit on the offensive side. It's going to be interesting to see Lemoyne this year.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Yeah, they know they've got some, they've got some guys returning, you know, obviously Frank Delia, their goalie now being gone, losing that net minor. They've got a transfer for Penetius and Matt Vavanice, and they also have senior Matt Tedesco and Hayden Horner, who both got playing time last year. So, but it's it's a whole new crop. It's a whole new crop. And then on defense, they're returning John Galimi, Nick Millette, and Jagger care. But there's there's pockets that they've got to replace. Now, if there's one team that always seems to be able to reload and reload and reload, this would be the team.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Oh, yeah. They line up, they line up for Coach Chan. He doesn't have to recruit too hard. They line up for him. Let me tell you something. But you know what? There's going to be a lot of new faces suiting up for the Dolphins this year. We're going to see some new names. We're going to see some uh some new something new out of the Dolphins this year. Again, you know, when you use Cypher, Collins, McCreary, and Pierce just on offense alone. It's tough. It's tough to replace them. But it is. And I think that's why. What point is the team that can do that, though?

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Yeah, that's why when we saw them play, or when I saw them play, like you said, they know where to move to. They know the ball's already going to be there. That's from a couple years of those guys playing together. Yeah, they were going to go. We'll see what happens this year. They're out of conference uh for this year. It's pretty interesting. Mercy, Kataba, Undy, and Roberts Wesleyan. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

Meh. Meh. For Lemoyne, for out of conference, I'm surprised. I'm surprised that they don't have a little bit. I mean, Mercy's going to be a good game for them, and Undy's going to be a good name. Hey, Roberts Wesleyan could give me give him a game. And you know what? Good thing for Coach Murphy, Cotabba getting that Le Moyne Dolphin game in there for him.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Yeah. I mean, I think that's great for Kataba. I do think that Lemoyne should win that one fairly easily this year.

SPEAKER_02 6:35

Yeah, we'll see. We'll see. It's going to be interesting. I'll get to it.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

It'd be really interesting to see that.

SPEAKER_02 6:39

A lot of new faces for the Dolphins this year, but you know, Coach Sheehan, he's a master. He's a master.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

He is. And that's why I don't put them out of being able to compete for the championship. If you look at last year, right? They lost a few games. They lost to a Delphi twice. Twice, yeah. And then they beat them in revenge in the third game in the NCAA quarterfinals. And then they only lose to Mercy in the Final Four to go to the finals in double overtime.

SPEAKER_02 7:10

I was at three, all three of those games, Kev. I saw Adelphi beat Le Moine at the end, and then I saw Lemoyne beat Adelphi, and then I saw the Le Moine Mercy game up at Mercy, which was an amazing game. Yeah. So you know what? Lemoyne's Le Moyne. They're good. Right. They're top-notch, top-notch coach. Players line up to him. Like, what did I call him when he was on the I called him the Sheshevsky of D2 lacrosse? It was the only time he laughed. It was the only time he cracked a smile. But you know what? It's true. It's true. Yeah. He gets players. So you know what? I expect him to be a very good team, but we're just going to have to see who which kids he puts out there this year. And I think I think it's time.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

We talk about sorry about that. We talk about we talked about the same thing with Belmont Abbey and having talked to Coach Uh there, uh Coach Barrett there about how they're reloading on offense. It's going to take a little while. Lemoy's in the same boat, so maybe they start off a little bit, not as crisp as a usual Le Moine team, and then have to gain steam at the end.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

Well, we'll just have to see. We'll just have to see. I'll be interested to see Lemoine first couple of games, see what's up, see which kids they put out there. Right. And and see where they go from there.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Yeah, it's going to be fun.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Okay. All right. Now the team that you gave me grief for not starting off with.

SPEAKER_02 8:43

You know, Vulpe's going to be mad at you, too.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Yeah, but wait till you get to what I get to say about him. The the great thing about uh Adelphi and the Panthers, Coach Purdy actually got on a call with me back in October when we asked the coaches to come on. He talked to me for like 45 minutes about his team. And it was more fun just talking to him, just to hear his voice and the excitement, not only for his team and how they're gelling together, but how he talks about his assistant coaches. I mean, that's a real family there at a Delphi.

SPEAKER_02 9:14

Yeah, he's got some good ones too, man. Some of them I know. One of their defensive coaches coached my son in Summerball. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

So, so, but let's move on to what and then and my nephew's the graduate assistant there.

SPEAKER_01 9:28

I was gonna point that out. Mr. Thomas Galgano is now an assistant coach.

SPEAKER_02 9:33

Yeah, man. I'm excited. I'm proud of him. He's a good kid. I love him. And uh he's gonna be great with those kids. He's the type of kid that can really relate to kids and teach and type and kids, you know, respect.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

Coach Purdy said good things about him and and what he's doing there on the coaching side. Now, because he came in there and he be he immediately he was a captain last year, too, wasn't he?

SPEAKER_02 9:53

Yeah, yeah, he was a D1 transfer, did his four years at Binghamton, had a fifth year because of COVID, and came to a Delphi and they loved him and they named him a captain. And then he heard he tore his ACL.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Right. And so that will tell you the kind of caliber uh uh of your of your nephew and what he's bringing to the table for a Delphi. But let's kind of get into them for last year what they did and and what they look like this year. So they had a great season last year. They were good. I mean, undefeated in conference.

SPEAKER_02 10:25

They were good, man. 10-0 in conference, 15-2 overall, Kev. They were a good squad. I saw them play several times in person last year.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

They were a very good squad. Yeah, their only loss in the regular season was against Mercy in April.

SPEAKER_02 10:42

Yeah, and and it was a close game, too. It was a good game. It was a good game.

SPEAKER_01 10:46

It's a very good game. Then they lost to the morning in the quarterfinals for the NCAA. That's that's it. I was at that mercy game too.

SPEAKER_02 10:54

It was cold and rainy. Oof, it was a cold night, but I was I was there for that one. It was a good one. Yeah, Delphi's a good squad, man. You know, Deknowski's coming back, Rabuto's coming back, Kyle Steinbeck, real studs, all of those.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Okay, that's their top three scores right there. So good. They were good last year. They are gonna be and and what coach pointed out too is don't don't forget about Eamon Hall. Oh no, Eamon Hall is really good as well. Watch him off ball.

SPEAKER_02 11:23

That's where he makes the difference. No, he he he scored a ton of goals, but you know what? It's you know, Duchnowski's such a big part of that offense, such a big kid. He's a diesel man, he he plays and he plays the game hard and he's athletic and he's just strong, and and all of those guys are real good. And they got Dylan Renner coming back in goal, Kev. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

To huge advantage, huge advantage, huge. Now they they lose some of their uh key contributors on defense with Sean McGovern, their LSM leaving and and Hunter Mason. But but Sean was injured a lot last year, and they had an LSM, Ryan Dernan, who had 20 ground balls and 15 cost turnovers, who took over for him, and he's returning. So I don't think they're gonna lose yeah, they're not gonna lose a step there, I don't think. I mean, Sean was just phenomenal, but it what Sean was also not exceptional, but he wasn't in all the time because of injury. No.

SPEAKER_02 12:17

Ryan got a lot of a lot of burn last year. So you know what? He he saw some big games, he saw some big time in big games. So he's a seasoned kid. He's gonna be coming back at the LLSM. They're gonna be pretty, pretty strong at that, at that position. And you know what though? But they always get a great freshman class. They get a lot of good Long Island kids to come to that school. They had they have a good freshman class, a couple kids I know um are freshmen there, and they're good players, and they're on the defensive side too, Kev. So it'll be interesting to see.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Yeah, so they also have a couple uh transfers on the defensive side, an Albany transfer, Kevin Groom, and a SUNY Brockford LSM transfer, Aiden Fitzgerald. But the other guy that um Coach Purdy pointed out to me is Brian Hoarder. Now, he actually stepped up for face-off last year, but he really is he'll be back at at the D MIDI spot. He was voted by the team as best player last year. Wow, that's amazing. Good for him. So, I mean, because he's one of these guys, as Coach pointed out, he he'll do anything and everything for the team. You tell him to be face-off, he'll do face-off. He's more comfortable at DM, and that's where he's gonna be going back to. But I think love those kids, right? Love those kind of kids on a team. I think Adelphi is gonna be scary this year.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

Yeah, they got their 50, they have 50 on their roster, and they have 17 freshmen that they brought in. Yeah. Remember you remember last year, they had midfielders for days. Last year, midfielders for days. Yeah, that doesn't change. That does not change. That's gonna be the same. The I'm gonna say this they're out of conference schedule is like eh.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Yeah, yeah. To me, to me, Palm Beach, Atlantic, Lynn, Georgian Court, Caldwell, Malloy, and then Mercy again in April.

SPEAKER_02 14:14

You know, I just think a team that's that good rooting for you know, with aspirations of a national championship, you know, the the the way D2 is done is algorithms, you know, there's no automatic qualifiers, you got to do stuff. I would like to see another ranked team on that out of conference schedule, you know, a Undy, a Mercyhurst, an LR, uh, you know, one of those teams, a Tampa, that type of thing. You know, be a good test. Uh, Mercy's gonna be a good test for them, you know. Right. But Lynn, Georgian Court's a solid team, Caldwell. Malloy is gonna be much improved, but they're not level yet. Right. They're not, they're not. So I would I would love to see at least one more ranked squad, you know, a Mercy Hearst, uh, a U Indy, something like that. You know what I'm saying? It's something an LR, a win game. I agree with you. I agree with you. You know, one of those teams, a lot a team like that, you know, and and get them on the out-of-conference. I remember a couple of years ago, a Delphi went down south and played limestone, and that's what they need to do.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Yeah, yeah. Or they get a GLVC team. Right, right. You know, something like that.

SPEAKER_02 15:33

They're gonna be great. They're gonna be great. Let me tell you something. Doknowski, Rabuto, these guys are good, Kevin. They're really good lacrosse players, high IQ, super duper athletic. They know what to do with the ball. Their coaching is great. Their coaching is great. They have a ton of coaches there. They're just it's just a good squad. Adelphi, you know, I always used to question Adelphi, and I can't question them anymore. I just look at them top to bottom and just say, man, they they just get the job done year in and year out.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Yeah, I totally agree. The one one question mark is on face-off that the kind of coach even said it's kind of a work in progress right now. But other than that, I mean, their defense is solid and Volpe will have them ready, and and their offense is killer.

SPEAKER_02 16:23

So 100%. You know what? They get Pace Bentley and Lemoyne at home, too. So that's that's a good, that's good. That's good for them. You're playing those teams, you know, it's good to get those guys at home where you got your you know, your boys in the back chirping at the uh at the goalies and stuff. And yeah, they're good.

SPEAKER_01 16:42

Their home field is a definite home field advantage, the way that field is set up. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:47

People come to watch the Panthers, man. They they gotta they have a good uh uh alumni that's right in the area, so they come back in droves. Yeah, it's a it's a good, it's a good thing. So they get Pace Bentley and Lemoyne at home, so that's a plus for them. I expected Delphi to be right there in the top five, top six, top seven throughout most of the year.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

Yeah, I would agree.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

I would agree.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

But let's go on, let's move on to St. Anselm, the Hawks. They were 10 and 6 last year, 7-3 in conference. They lost to Lemoyne three times, Danny. Half of their losses was to LeMoyne. I know, I know. This is a good team, Kat. They were a good team last year. Yeah, they lost to Delphi in a heartbreaker. I think you were at that game.

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Yes, I was. I was really good game. Yeah, Shimana came out on the loss, losing end on that one. But I like Coach Shimani. He's a really good coach. He has those kids play, they play at a high level. They're a really they're a team to reckon with for sure. You know, they lost they lost Tomashewski, man. That kid was all in E10. Yeah, you know, he that kid was a beast, and they lose CJ Hart in goal. Right. When you lose your leader on defense, it's tough to replace, especially somebody as good as CJ Hart was. So they lose those two big, big players on their team.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

But they also lose Will Will Palmer as a D midi. He was second team All-American. And they lose Jack Well, who was their first one of their first line midis. So along with you mentioned the two top guys, Tomashewski and CJ. CJ. But there's some other people they're gonna have to find some replacements to. Yeah, but the Larson twins come back. Yeah. Get this. Actually, six of the their top eight scores are returning, including the Larson brothers, Jack Robinson, and Jack Andrews.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

Hey, remember when the Larson Twins were freshmen? We were like, look at these kids, man. These guys are playing pretty good. They're juniors now, Kev. These guys are seasoned upperclassmen now. You know how good they're gonna be this year.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Well, and the other thing that Coach Shimana pointed out when he contacted us and answered some of our questions that Noah was actually recovering from a off-season surgery last year. So he was never really even 100%. And he still had 17 goals and 13 assists.

SPEAKER_02 19:19

Yeah, yeah. Jack Andrews, too, man. Yeah. You know, they're good players.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Well, here's what's funny, too, is like if you look at their stats, they averaged almost 54 shots per game last year. They shoot a lot.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

Yeah, yeah. They're a they're a fast moving team, Kev. They move the ball quick, man. They just uh they're a good squad, they're good players there, they're highly coached, they have high IQs, they're all athletic as hell. Again, you should have 53 shots a game per. Just imagine the games when they shot more because that's the average. So, you know, if they're averaging 53 shots a game, there's probably games where they had 60, 61, 62 shots. That's that's like the run and shoot offense in football. Yeah, you know, you just run up to the line, call a play, and go. And I I like that kind of ball, actually. I like that fast pace. It's funny.

SPEAKER_01 20:19

We talk about all the guys they have on offense returning, but they're also, as coach Shimana pointed out, all three on their close D return. Ryan Slattery, Andrew Bonavita, who's comes from Long Meadow, my hometown. Oh, and Jonathan Holland, along with Will Harvey at defensive MIDI, who coach thinks is one of the best in the country. He's six foot three, Danny, as a DM. How'd you like to start dodging and trying to do a split dodge on that guy right in front of you?

SPEAKER_02 20:56

Put some dirt on your butt, is what's gonna happen when you go up against guys. Hey, listen, I think St. A's is poised to be a really, really good team again this year, Kev. Yeah, I don't see any any doubt. I mean, losing CJ Hart's huge, but you know what? With what they have, they're good. You know, they they were 90% on their clears, they're you know, at 33% on their man off, their numbers are good, and all most of these players are coming back, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:24

And coach said that they've got 17 newcomers that he thinks is the probably the most talented group they've ever brought in. And he said that they've got a I think they got like three or four goalies that are are competing, and he says they've been competing well and looking good. So that will be, I think, the the biggest telltale. Uh yeah, yeah, you know, yeah. Not so much that just gelling from the the goalie to the rest of the defenders. Now, luckily, all their close D returns. So it may be one of those situations. Where the goalie doesn't have to be the quarterback as much because he's got guys that are all veterans back there in front of them.

SPEAKER_02 22:08

Yeah, it's big. You know, the first line is pretty big and second line is seasoned. And then at the goalie's going to have somebody new in between the pipes this year. But but the way they're lined up, the way they're set up right now, Kev, they're going to give teams a hard time. Yeah. I think, you know, I think they're a really good squad, and I think they're poised to do real good stuff, especially with the Larson boys. You know, those kids are good, man. And and and Jack Andrews. And and now it's time for Joel Lombardi and Colin Mulby to kind of step up a little bit and and get theirs. And you know, they've seen some run last year. So I just think that they're I don't see much loss with them. I agree. I agree. I think they're good. I think they're going to be a really good squad. And some, you know, if you play, if you play St. Anselms, you you better you better strap yourselves in because it's going to be a fast physical game.

SPEAKER_01 23:07

100%. Okay, let's move on to pace. The setters. Coach Tom Mariano. He's a good coach. He always has his team ready. They're 11-4 last year, 7-3 at the conference.

SPEAKER_02 23:23

Yeah. He's a trip, Coach Mariano. They had a they had a bunch of good players last year. They had some really good games last year. I watched them a few times. Um, they got some studs coming back. Jake Verras comes back. He had 40, 20, he had 64 points. He had 40 goals, 24 assists. Kids a beast. We got Kyle Casey. How many times did we call his name last year? You know, 36, 24 for 60 points. Uh midfielder Anthony Caputo, who was really big in big games. Yeah. In big games, that kid comes through, man, as a midfielder, 26, 90, 45 points.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

You know, and they lose they lose Tim Cairo, who I loved watching last year. And I know I mentioned him several times last year, but I think you're going to say the same thing. There is a guy coming back that we really love seeing.

SPEAKER_02 24:16

The Goose, the Ragu. That's right. Setters. Let me tell you something. That is huge. That kid is phenomenal.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

Yeah, when we had him on last year, he he was telling us a little bit that he meant that may be happening, but uh he wasn't sure yet. And I'm just glad that he's back. I want to see him another.

SPEAKER_02 24:42

He didn't tip his hat. No, good for him. I'm glad to see the Rag, you know, back in goal for the for the Setters. He's he's phenomenal. Chris Caputo comes back on defense too. Yep. You know, they got 53 on their roster this year. They're 20 freshmen, but but they have 16 sophomores.

SPEAKER_01 25:00

36 kids are underclassmen. That's exactly what I had written down, too, Danny. That's the one thing that'll be interesting to see how that works out.

SPEAKER_02 25:13

You know, but again, when you got Veris and Casey and Caputo coming back on the offensive side and Ragu and goal, that's a real good way to start, Kev. Oh, yeah. Yeah, they are solid. They are solid. They're seasoned. They're seasoned players, 100%.

SPEAKER_01 25:31

Yeah, I think you look at the same way you look at it, like we just talked about with St. Ace. They didn't really step back at all. They lost some good players, but they're bringing a lot back to the table this year.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

Yeah, well, all their main guys are coming back for the much, uh, other than Tim Cairo. Yeah. You know, again, you know, Rafael Rodriguez gets to get some more burn now. He gets to step up, and we're gonna see which guys, which midfielders he's gonna throw out there this year. That's gonna be interesting because we're gonna see some new faces at the midfield line, I think, for pace setters this year, Kev. Yeah, yeah. Well, let's talk about their out-of-conference schedule.

SPEAKER_01 26:13

Oh, yeah. Let us talk about that. Uh their out of conference schedule is to me. Yeah, Malloy, Georgian Court, Lynn, and Wilmington.

SPEAKER_02 26:23

Yep, Wilmington's gonna be a tough game. Yeah, Ly's gonna be a tough game. You think Malloy, Malloy's gonna improve? I'm telling you that right now. That's not gonna be a walk-over game for Pace.

SPEAKER_01 26:33

Well, I I think Georgian Court is gonna be a tough game.

SPEAKER_02 26:36

They're a blue-collar team, you know. You know it. But in pace, and for Pace, you know, for them, they get Lemoine, Bentley, and St. A's at home. So when they start any T any 10 play, they got some of the big boys at home, which is huge, Kev. Which is huge.

SPEAKER_01 26:55

Yeah. Yeah, that is. And uh, you know, because they went back and forth with Bentley last year. They beat them in the regular season, then lost them in the any 10 tournament. So having them at home, I think I think Pace is gonna be the better team this year between those two, anyway, but we'll see how it plays out in the season. I think they're out of conference is is really good for them. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:20

You know, I I agree with that. You know, Malloy, again, is not gonna be an easy team to play anymore. This is Coach Dunn's second year there. They they were vastly improved from the year before with Coach Dunn there for one year. So, you know, he's gonna he's got his players coming in. They'll still be young, but they're they're gonna be a much improved team, Kev. They're not gonna be a walkover. Wilmington's a ranked team. They're ranked.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

I'm with you. I'm with you 100%. I was shocked that the USA lacrosse didn't have them ranked.

SPEAKER_02 27:50

Well, I and in my up on my opinion, there they should be a ranked team. And Lynn is a good, good 50-50 squad, a competitive, athletic.

unknown 28:01

Right.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

And then you got Georgian Core. What Mickey does over there, they're gonna come and they're gonna bring the beef and they're gonna be physical, they're gonna play blue-collar lacrosse, and it's not gonna be easy. It's just those games aren't easy games. So, and like I said, and then they get LeMont, Bentley, and St. A's at home. So pace could make some noise early. They could make some noise early.

SPEAKER_01 28:24

You have a very good argument there, Mr. Moran. Very good argument. I think I think they're gonna be upwards in the top 10. I do. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 28:36

Well then what do you think about Bentley? The Falcons. Coach Jim Murphy. You know how long he's been there, Kev? 30 plus years. That's right. 31 years as head coach of Bentley Falcons. How about that? That's that's amazing. I mean, I have to. We have to put the applause in there for that. Uh last year, Bentley was a pretty, pretty competitive team. I watched him play a couple times. They were they were physical, kind of blue-collar team. I like their field. It's nice. Looks real nice on TV. Um, they went six and four in conference and eight and six, or they're above 500 team playing in the tough NE10, where you got a couple of ranked squads in Pace, you know, Lemoine, Adelphi, St. A's. So they got to play those guys, you know.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

So, but they're and that's who they lost to last year. They they lost to ranked teams, they lost to Mercy, they lost to Saint A's, they lost to Pace by one, they lost to Adelphi and Lemoyne.

SPEAKER_02 29:42

So they played five ranked teams. So yeah, that's a hell of a schedule. You know, that's a hell of a schedule. Yeah. So, but you know, Luke Jabricks coming back, he's coming back. They got some players coming back.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

Yeah, I think the problem is that the challenge is that they lost some they're losing some really talented players. They're losing Ben Baldasaro, Ryan Birch, and Klay Moseman on on offense, and and on defense, uh, they're losing their goalkeeper, Keaton Rorick. Uh so that's big. That's big. I think it's gonna be defense, looks like they're more intact, but they were fairly long young last year with uh a freshman LSM and now sophomore, Alex Parton, who had 37 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers. But I think the defense is gonna really need to step up and take the lead because they've got so much to replace on offense. The other good news, though, they're face-off specialists who average 65 percent be back, and both Jake Tiska and Cam Bartolomeo. I hope I said those names. Bartolomeo. Bartolomeo. Bartolomeo.

SPEAKER_02 30:55

Bartolomeo, Cam Bartolomeo. Yeah, he's pretty good too. You know, you know, Nathan Aviti's coming back, Eric McKudz, McCodzies, Makadzi's coming back. Yep, yeah, they lost Baldicera, but Jacob Shoton's coming back on defense. Joe Fonso's coming back. So, you know what? They have a good core. Losing Keaton Rorick in goal, that's a biggie. He was really good. He was really good. We called his name a lot last year. He made some big staves and some big games and did some great things over the over the years for for the Falcons or Bentley. So I think they're gonna kind of be about the same, you know, that tough blue collar, you know, competitive, you know, maybe don't have what it takes yet to beat the Lemoines, but you know, gave Pace a real good game last year, you know. And so what do you think?

SPEAKER_01 31:51

I I'm right with you. You know, the interesting thing is they do have a lot of they have 24 freshmen and 19 sophomores, but they've got like 64 guys on the roster, so they still have a lot of upperclassmen and veteran players on that team. So I think they're they're going to be that the top end, the lower end of the the top of any 10 and the top of the if you want to call it the mid-pack, the middle of the pack.

SPEAKER_02 32:19

Mid-major, the mid-majors, I guess. Okay. I agree with that. You know, they're they're gonna struggle probably against some of the teams against, but you know what? They're not gonna struggle to the point where they're gonna get blown out, they're gonna be competitive, right? You know, they're gonna be competitive, and you know what? They're out of their out of conference schedule isn't bad. They play mercy, which is, you know, they're gonna be ranked.

SPEAKER_01 32:43

Yeah, we've got Georgian court. I have them playing Saint A's twice, I think. And one game is out of conference and then Mercy. Yeah, so we'll see.

SPEAKER_02 32:54

We'll see what the Bentley Falcons do. They're good, like you said, they're gonna be right in the middle of that conference somewhere. You know, they might knock on the door to be ranked in 18, 19, 20. You know, they might even get votes to be ranked. We'll have to see how they start off their season.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I I can tell you that USA Lacrosse had them at 14 in the for the preseason poll. So they're always going to be tough.

SPEAKER_02 33:23

14 seems seems a little uh seems a little high for me. Just I'm not taking anything away from the Bentley Falcons, but I just think it's a little high. Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_01 33:33

All right, so let's talk Southern New Hampshire. The penman.

SPEAKER_02 33:38

The penman, I like that name. It's kind of cool. Paul Calkins, you know where you know where Southern New Hampshire University is, Kev?

SPEAKER_01 33:45

Where's that? Manchester. It's a beautiful part of the country. New hampshire.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

Well, I know. It's southern New Hampshire. Yeah. Manchester. Hey, they were five and five, seven and six. So they were 50% in conference, but above 500 overall. Yeah. So what is what does that tell you? Solid team. Um, I saw them play a Delphi and gave a Delphi every bit of a hard game. A Delphi was lucky to get out of that game that night. They did not want to stay in that game anymore. Southern New Hampshire is a pretty solid squad. It was the first time I had seen them. And I was really surprised at how good they were. They were not afraid of a Delphi. They came out firing. And uh, you know, Delphi wore them out at the end with the 400,000 midfielders that they have. Yeah, yeah. They just keep coming in, man. But yeah, you know what? I agree. They had a pretty good season. You know what? They clear at 81%. They averaged 45 shots a game, which isn't bad. That's pretty good. I mean, I like to see it up in the 45s, 49s that way.

SPEAKER_01 34:59

They had 37 man up, too. So they had some good stats. And I will tell you. And 65% at the face-off, Kev, huge. Big I'll tell you. I watched some great battles last season when they played teams like Franklin Pierce, St. Michaels, and Bentley. Those games are fun to watch. Just like you said, there is no let up with Southern New Hampshire.

SPEAKER_02 35:25

Yeah, they play competitive ball, but you know what? They turn the ball over a lot. That's a problem. You know, they turn the ball over more than their opponents. So they got to hold on to the ball and not make mistakes. You know, that's what happens with a young team, but they got some guys coming back now that put up some pretty big numbers last year. Got Ryan Auger coming back. He had 22 goals, 26 assists, and 48 points. That's a solid season, Kev. That's a solid season. Then you got Tristan Peets coming back. He had 22 goals and 21 assists. And and Jack Toronas is coming back. You know where Jack's from? Where is he from? Anaheim, California. Well, there's a change for you. Coming all the way out east to play lacrosse, probably a business major is going to go back to California and become very rich. I have a feeling. So Jack's coming back. He had 28 and 8 to 36 points last year. So they got players that come back.

SPEAKER_01 36:26

Right. They're top four scores. Those are the top three. And then Chris Valentine, they're fourth. They're all coming back.

SPEAKER_02 36:32

So they're going to be pretty good. They're going to be competitive. Again, those numbers are pretty good. I mean, they went five and five in conference. You know, four of those came against St. A's, Le Moyne, Adelphi, Pace. You know, those squads. All top 10 teams. You know, so they're losing against top-notch ranked squads, and then they're beating the other squads, Cap. So that tells you they're a pretty, pretty good squad.

SPEAKER_01 36:59

Yeah, and on defense, they've got some good returners too. Their goalies are returning. They've got two, Ronan DePaul and Alex Sturgis, who shared time. Ronan had the most minutes with a 46% save percentage. But Alex Sturgis had a 57% save percentage playing in six games and starting four. They both returned, along with LSM Sam Coate, who had 55 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers. That's a stud right there. And then on defense, they've got Dawson Center from Longmeadow, my hometown, and Nick Matisse returning. So they've got some solid guys coming back.

SPEAKER_02 37:36

That's a great core coming back. All of them seasoned, you know, they've been through the NE 10. They know the rigors, playing in the cold. This is it's tough to play in the NE 10, especially in the beginning of the season, Kev. It's cold up here. It's cold up here.

SPEAKER_01 37:51

Yeah. Well, and then the other thing you're pointing out, their face-off specialist returns. Gennaro Mara 66%.

SPEAKER_02 37:59

Because it started face-off. So you know what? Is this the year that Southern New Hampshire takes that step up the ladder in the NE 10 in the final standings at the end of the year? Are they the type of team that can maybe outdo the Bentley Falcons and maybe overtake that position? I think they're poised to do that.

SPEAKER_01 38:19

They could be. They could be, without a doubt. Okay, let's go.

SPEAKER_02 38:23

So let's talk about their out of conference.

SPEAKER_01 38:25

Yeah. They got they have Bridgeport. Yep. And Malloy. And Malloy. And I think that's it. That's all they've got for outcomes. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 38:36

That's it. Yeah. And they have Adelphi and Lemoyne and St. A's the first three games in the NE-10. So they're going to jab punch right hook in succession. It's going to come hard and quick. So so let's see what Southern New Hampshire does, man. If they can play competitive and then get back into conference and start beating some of these teams, like the Bentleys, and maybe give pace a run or a good game. Yeah. I think they're poised to make a little uh make a little noise this year, Kev.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

Totally agree. Totally agree. Here's another team that definitely wants to make noise and I think has a shot at it, and that's St. Rose. Coach Williams.

SPEAKER_02 39:20

I love Coach Williams. He's a good, good guy, man. I really like him. Um St. Rose went three and seven last year in conference, Kevin, eight and nine overall. Not a bad season. Not a bad season. Not the season I'm sure that Coach Williams was hoping for.

SPEAKER_01 39:36

Well, if you look at it though, they were one and eight in 2021. Now that had to be, obviously, that year was only played conference opponents, but still, when you can now kind of turn that around, almost be 500 and improve on your in-conference wins. I think that's a plus for him coming in his first year at St. Rose.

SPEAKER_02 40:00

Yeah, and they were young last year, but they were competitive. You know what? And now a coach there's second year now, you know. I think it's going to be a big difference in Saint in St. Rose this year. They got some players coming back as well, yeah. Who were really, really good. How about Eddie Baker? 42 goals, 13 assists for 55 points. Are you kidding me? Yeah, that's a that's a player right there. That's a kid like, how do you stop that? It's hard. They got Cam Smith come back. Guess what? He put 39 goals up last year, yeah, seven assists for 46 points. And you got Gabe Nish coming back. He had 23 goals, 11 assists for 34 points. So those three kids just put up big, big numbers last year.

SPEAKER_01 40:47

Yeah, they're all coming back. When you get your top three scores, like someone we talked about, some of these other teams, talk about just an added bonus to starting off the year. Yeah, it's a great way to start. It's a great way to start. How's their defense? Their defense, they're returning a lot. They got Eddie Wurst. He had 37 ground balls, uh, 22 cost turnovers, Walter Ross, 27 ground balls. There you go. Charlie Hoff, 26 ground balls, 26 cost turnovers, and their goalkeeper, Ryan Fleming, with a 57% save percentage is coming back. Now get this, they've also got some guys that are coming in, either freshmen or transfers. And that coach Williams says you've got to watch out for him. Owen Sweeney is a Salisbury transfer at face-off. He was 60% at Salisbury. And you know, and that's what St. Rose needs helped out, too, because they were only at 30 34 last year.

SPEAKER_02 41:49

Wow, that's great for Coach Williams. You know, that's great. And I'm looking at their out of out of uh conference schedule, and I'm very impressed with their out of conference schedule. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:00

Yeah. Yeah. Frostburg State at homewood field. Awesome. Georgian Court, Post, Chestnut Hill, and Roberts Westland.

SPEAKER_02 42:14

All tough games. All tough games. They're gonna play Coach Jez. They're gonna play Coach Gardelman, they're gonna play Mickey. There, they're there, that's a great out of conference schedule for St. Rose. Hey, if they could win, let's see, that's one, two, three, four, five, six. If they could win three of those games, that's gonna be an awesome thing for St. Rose.

SPEAKER_01 42:44

Yeah, because uh looking at it, that's a tough schedule. So to get win three. Yeah, I I agree. I think that would be great for them. I think it'd be great for their comments. I think even playing those guys, those teams, really gets them ready for the NE ten.

SPEAKER_02 43:03

It really does. And I was just gonna say that that now they get to start the NE 10 after playing a couple of big boys. I mean, Roberts Wesley's a good squad, Kev. Mercy's a good squad. Frostburg, they had some injuries last year. They're gonna be a good squad. Yeah, George and Court is always a good squad. And Coach Jess is the coach at post, and this is his second year. You know they're gonna improve too. And Chestnut Hill, they were in the conference championship last year. So, you know, all of these squads are good. That's a great out-of-conference schedule for St. Rose. Yeah, good luck, boys. You're gonna have one hell of a one hell of a season.

SPEAKER_01 43:45

Well, I'll tell you what, when Coach sent us the information, he gave us a quote that I had to read, I have to read because once again, it kind of shows you how he gets these guys ready. He said, I'm excited about year two with these guys. We've got an amazing group of guys who are working hard. We've added depth and it's really helped enhance both sides of the ball. This fall, there's a consistency and level of focus in our approach and our effort that wasn't here. This fall is the most fun I've had.

SPEAKER_02 44:13

There you go, man. Again, he's got like a bunch of good players coming back. Hey, they were three and seven, eight and nine. Not a bad season for his first year in the NE 10. Look at that out of the conference schedule. If he could go 50% on that out-of-conference schedule and then go 50%, that's gonna be yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:33

Yeah, I'll tell you if he goes 50% on that out of conference schedule, they are going into the NE 10 with real confidence. And then they're gonna be really scary. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:47

So you don't want those teams, you know, love those those those are those teams. Don't give them hope. Right, those are those teams. Don't give those teams hope. They get hope, man. Next thing you know, you're going home with an L. You know what I'm saying? So I like what St. Rose is doing, and I really like what Southern New Hampshire's ready to do. So there's two schools right there that are ready to make a step forward.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

I agree, I agree. Okay, let's talk Franklin Pierce, the Ravens.

SPEAKER_02 45:18

Ravens, Coach Callahan, three and seven last year in conference, six and seven overall. Small roster, Kev. Small roster team.

SPEAKER_01 45:28

Interesting, though. Interesting. So Coach Callahan was interim last year. They started off six and one, though, and they beat St. A's in overtime, which was a statement win. So they had some good things. Of course, they go six and one, and then of course, they they go 0-6 at the end. So that's a uh uh yin and a yang, I guess, if you want to put it that way. But um I I think I think that you're right, and they still have a small roster, so they still have a uh some growing pains to go through.

SPEAKER_02 46:03

Kev, they only averaged nine goals a game last year. Okay. Yep. You know, and they were only averaging about 39 shots per game. So it's it's tough. When you only have 27, 28 on your roster. You know, the when you get deep in games, especially those tough games where you're going back and forth, you know, sometimes you can get worn down. And that's I think what happened last year with Franklin Pierce. But they got a couple of guys coming back. Owen McCormick's coming back. He had 35 points last year, you know, 21 goals and 14 assists. And Caleb O'Keelah's coming back. Yep. He had 17 goals and nine assists for 26 points. But again, they only have six freshmen coming in. So I'm surprised at that a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 46:49

Yeah, and we have Coach Callahan on uh in a little bit. We talked to him earlier than when we doing this recording. We talked to him in early December, and he even pointed out that when he was there, it probably recruited as a little bit of step back from what he wanted because of what he had to really focus in on, which was uh taking care of the team in the season. But they're starting attack line returns. Uh, their goalkeeper, Mike Master Polo, returns, he's good. He's good. And they're gonna need him to play like he did last year, if not better, at a 50 percent 56% save percentage. So, you know what? I think their their goals are not going to be win the NE 10. I think it's gonna be like let's compete and win the mid-pack of the NE 10.

SPEAKER_02 47:38

Yeah, they're gonna they're gonna need they're gonna need help a little bit, I think. You know, they got a decent, decent out-of-conference schedule.

SPEAKER_01 47:46

Deuville, LaSalle, which is probably like a D3 school, right? Yeah, I'm not sure. I didn't even see their out of 2023 out-of-conference. Malloy, Malloy, Bridgeport, and Caldwell.

SPEAKER_02 48:01

So that's their out-of-conference schedule. So they have one, two, three, four, five, five games before they go into uh any 10 play. You know, they average nine goals a game, 39 shots per game. They're only 20% on their man up. They were at 30 plus 38% on the faceoff. You know, they're a middle of the a middle of the pack team, Cap. I, you know, again, 27 on the roster, only six freshmen. Gonna be interested to see what what Franklin Pierce can do.

SPEAKER_01 48:31

Well, I I think with Coach Callahan coming in, uh I really enjoy talking to him. We'll get to hear him a little bit. I I think he's gonna get them going in the right direction. It's not gonna be just this year. It's gonna have to be incremental, and this year's one of those years. Yep, 100%. All right, let's talk Assumption Greyhounds.

SPEAKER_02 48:54

Greyhounds, coach Guy Borden running the Greyhounds up there. They were three and seven in conference last year, four and nine in overall, struggles kind of season. But they got some boys coming back, but you know what? Only averaged 37 shots per game, only 18% on the man up. Yeah, that's tough. Yeah, that's where they need some improvement.

SPEAKER_01 49:15

The good news is they are returning their starting attack and MIDI lines with Cameron Thoreau, Ryan Healy, Nolan Sheehan, Jackson Bulger, CJ Wiper, and Brady McNulty. So that's a good good news, and maybe that will help them uh get their man up a little bit better. Most of their starting D returns as well with Cooper Joyle, Aiden Boyle, Jack Galvin, and Teddy Willett. So, you know, they're they've got the core returning. So I think that's really positive for them.

SPEAKER_02 49:46

Yeah, you know, they they they turned the ball over a lot last year, much more than their opponents. And they they're in the box a lot, Kev. So if you're gonna cause penalties, give the other team opportunity to score on a power play on a man up, you know, and and you're turning the ball over more than your opponents. Hey, you know what they say about turnovers? Team with a more turnovers more than likely loses the game. So you gotta watch the turnovers, they gotta stay out of the box, which is you know, it's something that every lacrosse team needs to do. But that was a problem for them last year.

SPEAKER_01 50:24

Yeah, there's nothing more that we'll talk about AIC in a little bit. So obviously, as you probably remember, I went to college in Worcester, right where Assumption is that at Holy Cross. So I'm I've got a soft spot spot for Assumption. I like to see him climb that ladder in the NE10. I think there's some good news stories on who they're returning. Now, if you look at their stats and their individual stats, they spread the wealth on offense and defense. They really didn't have anyone that was a dominant player. Now, that's okay, though. Uh, but I think you need to improve on that as you move up this to this next year, as you've got all these guys returning, and you talked about it. You've got to increase the goals per game, you've got to do better and man up. There's all the stay out of the box, and maybe that's just because of where they were last year. Now that these guys all are coming back in a little more season, maybe they'll be able to do that. They're out of conference, actually, I think is good for them.

SPEAKER_02 51:19

Pretty good. Yeah, it is pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 51:22

Politician, Roberts Wesleyan, Bridgeport, Georgian Court, Caldwell, and Malloy. Uh, and that's later on in April. I think that is a competitive out of conference for them that will it's not as strong as I would say you look at St. Rose and what they're doing, but I think of where Assumption is, I think that's this is really good for them.

SPEAKER_02 51:43

Yeah, it's a tough couple tough games, you know. Again, Georgian Court, Roberts Wesley, and you know. I'm I'm I'm interested to see Bridgeport play. I really am. I'm looking forward to seeing seeing those guys on the field and see what they look like. But you know, two assumptions. Uh they at least they get to play Lemoyne and pace at home.

SPEAKER_01 52:04

When they get to guys returning, so let's see what they can do with that. Yeah. Okay. Let's talk the Purple Knights of St. Michael's. St. Michaels, Coach Alex Smith.

SPEAKER_02 52:18

In Colchester, Vermont, the school is located, Kev. Yeah. Bet you a lot of listeners didn't know that. You know, if you're a kid and you you like to snowboard and ski, St. Michael's might be the school for you. Hey, they were two and eight in conference, three and twelve overall last year. You know what? They were somewhat competitive when I looked at their last year's schedule. They were in some games.

SPEAKER_01 52:42

I mean, they didn't well, they beat Lake Erie and Franklin Pierce, you know. Right. Beat those teams. Yeah, I mean, especially Lake Erie. That that's a that's a quality win right there.

SPEAKER_02 52:54

Absolutely, 100%. Again, I think that they were somewhat competitive, even with the you know, the 12 losses overall, you know, but they were against they had games against nationally ranked opponents. And they Lake Erie was number 19 when they played them. Yeah. So that was a huge win for them. So they got some guys coming back. They got a kid, Max Cadavolis, Kev, put up 45 points last year, 31 goals and 14 assists. Uh senior attackman Drew Collins, 15 goals, nine assists, 24 points. Have a sophomore midfielder, Ethan Hughes, coming back with 12 goals and six assists for 18 points. These are guys, like you said, they spread the wealth a little bit. Yeah. You know, a lot of guys getting touches.

SPEAKER_01 53:43

They also have MIDI Sebastian Simonson coming back. He had 25 goals last year as a freshman.

SPEAKER_02 53:50

Definitely. They got some players there, you know, that are coming back. They can they can make some noise. Hey, they did some, they did some pretty good things last year at St. Michael's, you know, almost at 80% on their clear, 30 to 6% on their faceoff, but they're only averaging 38 shots per game. But they were 46% on their man up. Yeah. So, you know, they do well on the man ups, you know, and they and they don't, but they don't shoot a lot of shots. They need to get more shots off, get some more goals.

SPEAKER_01 54:21

And yeah, just like assumption, they're at that like 9.4 goals per game. So that's gotta be the improvement. That comes with being able to actually get more shots on goal as well.

SPEAKER_02 54:32

So yeah. And again, to their to their credit, they played five-ranked teams last year, yeah. Yeah. I know other teams in the NE 10 that did not play five-ranked teams last year. Right. Right.

SPEAKER_01 54:44

So their out of conference this year is is also good. It's post Felician, Lake Erie again, and then then Bridgeport. So I think that's I think that's a favorable out of conference for them. They'll be competitive in every one of those games. So I think what they they look to me like they will be they'll be good on offense with the returners they've got, and they got to build from last year on D. Because I think D is more the question for them. And that defense has got to hold up because that's gonna help them be able to get it in the offensive side for more shots on goal.

SPEAKER_02 55:19

Again, that's this is a team that turned the ball over a lot last year. Again, and you're in the NE 10. You can't turn the ball over, Kev. It spells doom every time. So again, but to their credit, they played five ranked teams, and that's more than other NE-10 teams played last year. So I gotta give you know Coach Smith at St. Mike's there some, you know, some props for that. That's huge. And then playing Post, again, I think Post is going to be a much improved team. Lake Erie, we talked about, I think is gonna be a much improved team. Yep. Well, and same thing with Falian. Yep. But to their favor, they get a Delphi and St. A's at home. So when you got two big boys coming in, at least you get two of them at home. And that's that's good.

SPEAKER_01 56:04

Yeah, exactly. Okay, last team in the NE 10, AIC, the Yellow Jackets.

SPEAKER_02 56:12

Yeah, up in Springfield, Massachusetts. That's right, right around my backyard. It's cold up there, man.

SPEAKER_01 56:22

Did you ski a lot? Were you a skier? Oh yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. In the Berkshire's and then up in New Hampshire and Vermont, sure.

SPEAKER_02 56:29

Sure, yeah. All right, got to. So Coach Jack Spallone, we had coach on our team on our program this year. He was very nice, came on. They struggled last year, Kev. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:40

Big time. Yep. You know, they were 1-14 last year, uh, overall, an 0-10 in conference. And like you said, they struggled, but they were trying to build a lot of their team and almost grow the sport internally with non-lacrosse players. Um, so yeah, it was it was it's an interesting dynamic. We talked about this before. They have a lot of players from around the western mass area. Not that western mass isn't doesn't have a lot of good lacrosse players because they do. But I think what Coach Spallone is coming with is he's trying to bring guys from the outside. He's got nine to ten freshmen this year, and they're pulling places like Canada, Minnesota, and Vermont. So he's trying to get some other players from outside the Western Mass area to add depth and and help his team.

SPEAKER_02 57:32

Well, you know what? Recruiting in the NE10 is tough, Kev, because they're all kind of recruiting the same players. A lot of them from the same area, they're at the same tournaments that all these coaches are going to see when these guys are seniors. So when they're recruiting, they're kind of all recruiting the same players. So AIC, I guess, you know, has had trouble recruiting outside of their region.

SPEAKER_01 57:55

Well, and the other problem is even in region for them, when you talk about Amherst D3, West New England D3, UMass D1, all right there within 20-30 minutes of AIC, and you got Western Mass players that if they're good, those schools are knocking on their door too. It's it's a little bit of a tough haul. But I really think after talking to Coach Ballone, I think once again, like we talked about with Assumption and some of the and and Franklin Pierce, it's not gonna be this year necessarily, but this year is gonna start to uh turn the tide for them, I think. Um they've got some good returners coming back with an N10 all rookies, Hunter Turlich on attack and Gabe Zippen on D. And also the all New England second team on on D is Clark Martian. So he's they've got some good players coming back.

SPEAKER_02 58:52

Yeah, they have 30 on their roster, Kev, which is on the low side, but nine new freshmen. So that's good. Yep, that's good. Yep, that's good. That's some that's more than some of the other NE10s got coming could coming in. So, and they put they're out of conference, they play St. Thomas Aquinas, they play Bridgeport, and they play Caldwell.

SPEAKER_01 59:12

So they have three out of conference before they have to start. Right. I've got I've got them also playing Dominican, Post, and Felician. Oh, yeah, okay. That wasn't on the list.

SPEAKER_02 59:21

Okay, I didn't see that.

SPEAKER_01 59:22

So uh and I've got the Caldwell game marked. I'm gonna try to get up there to AIC and watch that game because as you remember, Coach Lopes and Coach Ballone played together in college. Right, right, which is cool. It'll be a fun game, but that'll be a fun game to watch. So they you know they this is a this is a building block for AIC. You know, this is AIC trying to get them placed, get them to the spot where they can be a contender just in the NE10, be more competitive in the NA10.

SPEAKER_02 59:56

Yeah, I I couldn't agree with you more. Coach Spallone, he's got his work cut out for him. Let's give him a couple years, let's see what happens with AIC. Again, the NE 10 is tough, cold in the winter. Those first couple of games, that first month of the season is oh my god, you don't know what kind of weather you're gonna have. So those the the NE10 is a blue-collar, tough uh conference that plays in weather. They're stacked pretty much throughout you know, the the whole conference is pretty good. It's pretty good. The whole conference, yeah. But you got your studs up on top and being, you know, a Delphi, Lemoyne, Pace, and St. Aides, those four up top. Then everybody else fighting to get to those where those guys are.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:45

Exactly. Exactly. And so that was that, and that's a great way to end that that rundown. That's a great way to look at it. So now let's let's shift. Like I said earlier in the podcast, um, we were able to speak to Coach Devin Callahan of Franklin Pierce uh about a month or so ago. It was great to have him on. It was it was he gives a great perspective of where his team is in the NE 10 and then the NE10 itself. So what do you say? Should we just roll that tape now? Let's get him on.

Coach Callahan of Franklin Pierce

SPEAKER_01 1:01:25

Hey coach, welcome. How are you doing tonight?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:27

I'm doing well, how are you?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:30

Doing great, doing great. It's great to have you on. Thank you for having me. Very excited to be here. Okay, so let me just start off. You held the interim tag last year, and yet you led your team to its best start in program history, going six and one in the first seven games, including an overtime win against St. A's, which was an amazing game to watch. I watched the whole thing, and it was a great, great game. And I think a statement win for your program. So, what was that start like? And then talk a little bit about that game against St. A's.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:08

Yeah, uh the start, I mean, obviously it's it was a special start. Um, you know, you you lose your head coach in the middle of the year, and um, and then all of a sudden, you know, you have a young assistant that has an opportunity to step into an interim tag and um 30 guys that are sort of looking for some answers and and a bit of guidance. And for us to come together as a group um and for those guys to put some trust in me, um, you know, and and for us to put that run together was it was pretty great. Um I was very thankful to have some older guys. I had a couple of graduate, uh, I'm sorry, three graduate captains um that were there when I when I took over. So, so that of course helps when you have some older guys in the mix. We had uh a really strong uh core group of defensemen that were very, very helpful, very vocal on the defensive side of the ball, um, and and a really good young goalie. And yeah, it was it was sort of um it all happened really quickly. Um, we got back January 18th. Uh, you know, all of our guys got back. We had a team meeting, and then you know, then all of a sudden we're practicing, and and then you know, then it all is is going, and all of a sudden it's some things were going well.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:27

You know, that's good. That's good.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:29

Yeah, good thing. Yeah, that's a good thing. So the Saint A's, you know, the Saint A's game, that that was you know, a midweek game going to their place. Obviously, you know, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Shimano. Yeah um I don't know him too too well, but really nice guys. Yeah. From from a distance, um you know, it's hard not to have a lot of respect for him. Uh his his kids were respectful throughout the entire game. They obviously have an incredible amount of talent. I know that when we played them, you know, their starting face-off guy was out. I know Jack Andrews had a broken hand. Um, you know, we just we went in there and it was just one of those things. I don't think we overthought too many things. We just said, hey, it's it's St. A's, it's a an incredible top 20 team, and and what an opportunity for us to go in there. We had nothing to lose. Um and we went in there and and and just kind of battled it out with them and and you know, matched up well with them that night and and ended up coming out on top.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:32

That's awesome. That's an awesome story. Yeah, it is, coach, and it was phenomenal to see. And now you've been named the head coach. And actually, I got some DMs from parents and other people who, like Danny and I, just said, that is well deserved. You deserved being the head coach based on what you did last year, but let's move on from that. And and I'm I'm I know you didn't just put that as your accolade and be like, okay, this is great. I'm the head coach now. So what are your goals for this year?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:02

Yeah. Um well, this year, this year is definitely a foundational year. Um, I, you know, this summer, uh, like all college coaches, uh, you're on the road grinding, trying to find some guys, filling, you know, trying to fill my 2023 class. I did feel like I was I was behind just from a timing standpoint because I took over in the middle of the year and and was sort of hyper focused on trying to keep everything together here. Yeah, um, so you know, going into the summer was really, really focused on trying to to build that 2023 class. And I'm pretty happy with that. And so, you know, after the summer started to started to calm down a little bit and and really getting ready for the fall, my focus was just laying the foundation. You know, anytime that there's a coaching change, um things will change, things will shift. Um Will change, um, you know, standards will change, things that are prioritized will change. Um so all of these moving pieces, you know, has made made for uh, you know, it was it was a lot this ball. I had to try to find some captains as well. Um, you know, that was the other thing too, is trying to look up and down the roster and try to figure out who are some guys that understand what I'm about. They understand what I'm trying to do, and and how do I platform those guys? How do we get those guys in a leadership position? Um just setting the standard, I think, for style of play and approach, and you know, how do we attack practices, how do we all of the little, I mean, it's all the sort of the small cliche things, right? Like attention to detail and making sure you're you're on time and everybody looks the same and everybody's on the same page, they understand what we're trying to do, not accepting poor performance because of effort in practice. Like we can, you know, I'm I'm not obviously if guy makes mistakes, you know, he he makes a mistake. But if if we're not, if the effort's not there, if the body language is poor, you know, these are all things that can be detrimental in the long run. So yeah, it was just the the foundation is is really you know important, obviously. And then the recruiting, we have a very small group of freshmen this year, you know, a small recruiting class, I think, was a result, you know, the various things, um, timing and and you know, coaching changes. And so from a numbers standpoint, we're pretty limited. Uh, we have I have 29 guys on the roster, which of course, as you both know, is is not exactly ideal. Yeah. Um, but this fall, we have not, you know, it hasn't there hasn't been one practice where we felt like, oh my gosh, we only have 29 guys. There's so much that we can't do. We've really I've done my best to try to focus on things that we can do. Um to um, you know, scrimmaging, if if we don't necessarily have the right numbers for that, well, we'll just modify it and we'll still get after it. There's no excuse. Yeah, it's it's been a lot, you know. We finally were able to name some captains, and I feel um, even though we're not exactly where we want to be, we have certainly made improvements. We had our last practice last Friday. And I said that to the guys. I, you know, we're we're definitely not where we want to be. We're young, uh, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. We have a ton of experience there, but we have made progress, even though it might not exactly feel like it. We don't have a perfect measuring stick yet of saying, hey, where where are we? Um, which is tends to be the case with fallball, right? You don't exactly have a measuring stick. Um, but yeah, we we made progress, but yeah, found foundational year and just trying to set the standard. I know that that sounds really cliche, but it's the truth, and me trying to put my own stamp on things and how I want to do it.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:52

And right so yeah, it's a lot sometimes team there's some positives to make out of it. You might take your lumps here and there, you know, as they as they learn NCAA game and as they grow and get bigger in the gym and get you know, pro-ins man, but it's freshmen and sophomores, you know, they're gonna get on the field because of the numbers. And that's a good thing because oh yeah, they'll make mistakes, they'll do, they'll do a freshman or a young sophomore, but they're gonna learn from mistakes. And by the time, and I say it to Kevin all the time, by the time kids, I like when freshmen play because by the time they're they're gonna be seasoned. And you know what I mean? They'll they'll have so many games under their belt, they'll see in every type of you know, game weather condition. They've been through the runs, they've been through the lifts, they've been through study hall, and they, you know, they're more mature and they just become players. And that's what I think you can take a positive out of a small roster.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:55

Yeah, I I totally agree. And I and the other thing, and it was sort of building off of last spring was my job is to try to be as resourceful when you have small numbers, and as an example, like we have a very small number of defensemen this year. We only have six, six defensemen. Um, so how do you get creative? How do you find guys that you could maybe elevate, or not that you ever want to change positions on the fly, but just trying to be as resourceful as possible. And maybe you have somebody on the roster that is uh very athletic and can get up and down, but may not necessarily have the stick skills to play at this level. Can you plug him in in a different position so that he can help your team as opposed to, you know, maybe he's an attackman and he's just sitting on your bench not doing you any good. Right. But when you only have 29 guys, you have to try to maximize those, you know, everything that you've got. So that that was part of it too. And and to your point about young guys getting playing time, like say the guy, uh, the guys just need to understand, like, this is just what we have. Like, we can't, is it ideal? No, but this is just what we have. We can't change the situation. I can't snap my fingers and and obtain five graduate defensemen overnight. It's just sort of is what it is, and um, they've done a really good job. And and a lot of that uh has fallen just on the defensive side of the ball. A lot of that has fallen on my goalie, uh, Mikey Master Polo, our starter, who's only a sophomore.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:21

He was good, he was fun to watch last year.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:23

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:24

He's uh he was fun to watch.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:26

He's he's a he's a very good player, he's a very good kid. Um, but he's a guy that now all of a sudden needs to find his voice. Like he went from playing with seasoned defensemen that were making uh you know almost all of the calls, doing most of the communication. And now all of a sudden a sophomore needs to really change his style of play when it comes to the vocal aspect of the game. And now he's the one that our our uh sophomores and and freshmen are looking to to say, all right, well, what where are we at defensively? And and so that has taken a bit of time for him to, you know, and he's done a great job with it, but that's a lot for a young, especially goalie in a perfect world. You know, your goalie's job is to stop the ball, and that's that's the goalie's job. And now you're you're asking him to do more than that. It's it's a lot, you know.

unknown 1:12:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:14

When you have, you're exactly right, when you have uh upperclassmen, seniors or graduate students that you had, you like Kyle Fortier, Luke Newman, Robert Colburn that could run the defense, and now you're asking the sophomore goalie to take the quarterback position of the defense when he didn't need to do it last year. That's that's like quadrupling his work production on the field because he's got to see not that he doesn't see things from the goalie position, but now he's got to understand it and move guys in the right position so that it makes his his looks easier, right? And so that it's really that's an interesting dynamic you just pointed out, coach.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:54

Yeah, yeah. It's uh, and like I said, it's just been and then the the guys that are playing in front of them are are sophomores, and and one kid is actually uh he changed positions this year. He he came in to to Pierce as an attackman, and he was sort of one of those guys I was alluding to. Um good athlete, tough kid. Um, but just you know, we had some older guys in the attack position, and he finally made the switch last year to D Midi and got some playing time. And now this year, just based off needs, you know, we needed a defenseman and a guy that we could rely on, and he's really stepped up. So you're talking about a junior that switched positions this year and two sophomores and then a couple of freshmen and one senior who's hurt right now, that it's sort of um you know, it's a little bit uh it's a little bit scrappy, but they've they've done a really good job and they've are finally starting to understand that the communication piece um will ultimately you know either make or break us. And if we can stay on the same page and communicate, um, you know, we'll be okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:54

But yeah, it's yeah, but then on you then let's switch to your offensive side really quickly. I mean, you've got some of your top scorers returning with Owen McCormick, Stephen Eli, and Caleb Akala. So do you feel that's the more so obviously that feels the more solid side of the of the ball for you?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:09

Yeah, yeah. I mean, uh obviously those guys uh are very skilled. I I still think part of it is we're we're just developing our offensive identity a bit and and what exactly it it looks like and and how do we want to play? Um it it certainly helps when you have three starting attackmen back um teacher, but it's you know, again, it's guys trying to understand their roles and exactly like where do they fall into play? And last year we're we changed, you know, what those dudes were used to playing with for three years, all of a sudden that shifted last spring. And we're still, you know, that takes a while for guys to understand the rules and and the concepts and all those things. So yeah, it it definitely helps, but it's still um, you know, it's it's it's all uh a growing process. But I'm I'm hoping to be able to lean on those guys, you know, a lot this season, especially on obviously on the offensive side of the ball. And and if they can understand what we're trying to do, then that that will be huge for us.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:08

Plus, plus you play in the NE 10, coach. It's not you know, the NE10 is uh Kevin calls it the granddaddy of them all when it comes to division two conferences, you know. Um the top dogs are really, really good in this conference. And you know what? To play those is I like when you play the big dogs. I just think that makes your your squad better. It's you know, they're gonna learn from it. And you know what? I just I like what I'm hearing right now. Franklin Pierce, it sounds like you're in a good place. You'd maybe you'd like a little bit more numbers or something like that, but you know, that'll come. That'll come.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:45

Yeah, absolutely. Um, and you know, like you to your point about the conference, I mean, there's there's no there's there's no uh there's no really time to have a rebuilding period or anything like that. I mean, it's just I mean, of course, the you know, Lemoyne, Adelphi, Pace, St. A's, Bentley, um, just recently they've they've been towards the top of the conference. But, you know, now with teams like St. Rose, St. Michaels, Assumption, AIC, Southern New Hampshire, like there's I mean, I was talking to my captains today um about the season, and there's no, I mean, we can't even think for a second that we can walk in comfortable to any game. Like it's I mean, it's crazy. It's awesome for the conference, though. I think that that, you know, to get back to the St. A's thing, like that uh that game for the program was great. Um, you know, we it's but it's really hard for me as a coach to think about that six and one start and the Saint A's win without thinking about the 0-6 finish. Um, that that was really, really tough. But again, just what what hopefully that can prove to to our guy to our at least our returners is that maybe the games that felt like we're were completely out of reach maybe aren't if we show up and we play really hard. Um I think that if we can if that continues to happen throughout the conference, it's just it's good for everybody. I mean, 100%. How could you ask for anything else when you have like to your to your point, you know, the NE 10 being who they are historically with the powerhouse programs, but now, you know, maybe the the middle of the pack uh teams, all of a sudden those guys, you know, we feel like we can be competitive and and uh that there's no reason why if we play well that we can't compete with some of those better teams. But that you know, it's not gonna happen overnight. Uh, you know, like I'm not gonna be able to snap my fingers and be like, hey, we're you know, we're all of a sudden we're at Lemoyne's level, obviously. Um, but uh the the short-term goal here from for the program for me is is to be the like just if we're looking at it in increments, right? Before we before you can jump to the top of the conference, you have to be the best where you're at right now. And and historically we've been towards the middle of the pack. And and if we can be the best of those teams that I just mentioned, Assumption, St. A's, excuse me, Assumption, St. Michael's, Southern New Hampshire, AIC, and St. Rose. Um, you know, we we have to focus on those teams first, um, because those those guys are good every all of those teams are very good every year. They're only getting better. So we have to focus on being the best of those guys. And if we can, if we can do that consistently, you know, then we can, you know, we can worry about some of those higher end teams.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:27

Coach, are you coached low right now?

SPEAKER_00 1:18:29

Do you have any assist, dude? Uh yeah, unfortunately, I have been alone, yeah, since the beginning of the summer. It's not obviously not by choice. Um, the job has been posted on IMCLA for, I mean, since the end of last season. And uh yeah, that I'm a I'm uh no, I don't have an assistant, so it's it's it's been uh challenge, obviously.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:54

A lot of hats, brother. You're wearing a lot of hats, but you know what? Yeah, you sound like you got it together and and things are going in the right direction. I I I commend you for and I really do.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:05

Yeah, I I appreciate it. And it to the point about uh having low numbers, it's the same thing. Like, what am I, you know, what am I gonna do? Am I gonna feel sorry for myself and go, oh man, I don't have an assistant. Like there's definitely some afternoons where I'm sitting in my office staring at the walls, going, all right, well, is this the is this the and that's you know, that's the thing about as you two know, just being able to talk lacrosse. I mean, right having an assistant coach, having another set of eyeballs, having somebody that you can discuss concepts with that's not a player. And and my captains have been fantastic, but um, you know, there there's obviously a clear difference between having somebody that's not a player that you can have discourse with and talk about ideas and concepts. And hey, what do you think about this or what do you think about that? And um yeah, it's it's been hard, but um, you know, it's we have I have a graduate assistantship position, so the all the the pool of applicants that would be taking master's classes in coaching because of COVID are taking master's classes in playing. So that shrinks the value down.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:10

Um, so there's there's tons of schools looking for GAs, and I I know I'm not the only one, but yeah, it's it's it's it wasn't easy. Um, but the that my captains I have leaned heavily on and really tried to um give them a lot of responsibility, and and of course it it's helping me, but I think in the long run it's it's helping everybody in the program because if guys if guys can't listen and respect our captains, then um as you guys know, it's you know you're not gonna go very far. So it's it's been a challenge.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:43

Well, I'll tell you what though, coach, hearing what you've said, you you're taking, I think, an incremental pro approach. And Danny and I have talked about this on the podcast. You know, you don't build Rome in a day. Like you said, you can't snap your fingers and get 10 more players to show up that are D2 level ready. And so you're gonna it's gonna be a building process, and you're doing it, in my opinion, in the right way. You're setting the foundation, and that comes first before you even step on the field of what you expect, even what you talked about having the offensive players coming back, but it's a new offense that you're trying to get them to play in, that takes time. And if you can win the NE10 mid-pack group, that's the confidence builders to then to close the gap with the teams ahead of uh, you know, the the the paces and the Lemoines and the Delphi. So I'm excited to see where you guys go this season, and we can't thank you enough for coming on because, like I told you when I asked you to come on, we we don't just get the top coaches here. We've had all the top coaches on, but we want everyone to hear other programs that are out there and what what you're building at Franklin Pierce. And it's been great hearing what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:57

Yeah, I I really appreciate it. Um, yeah, it's it's I'm really, really excited. I I feel extremely uh blessed to have this opportunity. I mean, what more could I ask for to be a head coach in the Northeast 10 conference? Um it's it's really an amazing opportunity. So I'm gonna do everything I can to make the most of it and and uh make sure that that Franklin Pierce is going in the right direction. And um, you know, I I did also want to mention too, Rick Senator, who was the coach here for 10 years, you know, he built this program from it was basically nothing before Rick took over, and um, him and I got along well. So um there are definitely some things that I'm gonna make sure that I hang on from Rick's time, and and now it's it's my uh my job to kind of put my touch on things and and take it in uh in a direction that I want.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:46

So uh I'm really excited. We wish you the best of luck, coach. It's been a great guest tonight. And my nephew actually uh played at Frank Pierce, he graduated about five years ago, D Robbie Myers, and uh pretty good athlete, football, basketball player, lacrosse player in high school. And I never knew about Frank Pierce until there. And he went there. I was like, wow, that's a good little school, you know, it's a nice little tuck up in New Hampshire there, and uh just you know, he he did well and he gave himself a good education, and that's what they're there for, really. You know, to get the education and he did well. Um both his parents were teachers, and I think that's what he's doing. I think the teaching field as well.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:30

But um I'm sorry to interrupt Robbie. He is he that name sounds super familiar. He's a high school coach in New Jersey, right? Yes, yes. So I actually it's that's hilarious that you mentioned that because I actually got one of his guys coming here next year. Oh, really? Coach right yeah, it's coming to me because I mean they refer to him as Coach Robbie, but I'm assuming um, you know, it's it's the same guy. He uh yeah, we had uh kid Noah Pelange um coming here. He's a lofty defenseman, and and Coach Robbie was his high school coach.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:01

Oh, that's great, that's good to hear. See how it's a small world, it really is. But but that's how I got to know about Franklin Pearson. I would watch, you know, I'd watch him play, get you know, I'd stream the games and whatever. And last year I streamed a couple of Franklin Pierce games, and uh I just you know I think it's a you know good lacrosse program. I always thought it was good, you know. You guys, again, you're in the NE 10, man. It's not an easy, it's not an easy conference. I mean, there's some big dogs in the NE10. And I mean, I mean, it's just a great, great conference, top, top to bottom. Again, coach, thank you so much for coming on. We really appreciate it. Um, wish you all the best of luck in this season.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:43

Awesome. Thanks so much for having me, guys. Have

Final Thoughts

SPEAKER_00 1:24:45

a great night.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:46

All right, Danny. I I really like Coach Callahan's fresh and very candid perspective of where his team is and where he's trying to bring them. Yep, very candid indeed, enthusiastic.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:58

He's got a you know, he knows he's got his he's got his work cut out for him at AIC, but he's all off to a good start. He's got a couple of guys like coming back, he's got a good core group, and um they just have to make that that that that turn.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:14

Exactly, exactly. And so that that kind of ends it, Danny, for our conference previews. And so next week we get to turn just before the season starts to our top 20 list. Oh boy, this is gonna be interesting. This is gonna be interesting. I've already started to do it, and I'm just like last year, it is tough, but it's gonna be a lot of fun as we go through. You'll have yours, I'll have mine, and we'll get to discuss it. I can't wait.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:45

And we'll compare it to what what the coaches uh or the uh APs or whatever the USA lacrosse. Yeah, yeah, we'll compare it to them. I don't know. It's gonna be interesting to to give us our top 20. You're again, you're gonna give yours, I'll give mine, and we'll kind of compare it to uh what we think. That's always one of the fun ones. That's that's gonna be a good one.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:08

Yeah, we already had a few people asking about that. Like, when are you gonna come up with your top 20? Well, it's coming now, whether you like it or not. You're just gonna have to see where it ends up.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:16

But everything's this is but this is where coaches like us get pissed off at us because they remember it. Hey coaches, just remember neither one of us played the game, okay? All right, we're just gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:28

It's all for fun. It's all for fun.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:30

But you know what? You and I have really dug deep hard in the last year. We we talk statistics, we talk about where they play, injuries, coaching, who they got on their schedule. We really get into the nuts and bolts of it.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:45

So we're not that far off, I think. Well, I I'll I'll go back and what I said last year and what I had last year and where things ended up, and then we'll see how far off I really was.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:55

Oh, you you okay. You kept that? That's interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:58

Oh, yeah. I've got it in my files, buddy.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:02

Oh god, I wish I wish I had kept mine to see what I did last year.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:07

You and I were fairly close. We'll have to see how it goes. But uh Okay. And last thing I've gotta I I've gotta say is, and we posted this on social media, both of you and then our on our in the crease uh accounts of our 2022 stats for the podcast. And just a little bit of them. You know, we had almost 20,000 downloads last year. We hit 23 different countries were listening to us at some time, at least one show. And so all I can say is thank you to all the fans out there. This is it, it really has been it's a labor of love for both you and me. It's become my my favorite pastime. You can ask my wife, she calls herself a podcast widow now. But uh that's funny. It's it's a testament to our listeners. That's part of it. Just hearing from them and then seeing that kind of was kind of cool to see.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:04

I uh Kevin, when you sent that to me, I I was in shock. I was amazed. 23 countries. I don't think I can name 23 countries. I would I'd be here for quite a while trying to can you name 23 countries? I don't think I could do it. That's just amazing. I'm humbled, I'm humbled by it all. I I if I've said it once, I've said it a million times. I sometimes I have a hard time wrapping my head around how many people are actually listening, that the coaches are coming on and they enjoy what we're doing, and they're they're giving us information for our podcast, and it's just been it's been a lot of fun. And you know what, Kevin? We're still the only boat in the bay for Division II men's lacrosse.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:47

That's right. That's right. And with that, Danny, it's a good way to end. That's a wrap. That's a wrap.