Conference Previews for the 2026 Season - GMAC

Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of In the Greek with Danny. I'm your co-host, Kevin Stencerm, and with me as always is the man who is never a day late or a dollar short, unlike his co-host, Danny Moran. Hey Danny.

SPEAKER_02 0:51

Hey Kevin, how are you doing tonight? How's everything in Northern Virginia this evening?

SPEAKER_00 0:55

It's going well, going well. Uh, we actually are recording this a couple days before Thanksgiving. And that's my whole point with you're never a day late, a dollar short, and I missed the boat on this one. I keep on forgetting we're recording these about a week in advance. And I thought that this recording for the GMAC was going to be the Thanksgiving episode. But that's actually the NE10, which by the time this comes out, will have dropped on Thanksgiving Day. So I guess all we can say is we hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Kevin, you knucklehead. Yes, hopefully, hopefully everybody had a beautiful Thanksgiving. How was yours, Mr. Stenstrom?

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Well, it hasn't happened yet, but if I'm trying to play ahead, it was great. I was down in North Carolina with my family, and uh it was a lot of fun. How about you?

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Good, good. Close home with family, friends, and fireball.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

There you go. There you go. Hey, one other thing. Speaking of the NE10, I posted a story on Instagram last week with an update to the NE10. So I wanted to make sure all our listeners are tracking on this. Head coach Corey Nealig of AIC is no longer with the program. And so I just want everyone to know on this one, this is the first episode that we could update that a week after the N came out. I checked today. Nothing's been posted by a new coach. So once that happens, we'll obviously keep everyone updated on where that is.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

Yeah, I saw your post running through running through the neighborhood. What were they chasing you out of the neighborhood?

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Sound like I was like I'm out like I was winded. I was barely moving. My dog was trying to actually, he was pulling me every time. He was pulling me into the grass so we can sniff stuff. So it makes it a little bit tough.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Yeah, so AIC. Did they name a new coach or no?

SPEAKER_00 2:47

Not yet, no. No. All right. So we'll have to wait and see.

GMAC Preview

SPEAKER_00 2:52

But it is time to move on to the GMAC, the great Midwest Athletic Conference. You know, this song would work for the GLVC too, you know that? You're gonna have to pick another one for that.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

Oh, Chuck Barry.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

Oh, Chuck Barry. This conference, Danny, continues to grow. They're adding Point Park University this year. That brings them up to 11 teams. They are the largest conference in D2 men's lacrosse. 11 teams.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

Yeah. That's who you want to start with.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Well, there's a lot to get through with, so I guess people that you should buckle up or settle in or something. Let's just start with the Seton Hill Griffins.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

What a team did they have last year. Boy, oh boy. Coach Brian Novotney out there in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. And you know where that's near, Kev? Famous? Pittsburgh. But another famous town. La Trobe, Pennsylvania. And what's so famous about Latrobe?

SPEAKER_00 4:14

There's some beer there, I think.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

No. Yeah, it might be. It might be. How about Arnold Palmer? Remember Arnold Palmer?

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:24

And Penzoil? That's right. From La Trobe, Pennsylvania. That's right. So it's kind of like a famous area there. So anyway, the Griffins were amazing last year. 18-2 overall, 9-0 in conference. I mean, they had a couple of losses really, but they lost to Tampa 13-8 at the Crown. Crown.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

And they lost to St. A's in the NCAA second round. Yeah. And let me tell you, Dan, I thought they had a really good chance after that Crown Classic, even though they lost, to go all the way to the NCA finals.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

Yeah, they had what it took. And I definitely agree with that. This was a team that was fun to watch. They were good on both sides of the ball. Yeah. They were good last year. I really enjoyed watching Seton Hill and what Coach Novotny did with this team last year. They were phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Yeah. Now this year, they return a lot, but they lose a little bit on offense. They graduated MIDI and number one scorer, Braden Lockier.

SPEAKER_02 5:31

All American.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

Yeah. He was he was outstanding. He had 99 points last year. And they yeah, they lose attack Connor Zostan. But they bring back number two through five. All American Wade Brunell. That attack. The sheriff. Exactly. Number three, Nate Herbster. And then Carter Lee.

SPEAKER_02 5:55

Really good player, Nate Herbster. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

Very good. And then at MIDI, they bring back all-American Carter Green.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

Yep, Carter Green comes back. He had 30 goals and 26 assists, but that he's one of those energizer guys. He's one of those guys. Swiss Army Knife does a lot of things well. Kev, one of those guys. They're bringing back junior defenseman Cullen Green. 54 ground balls last year, 19 calls turnout. Goalie Will Cody comes back, and that's big for them.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Huge. He was another All-American. 62% save percentage.

SPEAKER_02 6:29

Yeah, he's really phenomenal. But they lose face-off specialist Mark Strunk. Yeah. He was at 75% last year. This kid was lighting shit up, and they lose him. So little, little maybe question mark right now for the Griffins at face-off, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

Yeah, I exactly agree. Now, the other thing, though, is they lose a lot on the defensive side of the ball, too. They lose Holden Charbonneau, all American Charlie Hudson, all-American Alex Callahan, and short stick D midis Justin Dean and Ben Rohan. And Justin Dean had 55 ground balls at short stick D middy.

SPEAKER_02 7:11

Charlie Hudson was a beast. Oh yeah. Yeah. He was a beast out there. So yeah, they lose some players, but Kev, I just see them reloading.

SPEAKER_00 7:23

So here's the thing. They've got three D polls. Austin Day, Alex Hotalski, and Aide Owens. All three of them played significant minutes. None of them started. But they all played in like the 17, 17 or 18 games. And they're all around the 23 ground ball, 18, you know, 10, the teens cost turnover. So they're now going to bump up.

unknown 7:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:49

And they should be ready to take over. Now there's a little bit like you still have to say, like, can they match guys like Charlie Hudson and Alex Callahan, right? But they've had a lot of time to get ready and they know each other.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

I don't know. I I just, you know, I know Coach Novotney just puts together teams every year, every year. He just reloads, man. I mean, he's just a reloading type of guy. He gets good players. I think, I think overall, you know, this team is super deep. And there was a lot of guys that played that probably could have started, maybe. That could be true.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Yeah, when you've got that many all-Americans that are there.

unknown 8:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Right.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

You know, at a lot of other schools, these kids probably could have started. But you know what? They sit and wait their turn because knowing that Seton Hill's always in the hunt. They're going to be in the hunt for conference championships. That means they're going to be hunting for NCAA. That means they're going to be in the hunt for a national title. They got what it takes. They got the pedigree.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

Yeah, I don't see anyone knocking them off the mountain this year in the conference. I think they get the AQ. I think even without the AQ, they're going to do pretty well. Their out of conference this year is challenging like it was last year. And it kind of mirrors it a lot away. They play Lewis, Chestnut Hill, U Indy, Adelphi, Pace, and Frostburg. Which is a great out of conference. Their challenge is being ready, I think. I kind of talked about this last year, being ready for and being NCAA tournament ready with the GMAC conference the way it is right now, right? Because they rolled over all teams last year. Yeah, they can't. And they've got a few games that come in. They've got some just sparks. They don't go out of conference and all in conference, right? They've got they're playing um Frostburger on April 15th. They're playing Pace on March 21st.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

So hopefully that'll give them some of that other taste of good teams at the end of the season or in the middle of the season. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Again, I think this team is super deep. I think they're well coached. They're gritty. They're fast. They're smart. Uh they dominated pretty much last year, especially because of their depth. They could throw those fresh legs in on defense, LSMs, midfielders. They really could throw a lot of fresh legs in. They averaged 59 shots a game last year, Kev, by dominating the X, you know, by dominating the dot. Well, and here's the other thing.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

You talk about their defense, they only allowed 5.5 goals last year, and they scored 20.6 per game.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

Justin Dean, they had some really good defensemen playing. Like you said, a couple of All-Americans out there. Their man up was at 36%. They dominated the ground ball war. They just were scooping up ground balls much more than their opponents. They caused 250 cause turnovers over the season. That's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

And then their clears are at 92%.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Yeah, they clear at 91%. You know, Kev, to be honest with you, I I expect more of the same out of Seton Hill. I really do. But my question is who they're going to get at face off. They always seem to just kind of reload. It's just what Novotney does.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

Yeah, my question is definitely at face-off. It's a little bit at D, only because they're going to have a whole new, fresh set of starters that are now in that role. Now, these guys, like I said, have have experience. So do they take it and just, you know, that is it just like, okay, now we're in the starting role, but we've been here before. You see what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 11:46

Even if they let up eight goals a game this year or nine goals, let's say they double it up and live up, they're still winning by ten.

unknown 11:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

Because they got an offense, you know, with with Brunell, the sheriff. He can he can ball that kid, man. Oh, yeah. You know, he had 90 points as a midfielder, 38 assists. Yeah. The kid can play. He can play.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

He is the sheriff.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

And you know what? Herbster is a is uh a really formidable attackman that had really good numbers last year as a junior. He comes back. Again, Carter Green. They're gonna be good. They're gonna be very good. They're gonna be good.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

All right, let's move on. You want to do uh Walsh Cavaliers?

SPEAKER_02 12:29

The Cavaliers. David Salter. Located? Canton, Ohio, Kev. What's crazy about Walsh? They really improved and they lost to Seton Hill in the championship.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Coach is in his third year, and his assistant is Kyle Deep Crespino. Now remember, both of them, Salter was an assistant at Lander at one time. Kyle was a player at Lander, but Kyle grew up in that area. And Coach Salter gives him a lot of credit for what he, because of his IQ and what he's done for the offense and where they where they got to and where they jumped to in their program last year. They were 10-8 in 2025, 6-3. Best in program history and made it to the GMAC final.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

They had some good signature wins last year. A 13-8 win over Frostburg, which is a big win. A 15-14 win over Roberts Wesleyan. Huge win for them. And a huge win over Lake Erie in the GMAC semis. They beat the storm 10-8. That was huge. That was probably the biggest win in their program history.

SPEAKER_00 13:42

Yeah, to make it to the finals that just one step closer. Yep. Yep. 100%. Now, this year, though, they graduate, they had graduated nine seniors, all of them that had really big impacts on the team. But they bring in 19 folks, two transfers and 17 freshmen. So they lose a little bit. They lose on face-off. They lose Joe Rush, who was at 61%. But the majority of their offense, Danny, are returning. Yeah. Got James Sternberg, uh, A.J. Harrison, Parker Stanway, Toby Olnick, and Ty Pilkington all producing for him and looking to do the same this next year.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Yeah, Toby Linick had 32 goals. A.J. Harrison had 32 goals as a freshman last year for the Cavs. Uh the LSM McGuire Smith comes back. Again, you named James Sternberg, who was solid for them. LSM Ethan Price comes back. Uh midfield Garrett Kessling comes back. Hey, you know what, Kev? I got to give a lot of credit to Walsh because they improved from the 2023 season to the 2024 season in almost every single category. Ground balls, turnovers, shots, clearing.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

But they could use some help in the face-off category. They were at 36% last year. They got to get it up to that 50% range, you know.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

I had them at 50%. Am I wrong with that?

SPEAKER_02 15:11

I have 36%. That's what I have.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

Let me go to their stats really quickly. Um big deal. But yeah, I had them right at it's yeah. I their website says 50%.

SPEAKER_02 15:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:28

So I think they're solid there across the board. Now, you know, there's some things they could still do, like clears, they're at 86%. You know, the the stronger they get, if they can get like a Seton Hill and get over 90, they were at 41.6 shots per game, which is really, really good. I think they're so they're solid on offense, a little less on D. They lose, look at, they lose their goalie. Alex Moffin, most wins in program history. They lose D pull Mick. Soalik, he had the most starts in program history. So and they're returning only two starters on the defensive side. So that is where they're gonna have to make up some ground. But they have depth now on their roster. They don't have the depth like Seton Hill does. But are they getting to that point where the next man up can really take care of it, right? Special teams will be the work in progress if you talk about losing their face-off, their primary face-off guy and their goalie.

SPEAKER_02 16:24

Hey, well, you know they're gonna look to improve on that 10-8 record. So you got their out of conference?

SPEAKER_00 16:31

Their out of conference is Lewis.

SPEAKER_02 16:34

At Lewis, I think. At Lewis.

SPEAKER_00 16:36

A Delphi, and they're playing them at Frostburg on February 13th, and they turn around two days later and play St. Mike's at Frostburg on fifth February 15th, and then they've got you Wendy.

SPEAKER_02 16:49

I got RW. Right? Oh, that's ECC action.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

Yeah, so that would be out of context.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

At Lewis, at Lewis, at Delphi, Frostburg, St. Mike's, Robert Swesleyan. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

And Frostburg.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

And then they host Frostburg, and then they open GMAC against they have to go out to Northwood. All right. So let's see what Coach Salter can put together and see if he can improve on what he did last year again.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

I think they're gonna be right at the top of the GMAC. They're not gonna be at Seton Hill's level, but I think they're gonna be vying just like they were last year.

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Even with the the loss on defense and gonna be a little younger on deep.

SPEAKER_00 17:31

I think they're deep enough in their deep, they have a deep enough roster that I think they are still gonna be solid. If you look at the other teams, I I think they're still gonna be near the top.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Where do you want to go to next?

SPEAKER_02 17:47

You go, boy, wherever you want to go.

SPEAKER_00 17:50

Let's go to Wheeling. The Cardinals.

SPEAKER_02 17:53

University Cardinals.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

So I have to tell you this. This is really funny, Danny. I got on a call with head coach Gage Brashaw. And we talked, I thought it'd be like a 20-minute call. We were on for like an hour. Really? And one of the things he said, I love talking to him. One of the things he said at the end is like, hey, can you do me a favor and forget to do us in the conference preview again this year? Because remember last year we were like, oh crap, we forgot to do one team. His players listen and they're like, that was like just in their crawl. You know, they had it. Can you do that again for us? Just so they've, you know, they've got that little chip on their shoulder. Well, that's why I put him up near the top and put him up third. Because look at Gage Bradshaw, he's in his fourth year as head coach, sixth year overall. He is actually back, Danny, on the defensive side of the ball because he brings in Lucas Stan on the offensive side who played at Alderson Broadest, knows the GMAC. He lives and comes from Wheeling, and then they have another assistant, Isaac Wiley, for a faceoff. Just like Walsh, too, they've had their best record, overall record, and conference record since 2016.

SPEAKER_02 19:11

Yeah, they were 8-7 overall, above 500 for the first time, I think, since we've been remembering to cover them. Yes. And 6-3 in conference. They had a really, really good season last year, the Cardinals.

SPEAKER_01 19:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

I mean, they made it to the GMAC semis. They lost to Northwood in regular season as well as Lake Erie and Walsh, but then they beat Davenport in the GMAC quarters and lost to Seton Hill in the semis, which no one's gonna right now in the GMAC is really gonna beat. If you beat Seton Hill, that would be the upset of the decade right now.

SPEAKER_02 19:49

I agree. They had a signature win, a 10-8 victory over Walsh, which is a big victory for Wheeling. But, you know, again, one of the better seasons in Cardinal history. Solid team last season, Kev. But they lose five out of their top six scorers.

SPEAKER_00 20:07

Yeah. Yeah, they lose number two, Brenner Chase, number three, Dylan Lavern, number four, Ty Taylor. They do return number one, Jack Rao, though. And Coach says he's the real leader on offense. The question is, they he says they've got some talented freshmen, a guy by Aiden Shepard and sophomore Andrew Turner stepping up, but they need some guys that really step up on the offensive side.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

Yeah. They put out a bunch of FOGOs last year. They they struggle at face-off. They put a bunch of different guys out there. But they lose a lot of starters and some senior leadership. I think it's going to be a new look squad.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

So they now on defense they return a lot, Danny. They lose Gabe Hennan, who at Close D, who was like the leader of their defense last year. They also lose LSM Adam Zadan Zanowitz. But they've got short stick D meeting Nate Kastner and Mitchell Park. Then look at their D poles, Danny. And look at the size of these guys. Owen Worley, 6'4, 205. Gage Kimmel, 6'5. Wow. Those two are starting D guys. Coach Bradshaw says the third close D is up in the air between Dane Golden, Ryan Andres, and another fresh. Ryan Andres is a freshman, and another freshman, Hayden Evans, who's 6'5 also.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

Yeah, 6'5. Hope they can move their feet.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

He says that with Gage Kimmel, his stick work and footwork improved. Hayden Evans, he says, uh, very physical. He was a quarterback in high school. Okay. But it's more of a building the confidence from high school to college, right? Then you look at LSM. They've got uh Landon Gallagher, who was only a freshman last year. They've got a freshman, Lincoln Riley. He says they're smartest freshman. They've got He is another 6'5 guy. So why do I point all that out? This is the discussion I was having with Bradshaw. Coach Bradshaw. You lay out all those guys who are 6'5, 6'4, they're just intimidating from their size.

SPEAKER_02 22:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

I mean, that's that's that's what we call in the military psychological operations, Danny.

SPEAKER_02 22:21

Yeah, psychological warfare there. Absolutely. Again, um, I just I think there's one guy on this team that's pretty good. The kid Jack Rowe. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:32

Well, he's a number one scorer, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

He's a dog, man. He led the team in goals. He was tied for first and assist, second on team and ground balls, and ninth on the team and caused turnovers. He's a dog. But I think that the Cardinals will have a lot of new faces in some key positions, a little younger on defense. I I want to see what they got before I say much.

SPEAKER_00 22:56

I so I think they're gonna be tough.

SPEAKER_02 22:58

I think they're gonna be solid.

SPEAKER_00 22:59

Uh yeah, I I definitely think they'll be uh solid. I think their D could be imposing. They've got to put it together. I mean, just from a size side way, they're gonna be imposing, but can they actually put it together on the field, right? The other thing I would say is Coach also let me know that they're actually building infrastructure there. They're getting a new weight room, a new field. So they have the backing now from the administration, which what does that tell you? That gives the players confidence as well, I think. Sure. You know, so I think I think this is a team that's on the rise. It's great for those who are yeah, I agree, Danny, that this year we'll have it's a little bit of a wait and see. I think they're gonna be fine on defense. I think the question mark is what can they do on offense?

SPEAKER_02 23:49

Yeah, we'll see. All right, so kind of interesting the GMAC, which has always been super top heavy with Mercyhurst and Seaton Hill. And Seaton Hill, and now it's kind of like just Seaton Hill, but you watch teams like Wheeling improve immensely and Walsh improve immensely.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:08

So here's two teams that in PASC have struggled nationally and in conference, yeah. And look at what they've done in a year or so with these guys. They've really improved. So GMAX starting to like bump up, you know, starting to take those bumps up.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

Exactly. It's you're starting to see some of the teams that when we started this podcast, we're like, they just need a few players, they need to build, yeah, and they're they're doing well. That the team that usually was always near the top with Mercy Hurst and Seton Hill, not really at their level, but could compete. And we've seen them compete against Mercy Hurst, and that's Lake Erie Storm.

SPEAKER_02 24:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:52

So let's talk about that team from Paynesville, Ohio.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

Okay. The Lake Erie Storm. Sam Ashton, the coach. Painesville, Ohio.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Yeah. Now they he's got uh a grad assistant that we know very well, Evan Voss. Evan Voss. Yeah, and then his assistant, Graham Lost, is uh in his second year. So he's got some stability there. Sam Ashton's been there for a while. They were 7-7 last year, but 7-2 conference. They started slow, Danny. They went one and four again, just like did the first year. They lost to UND, Lewis, and Seaton Hill. All ranked. Yeah, and then they also lost to Deuville. Wilmington. Yeah, and and Walsh. So they they lost to Walsh in the conference semis, but they made it into the tournament and they made it to the semis. So they're a formidable team.

SPEAKER_02 25:51

Yeah, they struggled against the 500 and above teams that handled their business with the 500 and below teams.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:00

They lose some big boys, though. Yeah. Our man, goalie Gavin Conlan. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

And their backup, Ken Schobert, too. He's not back. So Noah Beckett, who I I think was their another goalie who took faceoff duties last year, could be back between the pipes. They've also got a freshman, Landon Rams here, but I think goalie is the one of the big question marks. They they go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 26:32

I just think that the problem with Lake Erie is just numbers of players. Yeah. I think Ashton has the right idea of what to do and how to be competitive. I just don't think he has all of enough arrows in his quiver. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 26:50

Well, yeah, and you look at this roster this year, it's still small at 28, ten of which are freshmen. So you just said it, and I wrote the note. Depth will be an issue again.

SPEAKER_02 27:02

You know, it's tough, you know, with with 28, less than 30. I'm sure Coach Ashton would love to get it up into the 40s.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:11

You know, and I think it would help that team immensely. Again, this team is they've been around 500 for a couple of years, a little above, a little right there. Right. You know, again, a player here, you know, a three-star here and a three-star there could mean a big difference for this team.

SPEAKER_00 27:29

Yeah, they're they're always a solid team year in and year out. Yep. But they typically beat the teams you think they would and lose the teams you think they would.

SPEAKER_02 27:42

Yeah, they return some good guys, though. They return uh junior midi, Billy Cockland, uh 15 goals and 13 assists, sophomore John Collins. You know where he's from? Where is he from? Frederick, Maryland, not too far from where you're at. Yeah, just about an hour away. He was third on the team in points, Kevy at 22. Uh junior midi, Robert Well, comes back, 13 goals, 15 assists, Andrew Kramer comes back. Senior defenseman, Nick Shanklin, 41 ground balls. Yeah, he's a player. 27 calls turnovers. Short stick D Midi, Jack Allen comes back. So I think Coach Ashton has a good core there with those guys coming back. Um, I think they struggled mightily at the dot last year. They were only at like 32%. Yeah. And you know, yeah. And I think we're so and that's they might dip a little bit this season.

SPEAKER_00 28:38

They might dip. Yeah, their clears were at 84%. And when you have that low face-off percentage, every clear counts for a possession. Like you have got to bring the ball over on the offensive side.

SPEAKER_02 28:51

Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. Again, I like what Coach Ashton does with the storm. Again, they've always been kind of like a 500 team since we've been covering them. Um, they do get players out there. I just don't think they have enough to really kind of get to that next level. They're close. They're close.

unknown 29:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:13

You know, they they make that tournament every year. They're in it, you know, and you know, when the tournament happens, anything can happen. 60 minutes, it's all hell, or you know, right, or go home, you know. So again, I think that coach just needs a couple of couple, two, three, four good good players, you know, good solid guys, two on offense, two on defense that could come in and and really make a difference for this storm team. So yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_00 29:43

I agree. All right, let's move on to the other Canton, Ohio team, the Malone University Pioneers.

SPEAKER_03 29:53

The Pioneers.

SPEAKER_02 29:57

The Malone Pioneers, Mike Campbell out in Canton. 5-10 last year. Kev, 3-6 overall.

SPEAKER_00 30:06

That was a big step back from the previous year, but remember, it was still only their third season. I know, they're still young. They were in the mix at the end of the season to get to get that final seed into the tournament, but they lost to Wheeling, and so Wheeling got it in there. Um they also lost to William Jewell, Mars Hill, and Frostburg out of conference. They on this year's roster have 34 players, so they're slowly building. And here's the deal.

SPEAKER_02 30:36

There's only 30 on the roster last season.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

Yeah, so they're slowly building, which is a good thing, right? They're not like staying stagnant, they're bringing up. They're experienced in 2026. They've got what we would say in the Navy, their plank owners are now seniors, right? Right. They the guys that started this program are now seniors. Now they still lose some studs on offense. Talon Heath is gone. Zach Smarjasio is gone, but they bring back a lot.

SPEAKER_02 31:06

I thought Zach comes back.

SPEAKER_00 31:08

He doesn't. I asked Coach, and he came back to him and said that he he has graduated and moved on.

SPEAKER_02 31:14

Okay. All right. They maybe had one more year of eligibility left. I don't know. So they do come back.

SPEAKER_00 31:21

Yeah, they do return senior Derek Smith, senior Luke Ory, senior Ramsey Burnett, uh, two middies, and then another mini John Mott's, who Coach Campbell says to watch for him this year.

SPEAKER_02 31:34

Yeah, I mean, Ori had 28 goals, Smith had 20 goals, Ramsey Bernard had 23 goals. That's that's those guys were playing. That's yeah, they're putting double digits in. Yeah. Junior defenseman Wayne Keating comes back, had 35 ground balls, 26 cause turnovers. You know where he's from, Kev?

SPEAKER_00 31:52

Where is he from?

SPEAKER_02 31:54

Farmington, Minnesota. There you go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

And then Nick Sanderson comes back too on D.

SPEAKER_02 32:02

30 ground balls and 10 cause turnovers. Senior defenseman Cody Bordery comes back. You know where he's from?

SPEAKER_00 32:10

I'm not gonna say Minnesota.

SPEAKER_02 32:11

Jacksonville, Florida.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

A man from Florida going up north.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

He's crazy. He's crazy. Uh 24 ground balls, 12 cause turnovers. That's why he's up north. He's up north kicking ass, is what he's doing.

SPEAKER_01 32:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:25

Uh they had two face-off guys last year, Camden Kraft and Timer Court. They both returned. Yep. They both split time pretty evenly when I looked at the uh the numbers there. Uh uh it was 46% for Camden and 40% for Timer Court. They, you know, uh true freshman in goal last year for the Malone Pioneers. Alex Lavelle returns. He's at 44%. They stuck him right in the middle of the deep end of the pool and just shot missiles at him all year and watched them get them better and better and better.

SPEAKER_00 33:01

That's how you learn.

SPEAKER_02 33:02

That's right. So now he comes back, he'll be a sophomore this year. I'm sure he's gonna be much improved. I love when those freshmen come back from the next year, yeah. They're sophomore years. Um, I think this team last year was young and lacked depth. I think that hurts them a little bit, but they showed promise. They did show promise in games that were they could they can do things well.

SPEAKER_00 33:29

Yeah, it's interesting. They're one of these teams that their first season, they won like their first four games or something like four games or something like that. And they had a good second season, and that's you've got to remember that these teams are still young, they've still got a still a maturation process from a program perspective. And I think this year they have the experience. The question is on both sides of the ball, yeah, can they rebound back to where they were like their second season?

SPEAKER_02 34:00

I think they can. I think they will. They didn't graduate much. Most of this team returns, and maybe some perhaps maybe some freshmen of these 10 or 11 freshmen that are coming in, you know, can help out right away, you know. And I think, I think, again, I I think the team just lacks depth. I think that's the major problem here. It's not talent, it's depth. You know, getting getting players to go to Malone and add to that depth. If they add to that depth, more legs. Because they get worn down, Kev. They're getting worn down at the end of the games. They just can't hang with the Seaton Hills, they can't hang with the Eeries. These guys, you know, they have more players. You know what I'm saying? They just get worn down. So when you're young and you lack depth, you're gonna struggle a little bit. You know what? But I think they're gonna improve on that five and ten record. Do they have an out-of-conference schedule posted?

SPEAKER_00 35:06

They do. So they are playing William Jewell, Roberts Wesleyan, Deouville, Lincoln Memorial, and Frostburg. Okay. Which I think is a really good out-of-conference for them. You know, they've got some four teams five. Yep. They could, you know, look at all those teams. Except for maybe DeUville, oh, and William Jewell last year. So Roberts Wesley and Lincoln Memorial Frostburg, usually better than 500 teams, always really strong teams. DeUville's on the rise. William Jewell's willing to you know, wanting to come back. That's a good schedule for them.

SPEAKER_02 35:46

Yeah, it is. I agree. So I think they're gonna improve on that five and ten record. Let's see if they can get seven.

SPEAKER_00 35:56

I would agree. I I can't see them. I see them getting them close to 500, if not higher.

SPEAKER_02 36:02

Yeah, I think I think, well, of course, they they did they'd love to get as many wins as they can, you know, but realistically, in conference, it's gonna be, you know, I think if they can go four and five, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 36:16

Yeah, we see what you got to look at it as like this conference is made up of so many new teams.

SPEAKER_02 36:21

Again, Walsh and and has improved. And you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 36:25

Like and wheeling, and but you've got the teams like Thomas Moore, Tiffin, Point Park now. So there's a lot of teams all in the same boat as Malone, as like really new programs that are all gonna be duking it out. That's what's fun watching those games, right, when they play each other. But let's go to another team, Danny, that struggled last year from a roster size. They moved over from the GLVC and are now in the GMAC, and that's the Davenport Panthers out of Grand Rich Rapids, Michigan.

SPEAKER_02 37:02

Chris Escavelle at the helm. 6-9 last year, six and three in conference.

SPEAKER_00 37:10

Yeah, all wins in conference. They dropped off in their total record, I think, because of a totally revamped defense all the way from goalie to close to rope, and they had a smaller roster. They only had 28 on their team. You remember their last year in the GLVC, they had a really strong team, and they they were right in the thick of it. But I think they lost so many good players on D. They were they're almost revamping everything.

SPEAKER_02 37:37

Dude, they had some schedule last year. They played UIndy, Maryville, Westminster, Seton Hill. They played some big boys last year.

SPEAKER_00 37:46

Yeah, now you look at their out of conference this year, it hasn't, it hasn't diminished. They're going back to their GLVC roots, Danny. Meryville, Lewis, Rockhurst, Undy. Oof.

SPEAKER_02 37:58

Well, they're familiar with them. They coaches know each other. It's close by.

SPEAKER_00 38:02

Yeah, but it's tough.

SPEAKER_02 38:05

Oh, hell yeah. UIndy? Yeah, Seton Hill. Yeah, they're they're tough. They're gonna be tough.

SPEAKER_00 38:13

Now, their 2026 roster's not out yet, so hopefully they have more than 28 of what they had last year. Some of the things last year they're they only had 11.9 goals per game, that which is a decline from the year before, and their goals against was at 13.5, which is another sign, I think, of a young defense.

SPEAKER_02 38:35

Yeah, but they do return a lot of players from a whole bunch.

SPEAKER_00 38:40

I don't think they really lose anyone.

SPEAKER_02 38:42

Yeah, including their top scorer, sophomore uh senior attackman Jaden Jaden Ashley had 40, had 32 goals and 46 assists last year. Uh junior, junior midfielder Luke Fritz comes back, had 29 goals. Very good year for him. Senior midfielder Luke Eichbauer, 20 goals, comes back. Junior attack, Charlie Fritz, like we said. Junior attacked Steve Cordero had 25 goals for them.

SPEAKER_00 39:10

Yeah. That's a lot of very, very solid, really good production across six guys?

SPEAKER_02 39:16

That's five kids who are close to 30 goals apiece. But yeah, five, yeah, exactly. Except for Fritz had 18. But yeah, I mean, they move the ball, they share the rock. Um, face.

SPEAKER_00 39:28

And then on defense, where last year they lost a lot, they lose Jack Boyd this year, but they return a lot.

SPEAKER_02 39:36

Got some big boys too out there on.

SPEAKER_00 39:38

Yeah, Riley Palmer, junior defenseman, senior defenseman, Reese Meach.

SPEAKER_02 39:44

6'5-200 Reese.

SPEAKER_00 39:47

Yeah. Junior Tyler Byrd.

SPEAKER_02 39:50

6'5-210 Tyler is. You know where he's from?

SPEAKER_00 39:54

Where is he from?

SPEAKER_02 39:55

Caledonia, Michigan. There you go. He had 52 ground balls and 33 cost turnovers last year. That kid's a beast. He's an animal out there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:06

Oh, yeah, he's good. And then you got uh short stick, D. Middies, Griffin Pohl, and Sean Kuzma. So look at they are stacked on the defensive side coming back. They returned goalkeeper Antonio Hart.

SPEAKER_02 40:17

Between the pipes, yeah, 50% last year. Hey, I think Davenport's got a solid little squad here right now.

SPEAKER_00 40:24

Yeah, they just, once again, it would be good for them to have some more depth, only just to keep the legs fresh.

SPEAKER_02 40:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:36

They're out of defense. I expect them to improve this year, and they may be knocking off guys like can they can they compete with Walsh and like the wheelings and like Erie? I think so.

SPEAKER_02 40:49

I think they can. I'm gonna keep my eye on this Davenport team here right now. With what I'm seeing, um can they improve with basically the same squad as last year? Hey, yeah, Coach Escavel, we're putting it on you. Pressure's on, man. Kevin and Daniel saying, listen to the.

SPEAKER_00 41:11

On paper, I think, you know, if you look at the stats for those guys, and we just went through it. I mean, they've got some real players on both sides of the ball. I mean, their their returning goalie was right at 50%. They've got another goalie that was returns that was at 69%. He didn't get as much playing time. I mean, they're just they're just solid all the way through. They don't really have any gaps.

SPEAKER_02 41:32

Dude, and again, they're conference out of conference schedule with at Merivist, at Lewis, uh Undy, host Rockhurst, host Seton Hill.

SPEAKER_00 41:43

No, Seton Hill's in in conference.

SPEAKER_02 41:45

Yeah, you're right. But they host them, you know. So uh that's a gauntlet of teams right there. I mean, those are top 15, top 20 squads, all of them. Yep. Yep. You know, so again, will it be enough to sharpen them for conference play? I believe it will. I think it will. I think this is a team that we should keep an eye on. I think they're gonna be better than their six and nine record from last year. I agree. Let's keep an eye on the uh Panthers.

SPEAKER_00 42:23

All right, let's move on to the Tiffin Dragons. In Tiffin, Ohio. Tiffany Dragons. Head coach Travis Brown. He's in his third year, third year of the program. They were three and nine last year, two and seven in conference.

SPEAKER_02 42:42

Yeah, no signature wins.

SPEAKER_00 42:44

Yeah, they they took their lumps. They had one more conference win last year than they did the previous year. They have a pretty favorable schedule for out of conference, I think, Danny. They've got William Jewell, Dominican and New York, shorter, Chouan, and UDC.

SPEAKER_02 43:02

Yeah, but the thing is, they're at shorter, at Chawan, at UDC. So they got three away games in that out of conference. It's going on the road a little bit for the Tiffin Dragons.

SPEAKER_01 43:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:15

Um, I counted 39 on the roster, nice size, and I counted 21 freshmen, if I'm not mistaken.

SPEAKER_00 43:24

I just think that their roster was out yet. I don't have the roster out yet.

SPEAKER_02 43:32

That's what I counted. Um they got some guys coming back, Kev. Yeah. Virginia midfielder, Aiden Cortessa, 14 goals, 13, uh, third three assists. Connor. Gukwa.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:49

And a couple of goals, a couple assists last year, 19 points. Sophomore attack Jack Howard. He comes back. And Pal Geller. Face off uh Nick Overrocker. I like that name, man. I like that name. You know where he's from? Where is he from? He's from Tinley Park, Illinois, Kev. There you go. He was at 47% at the dot last year. Uh goalie Dawson Baker. 58%, not bad. So I don't know. They were very young, but returned most of their big boys. Yep. With the additional all the freshmen. I expect them to improve. What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 44:32

Yeah, so this is the way I look at it. Look at their offense. You talk about they're returning their top three scores. Their production wasn't like off the off the scales. You know, Aiden Critster with 14 goals had the most goals, but they've got a lot more options underneath those three guys that can step up for production. Their defense is solid when you've got like Dominic Giacona coming back, Grant Pryor, Shortstick, D. Middy, Jack Bear. You know, they've got an LSM gay Mazkarina. They've got some solid guys coming back. They're still very young. They need to develop depth and experience. I think they can improve this year. Their goal is, like we taught, I just talked about before, competing and beating the other GMAC new teams, right? That's their competition right now.

SPEAKER_02 45:22

Yeah, but there's things that they can do to help themselves improve. And number one is taking care of the rock. As our boy Devin Spilker always talks about how important it is to take care of the rock. They turn the ball over a lot, Kev. You know, they're at 47%, which is damn near 50% at the dot, yet they clear at 83, and they just they give up the ball a lot. They they turn the ball over a lot more than their opponents.

SPEAKER_00 45:48

So yeah, what's interesting though with that clear percentage, that was actually an improvement from the year before. So they're at least moving in the right direction.

SPEAKER_02 45:57

Well, those those are directions that they need to keep improving in. Totally agree. And again, they got to just take care of the rock, you know, stop giving the ball away. Because if you're gonna have minimal possessions, how many shots per game did they take? Because, you know, that's what it comes down to. You have to have possession. So they're winning 50% of their faceoffs, but they were at about 30, they were three, 33.7 shots per game.

SPEAKER_00 46:27

Which isn't horrific. It's not great either, right?

SPEAKER_02 46:32

You know, the real good teams are at 45, 46, 48 shots per game because they're getting possessions and they're taking care of the rock.

SPEAKER_01 46:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 46:41

So I think that's their biggest thing is turnovers. If they can take care of the rock, um, again, they they face offs close to 50%. I mean, I'll live with that.

SPEAKER_00 46:54

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 46:55

You know, I can't I can't live with the turnovers. So I think that's what the Dragons have to do this year. I think that schedule out of conference is good for them. William Jewels, Dominican, Shorter, Chawan, and UDC. I think that's perfect for the Dragons. I think that caliber of play for them is perfect. So let's see what they do, Kev.

SPEAKER_00 47:15

Yeah, it'll be fun to see. I'm looking forward to watching them and see how they can improve. And like we talked about with some of these teams, it's you said it best when you're saying about protecting the rock. It's more about improving. I don't want to say just stats, but improving in some of those areas versus always wins and losses.

SPEAKER_02 47:38

There's categories of the game, pieces of the game. And when you put the pieces together, you gotta add up to wins. You know what I mean? Right. So, what piece is stopping you from getting that win? So when you break it down, it looks like to me it's turnovers. They're turning the ball over more than their opponents. And when you do that, it's doom. You know what I mean? You're just giving the team extra possessions.

SPEAKER_00 48:04

So talk about tiring you out.

SPEAKER_02 48:07

Yeah, yeah. You're playing defense all games. So we'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_00 48:13

All right, time to move on to another Michigan team. The Northwood Timbervilles in Midland, Michigan.

SPEAKER_02 48:21

Timberwolves. I think I think Coach likes the way I say that. Jake Friedel.

SPEAKER_00 48:30

Yeah. Second season for this team. Five and nine in 2025, four and five in conference. They made the conference tournament in their first year.

SPEAKER_02 48:41

Not too shabby for Coach, huh?

SPEAKER_00 48:45

Yeah, that was actually phenomenal to see. You know, they're not, they were weren't even above 500 even in conference, but they met one of their goals. I mean, they got to the conference tournament. That that says a lot.

SPEAKER_02 48:59

Yeah, a nice signature win over Malone, who had a great year the year before, was looking to do well again last year. Yep. And Northwood comes in and beats them 12-8.

SPEAKER_00 49:11

So, yeah, they had some good. I mean, they were beating some of those new teams. Like we just said, Tiffin needs to start doing. Northwood was doing that off the off the bat. Now their 2026 out of conference is Lewis, Undy, and Quincy. Which is stacked.

SPEAKER_02 49:30

All right, Coach Friedel. Putting putting hot hot pancakes on the griddle.

SPEAKER_00 49:36

Yeah. All right. They their 2026 roster is about 34, so they're starting to climb too. They were probably right at that 30 level. So they're they're kind of like uh what team was just talking about. It was the it's wheeling that was like at 30 last year, now at about 34. They're about the same, same thing. They didn't do too bad in their stats for their first year. Look at their manup was 34%. That's damn good. Faceoff 42%. You that's that's okay. That's manageable. Clears at 84%, which is darn good for a first-year program. Shots per game at 36.5. We talked about that. They're better than what uh Tiffin was in their first year. So those aren't bad stats to build off of into your second season.

SPEAKER_02 50:24

Kevin, they did surprisingly well for their first season, for their inaugural season in Division II. Made up all freshmen and sophomores, young guys, undergraduates out there, 33 on the roster last year. They assisted on more than half of their goals. They averaged about 11 goals per game. That's a lot more than a lot of universities in Division II. So with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores, they went out there and went damn near 500 in conference. You know? It's crazy. But um they averaged 36 shots per game. I I think this is a team that's just growing, only their first year. So we planted the seed, the roots started to grow into the ground a little bit. We got our first little plant sticking up out of the out of the dirt. Now, now the plant has to open up and spread. And that's where we are with the Timberwolves. They got some good players, though. How about sophomore midfielder Andrew Rogers last year?

SPEAKER_00 51:41

Yeah, 34 goals, 25 assists.

SPEAKER_02 51:45

59 points as a freshman. He was a freshman last year. Yeah, he's a sophomore this year.

SPEAKER_00 51:50

And look at that. Then uh MIDI, Drew Lockwood, not far behind, 24 goals, 23 assists.

SPEAKER_02 51:55

Another freshman last year, true freshmen on the board.

SPEAKER_00 51:58

Their top five scores were all freshmen.

SPEAKER_02 52:01

I think this team is going to be decent.

SPEAKER_00 52:04

And if you look at it, their top four scores all scored over 20 goals.

SPEAKER_02 52:10

Again, I did surprisingly well for their inaugural season.

SPEAKER_00 52:15

And then you add in, Dan, like you said, if they assisted on more than 50% of their goals, they share the rock well.

SPEAKER_02 52:24

Which means they're moving the ball. Yep. You know, they're not relying on one guy or two guys. Everybody's getting their shots, you know.

SPEAKER_00 52:33

Now, last year it looked like based on starts of the attack, it looks like Coach was still looking like for best combo. They had more than you know, three guys that were in the attack rotation starting. So there's a lot of attention, a lot of potential with this team to get even better, especially I think if they can figure out that starting attack line that gives them the best combination. Right. They could be dangerous on on offense. And their starting D remains intact.

SPEAKER_02 53:04

Yeah. Where they struggled was in goal. In goal. Owen Brown was the goalie last year between the pipes, and he was giving up 15 goals a game, Kev.

SPEAKER_01 53:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:16

So that's an area where they can improve a little bit, you know, trying to keep the biscuit out of the basket on their end, you know.

SPEAKER_00 53:27

Yeah, I agree. I agree. It looks like their their goalies, though, actually split duties between Owen Brown and Evan Phillips, but you're right. That's where they need to improve. And I don't know if they need uh an alpha that that steps up and takes over or or what, but they need to see a little improvement there. My question is, Danny, do you see them improving or do you see them going into a sophomore slump?

SPEAKER_02 53:51

You know, I I don't know how many freshmen they brought in. I would love to see the number. Yeah, their uh To see that number would make a you know because I didn't see it when I was looking at their at their website.

SPEAKER_00 54:08

Their their roster, I can tell you really quickly.

SPEAKER_02 54:14

Because it wasn't out the last time I checked, which was like a couple of weeks ago.

SPEAKER_00 54:21

So they've got about 12 freshmen, 12, 13 freshmen. And the rest are sophomores.

SPEAKER_02 54:29

Alright, so what are they up to in numbers?

SPEAKER_00 54:31

A couple juniors. So they're at 34 from what I counted when I looked at it.

SPEAKER_02 54:35

And 12 freshmen. Wouldn't surprise me to see a couple of freshmen get in get some burn. You know what? I see them improving. I see them being better than a four and five in conference. I just think they're gonna be a little better. I don't know about the sophomore slump because of what they did last year. Just again, with the numbers the way they were. Again, I think it's in goal was I think they struggled in goal a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 55:00

I think the other thing we have to remember is he had some players that were on the team when they didn't they didn't play the season before, and they just played scrimmages and they just practiced. So these guys were hungry when they came out in their season. I think that showed. Yeah, that showed from how they played. And I think that's only going to build. They actually have more experience, maybe not in game situations, but in working together and how they are going to their chemistry together as a team.

SPEAKER_02 55:34

You know, and these kids are college kids, they're bright. They're looking at their record and saying, hey, we're a bunch of freshmen and youngins out there. Oh, hey, we held our own. We went five and nine in our inaugural season, you know, like you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00 55:48

Like, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 55:50

I think I think they have a little bit of confidence, uh confidence, rather. So let's see what uh Coach Friedel can do out there in Midland, Michigan and get these boys rolling and get another couple of wins under their belt, which I think is possible.

SPEAKER_00 56:05

Yeah, I agree. I agree. Okay. We're gonna move on to Davis and Elkins, the Senators in Elkins, West Virginia, with head coach Tyson Allen. Now, he's new this year, he's the only coach that we couldn't get on. He he apologized, but he was just too busy. Here's the deal. He was he's new as the head coach. He was an assistant the last two years. Look at it, he's got his work cut out for him. This is a team that has had a lot of turnover just in the head coach position since Danny. We have been doing this podcast. Yeah, yep. Now, what I from someone who knows Coach Allen, who DM'd us, says he's a very hard worker. He's also an alum. It's gonna take him time, but he may be the right guy. If he stays and does it, he may be the right guy to get this team in their position. It's not gonna be this year.

SPEAKER_02 57:07

Yeah, we'll see. I don't know what to think about you know, Davison Elkins. Again, this is another team. It's one of those teams in Division II that seem to struggle year in and year out.

SPEAKER_00 57:19

Here's the thing I would say, though, they continue to kind of build their roster depth. They're at 37, which in years past, when we first started that, they were maybe in the the 20s. So they're continuing to uh build depth. They're fairly well balanced. They've got four seniors, thirteen juniors, nine sophomores, and eleven freshmen. They returned two uh defenders, their entire midline, and two in attack. So what I say is I don't know if you're really gonna see them with a lot more wins. What they've got to concentrate is back to basics. Right? They've got to just start building the chemistry and start building Coach Allen's team and his program.

SPEAKER_02 58:05

They were pretty young again last year. A lot of younger guys on the on the field for them. But they do return some guys, senior MIDI Chuck Crutchman at 28 uh points, 18 goals and 10 assists. Uh junior attackman, uh Jordan Delorme, 11 and 14 for 25 points. Senior attack, Charlie Taylor. Yep. Uh sophomore defenseman Liam Burke comes back. He had a good year. 33 ground balls, 25 caused turnovers. Uh face-off player, uh face-off specialist Justin Carney comes back. Junior defenseman Logan O'Donnell, and sophomore goalie Avery Lindicum, who was at 50% last year as a true freshman.

SPEAKER_01 58:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 58:48

You know, uh, they lose their top scorer, Tanner Delorme.

SPEAKER_00 58:53

So I had Chuck Kretschmann going. You have him stay?

SPEAKER_02 58:58

I do. As he's a senior this year. I don't know. We'll see. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 59:03

That's what I I think so I really think this is kind of with the new coach, although he was the assistant. I think this is this is another building, this is a building block year for Coach Allen.

SPEAKER_02 59:18

Well, they were two and two and fifteen last year and only one and eight in conference. So they struggled, you know, mightily last year. Again, a lot of young guys they struggled to win faceoffs and spent most of their time on defense defending. I mean, uh, they only averaged 26 shots a game. Yeah. Their man up was a paltry 14%. Their clearing was horrible at 74%. And they make a lot of penalties. They spend far too much time in the box. DE can't be in the box, guys.

SPEAKER_00 59:55

Well, then they got killed on ground ball and turnovers, too. That goes back to the fundamentals. They need to get back to the fundamentals and playing some team ball.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:03

You know, it's funny because I have in my notes that you when you just said that, I said, hopefully in my notes, Coach Allen can get the squad back to fundamentals and play a more disciplined game until I see a different brand of ball, I expect the Senators to be kind of looking up the hill.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:24

Yeah, I definitely expect that this year. I just think that I'm hoping they've got the coach that's gonna be there that knows the program, is committed to the program. And if what we heard from some fans that he's really a hard worker, he's got his head on straight, he could be the guy. It's not gonna happen overnight. It's gonna be a few years. So let's see what he can do this year. Let's see what they do from a stats perspective and what they can uh come up with, like you said, getting back to fundamentals and a more disciplined team ball.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:04

Again, with 37 on the roster, now you can start doing things, you know. At least you can you can work on clearing, you can work on riding, you can work on, you know, full scale uh game type situation drills, you know, and you know, when the the smaller number teams have struggled, they struggle doing that at practice because they just don't have the numbers. They're doing half drills, half field. So again, I think I would love to see what Coach Allen does there. I think it's a team that really needs to get back to the fundamentals, like you said. I agree with you 100% on that.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:43

Now, their out of conference isn't too bad for them. I mean, it's they've got Deuville, UDC, Virginia State, Holy Family, Choan, and Felician. So, you know, that's that's the level of teams that they should be playing out of conference. And I think we'll just see that's good test for them uh as they move into the the GMAC conference. I'm sure those are all mixed in there as well. They're not allowed to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:10

They can do better against those teams than they've taken a step up, you know. Yep. Yep. So let's see what Coach Allen does.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:17

They need to be competitive in these games. They don't need to win, they need to be more competitive.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:21

Right. And it's just just straighten out a couple of things. Yeah. Some areas, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:27

Okay. The Thomas More Saints. Another fairly new team. Crestview Hills, Kentucky, Danny.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:38

Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Can't be too far from Cincinnati, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:43

It's not. It's across the river.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:45

Right across the bridge. Uh 2-11 last year, Kev. One and eight overall. Saints struggled last year.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:53

They did. They beat Northwood and made it close against other newer teams in the GMAC. They just didn't pull it out. So their goal needs to be a lot like Tiffin. They need to win those matches against the Tiffins, the Malones, etc. That's, I think, their next goal for this year.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:11

Yeah, they lose top scorer Wyatt Ferland. Yeah. And Colin Thornton, but they do return a bunch of guys. Uh senior attack, Joe Mariani had 29 goals last year, not too shabby. Senior attack, Spencer Lethbridge comes back, 21 goals. Junior midfield Noah Coning comes back. Faceoffs uh Steven Shadowski. You know where he's from, Kev?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:36

Where is he from?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:38

Chula Vista, California. Wow. Yeah, man. 54%. Not too shabby last year at the dot for St. Thomas. Uh goalie Trevor Almanza comes back. Um, so I counted 36 on their roster. I counted 10 new freshmen coming in, which is a solid number for St. Thomas. Uh uh for Thomas More rather. Uh this team averaged 39 shots per game. The man up was at 41% last year. Not too good.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:12

I think for man up, 41% is very good. I think if you're down low, I mean it's very good.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:18

It's very good. Their faceoff's at 52%. Here's where they struggle. Clearing. Yeah. They're only at 74%. Guys, you got to get it up to that 88, 89, 90%. You gotta you can't give the ball back 25% of the time.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:35

Look at here's what's here's another interesting stat. They were had 17.6 goals against, but increased their goals per game to 11.7. Vice 6.2 their first season. So that is closing the gap. It's still not where he wanted to be, but that's that's an improvement, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:59

Oh, definitely an improvement.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:02

So yeah, and then you know, they're close D returns with Patrick Giles, Logan Klein, and and Leighton Sayer. So I think, you know, their key is to build on the improvements, and they need to be more efficient and consistent and translate that into wins.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:19

This was another very young team in the conference. Again, another one. This is our third team in a row now, speaking, where they're just throwing out a lot of freshmen and sophomores on the field, Kev. Uh, super young team entering its fourth season in Division II, looking to improve in all categories, Kev. They're looking to improve in all categories. I think the Saints have a little bit of an uphill battle this year. Let's see if Coach McGuinness can get this squad to improve, but I feel it will be a little more of the same until maybe get some top talent. You know, maybe that that one or two more players that can give you that edge. I think. Think that's missing from them.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:04

Yeah, I think the other thing is their team stats really improved in 2025 over 2024. It just did not equate to wins. And like we've seen with other teams, me and you are thinking on the same level tonight. Like other teams, sooner or later that does equate to wins.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:24

You know. Right. Uh again, one of my notes, the promising aspect for the Saints is that although they couldn't find wins, they improved in almost every category.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:35

Me and you are we're just batting them out into it's it's like we do a podcast together or something.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:44

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:45

Okay, now we move on to the 11th and newest team in the GMAC. Point Park Pioneers.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:56

The Point Park Pioneers of Pittsburgh PA. Say that five times fast. Point Park Pioneers of Pittsburgh PA. Point Park Pioneers of Pittsburgh PA. Point Park Pioneers of Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:16

He made the three. That's better than I could do.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:18

Hey, it's their first season in Division II. Another new team in our division, Kev. I'm psyched for those guys. I am too.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:28

Head coach Cody Golan. Seaton Hill Grad has that G MAC experience. He also knows what a winning program looks like. He has in his first year, Danny, 42 on the roster.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:41

All freshmen.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:43

All freshmen. Players from California to Florida to Canada.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:48

Could you imagine being the head coach of a team, Kev, and you have 42 18-year-olds leaving home for the first time under underneath your underneath your wing? Coach Colin, he's gonna have his hands full. Hopefully he doesn't get away. Well, it's funny too when we had him on the 2 a.m. phone calls. Hey coach, yeah, we all got a problem.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:13

I got I got trouble.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:17

Hopefully, hey, 41 freshmen on the roster. You ready for this, Kev? They have kids from Texas, from Canada, from California.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:30

Yeah, didn't you hear? I just said that.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:33

Maryland, Georgia, don't listen to me. Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey, Illinois.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:44

He went all over to get these people.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:46

Nebraska. Nebraska? They have lacrosse in Nebraska? I thought it was all football out there, man. Mississippi and New York. That's pretty damn impressive. There we go. Yeah. That's impressive. That's that's quality recruiting right now.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:03

And it's the other thing that uh when we talked to him in the coaching carousel, he he knew like a team like Northwood had got over 30. So his his competitive mind's like, I gotta beat that. And he got it over 40.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:16

There you go. That's how it, that's how you do it, man. That's right. You look at the other sides and you go, I want to be, I want to aspire to be that. So who they got on their out of conference?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:27

So their out of conference is Virginia State, Duville, Foley Family, and Post.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:34

Perfect.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:35

Yeah. It'll really help them test themselves amongst newer programs the first three games. And Post is a team that has been back up on the rise, leveled out a little bit the last couple years. But look at that's a great out of conference for them to test themselves before they get into conference play.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:54

How many wins are you predicting for the Point Park Pioneers out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:01

You know what? I hadn't thought about that. Can they be like a Northwood? I don't know. They they're all new. I'm gonna give them I'm gonna say they get four wins.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:16

Okay. You're just giving them four. I'm giving them four as well. I'm gonna go with four wins.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:23

They've got a deep roster. Can they get their chemistry going enough to compete against some of those new teams, right? That's the key.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:31

Well, Seton Hill's gonna teach them exactly how I end lacrosse has played. Because whoever's in goal is gonna be a long day for that man. Whoever's in goal for Point Park. Watch him put a stud in. Watch him put a stud freshman in, and kid just kicks ass and nobody another Dylan Renner. Watch, watch. So I'm looking forward to seeing Coach Golden and the Pioneers play. Again, kids from all over, man. That's just so impressive to me. It is. It is.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:04

I cut it a little bit short. I just said California to Florida to Canada. You did the whole roster, which is even more impressive.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:10

Canada, California, West Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey, Illinois, Nebraska, which blows me away. Mississippi and New York. Oh, yeah. Crazy. Totally crazy. Crazy. That's crazy. So what do you think? There you have it, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:28

What do you think of GMAC overall? I well, here's what I'd say. If you look at what we just went through, Seton Hill is gonna be Seton Hill. They're gonna run through the conference. They're going to win the conference tournament. I think, though, there's a possibility that we see some other teams get into the conference tournament. I think it starts to be a little bit more of a crapshoot. And I think there are teams that are on the rise.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:00

Oh, I agree with that. I again, I think Seton Hill, it's theirs to lose. I mean, they're just they're they were really good last year, and a lot of these guys come back. Again, they lose Lockier, they lose Strunk, they lose Charlie Hudson, but again, Wade Brunell, Herbster, Carter Green, these guys come back. Will Cody in goal. Again, they averaged almost 60 shots a game last year, Kev. They were dominant off the dot. They're just they're they're a good squad. Walsh was the surprising team, I think, in the G-Mac last year, going 10-8. They improved in every category. They lose goalie Alex Motion, but a lot of guys come back. Toby Olinick, A.J. Harrison, uh, you know, James Sternberg. These guys come back. I think they can, you know, do well. I think they can maintain that, you know, and maintain that uh 42 on the roster. Again, they improved in every category. So I like Walsh a little bit. Wheeling is my team to watch this year out of the GMAC. They're my team to watch. Uh, because again, they had one of the better seasons in Cardinals history last year, solid last season. They do lose five out of the top scores, but I don't know. They were just, I think the Cardinals have a lot of new faces and some key positions.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:25

But I think their defense is going to be strong. The other team that I would say that uh it we just talked about this a probably about a half hour ago now, but the real team to watch, I think it's gonna be a real danger and a threat is Davenport.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:38

Well, I was just gonna get to Davenport. Um I think they're a team that they return a lot of players from last season as well, including top scorer. Jaden Ashley with 46 goals and 32 uh assists. I mean, at Antonio Hart at 50%. I think they're very good. I think they're gonna be a a squad to I'm gonna watch Davenport too. Yeah. In this year, you know. Um Lake Erie. I think they they got a good core. I think they need a little bit of depth. They were seven and seven. Seven and two in conference, though, Kev. Yeah. They took care of business in conference. Um I think, you know, I think they just need help at the at the dot because we were only at 32% last year. And uh I think they might dip just a little bit because they lose some senior leadership. So uh and what do you think of Malone and Tiffin? I think they're gonna be kind of around the same, you know, I think with what they got. Um DE, I gotta see what's going on with them. I gotta see what they put out on. Yeah, so it's a solid conference overall with some improving teams as Walsh and Davenport. Lake Erie's been solid. So you got four good squads there, and then a couple up-and-comings.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:11

Exactly. And I think look at those, a lot of those new teams, they're just trying to keep on improving. And give the G Mac still a couple more years and see if how that parody improves, right? I think that's what we're gonna be looking for.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:26

I think it will. I think it is improving. I think you're seeing it. Yeah, exactly. You know, I just Kevin, I really think that the game is growing so much in this country. Kids are giving up baseball and going to play lacrosse, and they're doing it in Nebraska. They're doing it in Idaho. I doing my homework, I don't know what's going on with Prior Lake, Minnesota, but man, they put out a lot of lacrosse players.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:53

They have a very good high school program.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:57

Do they? I know nothing about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:59

Down the alley podcast, DTA Nation. I've got something coming up. When we do the GLVC, you're gonna be tested.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:06

Okay. Because I mean, Prior Lake is all over the place. Every time I, you know, I'm looking at rosters. So lacrosse is growing. So if Division II is growing to 81 teams and bringing out new players, uh, new teams every year, that means more spots open up. Okay. And and kids are saying, hey, you know what? D2 is a good fit for me. And they're coming, they're getting stacked scholarships, they're doing good, they're saving mom and dad tens of thousands in some respects, in some cases. And as as it grows, I think more and more players are getting better. The talent is getting better, and now you're getting in areas where there wasn't a whole lot of lacrosse, getting lacrosse, and producing talented players. Right. And now these talented players are finding more places to go, and I just think it's growing, and you're seeing that in this GMAC. We're seeing teams like Davenport improve and Walsh improve, which Kev, since we've been doing this podcast, those teams have kind of struggled.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:22

Yeah. Now the other thing I would add that helps them out too and helps rise all boats in the bay is the AQ. Because now you can say, look at We just need to get in the tournament. We are that close, especially in the GMAC, where you say, look at, we just have to get in there and then get good enough to beat Seton Hill. Right. And we can do it, right? And so that's what I see as a bonus for these college coaches for recruiting. And they all said, like, they use the AQ as a as a recruiting tool for their team to say, look at, we have a shot. We can if we get the AQ, we're in the tournament.

unknown 1:18:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:04

And we're not that far off. Teams like Willie, not that far off. Walsh, not that far off. Lake Erie. Lake Erie, not that far off. You've got teams and then the newer teams that are just saying, look, it we just have to build. And that we're building the foundation now, and we may not be there, but we can get there. Because we've got one big, really one big team to knock off. Yep. So it's an exciting conference just for that fact. And it's really exciting to see where those teams that are a little bit below those top four, how they're what they're gonna do, and how they improve this year.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:41

You know, again, some of these teams just need just need bodies. They need players. That's all they need. Yeah. It's just depth. Everything else is there. Yeah. You know, they just need help. Yeah. You know, and again, I think this is a growing. I mean, we miss Mercyhurst big time in this conference. I mean, I miss them because they're special to me. They're special to me. Um, but I like this conference and where it's going. It's growing and it's getting better. These teams are improving. There, it's not just one and two and then everybody else. It's like these teams are starting to move up. Again, Seton Hill's sitting there, they're the lion at the top of the mountain. It's gonna be tough to knock them off, but a good and improving GMAC conference, and I think it's gonna be a fun 2026 season in the GMAC.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:35

100%.

Shout outs

SPEAKER_00 1:19:36

All right. Now it's time to move to shout outs. I have two, Danny. Okay. Here we go. You mentioned last week Coach Stark winning the DT D2 Coach of the Year by USILA. We didn't mention that his assistant, Casey Mithon, Mythan Mithon. I hope I got it right. I probably butchered it. Was named most outstanding assistant for D2. All right. So shout out to him. And then my second shout out goes to Dan Mara, the CACC commissioner. He's been on the podcast before. We run into him every year at the tournament. Yep. He was picked for the Extra Man Award. That award is presented annually to a university or college administrator who displays the highest level of support for the growth of lacrosse. Good man, congrats to Dan. Yeah, good.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:32

Well designed. He's a good man. We met his son last time, too. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:38

Yep. So that's what I've got for shout-outs, Danny.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:42

I have no shout-outs, Kev. Hope everybody had a nice Thanksgiving out there.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:46

That's the shout-out. The man who's never a day late or a dollar short. And with that, Danny, we finished up the GMAC, and that's it for today.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:01

You know where Chuck Berry's from, Kev? Not Florida. St. Louis. This is the St. Louis Blues by Chuck Berry. Iconic rock and roller, right? Oh yeah. Did you ever see him in concert?

SPEAKER_00 1:21:20

Never saw him in concert. I've only seen him on the basic concert.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:24

He was like 70 when I saw him. He was running around the stage like he was 30. And that's alright. And that's all right.