MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-11) at BUCKNELL (5-6)
Saturday, April 5, 2014, 4 p.m.
Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
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MOUNT UPDATE: Mount St. Mary's fell to Saint Joseph's, 10-5, on Tuesday night. Trailing 8-1 heading into the fourth quarter, the Mount scored four consecutive goals to make things interesting. The Hawks, however, sealed the win by scoring twice in the closing minutes. Clayton Wainer paced the Mount with a pair of goals. Christian Durham, Mike Fields and Evan Gormley also scored for the Mount in the loss. Frankie McCarthy made 14 saves for the Mount in his second consecutive start.
ABOUT THE BISON: Bucknell enters Saturday's game with a 5-6 record after a 10-6 loss at No. 13 Fairfield on Tuesday. Fairfield scored five straight goals in the second half to snap a 5-5 tie and earn the win. Peter Burke had two goals and an assist while Sean Doyle chipped in a pair of goals for Bucknell in the loss to Fairfield. Sam Grinberg made nine saves for Bucknell in the game. Doyle leads the Bison in scoring with 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points. David Dickson has 11 goals and 15 assists while Thomas Filbotte and Todd Heritage each have 15 goals on the year. Grinberg has started all 11 games in the cage, with an 8.99 goals against average and a .552 save percentage.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: The Mount defeated Bucknell, 12-11, at home last year for their first win against the Bison in the all-time series. Bucknell won the first 13 matchups between the two schools and holds a 13-1 lead in the series that started in 1996. This will be the Mount's first game at Bucknell since a 14-6 loss in 2008. The Mount is 0-7 all-time on the road against the Bison.
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.
DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Kyle O'Brien, Alex Stefkovich and Nick Firman have each started all 11 games for the Mount on defense this year. O'Brien leads the team with 13 caused turnovers while adding 22 ground balls. Firman has collected 28 ground balls and is third on the team wth nine caused turnovers. Stefkovich has 12 ground balls and seven caused TO's.
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 nine goals with Clayton Wainer second on the team with eight. Fifteen different players have recorded their first career goal this season.
ON THE OFFENSE: The Mount offense has struggled this season, averaging just 5.18 goals per game and 27.0 shots per game. The Mount scored a season-high eight goals against Robert Morris.
IN THE CAGE: Sophomore Frankie McCarthy has started the past two games in goal for the Mount, posting a 9.00 goals against average and a .538 save percentage. For the year, McCarthy has appeared in seven contests with a 9.23 GAA and a .538 save percentage. 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.
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 travels to Bryant on Saturday, April 12.
