Conference Previews for the 2026 Season - NE10

Intro

SPEAKER_04 0:33

Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of Industry with Danny and Kevin, a coast-to-coast discussion of D Two Monts Across. I'm your co-host, Kevin Stentram, and with me as always is the man who knows when to hold them and knows when to fold them, Danny Moran.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money when you're sitting at the table. Kevin, my pugnacious, prognosticating podcast producing partner. How are you tonight in Northern Virginia, my friend?

SPEAKER_04 1:10

I am doing ducky. Just ducky. I'm feeling good. We're good. You're not gonna sing again in the media. You're not gonna sing. I let you do that. You carry a tune much better than me. My singing days ended in high school, really, Danny. Maybe a little bit in college and a few musicals, but I I had to I have to fake it more often than not.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Interesting, Mr. Stenstrom. Interesting. How are you?

SPEAKER_04 1:32

Good. I'm good. But let me tell you I said that for you because you play the hand you were dealt. And that's kind of like, Danny, what we have to do for these conference previews. Like we don't we go out to the coaches, we try to get information. They're busy people, they can't always answer us. We try. So what do we have to do? We have to look at the website. And if the website has their 2025 roster still, then we're extrapolating. There's my big SAT word for the night. Extrapolating statistics and the roster, right? You're trying to figure out like who do you think is gone? Who do you think is coming back?

SPEAKER_00 2:14

It's not a perfect science, right? No, we're going to make mistakes, my friend. We're humans. We are human.

SPEAKER_04 2:21

Well, and this is what's great. We're human and we're admitting that now, and we're playing the handwork dealt just like you always do. After the Peach Belt dropped, Danny, we got great fan mail correcting us on some of our mistakes, which I think is phenomenal. We also got it with the RMAC, and that hasn't even, as we're recording that tonight, it has not even dropped yet. But we had people in DMing us saying, I can't wait to hear, so then I'm giving a little news. They're like, Oh, you didn't get that right. Really, really cool. But I'm gonna leave that and those corrections to our shout-outs and shout out our fans who brought that. Just a little teaser so people stay tuned for those updates until the end.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

You see, now that's what's cool about our podcast. We always tell people, hey, let us know if we're doing good, let us know if we're making mistakes, let us know. If you got ideas, let us know. And again, people are very they feel comfortable with us, Kev. They have no problem with dropping an email or a DM and saying, Hey, you guys messed up.

SPEAKER_04 3:19

And and the best thing is they don't even say that. They don't say, hey, dummy, you got that wrong. They're like, hey, just so you can you'll know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yeah, no, I know. They're great. Our fans are great, Kevin. They really are, man.

SPEAKER_04 3:33

I I I love it. And I love when they tell us that, and we'll I'll shout that out at the end of how they can help us more as we're coming with more of these conference previews.

NE10 Preview

SPEAKER_04 3:40

But tonight, Danny, it is time to strap in. Because it we are breaking down the Nent tonight, baby. The granddaddy of them all.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

The granddaddy of them all.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

When I'm taking a gray on the Hudson River line. I'm in a New York state of mind.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

That D2 National Championship runs through New York, Kev.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

It does.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Billy Joel, Long Island guy.

SPEAKER_04 4:22

I love this song.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

And our last national championship, Long Island team. That's right. New York. You know what though, Danny?

SPEAKER_04 4:33

Adelphi repeated, but they did not necessarily run away with the conference. That's when I went back through this preview and I was doing the homework, you almost forget because they had a great season, no doubt. But when you look at some of the other teams, and I remember back last conference preview, and as we were discussing during the season, there were a lot of teams that we felt were in the mix. Obviously, St. A's, Pace, Bentley. There was a bunch that we kept on waiting to see. Could they make their move against the Delphi? And that's what makes this conference interesting.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

And then we had another one in that conference that kind of made a jump that we weren't expecting in the assumption. Assumption.

SPEAKER_04 5:13

Yeah, we thought they may be primed to do better, but they did great. And I think they're poised again.

SPEAKER_00 5:19

I am. But what what a great conference, Kev. It's the granddaddy of them all, like you said. Um, a lot of history in Division II goes through this conference. Set the ball. Yeah, yeah. And what can you say about the Adele Pite Panthers and what Coach Gordon Purdy and the and that staff has done over the last two years? Just simply amazing.

SPEAKER_04 5:41

Well, you're right, because the one thing they have to do is keep their players' heads on straight.

SPEAKER_00 5:48

Well, that might be tough for them this year.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

Yeah. You know, it's how do you keep the two rings on how do you keep them?

SPEAKER_00 5:56

How do you keep them grounded and looking for that next one? Because a lot of guys are coming back on this team. And they are and they got two. And they're gonna have a big target on their back. And you know what? You're you're right. They did not run away with their conference. They were in some tightly contested games. Um, a couple of games against St. A's, could have gone either way, Kev. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:21

Well, and that's yeah, yeah, that's exactly right. So look at their record last year: 19-1, 7-1 in conference. They lost to St. A's in the regular season, but they beat them in the conference championship, but that was in overtime.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

Yeah, they they that that loss, they were up at St. A's, too. So they were they were away. So St. A's was home and won that game 9-6.

SPEAKER_03 6:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

So, hey, their only loss was a one goal overtime. Well, you know, that was it. That was it in the 9-6. That was it. That was their only loss.

SPEAKER_04 6:56

And then you go to the you go all the way to the the finals up in Massachusetts against Tampa. Best game of the weekend. Best game of the weekend.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Yeah, it was great.

SPEAKER_04 7:09

Far none. Yep. I'm I'm texting Lax Guy Scotty, I'm texting Mitch Pelke, talking about as the game's going on. Because they're in a different part of the stadium than where I'm at, where I'm at. And they basically are saying this is the best game I've seen.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

I don't care what those two guys said. I have eyes. I can see the game. I'm gonna need those two knuckleheads to tell me what a good game is.

SPEAKER_04 7:36

It was awesome.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

That was a great game. It was really well, well matched. Um, you know, JB called that timeout at the end of the game after scoring. That would have time. I don't know. It was a crazy game. We had Coach Purdy on. He said he wouldn't call that timeout. And we've had other coaches on and said, hell yeah, we all would have called that timeout. And I never played the game and I would have called that timeout, you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:03

You know, we looking on in hindsight, you can make that. Oh, I wouldn't have called it there. Look at the blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Bullshit. It doesn't work that way.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

That's right. Everybody would have called that timeout, I think. So, like, even though Coach Purdy said he wouldn't call that timeout, he had a little smile on his face when he said it. But, you know, again, the Panthers were amazing last year. Stacked, stacked Kev offensively, defensively, and they had Dylan Renner in between the pipes, who was, I think, the difference for them last year.

SPEAKER_04 8:38

I agree. I mean, they have a they've got so many good players, but when you've got that guy between the pipes and you know he's backing you up, even though your defense is stout, and he is the energizer for that team. Not just the defense. When he stares down a player after he makes a stop, that's Dylan.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

Dylan's a trip.

SPEAKER_03 9:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

The kid's a trip, man. He's up there helping now, helping out the Panthers this year. He is. So um again, with with him gone, I think that's a big hole. And that I think that's their biggest weakness right now.

SPEAKER_04 9:18

Yeah, they've got a couple of guys, Christian Tomey, who has played D1, moved around, was down, Belmont Abbey, injured, played N-A-I-A. Now he's up there. Can he fill the shoes? Or will it be the uh Tommy Gentile from BU? Another guy. Like they've got some guys that can step in. I I just can't see any of them filling the shoes the way Dylan does, did, but you never know.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Kevin, we've been doing this what five, six years now. So we've had our our ear to the rail for a long time, and we've had some of the best goalies in all of Division II come on our program. Yeah, we've had Shane Ketchadurian, we had um who was the kid from um Tampa, uh Ulmer.

SPEAKER_03 10:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

You know, we've had some really good goalies on. And we had Dylan Renner. And in those, in these five years, he's probably the best goalie I've seen at the Division II level. I mean, just what he he was able to do, man. He could make stops like crazy. He just he was just amazing in there, fearless. I can't say enough. I don't think I saw have seen a better goalie in my in my eyes in Division II since we've been doing this.

SPEAKER_04 10:36

I would agree with you, especially if you look two years in a row. Like those other guys, several of them we had had a great junior year, and they're coming back for another year, and they had good years. It's not that they weren't good years, but they weren't at that same level I think Dylan Renner showed in their two championship seasons.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

Yeah, yeah. And they did much better at face-off past season than they did two seasons ago.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

They did much better there. They were able to get possessions. But let me tell you something, man. Losing a guy like Renner, I think, is huge. I think is huge. I think that's a big, big hole to fill. And I don't know these guys. I don't know. I mean, I know Tim Ank because he played at Belmont, but I don't know these other guys. I don't know what they're capable of, but I know what that defense can do. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:28

And, you know, they lose a few guys on D. They lose Kevin Groom, Ryan.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

Great player, all American last year. I've watched Kevin Groom since high school up here. He's a he's a great player. And good guys.

SPEAKER_04 11:39

He was amazing. Uh Ryan Dernan, Nick O'Shea, who Nick O'Shea was just a workhorse.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

He was he was he's the man.

unknown 11:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

That guy, he's like the the utility man, you know, and and to have a guy like that on your team who can do multiple things, take a face off, go on to the wing.

SPEAKER_03 12:00

Transition.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

You make it make a big ground ball, pick up, transition. And he wasn't the biggest guy, but man, he was tough. He's a tough kid, man. That kid was physical. He was he was fun to watch, Nick Gosh, to be honest with you. Yeah, they lose him. But they return. But they lose Noah Gibson, too. No, Noah Gibson's back. He comes back? Yes. I thought he was a senior last year.

SPEAKER_04 12:23

Noah Gibson's back.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Holy!

SPEAKER_04 12:26

They return their top six scores. That's interesting. Brayden Dunellen, Noah Gibson, Mikey Dernan, Kyle Lewis, Ryan Baco, Vinny McDermott.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Yeah. Braden Donnellan, 38 goals, 78 assists for 110 points last year. That kid's ridiculous. Playing edge high school. Unbelievable.

SPEAKER_04 12:45

And he was only a sophomore last year, right?

SPEAKER_00 12:48

No, no, no, no. Junior. Yes. Yes, sophomore. He's going into his junior year. You're right. Mikey Dernan, 65 goals last year. Came out of nowhere. Really didn't get much burn the year before, Mikey. Steps in, bang, 65 goals. That kid could fire him from anywhere. Then they got the midfielder of the year, Kyle Lewis. He might be the best midfielder in the country, Kev.

SPEAKER_04 13:14

He's really good.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Oh my God, he's good.

SPEAKER_04 13:18

What's the word I want to use? It's not shifty, but he I almost feel like he can lull you to sleep.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

Super IQ. Yeah. Super high IQ player. That's another thing about Adelphi. This team is a super high IQ team. Every kid that steps on that field for them, that this staff is so good that every kid that steps on is a potential all-American, a definite all-conference kid, but they play such a high IQ game. Every player is really well coached at their position, and they're good at what they do. Yeah. You know what I mean? And every position, that defense with Delasandro last year and he's back, Steven Diamikas, Reese Bauer. First team All-American last year for Reese.

SPEAKER_04 14:07

You got James David, Gavin Herzog, and then you're they're adding in from AIC Carter Link letter.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

Another all-American. Another all-American. They're going to have two long pole, you know, all-Americans back there. With Delasandro, probably should have been on that all-American list, right?

SPEAKER_03 14:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

I mean, he's that good. I mean, I've watched Mikey play since he's like sixth grade. He's a really good player. I mean, this team is stacked. Like a, as this, as the kids say in the hood, stacked like a motherfucker. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:46

Like, they are really built for a three-peat. If they can keep it's going to be tough, man. They're built for it, though. They are, but I just want to know. Yeah, the goalie position is a real huge.

SPEAKER_00 15:02

Because you know what? There's other teams out there that are good. They're going to get possessions. They're going to work their offense again. Teams like CNA's are going to be good.

SPEAKER_04 15:11

They're going to be good this year, too.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

They play well against the Delphi. Pace plays well. Pace Pace took a little step back a little bit. I think they didn't have much of a midfield last year, but I think they're going to be good this year. But, you know, it just, this team is stacked offensively and defensively. All Americans. I didn't know Noah Gibson was coming back. I thought he was a one-year transfer. That's just, I don't know. I could be a hundred percent wrong. I don't know that. So my biggest question is their goalie. And you know what they did? You know, I've been a little critical of their scheduling. You know? I I have been. I'm not taking anything away from a Delphi. I just think last two years their schedule, I don't know, was favorable for them. And I've said it on the program. Well, this year, they kind of put together a pretty good out-of-conference schedule.

SPEAKER_04 16:06

I think it's great. It's Walsh, Frostburg, Stack, and now that's to start off. Then they go Wingate, Lenore Rhine, Seton Hill, Mercy, and Malloy.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

They put, yep. They're going to travel down south. I've been saying for a couple. They haven't been down south for a while. I remember a couple of years ago, maybe was it before, just before COVID, they were down south and they were doing well. They had beaten Lenore Ryan. They were playing Tampa. I forget how those games went right now, just off the top of my head. But they had gone down south to play the big boys. And I felt that that's what they had to do. You know, and because the NE10 is so big and the sack is so big, there's only a short period of time to get those out of conference games in because those two, you know, they play nine games in conference. Right. So they have to play in the beginning of the year. It makes more sense for a Delphi to go down south where the weather's a little bit better, than the Southern teams to come up north and bite. And that makes it good for a Delphi too. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 17:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

So they're going to play Wingate at Wingate uh Wednesday, February 25th. It was a Tuesday. I think it got switched to a Wednesday.

SPEAKER_04 17:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

And then they play Lenore Ryan a couple days later. So that's going to be a bit of a road trip for them because both of those teams are pretty good too, Cap.

SPEAKER_04 17:25

Seton Hill's good too.

SPEAKER_00 17:28

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 17:31

They don't suck either.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

No, no, no, no. So that's a great out-of-conference schedule for Delphi. I commend them. Let's see if I can remember which button it is. It's not that one. Yeah, it is. There you go. I gotta mark the buttons. The other ones were marked. Let Danny do it, you know. So I I commend them. And you know what? I think I think the road to the national championship is probably gonna be someone's gonna have to play a Delphi, I think, at some point. I think they're that good. I think they'll probably have a better, best, the best chance to get back with all of these guys coming back. Yeah, I agree. I agree totally.

SPEAKER_04 18:19

Okay, let's move on to St. Anselm. Yeah. The Hawks.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

Drew Bordeaux. I'm waiting, I'm waiting for your Hawks. Oh no, no, I'm not attempting.

SPEAKER_02 18:30

A car! A co.

SPEAKER_04 18:35

You know what? It sounds better with the reverb. We'll have to we'll work on that again.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

I got a little Mexican coffee working today. That's not real coffee in there. A little Mexican. A little more hawkness comes out. That's right.

SPEAKER_04 18:49

Uh yeah, Coach Drew Bordeaux. The one thing I would say. And where is St. Anselm's located? Oh, it's up in Manchester, New Hampshire.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Manchester, New Hampshire, Kev, we got to give the listeners what the location. That's right. Some of them might forget.

SPEAKER_04 19:03

Well, I tell you, there's a drop-off with them and him taking over last year. No drop-off. They went 14-2 and 8-0 in conference.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

He was phenomenal. Coach Bordeaux did a phenomenal, phenomenal job last year. Unbelievable team. Fun to watch, man. They were a fun team to watch. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 19:25

They lost a Delphi in the conference championship and to a Delphi in the semis for the NCAA.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

Yeah, but handed a Delphi their only loss of the season.

SPEAKER_04 19:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

And I dude, they only lose really two guys, if you ask me. Who's that? Will Andrews, Colin Mulvey?

SPEAKER_04 19:44

Colin Mulvey. They also lose number six Joe Lombardi. Now he was 13 goals, 15 assists. Those two other guys had a lot more goals and assists, a lot more points. They do return their number one points getter, Matt LeMay.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

I love that kid. The first game I saw him play, I was like, who is this kid? He is a slinger. He don't care. He's got no fear. He's got ice in his veins. You leave his hands open, Kev. What's he gonna do?

SPEAKER_04 20:22

It's buried.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

He's gonna rip it. Yeah. He's gonna rip it. And he doesn't care where it's from. He he will dodge you. He will face dodge you, roll dodge you, he will do step downs. The kid is good, man. He had 41 goals, 14 assists, and was an all-American honorable mention last year as a freshman for St. A's. And he's got three more years to ball out. You're gonna you're gonna hear Matt LeMay's name a lot.

SPEAKER_04 20:51

I agree. They also bring back Chris Claflin and Mark Boyle, who produced a lot. I mean, Chris Claflin, 13 goals, 31 assists.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

Yeah, led the team in assists. He led the team.

SPEAKER_04 21:04

Mark Boyle with 21 goals. And coach let us know another Mulvay is inbound. Oh, we got a freshman Mulvey. Nate's coming in. What position does he play? What do you think? I think he's on offense. I don't know if he's attacker midi. I have to look at I I don't know if the coach told us that, but he did say he's inbound.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Yeah, Claflin returns. Matt LeMay. Who else? Our man in goal. Finn Granara. Dude, he was an all-American last year. Third team. Face off Quinn Cannon comes back.

SPEAKER_04 21:41

54%, but he played, I swear to God, he just makes the right saves at the right time.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

He plays big in big games.

SPEAKER_04 21:47

Yeah. He does.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

He plays big in big games. And you know what, Kev? He's been in a bunch of big games now. They threw him into the deep end, you know, what, about a third into the his freshman season.

SPEAKER_04 22:00

Because of the injury to their their starting.

SPEAKER_00 22:02

And he's never been out of the pipe since. So now he'll be going into his junior year. He's been in a ton of big games against great teams. I think he's you're going to see a marked improvement with Mr. Gunara. He's one of my favorite goalies. He's a goalie to watch this year, I think. I agree.

SPEAKER_04 22:20

I agree. And you're right. You were starting to say about defense. They bring back a lot.

SPEAKER_00 22:24

Tyler Vigent, he's great. They're deep at LSM, man. They roll out LSMs. They're good.

SPEAKER_04 22:30

Nate Johnson, Jake Klepacky. I mean, Max Fowler, Johnny Lucas were freshmen last year.

unknown 22:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:38

Yeah. Short stick D. Mini, Brendan Crowley. I mean, they're just they're deep on the defensive side. They lose a little bit on the offensive side, but I think they're still got that core.

SPEAKER_00 22:51

I think they're an elite team. I think I'm going to put them in the elite status. I think they're deep, they're strong, battle-tested. A lot of guys come back. I think Bordeaux did an amazing job last year. I think he's going to, with that season and the way that team plays, I don't think it's hard to recruit to get guys to come there because they have a chance to go to an adieu or at least get to the NCAA's every year. They're that good.

SPEAKER_04 23:18

You know what's interesting about their defense? They were young last year, and it kind of reminded me of uh Wingate's defense four years ago when they were young, right? And you keep those guys and they keep coming back, and they're getting better and better. The one thing I wrote about them, you said it probably better, elite. I wrote very consistent. And what I meant there was like there's no there's just no drop-off in the game. You they're they've got ice in their veins. They never give up, they can come back. I don't know weaknesses.

unknown 23:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

No weaknesses in the game. They're deep. They're deep at LSM. They have great attackmen, great midi. They run a great offense. They have stack style defense.

SPEAKER_04 23:58

You did not even mention that their face-off specialist, Quinn Gannon, returns. He was 63%.

SPEAKER_00 24:03

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_04 24:03

And they got Evans Belane behind him at 57%.

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Yes, yes. They're good. They're good, Kev. I'm putting them in the elite status. So we got two teams in the NE-10 right now that I'd have to put in elite status.

SPEAKER_04 24:16

That like I said, we have not done all our homework, but right now, as I'm thinking through this, those are two teams that are candidates easily in the top five.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

Oh. Probably. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. St. A's is good, man. I just like their style of play, man. They just they get up, they get after it, they run, they they put defenses at at you know, they just make they make defenses make mistakes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:50

Now they just have to they just have to get over the Delphi hump.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

And they got what it takes. They have what it takes. They've already done it. And they've done it with the team that a Delphi has. And now this year, they're not going to have Renner looking down at them. Right. I don't care who put you put your putting goal in there. You know, Renner, you know, it's like it's like when you go to a game and you just know that like the best player on the planet is on the other team. It kind of gets into your head early. You know? You're like, damn, that's Dylan Renner. He's the goalie of the year two years in a row. He's just stops everything. We're never going to get past. You know, you almost take yourself out of the game sometimes. Sometimes. But now you're going to have players going, shit, he ain't there. Let's go. Let's go. Yeah. You're going to see, you're going to see teams come after a Delphi this year, I think.

SPEAKER_04 25:42

And here's another team that we'll see if they can do that's the pace setters.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

Love the pace setters. They were number 10 last year. They were in the top 10 pretty much all season last year, Kev. And where are they from, Danny? Pleasantville, New York.

SPEAKER_03 25:57

Wouldn't you want to go to school in a town called Pleasantville?

SPEAKER_00 25:59

Who wouldn't want to go to college in a town called Pleasantville up there in uh Westchester County, New York? Beautiful part of the country up there, Tom Mariano. I love this man. If you're on his Instagram, if you follow him on Facebook, if you follow pace, this man's at it 24-7.

SPEAKER_04 26:20

He's coaching Korea. He's having a we we sent him an email to try to get some information. He's like, Can I get it to you next week? I'm flying to Korea right now. I'm like, yeah, coach, that's fine.

SPEAKER_00 26:30

I'm on my way to Korea. All right. The fact that you're talking about the city. Did you see him posting all the food? He's a foodie, you know. Yeah, he is. He is. And he was like posting some wild stuff over there. I was like, I don't know if I can.

SPEAKER_04 26:44

And it's the same way I see with other coaches. Uh he also posts, he's a family guy, right? Like he's posting his kids. Yeah. And what they're doing, the stuff they're doing with the family. It's not just all across, which I love also. You know, you get to see that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

No, he's a good man.

SPEAKER_04 27:00

He talks about it for pace setters in the lab. When they're a fall, it's like in the lab. And I just love that phrase.

SPEAKER_00 27:06

Yeah, he's a good man. He's a good man. They went 11-5 last year, 6-2 in conference. Their big signature win was a 12-7 win over then number 12 Bentley. Had a solid season, Kevin. Had some bang bangers against Malloy, a couple of great games against Malloy. I like what Coach Mariano does at Pace. They're a well-coached squad, usually pretty deep. I think last year they lacked some production out of the midfield. And I think that hurt him a little bit. But still, I mean they they lose some players, but you know, Coach Mariano, he just reloads every year. He's another team that just reloads.

SPEAKER_04 27:54

They they're returning on offense, they're number two through number five in points. Declan Landers, Will Donowski, Matt Baldino, and Colin Reese. So, you know, they lose their main guy, Daniel Zabia.

SPEAKER_00 28:10

Yeah, Xavia. Xabia. Danny was a good player, man. Couple All-American years for pace there. He was a good attackman, big boy. Wasn't allowed to rip it. They leaned on him big time last year. Yeah. They leaned on him. They they lose uh midfield Carl Preston, Caden Howen, Jackson Bulger. They lose short stick D. Midi, uh, James Mation, and uh defenseman Ryan Rimnall. Yeah, but you know what? Again, this is a team that kind of reloads year after year, Kev. They're not, they don't, they never fade too far. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03 28:47

Well, look at that.

SPEAKER_04 28:49

Brian Brennan and LSM, two L LSM and D and Ose Odama LSM, and those guys combined had over 80 ground balls and about 50 cost turnovers.

SPEAKER_00 29:01

Brian Brennan had 44 ground balls and 23 cost turnovers. And Chris Butler had 29 ground balls and 30 cost turnovers. So they they wreak some havoc on defense. If you're not going to protect the rock, Pace will take advantage of that. Their goalie Jack Kern, very solid in goal last year. He returns.

SPEAKER_04 29:19

Coach let us know that sophomore Hunter Wilcox and freshman Jimmy Caputo are competing, which only makes that room better and makes Jack Kern better.

SPEAKER_00 29:28

Yeah. Yeah. I wonder if that's Caputo's little brother from a couple years ago. That went to Jacksonville. Yeah. Uh their two face-off guys come back. Yep. James Russell, Kellenberg kid, Kellenberg High School kid. Oh, yeah. James. Yeah. 61%. Dennis Hogge, right?

SPEAKER_04 29:49

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 29:50

56%. They do good at the face-off. They're good. They're a good team. They're deep. You know, I think, you know, my notes on them, they have a lot of seasoned players coming back. Pace is solid in all areas, Kev. They do well in ground balls. They do well. They stay out of the box. They're a well-coached team, another high IQ team in the NE-10. Not an easy team to play, whether they're on the road or they're home. They're a squad. They're definitely, to me, you know. I'd like to see who steps up at midi. I want to see what they do at midfield this year. I think that's going to be a big thing for them.

SPEAKER_04 30:25

Well, I think that's that's telling they bring a lot of folks back. My whole thing was, like you said, they're always solid and deep. It's like most of those teams, St. A's, Adelphi, and them and Bentley a lot of times. Bentley is the my question mark this year, is the fact that they recruit so well. They've always got a deep bench behind the guys that that leave. But when I look at it, they lose a lot on defense, more so than what I see them returning from an experience standpoint. So I think on D, they have to, those people have to really step up. They're taking in the taking over their shoes.

SPEAKER_00 31:05

Yeah, again, um, like I said, solid, solid in all areas. They do just, they're a good high IQ team. I think they're a top-tier Division II team. I think they're a top 10 team, you know. Um, again, I think the only I just think they're gonna need a little bit better input from their midfield to open up the attack. You know what I mean? They they need a little bit more production out of the midfield. Like they had with Caputo, when Caputo and those guys were there. You know, they were just, you know, they were tough because their midfield could score. You had to defend them, you had to go out. You know, without without a real solid midfield, you see, defenses kind of suck in a little bit, make it a little harder. Yep. So I think that's their only um, you know, that if they want to challenge a Delphi and St. A's, they're just gonna have to need some production out of the midfield. I think Coach Mariano, like I said, high IQ team, well coached, uh, seasoned players on both sides of the ball, deep, just they're gonna be a solid squad again.

SPEAKER_04 32:08

I agree. Let's go to the Bentley Falcons.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

Don't ask me to do a Falcon, please. Coach Murph and Coach Deajinkis up there in Waltham, Massachusetts, Kev. And where's Waltham? It's about nine miles right outside of Boston. Yeah, it's close. Yeah, so it's it's a Stones 12 from Boston. Bentley was number 12 last year, they finished. Number 12 in the country, eight and seven.

SPEAKER_04 32:39

Four and four in conference. Yep. Not as strong as they had in 2024, but still a good record. They're they were a solid team. You there's one of those teams that every time you watched them play, you felt like they had a chance. Like you can never count out Bentley. They they uh now they lost to St. Ace twice as well as Pace and Adelphi. So their challenge last year was beating the teams we just talked about.

SPEAKER_00 33:09

Yeah, they were all top ten teams. Yeah. You know, and they were number 12. They just, you know, they were one one ladder, one step on the ladder lower than the other guys. Coach Murphy does a great job up there in Walton Mass, and that's a school that doesn't give athletic scholarships, Kev. So these kids that go there, and Bentley is one of the most prestigious business schools in the country.

SPEAKER_04 33:31

100%.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

It's a great, great academic school. So kids that are going to Bentley are a little different, you know, come from a little bit of a different background. Um, usually some have the money, you know, because it's expensive to go to Bentley. But what you get when you graduate Bentley is an amazing job, an amazing network, what they do with the students. It's a student-oriented school, you know what I mean? It's not an athletic-dominated base school. It's more about academics at that school. Yeah. And the fact that Coach Murphy can put out such a great team under those conditions is a testament to what a great coach and a great recruiter he is because he's getting the right guys to come to that particular program.

SPEAKER_04 34:23

Bentley has a culture that's been honed by Coach Murphy over 30 years. Even the logo is prestigious. You just know what you're getting when you see that team. Yeah. Now, the the challenge this year is they lose a lot of firepower. They lose their top five scorers, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 34:43

Yeah, guys that have been there a couple of years now. Yep. Will Adams, yeah, 155. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 34:50

Dave Gagnan, Garrett Witt, and Nathan Alviti.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

All great midfielders. Alvidi was a great midfielder for them. He was really good. He was fun to watch. They lose LSM Alex Parton. They use Kevin Sheehan, the short stick D. Middy. They lose face-off Dalton McKinnon. They lose a lot.

SPEAKER_04 35:13

Yep, Nick Kane's gone. Now, they return on offense, Brady Glass and Charlie David, but look at their production needs to increase. They were, you know, at about 15, 13 points each, 10 goals and nine goals. And you're talking about guys like Will Alms with 26 goals, 20 assists, Hunter Smith, 34 goals, David Gagnan, 34 goals. I mean, there's a lot of production that needs to be picked up.

SPEAKER_00 35:42

Yeah, one of their big, big solid players last year was Dalton McKinnon at face-off. He was very good for them. Yeah. He was able to get a lot of possessions. Um, all right, who's who's gonna get that job at the face-off for, you know, the Spiro Manatius or Dante Amico, you know, they both took face-off season, uh, face-offs last season, and Spiro was at like 53%, not too bad. Defenseman Connor Tierney comes back. You know where he's from?

SPEAKER_04 36:10

Where is he from?

SPEAKER_00 36:12

White River Junction, Vermont. I never heard of it, but it sounds really pretty. It sounds great. Uh short stick.

SPEAKER_04 36:18

I don't think there's really many spots in Vermont that aren't pretty, by the way. Yeah, that's true. That's true.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

I've only been there once. It was a good time. Short stick D. Middy, uh, Henry Wright. I think he's gonna step into a bigger role on D. Uh goalie, Ryan Border, and midfield Jack O'Rourke. All those guys come back. Those guys saw significant playtime last year. Um, those guys come back. I think they lose a ton of core players, Kev, both sides of the ball.

SPEAKER_04 36:46

Now, so the goalie, Ryan Bordier, was not their starting goalie. Jackson Tinsley was, and he's gone. Now, Ryan had six starts. So it's not like he hasn't been in there. And he had a 53% save percentage. So I don't think they're gonna lose much with him being in there.

SPEAKER_00 37:06

Yeah, it looks like he's got the fast track for the goalie job. Again, though, they lose a ton of core players on both sides of the ball, Kev. I think it's gonna be tough for them. It might be a year of a reload or maybe try to re-go again. We'll see what Coach Murphy puts out there. Because let me tell you something. I think his teams are they're well coached. I think they're very scrappy. I think they're a high IQ team. They might lack the depth that some of the bigger teams, but they still have depth.

SPEAKER_04 37:36

That's the thing. I think they're a team just like we talk, I talked about a Delphi, right, and St. A's and Pace, where they have the players from behind that seem to pick up. I it'll be interesting to see if they can do that when they based on the other teams we've already talked about, they seem to have lost a lot more than those other teams. So what can they do? When you talk about you know losing the the top six scores and your face-off specialist and your goalkeeper, even though the the secondary goalkeeper had seen action starts, had seen action.

SPEAKER_00 38:13

That's a lot to make up. It really is. Again, I just think this team is you know, they're they're a scrappy high IQ team. Like, think Coach Murphy has good players there. I I need to see what they're gonna put out there for this 26 season. I I mean they lose a lot, so we're gonna hear a lot of new names come out of Waltham this year. And uh maybe we'll get on the horn with Coach D and Jenkins. He can give us a little bit more information on what's going on. But, you know, uh I love the Falcons. I love what Bentley does up there. Again, prestigious school, not the typical Division II lacrosse school. Kind of have to be a special kind of person to go there.

SPEAKER_04 39:02

Um But the great thing, and the same thing that St. Ay's does, right? There are a lot of good lacrosse players, you know, a doorstep away from Walton, Massachusetts. Oh, yeah, man. Like so they're huge hotbeds. Yeah, it's a target version for them for them to get to get players, right? They don't have to go far. It's not Long Island, but they don't have to go far to get good good players.

SPEAKER_00 39:27

No, they they they don't. The Boston area and the New England area and that upstate New York area, which is they get players from there. They produce great lacrosse players, Kev, so they don't have to go far. Um, again, I'm interested to see what Coach Murph puts out there for them this year. Again, it's gonna be some new names, some new faces for them, and I'm interested to see what Bentley puts out. I agree.

SPEAKER_04 39:52

Now, this team, I'm really excited to see what they do this year based on what they did last year, which was great. The Assumption Greyhounds. The Greyhounds in Worcester, Massachusetts, my old college stomping grounds. Worcester Mass. Head coach uh Guy Burdone. They were 10-4 last year, Danny and five and three in conference, and that was a great improvement. We said in last year's preview, when we did it a year ago, that they returned a lot of their core and would be in contention, and they proved that. They were good last year. Georgian Court, Roberts Wesleyan, and Bentley. And they beat them. They lost to St. A's in overtime.

SPEAKER_00 40:43

And they were good last year. These the Greyhounds were a spunky bunch last year, weren't they?

SPEAKER_04 40:48

It was a team. It didn't surprise me when they won. It just didn't surprise me, but if you look at back past history, you didn't think they were gonna do what they did either. I mean, it was just great to see. They had they they had finally been building, they'd been building for a few years of getting their roster in place, and they just they played to their potential last year. They did a great job.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

Yeah, I mean, Assumption came, you know, the in the couple of years that we've been doing this podcast, Assumption has been a mediocre team at best. Not last year. Last year they were well above a mediocre team. They were beating the snot out of people. You know, they had a really good season.

SPEAKER_04 41:40

Yeah, now they lose number two, three, and four scores. Ryan Bogart with 24 goals, 18 assists, Bri Brady McNulty with a Middy with 23 goals, 13 assists, and Cameron Terrier, an attackman, 17 goals, 12 assists. But they returned some guys, too, number one in points, who was a freshman last year, Ben McHugh, attack, 33 goals and nine assists, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 42:05

Yeah, as a true freshman. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:08

They bring back Junior Brian Short at attack and sophomore Boomer Staunton at midi.

SPEAKER_00 42:14

Nolan Johnson comes back. Yeah. Goalie. Shane Corcoran. All American honorable mention last year, Kev.

SPEAKER_04 42:24

He was he was 7.7 goals against average and a 63% save percentage.

SPEAKER_00 42:33

In the NE 10. You know? Just think about that. Kid Kid's a stud. He's a he's just a flat out stud. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes one of the all-American squads this year.

SPEAKER_04 42:45

I agree. And face off Connor Stack also returns. He was at 69%.

SPEAKER_00 42:50

He was a third-team All-American last year. So they got some All-Americans on that squad coming back.

SPEAKER_04 42:56

If you look at that now and where they were a couple years ago, building, building, building. Right.

SPEAKER_00 43:02

Just get that one or two kids that man are on that next level and to take your program up a notch, and that's what they did. They had last year.

SPEAKER_04 43:10

That's where they are. Now on D, they lose a few players, though. They lose Colby Leighton at D a D Pole, Matthew Garfler, LSM, another LSM Tom Reiki, and a short stick D Mitty, Nick Polomeros.

SPEAKER_00 43:28

Polomeros, yeah. He was pretty good, actually. Yeah. Um yeah, they lose a couple of guys, but I think if Bordone is doing his job like he has been the last couple of years, I'm sure he's had a good recruiting. I mean, they had a good season last year, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 43:44

I they're returning Trent Sargent and Declan Turner, so it looks like their close D is going to be pretty solid. It's their rope defense that's going to see some new faces.

SPEAKER_00 43:54

Yeah. Trent Sargent had 25 cost turnovers last year, 42 ground balls. They had a super solid. Season last year, Kev. They lose a little senior leadership. Their man up was at 32%. Their clear was at 90. They're solid at face-off at a 61%. They outshot their opponents. The players like Short and Johnson will probably have bigger roles this year, I Kev, I think. I think they need to replace their middies. I'm interested to see what Coach Bordeaux puts out for uh the Greyhounds this year. I think they're going to be tough again.

SPEAKER_04 44:27

I I agree. I think you know their D is coming back pretty solid. They're special teams. You cannot question between the pipes and that face-off. Were they ranked? Offensive newcomers step up. That's my question.

SPEAKER_00 44:42

Did they get into the top 20 last year for a small bit? I'm trying to remember.

SPEAKER_04 44:46

Good question. I don't remember.

SPEAKER_00 44:48

Yeah, I don't. But they were like, I think they were like right on the doorstep. They might have been in for a week or two.

SPEAKER_04 44:54

I know they received votes. And I would believe I would think that they got in there sometimes, but they because they had a great season. Yeah, and it's tough.

SPEAKER_00 45:03

It's a tough league, man, the NE 10. So, you know, to do what they did. See much drop-off this year.

SPEAKER_04 45:09

Now it all depends on what they can, like you said, what are they going to do on offense? Who's going to step up? Everything else seems really solid to me.

SPEAKER_00 45:17

Yeah, again, they lose some senior leadership. Uh, like I said, I'm interested to see what Coach Bordon puts out there. And uh, I think they're gonna be a formidable squad, just from what I see on paper. I agree.

SPEAKER_04 45:30

All right. How about we move to the Purple Knights of St. Michael's in Colchester, Vermont? St. Mike's. Head coach Alex Smith. They were seven and six last year, Danny. Two and six in conference. That was a decline from 2024, especially in conference. Their record in 2024 was 6-3 in conference. So that was a little bit of a drop-off for them.

SPEAKER_00 45:55

Yeah. Signature win 11-8 over Frostburg. They did great out of conference, though. They were uh they went 5-0 out of conference, but they struggled, like you said, in conference with the only two and six record. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:09

And coach, when he gave us some information, he said this year's kind of a year of transition. They lose their number one, two, and four top scores. Sebastian Simonson, an attackman with 38 goals, 32 assists, he's an all-time leading scorer, and he's a multi-year All-American. That's a big loss for them.

SPEAKER_00 46:27

Yeah, and he was their leader. He was their leader, Simonson, last year, you know.

SPEAKER_04 46:33

Yeah. And then Christian Reyes right behind him, and then they're good player. Yeah, great player.

SPEAKER_00 46:40

Ethan Hughes. They lose face off Cooper Wilson. They lose goalie Sean Regan.

SPEAKER_04 46:47

That's a pretty pretty big loss, to be honest with that. Yeah, they lose some pretty big boys.

SPEAKER_00 46:53

Yeah. But they returned some good guys.

SPEAKER_02 46:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 46:58

Tacman Sean Murphy comes back. He had 15 goals. Midfielder Tommy Cahill comes back. Ethan Rake. You know, they put they put out some you know good LSMs and uh Tyler Orchinski.

SPEAKER_04 47:11

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 47:12

Played LSM and LSM Gavin Prout. You know where he went to high school?

SPEAKER_04 47:17

Where did he go?

SPEAKER_00 47:17

Boys Latin. Really? Yeah. Yeah, he went to Boys Latin, so you know he doesn't suck. Uh face-off Noah.

SPEAKER_04 47:25

D minie. Yeah. I have short stick D mini Ben Riggs and then D Pole, Junior D Pole Paul Manke returning also on the defense.

SPEAKER_00 47:32

So the face off Noah Noah Poirier. He saw action last year. All right, so who are we going to have in goal? That's the thing, I think. We're going to have a goalie competition.

SPEAKER_04 47:42

Coach was saying the competition is amongst three players, but that's great that they got three players that are vying for it. But that's some big shoes to fill from Sean.

SPEAKER_00 47:54

I think Ethan Drake's going to come. He's going to add to the offense.

SPEAKER_02 47:58

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 47:59

So I think they got some big shoes to fill, the Purple Knights. For me, it's a wait and see right now.

SPEAKER_04 48:07

I agree. I agree. They have to rebuild on offense and special teams. Who are the players that were waiting in the wings? They need to step up. This team could be dangerous, but we need to see. Can they sneak up on people? They didn't last year, to be honest.

unknown 48:24

No.

SPEAKER_04 48:26

And they did in 2024. So can they get back to those ways? I think it's going to be a work in progress this year.

SPEAKER_00 48:33

Yeah, I think so too. Again, it's a wait and see for me. They have a good out-of-conference schedule, though. Did you see it? Yeah, I did. At Frostburg, Walsh.

SPEAKER_04 48:44

And they're putting Walsh at Frostburg also.

SPEAKER_00 48:46

At Frostburg, yeah. Um, Roberts Wesleyan, uh, Felician, Deuville, and Dominican of New York.

SPEAKER_04 48:55

Yeah, and I also have I have on my thing Stack, also St. Thomas Aquinas. Oh, you might be right. But yeah, that's a that's solid for him. I think that's actually fairly favorable for them out of conference. Yeah. But I'll tell you the first two, Frostburg and Walsh, and then you look at Roberts Wesley, and those are three tough, tough, tough teams. Yeah, Walsh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:21

So RW always puts out a solid squad. Frostburg puts out a solid squad. I think Walsh is going to be good this year. Yes. So that's a good that's a pretty good out of conference for uh Coach Smith up there at the Purple Knights in Colchester, Vermont. St. Mike's 84% on clears last year. They were pretty good on man up at 47%.

SPEAKER_04 49:44

Pretty good. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 49:45

They averaged 38 shots a game, but they turned the ball over more than their opponents, Kev. They got to take care of the rock better. And their faceoff was a respectable 56% last year. So they got boys there that can play. It's a matter of just putting all the ingredients in the bowl and giving it a good mix, Kevin. I think that's where they're up to right now. I agree.

SPEAKER_04 50:08

I think the coach, Coach Smith had it right. It's a year in transition, and they just have to play it out and see what happens. Yep. Now, let's I'm excited. This is another team. You talk about assumption. I'm excited to see Southern New Hampshire, the pen men this year. Pen. They're bringing back a lot, Danny. And where's Southern New Hampshire?

SPEAKER_00 50:34

It's in Manchester, New Hampshire.

SPEAKER_04 50:36

It's in Hookset.

SPEAKER_00 50:38

Oh, New Hampshire.

SPEAKER_04 50:39

Now, that could be rights outside Manchester. I don't know, but I have it listed as Hookset.

SPEAKER_00 50:44

Okay. You're probably more right than me. You're a little bit more diligent in your homework assignments than I am.

SPEAKER_04 50:52

Oh, I don't know about that. I think we make a good duo there, my friend. Mr. Moran is good.

SPEAKER_00 50:57

He just needs to apply himself. 5-9 over uh overall, 3-5 in conference. Signature win. They had a 9-8 win over St. Mike's, who was ranked number 18 at the time when they beat them. So they return a boatload, guys.

SPEAKER_04 51:18

They were young last year. Look at Coach sent us some really good stats. This team returns 28 members of the 20-25 team. Tons of freshmans and sophomores were getting valuable time. Look at they had prior to last season, they only had four guys with more than 15 games of any 10-playing experience. Now they have 25 guys, 25 guys with 20 plus games under their belts.

SPEAKER_00 51:46

Yeah. Sophomore attack Joey Gallo led the team in points last year as a freshman. They were very young. Junior attack Ryan Lynch led the team in goals with 32.

SPEAKER_04 52:00

Now he's out this year because of an injury. Ooh. He's the only one they lose on offense because they've got Joey Gallo coming back. They've got Blake Wozniak. They've got Aiden Bluen. They've got a ton of guys coming back.

SPEAKER_00 52:15

Kyle Beckett.

SPEAKER_04 52:17

Yeah. I mean, their whole midfield returns. They're starting midfield, Sean Dwyer, Kyle Beckett, Pat Roy, and then you throw in sophomore PJ Cunningham. Now you, and then you add in a bunch of guys that are coming in that he thinks are going to be good. Transfer Matt Fuel, freshman Sean Higley, freshman Jeff Gourmoney, Ben Quintiliani. I mean, they're stacked in the midfield.

SPEAKER_00 52:39

Yeah. They got a good LSM. Luke Wiedemann led the team in ground balls at 38, cost turnovers at 17. Defenseman Sean Mandel.

SPEAKER_02 52:48

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 52:49

Again, Wozniak and Barrett return each with they had 40 points between the two of them. Goalie Matt Roy saw action last year for them. He was 58%. Does he get the start this year? I wonder.

SPEAKER_04 53:04

Oh, yeah. He yeah, well, there's a town. He's their top goalkeeper. He also turned senior John Bachelor. So they they've got a bunch of guys. I think it's Matt Roy's to lose. But it looks like they've got a strong goalie room, and you've got a senior backing up a junior. Do they split time? Who knows? You know, that's yeah. I mean, they they are there. Look at if you look at we said most of these guys are sophomores and juniors. They're not even seniors.

SPEAKER_00 53:40

Yeah. Coach Calkins rolled out a bunch of underclassmen last year, man.

SPEAKER_04 53:45

Yeah. And they took their lumps, no doubt, but they're coming back with a lot of experience.

SPEAKER_00 53:50

But you know what? Looking back, when you think about that, they kind of held their own for such a young team, you know. Five and nine, three and five. You were kind of like, hey, they were in it. They were young. They knew they were young. They knew they were going to take their lumps, but shit, they held their own.

SPEAKER_04 54:07

I mean, I think for such a young team, um, they're gonna be dangerous this year.

SPEAKER_00 54:15

They need to improve their face-off and they need to protect the rock. They were only at 30% last year, at 38% of face-off last year, Cav.

SPEAKER_04 54:23

Yeah, and look at the only had 9.5 goals per game, which is also not gonna get it done.

SPEAKER_00 54:30

Because they couldn't get the ball. Yeah. And they struggled at face-off. 70% of the time the other team had the ball.

SPEAKER_04 54:37

But now their defense, you know, even if they're face-off. Say it doesn't get above 50%, but their defense now is a lot more experienced. Can they get the ball back? Can they Right.

SPEAKER_00 54:52

If they can prove in other areas, you know, if they can bring up.

SPEAKER_04 54:56

Now they're a different team. They're in a different area.

SPEAKER_00 54:58

And Renner and goal. Yeah. That kind of displaces everything else, you know.

SPEAKER_04 55:05

But I think this team is going to be fun to watch this year and see where they go.

SPEAKER_00 55:10

I really do. Again, they rolled out a ton of underclassmen last year, and I think that they held their own for such a young team. I think they need to improve at face off at only 38% and clearing at 85%. I think they have to improve in those areas.

SPEAKER_02 55:26

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 55:26

Here's another thing. They turn the ball over more than their opponents.

SPEAKER_02 55:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 55:30

So I think this year the team should be a little bit more seasoned as these younger guys who saw action take their game to the next step.

SPEAKER_04 55:41

I see them, I see them being 500 or better, and I see I would love, can't wait to see them in 2027.

SPEAKER_00 55:50

Again, I don't think they're going to be an easy out. I think they're going to put out some players out there. I would like to see what Coach Hawkins is going to put out there as far as like new players, which guys are going to take what spots and whatnot. And we got to watch them at face off and and taking care of the rock. I think that's a big key for them to improve.

SPEAKER_04 56:11

I think another year of experience, I think they're just going to be dangerous. Now, they're going to be at the level. They were young. Yeah. I just think see what see what they can do against most of the guys, most of the teams in any 10. Can they match up with the Bentley? Can they bring, can they bring to pace, make it a competitive game? Those are the ones that are really going to make difference. I think they're going to be tough against the St. Mike's, Franklin Pierce, all those other teams that are in there. I think though what do they do with the top competition?

SPEAKER_00 56:39

Yeah, well, they're probably going to lose. Just to be honest with you. But I think it they're not going to be an easy out. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I think they gotta they gotta get a couple of more studs there, and they need those four, three, four-star players to kind of go there. So what do you think? Did do they have their out-of-conference schedule?

SPEAKER_04 57:01

Their out-of-conference schedule for 2026 is Felician, Malloy, Caldwell, Stack, Roberts Wesleyan, and Dominican.

SPEAKER_00 57:13

That's great for them. Yeah. See how Coach Scorcha does against the penmen. There we go.

SPEAKER_04 57:21

I think I think that stacks up fairly well for them.

SPEAKER_00 57:24

Yeah, I do too.

SPEAKER_04 57:26

And and then we'll see where they go in conference. All right. Let's go to Franklin Pierce. The Ravens. God, there's a lot of birds in in this uh in this conference. I'm not doing a Raven. You don't have to do a Raven.

SPEAKER_00 57:43

Coach Ryan Lynch takes over at Franklin Pierce. And he was on our program a couple of weeks ago. And Kev, I liked him. I do too. A lot of energy. I liked him. He is an educator. I want to see what he's like at the end of the season.

SPEAKER_04 58:02

Well, he knows. He knows what he's got. He knows it's not going to be. But look at they were young last year. So they return a lot. I just don't think they have the depth yet.

SPEAKER_00 58:14

Yeah, they don't.

SPEAKER_04 58:16

They were 2-10 in 2025 and 1-7 in conference. They beat Dominican and AIC. They're out of conference. Schedule's not out yet. Their roster's not out yet, as well as some of the other teams we've already talked about. They need depth in the roster, and they need to get their roster. It may be up, maybe near 30, but look at they've got some work to do. Their D was young last year, but they're returning almost everyone. Nick Sawyer is now a junior. Kyle Breitweiser, D. Pole was a junior, and Drake Nelson as a senior. Their whole close D is back along with Nick Catabriga, another senior. So they're strong, but they lose Mike Masterpolo, their goalie. And he was kind of the glue. He was the glue guy for their team.

SPEAKER_00 59:04

Yeah. They lose Hale Jackson too.

SPEAKER_04 59:07

Yeah, Jackson Hill, they lose him, but Aiden Gibbons, Aiden Gibbons, Jackson Phillian, Caleb White, and Michael Lawler. So it's they were young. They were young last year.

SPEAKER_00 59:19

Very young.

SPEAKER_04 59:20

Their problem is they they just don't have the depth yet.

SPEAKER_00 59:23

They only had 26 on their roster last year. Yeah. I think a problem with the Franklin Pierce Ravens is that there's no consistency over the last couple of years at head coach. We've watched a couple of coaches come and go there.

SPEAKER_04 59:39

Callahan, Devin Callahan has been that was there for several years. He actually, I think our first year was an interim. He took over. They did really well when he was an interim. They did okay his first year, and then they kind of plateaued and then went back down. I think I don't know what the issue is talking to Coach Lynch. You know, he was a guy when he came on, he knows what he has to do. It's not going to be this year. Oh no, he knows that. But he he liked look at he's he's got the foundation. The bones are there with the players he has. He likes the players he has, he likes their attitude. Now he's got to add on to that with depth. They just cannot hang for four quarters against a lot of these teams.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:26

Yeah, he said he'd like to get the roster up to 40 at some point. Yeah, or higher. Yeah, yeah. And he said that the athletic department is behind him, you know. So um, I'd like to see, I think maybe Coach Lynch is the guy to really get this Franklin Pierce squad back on the map. I think he's got the energy. I think he's a very bright young man when you when we heard him, just when you hear him speak, you know. He's right, he's a very good speaker. I think he's the type of kid, type of coach that could lure kids and get kids to come to Franklin Pierce. I agree. I think he's got that kind of energy where a kid would go, hey man, I like that guy. He seems like, you know, a go-getter and and and a lot of energy. I loved having him on the show. He was really good guest. Um they were super young, super small roster. It's tough to roll like that, Kev, in the NE10. You know that it really is. 100%.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:29

And so he he knows like, and you look at it like their shots per game last year was 31, their face off was at 37%. There's a lot of things that they can improve, and they just have to do it, he just has to do it incrementally. Yeah, I think the key is focusing on that versus wins and losses.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:45

Well, you want to improve, you know, you want to be somewhat competitive. I think they're gonna struggle to be competitive this year. Um, if they win five games, you know, that's a home run. That's a home run for Coach Lynch. So they have an uphill battle, but again, I think they finally have the right coach in there. And I like I'm looking forward to seeing what Coach Lynch can do with the Franklin Pierce Ravens.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:11

I agree. Okay, last team to go over the AIC Yellow Jackets.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:20

My old Yellow Jackets.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:24

Springfield, Massachusetts.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:25

Your old stomping ground. That's where you grew up, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:28

That's right. Head coach Corey Nealig, he's in his second year. Last year they were 2-11, 0-8 in conference. A little bit of a step back with transition to the new coach. But look at they've they went through a lot of turnover, and they've lost a few more key players. Look at Carter Linkletter, and they lose their number one in points, Tyler Good. But they return a lot on offense. Jordan Boyanko, Baden's brother, freshman attack, Cole Goodet, Seven Gillingham, and Jacob Liger. So they've got some guys, and on D, they're returning Ryan Lewis and Charlie Blankstein. They lose some guys, Rowan Ruggiero, Shortstick D. Midi, Gabe Zippen, and D polled Nick McKay. But I like what Coach was saying. He basically told us look, it we have a lot of transfers and new faces that we're excited about. He says their culture is in a really positive place compared to a year ago, which is important for them. They went through a tough transition. Remember, Coach Spallone left kind of in the middle of the year. They had an interim coach. Coach Nealing then takes over, comes in. Yep. New year. There's a lot of change. And when you're 18, 19, 20, that's that's a lot of stuff to deal with. Yep. He and he says our guys embody the grit and resilience of the city of Springfield. So he's excited about what he has. I think they're going to struggle this year again. It's for them, it's the same thing as Franklin Pierce. It's depth.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:05

Yeah, they need players there. And, you know, to lose. I just think about this. I mean, in the last, just think about that. Three years ago, they had Reese Bauer and Carter Linkletter on the same squad at AIC, both of them all Americans.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:21

On one of the worst squads in Division II. How do you get two of the best players in the country to come to a school like that? I wonder how that was done.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:31

And that one year, they had their best season they've had.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:35

They kicked butt with those two guys on the team. They really did. And now they're both on a Delphi.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:42

I feel bad for Corey Nealig. I really do. I think it's an uphill battle again for the Yellow Jackets at American International. Only had 25 on their roster last year, Kev. Again, tough to roll in the NE 10 with only 25 on your roster. I mean, some of these teams are rolling out 45, 50, 55 guys, LSMs for days, midis for days. It makes it difficult for a team. They just don't got the legs.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:08

Yeah, and it's interesting because they're up to 17 games on their schedule this year, and Coach said that was a big focus for them. They've got a big out-of-conference schedule. They play Holy Family, then Wilmington, Caldwell, Post, Felician, Dominican, Georgian Court, Deuville, and Bridgeport.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:27

Some CACC teams there.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:29

Yeah, they they have a big, big schedule, and we'll see how well the team does, how large their roster is this year. I would assume it's at best probably about 30. But here's something really cool that they're doing. Mention that Jordan Boyanko's on the team, right? This is something that I think is really, really fantastic. We talked about this already. Baden Boyanko passed away a few weeks ago, month ago or so. Jordan Bianco's his brother, right? AIC is honoring honoring Baden's legacy. They're retiring number 77.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:09

That's amazing. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:11

They're putting stickers on their helmets. Coach said that Baden never wore an AIC uniform, but his brother Jordan embodies everything that makes our men's lacrosse program a family. The Boyanko brothers have a charisma and confidence that lights up a room and inspires those around them. Although I never got the pleasure of coaching Baden, I've seen firsthand how he has impacted the people around him. And to do that for the Boyanko family and for Jordan. And really, I think it's a testament to Coach Nealick and that team about encircling and being part of the lacrosse community. It's more than just AIC.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:49

That's a quality move right there, Kev. That's a quality move. I commend Corey Nealick for that. That's a great thing to do. I mean, what can you say? The lacrosse, the lacrosse family community is a very special community, Kev. They stick together, man. They really do.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:06

And I thought that was really, really important to point out. It has nothing to do with wins and losses, but it does have to do with what your focus is for your team. And there are things that are bigger than wins and losses.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:20

Absolutely, 100%.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:22

All right. So that was a great rundown, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:25

Yeah, so when you when you kind of like put it all together at the end, Kev, I mean, it's a Delphies to lose again. I think they're going to have a hole at goalie. I think they'll do okay. They are stacked on both sides of the ball. They are going to be an elite squad for sure. St. A's, same thing. Stacked on both sides. Love the kid LeMay. I think he's going to be a player to watch. I think he's going to be a super stud this year. He was a freshman last year and kicked ass. You know what I say about freshmen coming back as a sophomore? A little bit bigger, a little stronger, a little faster. Got that year under his belt and that confidence. You know, so St. A's is they're pretty badass, if you ask me. Um, I like pace. I think what Coach Mariano does there up in Pleasantville does a fantastic job. Um, I think Assumption is going to be an interesting team to watch this year, the Greyhounds with Coach Bordone. Um, they do lose some players, but they had a really good season last year. You know, uh, I think with the players that they have returning, if they can add one or two studs into that mix, they might be a real tough out in the NE 10 again. Um, the Penman, gonna have to see. Again, they were a young team last year. They rolled out a bunch of young guys. We're gonna have to see what they do. I don't think it's gonna be a rollover when you play Southern New Hampshire this year. I think they're gonna come at you a little bit. Um, I'm interested to see what Coach Lynch does of Franklin Pierce. I'm I want to give him, I want to give that man three years.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:04

Oh, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:06

At the end of his third year, I bet you this team is a lot more improved. Uh Bentley, I want to see what Coach uh Murphy and Dean Jenkins. They have a big turnover. Maybe the biggest turnover out of all the teams in the NE10, if you ask me. Uh St. Mike's had a solid year last year, Kev. Seven and six, um, but two and six in conference. They're gonna have to turn that around if they want to do better. They do lose Simonson and those guys, Christian Reyes. And they got some big shoes to fill. Um it's interesting to see where they're gonna be. And what do you think, man? What what's your thoughts on the NE10?

SPEAKER_04 1:09:50

I I think you said it really well. It's a Delphies once again to lose. They're gonna be at the top. St. A's is right there. I think what you said about pace, I think Bentley's got the most, from a talent perspective, lost to to have to regenerate. I'm really excited about Assumption and Saint and Southern New Hampshire. Those are the two teams I want to watch and see what they do. I think Southern New Hampshire is gonna be a is going to improve a lot. I think Assumption's right there. They didn't lose much. They're gonna be vying to go after and get more wins. I think that is gonna be the key. I'm not sure they're gonna do it for every one of those top-tier teams between Pace, Delphi, and St. A's, but they are going to be right in the mix. And I think it's gonna be really interesting to see what the other teams do. Can they improve? First of all, they've got to improve and teams like even AIC like can they improve out of conference? How do they build their confidence in there before going in conference? And what do the roster sizes look like? A lot of holes we don't know yet for some of those teams, and they've got to start to build. Corey Nealig's got to start building back to what where Spallone had it. Right. Coach Lynch has got a long way to go. Give them time. I think all these teams, I think those teams, if I I like those coaches that are there, I think you give them some time. I think any 10 is just gonna get more competitive.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:14

It's roster building. That's what it comes down to with those schools. And again, any 10, Kev, like you said, the granddaddy of them all. I wish I could talk like Keith Jackson. I know. I wish I could have his voice. So uh great, great conference. You know, top, you know, the top dogs are top dogs. They're all top 10 teams in there. They always have like at least four teams ranked every year. You know, there's just it's a great conference, a lot of history. You gotta love the NE10.

Shout outs

SPEAKER_00 1:11:45

Oh, you gotta.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:46

Okay, let's move to shout outs. I'll shout out I will start because mine's kind of long. I teased it a little bit up front. My shout outs is to our fans because of how they respond when we need answers. We received some fan mail through Buzz Sprout, which is our distribution platform for all our podcasts to the different sites. On our Peach Belt preview, one from a Baltimore, Maryland fan who told us that flag of a goalie Josh Stevens is no longer on the Saints team. He was through from college over the summer. He wanted us to know that because his son is also a goalie on the flag of men's team. So the info is accurate. I thought that was great. Then we got fan mail from another fan in New Brunswick, New Jersey telling us that Gordon Ogden, their LSM at Flagler, is back this year. We thought he was gone. He had a red shirt year, so he's able to come back and we get to see him play.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:43

See, that's the stuff we don't know. We don't know whether he's been redsharted unless it's on the unless it's on the website.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:48

But even then, sometimes it says redshirt junior. It's like, oh, maybe he's coming back, and then they graduate, they don't come back. So you never know.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:54

Right.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:55

And just a reminder for all our fans who reply to us or who send us stuff in fan mail via Bud Sprout, we cannot reply to those fan mails. I would love to. So if you send us something through Bud Sprout on the fan mail, please leave an email address if you want us to return. I will return and s and reply. I get you on it through my own email address and I will return it to you. Give you an answer. The other thing, the other thing we got is we also got a DM via Instagram, and I'm gonna butcher his name, and he'll have to forgive me from Estatios Gerenicolo. His friends call him Greek, so that's how I'll just have to do it. He's actually the content creator for Concordia University's social media. He's good. He does great work.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:44

He's good.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:44

For their video and everything. He reached out to say he was excited to hear what we were gonna say about the green and gold this year. And I started to tease him a little bit like, oh, hey, we're we don't know about Cade, like Cade Poe and Daniel Yang's not gonna be there. He let me let us know that both Cade Poe and Daniel Yang are returning because they still have NCAA eligibility based on them being a club team. So because they're a club team and CUI has such great graduate programs, these guys are graduates that are staying longer, but NCAA eligibility.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:19

That's huge for CUI for Kate Poe and Daniel, and Kate Poe is a great face-off guy, and Daniel Yang was great between the pipes for CUI. That's great. That's great news. Thanks.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:29

He also gave us a list of transfers, and they come from D1, D2, D3, JUCO, and Club. And most of those guys, you say JUCO or Club, they were like all Americans, top scores or top defenders. Let me tell you, CUI looks like they're stacked again on this.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:47

Yeah. That's great.

unknown 1:14:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:50

That's great. Like I said, we appreciate uh just a shout out to all of those and all our fans. We appreciate the updates. Just as a reminder, we're film, we're recording this now. By the time this actually drops and you hear this, we will also have recorded the GMAC. So you can have ourselves on all these. But for all the teams after that, you can send us stuff now. You can get us uh via Instagram at InTheCrease D2Lacks and on Facebook at In the Crease with Danny and Kevin. Probably the two best places to do us. You can uh DM us there and give us the scoop. Right, exactly. That's my long-winded shout-out, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:30

Not bad. That's a good one. Thanks, Greek, for that. That was pretty cool stuff. And I got a couple of quick shout-outs. Um, my first one is an apology for screwing up. Joe Vedovnik's son is Jack. I was calling him Connor. Somebody please smack me in the head. I don't know why I did that. So my policy, my apologies to Joe and Robin and to Jack. Jack's going to Tiffin. It ain't Connor. It's Jack.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:02

Jack's going there.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:03

So I apologize for that. Um, I want to thank all the coaches who provided the information for us for our for our count uh conference previews. Uh, we really appreciate you guys. You know, it's giving us some scoop. It's a, you know, I know you guys are busy.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:20

We've gone back. We haven't, I sent this out months ago. You know, they're busy doing recruiting and everything else, and then getting ready for a fall ball and players coming in. And usually when I'm going through my previews and I we don't have like an out-of-conference schedule or we don't have a roster, I reach back out to them, and almost 100% of them apologize to us for not sending stuff. I know. I know.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:48

Like we're just two coaches, we're just two knuckleheads. I mean, if you get it if you get around to it, great. If not, no big deal. But get it. You're you know, but the coaches appreciate what I think what what we're doing, you know, that we're bringing some uh some uh love to their programs and and and bringing it to the masses, so I think they appreciate that. So I want to thank all the coaches that provide the info. You guys have been great. Um, I want to congrat Coach Scott Stark from the Maryville Saints, who today was named USILA Coach of the Year for Division II. So congratulations.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:27

I missed that one, dude.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:28

Congratulations, Coach Stark. You had a great end of the season last year. You really came on strong. They're gonna be good again this year. 100%. And my last shout-out tonight, Kev, is a little bit on the somber side. Um I don't know if you heard, but last week um we lost a fire department member in New York, died in the line of duty. I don't know if you heard about that. I did.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:55

I did.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:56

Okay. His name was his name was Patrick Brady. Uh Patrick grew up right across the street from me, Kevin. I know his entire family. I know his brothers and sisters, his parents. Um, there were three families that lived right across the street from me. The Hurleys, the Hearons, and the Brady's. The Hearons lost a son on 9-11. And these three families are very tight-knit. Last week, Patrick fighting a fire had a heart attack during the fire and passed away. Um the town of Rockaway Beach, where I live and where I'm from and where his family's from, is an extremely tight-knit community. A lot of cops, a lot of firemen. The send-off that Patrick received this past Saturday was like nothing I've ever seen in my life, Kevin. I've never seen anything like that in my lifetime. The bridge leading into Rockaway was lined with firemen holding American flags. I tried to get to the to the mass for the funeral, I couldn't get within 15 blocks of it. It was an unbelievable send-off. So, because of the lacrosse podcast, I follow different colleges' athletic pages and all the D2 ones, of course. So I see a little tribute to Patrick Brady from Belmont Abbey. Seems that Pat had played rugby at Belmont Abbey 20 years ago. And I was reading some of the posts that these Belmont Abbey alumni were posting about Pat. Now I had no clue that he played rugby. I knew that he played rugby, but I didn't know he played college rugby, and I didn't know that he went to Belmont Abbey. The tributes that were coming in, this kid was like the single-handedly like kept this school afloat for a year or two. It seems that about 20 so years ago, Belmont Abbey was fledging, the school was kind of falling apart, there wasn't a lot of money, and Patrick was this larger-than-life character from Rockaway Beach, New York, playing rugby down there, and somehow was able to recruit players and keep the campus morale going at a time when the school was struggling.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:39

And one player, former rugby player from Belmont Abbey, said there should be a statue at Belmont Abbey for what Patrick has done for that school that nobody knows about. So I want to offer my condolences to the Brady family. Um, Patrick was a great kid. The send-off was amazing. What I didn't know that he was part of a D2 family. I mean, it may not have been lacrosse, but it was one of our schools, Kev, Bel Belmont Abbey. Right. We love Coach Barrett, he's been so great to us. I mean, he's been phenomenal with us, and me personally, I got to have lunch with him one day. It was great. So I feel like a personal connection to Belmont Abbey a little bit with Coach Barrett, and just to see that made made my heart feel warm.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:31

So it also shows you what a small world it is.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:35

It is a small world. It is a small world.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:37

How connected we are. That's a great, it's a great ending of the shout-outs. It was a it's a tough story, but the connections and the relationships, I think, is what shows what matters.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:49

Yeah, and it goes to division two, you know, like just and I had no idea and it caught me off guard, you know. And I was like, I gotta read these these like little tributes. Oh, Patrick was great. I can't believe it. This is such a sad story. I remember one time him waking us all up at one o'clock in the morning to run across campus to go gag drinking or something, whatever they did. You know, like he was that guy. So God bless the Brady family. God bless the FDNY.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:18

And with that, Danny, that wraps it up for the N Conference Preview.