Ualbany opens with win
Week of physical practices pays off for short-handed Danes
The University at Albany men’s lacrosse team had a couple of fights break out in practice this week, which warmed the heart of head coach Scott Marr.
That ferocity carried over to a 15-9 victory over Colgate in the season opener at John Fallon
Field on Saturday. The Great Danes prevailed despite missing 11 players due to COVID-19 protocols.
“I’ve been saying to myself and people in my close circle how much I like this team,” Marr said. “We just seem to have some grit to us … It’s a tough group, so I’m really pleased with how we played today.”
Senior attack Jakob Patterson had four goals and four assists, senior midfielder Alex Burgmaster scored a hat trick and freshman attack Camden Hay added two goals and four assists.
“Yeah, it was tough given that 11 players were down, key players like Tehoka (Nanticoke), Graydon (Hogg) and Ron John,” Patterson said. “So it was tough, but we practiced throughout the
week and stuck to coach’s game
plan, which was perfect. Just stuck to the fundamentals, stuck to the offense and just buried the shots when we had them.”
The Great Danes’ defense
smothered a Colgate offense that had scored 14 goals in a loss to Robert Morris a week earlier. Utah graduate transfer Liam Donnelly got the start in goal and made 10 saves.
He also dished out a big hit on a Colgate player that earned Donnelly a one-minute penalty for targeting in the second quarter.
“Unfortunately, I got a penalty there,” Donnelly said. “I didn’t mean to hit him that high. The guys loved it. I’ve really never done a play like that before.”
Donnelly also made an important kick save with 6:04 left in the third quarter after Ualbany’s 6-2 halftime lead had been sliced to 7-6, partly due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Kyle Casey. After Donnelly denied Colgate’s
James Caddigan a tying goal, Ualbany freshman Logan Tucker responded with a goal to start a run of five straight by the Great Danes.
“Watching film on those guys, they went low a lot last week against Robert Morris,” Donnelly said. “I was prepared for that. I was happy with that save.”
Colgate got its own penalty for a rattling hit when Aidan Toomey, who is 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, crushed Burgmaster, who is 5-10, 185 in the third quarter. Toomey got two minutes for an illegal body check.
Burgmaster returned and scored a man-up goal in the fourth quarter.
“Alex Burgmaster, who’s probably one of the toughest kids we have on our team, for him to take that hit from that kid, the
size of that player … that’s a sign to everybody that we’re not going to back down and we’re going to keep going forward,” Marr said. “I’m glad he didn’t get hurt. I thought that was a pretty good cheap shot.”
There was physicality in practice this week as well, according to Marr, who said he didn’t mind seeing chippiness in the days leading up to the opener.
“Absolutely,” he said. “We’re just competitive. I think we were at this point last year, too. I think we had this same kind of chemistry going last season and then we obviously got cut short. … A couple of kids have really stepped up. (Defenseman) Steven Kunz is, without a doubt, our number one leader on the team. Alex Burgmaster, the same thing. They’re not big, crazy fights, but they’re just good scraps and guys who are showing the passion.”
Patterson was thrilled to play his first game in almost a year.
“It’s just exciting to play against somebody that’s not on your own team,” he said. “It’s a different atmosphere, a different environment, even without the fans.”
Ualbany (1-0) is scheduled to open America East play at Hartford next Saturday. Marr said he expects to have everyone back for that game, assuming the players who tested positive for COVID -19 pass their heart exams and everyone is able to get in three practices, following conference protocols.
Note: Marr said the team dedicated Saturday’s win to Ualbany athletics photographer Bill Ziskin, who died Monday at 58 years old after a long illness.