MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-10, 0-2 NEC) at SAINT JOSEPH'S (6-3, 2-0 NEC)
Tuesday, April 1, 2014, 7:00 p.m.
Sweeney Field, Philadelphia, Pa.
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MOUNT UPDATE: The Mountaineers lost to Hobart, 8-5, at home on Saturday. Clayton Wainer had a goal and an assist to pace the Mount, while Bubba Johnson, Kyle McDonough, Robert Jones and Tommy Lyons also scored. Frankie McCarthy, making his first start of the year, made seven saves in the game. The Mount fell behind 4-1 after the first quarter, but rallied to cut the deficit to 5-4 early in the third. Hobart scored the next two goals and was able to hold on for the victory.
ABOUT THE HAWKS: Saint Joseph's enters Tuesday's game with a 6-3 overall record and a 2-0 mark in the Northeast Conference. The Hawks lost to Drexel, 14-10, last Tuesday. Ryan McGee led the team with two goals and two assists while Michael Rastivo added two goals and an assist. In goal, Dustin Keen made a career-high 16 saves in the loss. McGee leads the Hawks in scoring with 33 points (21g, 12a). Mike Dougherty has 19 points (11g, 8a) while Rastivo (12g, 4a) and Matt Blanco (10g, 6a) each have 16. In goal, Keen has started seven of the nine games, and has an 8.00 goals against average and a .565 save percentage.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: The Mount and Saint Joseph's resume an old conference rivalry on Tuesday night. The two teams were members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference together from 1997-2010. Mount St. Mary's holds a 13-4 lead in the all-time series, which includes an 8-2 victory in the 2003 MAAC Championship game. The Mountaineers have won 10 of the past 11 meetings between the two schools, and won 17-7 at Saint Joseph's on April 21, 2010, the last time the squads met. The Mountaineers are 4-3 all-time on the road against the Hawks.
HOJNOSKI HAS STRONG RETURN: Junior Mark Hojnoski returned to the lineup in a big way in the Mount's 15-8 loss to Robert Morris last Tuesday, tallying a career-best four goals while adding an assist for a team-best five points. Hojnoski had missed the previous four games due to injury.
HAT TRICKS: Mark Hojnoski's four-goal game against Robert Morris was the Mount's second hat trick of the year. Bubba Johnson recorded his first career hat trick in the Mount's 9-6 loss to No. 20 Drexel on March 15.
BALANCED SCORING: The Mountaineers have had balanced scoring this season as 18 different players have found the back of the cage. Bubba Johnson has a team-high eight goals. Fifteen different players have recorded their first career goal this season.
ON THE OFFENSE: The Mount offense has struggled this season, averaging just 5.20 goals per game and 27.4 shots per game. The Mount scored a season-high eight goals against Robert Morris. Bubba Johnson leads the Mount with nine goals and 12 points. Clayton Wainer and Mark Hojnoski each have six goals while Mike Pascali has five.
IN THE CAGE: Sophomore Frankie McCarthy made his first start of the season in the Mount's 8-5 loss to Hobart. McCarthy made seven saves in the game, and now has an 8.96 GAA and a .519 save percentage in six games (174 minutes) on the year. Senior Chris Klaiber started the first nine games, and has a 13.38 GAA and a .513 save percentage. Klaiber made a career-high 20 saves against Georgetown and has five games with 10 or more saves this year.
FACE-OFFS: Junior Nick Haley has been solid for the Mount on face-offs this year, winning 50.6 percent on the season. Over the past two games, Haley has won 68.3 percent (28-of-41) of his face-offs, scooping up 18 ground balls over that span. He is 79-for-156 on face-offs for the year, and leads the team with 37 ground balls.
THE MOUNT VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: The Mountaineers are 5-52 all-time against ranked opponents since the move to NCAA Division I in 1989. Mount St. Mary's is 0-3 against ranked foes this year, falling to then No. 6 Maryland, 16-3, in the season opener, No. 4 Virginia, 14-6, at home on Feb. 25, and 9-6 to No. 20 Drexel on March 15.
PRESEASON POLL: The Mount was tabbed to finish in sixth place in the annual Northeast Conference Preseason Poll. Defending champion Bryant was picked to finish first with Robert Morris and Hobart in a tie for second. Saint Joseph's, Sacred Heart, the Mount and Wagner round out the poll.
THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE: The Mountaineers are in the Northeast Conference, which will be in its fourth season of play. The NEC has a new look this year as Hobart and Saint Joseph's join the league, which includes the Mount, Bryant, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Wagner. Mount St. Mary's won the inaugural NEC title in 2011, while Bryant has won the league the past two years.
UP NEXT: The Mount visits Bucknell on Saturday, April 5, at 1:00 p.m.
