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Saint Joseph’s is finally NCAA tournament-bound!
The Hawks erased years of heartbreak by doubling up Hobart, 14-7, to claim the Northeast Conference championship and securing the first NCAA tournament berth in school history.
Team 91 2019 White defenseman Alex Keener (Bethpage) helped the Hawks get off to a hot start by burying his second goal of the season. Keener has played in 14 games this year and has 16 ground balls and five caused turnovers to his name.
Saint Joseph’s also features three more Team 91 alums. ’17 Ryan Doran (Half Hollow Hills East) would have figured prominently in the Hawks’ plans, but he suffered a torn ACL two games into the season. ’19 White Shawn Wolf (Bellport) has played in two games and has an assist and a ground ball to his credit. ’19 White LSM Sal Pascarella (Half Hollow Hills East) has appeared in three games for the newly-minted NEC champs.
The Hawks take on No. 4 Yale in the second round.
Yale Bulldogs
Yale, which secured a share of the Ivy regular-season title, reached the conference title game before falling to Penn. ’19 White Jared Paquette (West Islip) made 14 saves in the semifinal win over Cornell. He’s started all 15 games this year, stopping 51.9 percent of shots sent his way and also has an assist, 24 ground balls and two caused turnovers on his résumé.
Fellow West Islip alum Mikey Alexander, a ’19 Orange product, has also started all 15 games. The close defenseman has 14 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. ’17 Luke Eschbach (Smithtown East) has played in every game and has two goals, one assist, 10 ground balls and five caused turnovers. ’21 Blaze Machado Rodriguez (Chaminade) has provided a boost at the faceoff dot, winning 60.7 percent of his battles to go with 10 ground balls.
Yale plays NEC champion Saint Joseph’s in the second round.
Cornell Big Red
One of three regular-season Ivy League champions, the Big Red couldn’t quite fend off Yale in the Ivy semifinals despite 11 faceoff wins from ’19 Angelo Petrakis (Massapequa). Cornell still picked up a bid and will face Ohio State in the second round. Petrakis has won 176 faceoffs this year, picked up 92 ground balls and dished out an assist. ’17 LSM Joe Bartolotto III (Miller Place) has played in every game, vacuuming up 23 ground balls and causing 18 turnovers. He also has an assist to his credit. ’21 Blaze Danny Caddigan (Smithtown West) has played in 12 games this year, scoring three goals and grabbing four ground balls.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers advanced to the Big Ten tournament title game before falling to unbeaten Maryland. That was despite a goal, three ground balls, a caused turnover and a faceoff win by ’18 Extreme LSM Ethan Rall (Islip). Rall was a first-team All-Big Ten pick at LSM this spring by putting up a goal, four assists, 45 ground balls, 26 caused turnovers and three faceoff wins. ’19 Orange James Ringer (Bayport-Blue Point) has appeared in three games with a goal and an assist to his name.
The Scarlet Knights square off with Harvard in the second round.
Harvard Crimson
Harvard’s back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014. ’19 Orange LSM Greg Campisi (St. Anthony’s) is a huge reason why. The All-Ivy League selection has 43 ground balls, 13 caused turnovers and a pair of goals. His impact in the middle of the field is second to none.
Harvard takes on Rutgers in the second round.
Brown Bears
The Bears fell, 14-9, to eventual champion Penn in the Ivy League tournament. They still received an at-large bid and will square off with two-time defending national champion Virginia in the first round. ’20 Crush Kevin Sweeney (Mount Sinai) has been outstanding at the SSDM spot, playing in every game and grabbing 13 ground balls. He’s also caused two turnovers and has a goal.
Princeton Tigers
Princeton secured an at-large bid with a 9-4 record, including a win over No. 2 Georgetown and No. 6 Rutgers. ’20 Crush Koby Ginder (Brunswick, Conn.) has won seven faceoffs for the Tigers and also has a pair of ground balls to his name. Princeton plays Patriot League champion Boston University in the second round.
Manhattan Jaspers
The Jaspers made the tournament by taking home the MAAC title with an 8-7 win over top-seeded St. Bonaventure. ’19 White Christian Lyons (Syosset) had a ground ball in the win. He has five goals, one assist, four ground balls and two caused turnovers this season. Manhattan plays Vermont in a first-round game with the winner taking on top-seeded Maryland in the second round.
Delaware Blue Hens
The Blue Hens made light work of the CAA tournament, hammering Drexel, 19-6, in the semis before pouncing on Towson, 11-6, to secure the conference title. ’21 defenseman Aidan McCaffrey (Comsewogue) has played in two games as a freshman for Delaware. The Blue Hens play Robert Morris in a first round game with the winner taking on No. 2 overall seed Georgetown.