Hey! Lax Man! doesn't really exist anymore.
If you want to see more writing from Connor Wilson (the author) go to www.lacrosseallstars.com and enjoy the laxtasticness.

I can't believe this isn't April Fool's...

http://www.hemplax.com/index.php

I would like to see a stick actually strung up with this "mesh" and hear a review of how it works.
Hemplax man, send me a stringing kit and I will review it for you and get your name out there if it is a decent product or better.

That is all.

PotD - Artistic Lax shots

A kid I used to coach down in Perth, Australia has turned into quite a little photographer when he is injured due to Surfing. He takes pictures of training for the Wembley Lacrosse Club in Perth and does a fantastic job. Good on ya, mate!

weekend PREview!

And the laxiest weekend of the year yet is upon us!

Maryland heads to Navy tonight for an all MD match up. Should be a good game with Navy's disciplined Defense and Maryland's over sized offense. The difference in this game will come from Maryland's offensive middies. If they can pop in a couple extra goals, I like the Terps. On Saturday, Albany visits the Hop where the Jays should cruise to at least a 4 goal win, likely more. Colgate and Lehigh do battle in PA. I like the Mountain Hawks in a close one at home. This could be one of the best match ups this weekend yet it gets absolutely no press, which is a shame. Princeton Plays Cuse at Giants Stadium in Jersey and Princeton could upset the Orange in this match up, I think Syracuse will rise to the occasion as they often do on the biggest stages and wins in a one or two goal thriller. UVA and UNC also face off at Giants Stadium and until UNC wins an ACC game, I'm going to continue picking against them. 5 years, no conference wins. WOW. Hofstra also plays Delaware at Giants Stadium but I like Hofstra by a bunch after a close first half.

Tonight NDNU from Cali heads to LI to face Merrimack of Massachusetts. NDNU is competitive but I can't see them hanging with 'Mack. Merrimack is a really good team this year and could really compete for the NCAA Div 2 NC assuming they keep it up. I can't see them tripping against NDNU though. On Saturday, Bentley travels to LeMoyne and Bentley is better than some think so if I were going to pick a major upset in Div 2 this weekend, this would be the game. However, I am NOT picking an upset this weekend and I think the Dolphins will take this one by a couple. NY Tech heads to CW Post to take on the Pioneers. I will take the reigning champs, Tech, in this one hands down. Unless Post's FOGO paints his face like Lattimer from The Program again... in that case, it is anyone's game. Also Post players love neon lax heads so... respek.

The NESCAC games in Div 3 will provide some great action... check out this link to see a ton of predictions and insider info: http://network.laxpower.com/laxforum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=32627&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=480

Endicott and WNEC could be an AWESOME game... it will decided the Commonwealth Tourney seeding for one thing and could preview the Conference championship game. Both of these teams could be Pool C bids if the lose the AQ Pool A bid. Hampden-Sydney v. Roanoke and Ithaca at RIT will be really big games with big time In-Region consequences. I think Ithaca will remain undefeated at this point but RIT will definitely show us just how good the Bombers really are. I think Noke will keep its winning ways as well. WAC travels to Gburg in what should turn out to be a fantastic game. Both of these teams have won and lost games to good teams and it should be a really emotional tilt. I like WAC by 1 or two in PA.

On the MCLA tip, Michigan faces off against TWO top 10 teams in 2 days. Friday they take on #7 Minnesota-Duluth and then on Saturday they take on #8 Colorado State. Gotta love the fearlessness of MCLA teams... they will take on anyone, anywhere at any time. Michigan just beat #4 BYU so I expect them to take both of these teams down but it won't be easy. Simon Fraser [that undefeated Canadian team in the MCLA] heads South to #11 Oregon on Friday and then plays unranked Oregon State on Sunday. The Clansmen are true contenders this season and having a Canadian national champion [I guess they would actually be an INTERnational champion but whatever] would be great for the MCLA and college lacrosse in general. #4 BYU takes on #17 Colorado at home. I like BYU easily against the Buffs. On the Div 2 side of the MCLA the best game of the week looks to be Kennesaw State - Tennessee Wesleyan. TW is 5-6 but ranked at #9 while KS is #15 in the poll. TW has some sweet uniforms with the white and gold while KS has something else... an undefeated 11-0 season to protect. I like the visitors in this one to keep it going.

from the SuperFans' mouths II

Today I have insider [and actually trustworthy] info on Conn College and Williams, two struggling NESCAC teams as well as Trinity and Wesleyan:

Connecticut College [comments from Williams game] - "very unimpressed with Conn. their offense revolves heavily around the midfield. they do a lot of inverting with the midfield. their attack seemed okay, with #38 as the only attackman that'd dodge hard. the other two 16 and 19 were more off ball guys not really looking to dodge. on defense they run a zone, I thought they should have played more man since their close D is all big, tall, athletic dudes. i thought they were aggressive and threw good checks whenever they got the chance, but the zone limited their aggressiveness. played mostly a soft ride. really didn't pressure the ball too much."

Williams [comments from Conn game] - "they have a good young attack. #38 Hawley, is a big, strong kid who's definitely looking to shoot first. #12 and #19 are solid attackmen/midfielders, cant remember [exactly]what they played. both capable of dodging to shoot or feed. also, #7 and #9 played attack, both small, shifty guys looking more to feed than dodge. but capable nonetheless.
#28 is their best midfielder. big, strong kid looking to dodge to score.
their long pole #15 i think is downright nasty. strong, athletic tough kid looking to throw takeaway checks."

Trinity [comments from Wesleyan game] - "Wells is a good little fogo. Trinity has struggled a lot on O. Trin can’t settle the ball on O and trying to force the crease a lot which is obviously leading to picked off shots by Borerro and the zone d. Some spurts of brilliance from Trin but very short lived (mostly harper cullen)."

Wesleyan [comments from Trinity game] - Wes is dominating faceoffs – probably 80% for Wes. I didn’t expect it to be that lopsided. Follansbee looking pretty solid on attack. Borrerro has been mostly untested. IMO Wes has been winning the GB battle by a lot - But they’ve had a lot of unforced turnovers."

PotD - RIT v. Wick

RIT and Hartwick both got Riddell Helmets this year and I must say they look pretty good. The most important feature of the helmet though is its safety factor. Supposedly kids who are concussion prone will benefit from a Riddell helmet... looking good is just an added bonus!

April Fool's Day - we get it.

April Fool's Day is over. Over in the sense that few are fooled anymore because everyone is so darn clever and snarky. People still try though and sometimes it pays off. In response to the recent season cancellations and suspensions www.lacrosseallstars.com has provided us with this post to lighten the mood: http://www.lacrosseallstars.com/blog/2009/4/1/breaking-news-uc-santa-cruz-banana-slugs-forfeit-season.html

from the SuperFans' mouths

Re: Bates at Tufts

my secret source says, "Tufts 22 bates 3. $%#!ing beatdown. Probably one of the biggest margins in nescac in a long time"

I would have to agree with my source without even seeing the game... 22-3 is never pretty!

Tufts is looking like a real contender as they beat the teams they should and murder everyone else.

PotD - NEW Maverik Neon Juice - custom string job

lax flow linkology

You thought Mayo had great lax flo? wait for it... wait for it... wait for it... NOW:http://www.brobible.com/Story/15942

Priorities... get em straight or face the music!

On the field, it has been an interesting year to say the least, but there is an interesting non-playing trend afoot and it is more disturbing than anything.

Lacrosse players have always been regarded as party-animals and wild-children/men/man-children but the day has come where that behavior absolutely needs to be modified. Colleges have made that clear this year with a number of season cancellations, firings and suspensions. Now, I don't miss the days where college administrators looked the other way for athletes, especially since the preferential treatment got SO out of hand in many sports [Division 1 football and basketball in particular] but I could see how a lot of people would be surprised. The surprise comes from the change inherent in years of people looking the other way and now refusing to do so.

College lacrosse players and college athletes in general need to realize this and make a declaration about why they are at school in the first place. Is it to play sports, skip class and drink all day? My advice to you would be to drop out. Is it to get a good education, grow as an individual and play a little lax? My advice there is to keep at it because you have it nailed! I personally tried to be the latter but feel like most people regarded me as the former. So as a former meat head drunk I can honestly say I made the wrong decisions and should have focused on my academics and growth as a person much more than I did. I probably could have drank a lot less too.

Arizona State's club lacrosse team had its season cancelled. Denver just kicked 3 kids off of their D1 team [for reasons unknown at this time] Ursinus' coaching staff was fired and Curry has now cancelled the rest of their season. Some of these penalties were levied for reasons beyond just drinking but it all plays into the commitment needed to be a college athlete. Not everyone can handle the responsibility and that is becoming more clear every single day. However, don't expect the rules to bend for you because you're a jock since it looks like they are being enforced more strictly... and I believe that is a good and much needed change.

PotD - Gburg Wins!

Weekend Review V

this weekend was almost TOO crazy to even do a review post. My heart can't take the excitement anymore as there were some UNREAL games and some absolutely HUGE upsets.

UVA-Maryland was the best game I've seen in a while. The game was back and forth but Maryland was leading 9-6 late in the game when the Hoos came back and buried 3 goals to tie it up at 9. After that, the scoring ended and the overtimes began. Yes, overtimeS. It felt like there were 50 extra periods when Carroll netted the game winner for Virginia. Both keepers made save after save after save after save after save. For my vote, the MVP has to go to Ghitelman because he came up big time and time again for the Wahoos when it counted most.

Cuse came back on Loyola to win as well and keep my #1 and #2 teams set. There was some other really good D1 action this weekend but I'm not even going to mention it as these two games were some of the best I've seen and in my opinion cement UVA and Cuse as #1 and #2. I guess it is worth mentioning that UNC [whom I like as a team] beat Hopkins in a really close game but until UNC can beat a team in its own conference, I'm going to hold off on considering them a contender in any real sense.

Tech beat Molloy 16-15 in D2 action while Mercyhurst beat Dowling 8-7. Adelphi, Post, Merrimack, LeMoyne and Bentley all won their games as well. It is a pity that D2 gets such a limited number of teams in the playoffs as a contender will surely be left out this year but that's why the regular season matters so darn much!

Gburg beat Salisbury AT Salisbury. This hasn't happened in AGES. 80 home games ago SU lost to Lynchburg at home and 55 games overall ago SU lost... at all. This could be a rare event so cherish it while it last Gull-haters. SU is still a top 5 team in my book, EASILY. Haverford beat WAC 8-5, Tufts came back to beat Wesleyan [who was without Spike Malangone] 12-10 in Medford and Stevenson squeaked by an unheralded Wesley squad 12-11. A team to look out for other than Colby is Geneseo. I think they can challenge Cortland for the SUNYAC crown if they keep it up.

PotD - mascots and ascots.

weekend PREview!

As usual, there are some BIG games this weekend. I'll highlight a few of them and even make some predictions because why not? Bryant at Lehigh could be a great game as Lehigh is really stepping up this season and Bryant has already made a splash in the D1 pool of talent. Greer is always fun to watch but I like Lehigh by a couple in this home game for the Mountain Hawks. Hopkins is looking better and better every week and faces off with UNC this weekend. UNC could win the game as Hopkins is not an ACC team. I still like the Blue Jays by 3. UMD takes on UVA and I really don't think the Terps can hang with the Wahoos. Virginia is LOADED at attack, they are LOADED at midfield and their defense is very strong. Chad Gaudet, #7 LSM who faces off for the Hoos, is the real deal. He's a Massachusetts product who started out at Dartmouth and is doing some grad work at UVA. Ivy league schools do not allow kids who graduated from continuing to play as grad students from what I can tell even if they have an extra year of eligibility. Dartmouth's loss is UVA's gain. I see UVA winning by 5... or more. There are a bunch of other games this weekend but none will have national championship implications. Georgetown plays Navy, Cuse visits Loyola and Princeton visits Yale. The latter two should be won by Cuse and Princeton while the Navy-Georgetown game is anyone's guess. Both teams are doing well this year but neither is really a contender in this blogger's opinion. On Sunday, Army plays at Colgate and I expect a good game but again, neither of these teams can be considered a favorite although they both have a lot to prove. Look for Army to ride their young goalie to a close win unless Corp can get 'Gate going early and often.

The best games on the Div 2 side of things will be the NYIT-Molloy match up, St. Mike's at Bentley and Assumption at Merrimack. I think Merrimack will roll AC while the St. Mike's-Bentley game could go either way. I expect Tech to best Molloy but it may be a little closer than some would expect. On Sunday, Dowling visits Mercyhurst in the game of the week. I like the Hurst to prevail but a win the other way is always possible.

Division 3 has a host of great games coming up this weekend. Colby just beat up on #5 Endicott and now they play #11 Middlebury. I like the Panthers in this game by 2 or more but I expect it to be a battle for most of the time. Gburg visits Salisbury and earlier in the season I would have said this game would be a battle. A couple of weeks ago, I would say blow out in favor of the Gulls and now I'm back to the battle scenario. Gburg experienced some bumps early on but Salisbury hasn't been DESTROYING people like they usually do. I still think the Gulls will win but the score could be in the 15-12 range. Haverford and WAC tangle at 7pm in Chestertown. Should be a great game and I like WAC by 1. RIT travels to Cortland where the Dragons should win easily. #12 Wesleyan visits #9 Tufts in what could be the game of the week regardless of division. When you take into account Ian Applegate as an assistant at Tufts after playing at Wesleyan until he graduated in 2004, the match up just gets even more interesting. I've got my Alma mater, Wesleyan, winning by 1, possibly in OT.

Should be an exciting weekend where we learn a lot more and see some great lax. Next weekend looks even better, the weather keeps improving up North and the lacrosse action rolls on... Spring time sure is great!

Colby College - program on the rise

Colby College in Maine was always a tough game in the NESCAC during the 90s and early 2000s and the NESCAC is regarded as one of, if not, THE best lacrosse conference in all of Division 3. During the mid-2000s their stock dropped dramatically and the program started to be regarded as a bottom dweller. For the 2009 season the college picked up John Thompson, a Maine native, as their new head coach and the move has paid immediate dividends. In hist first season, Thompson has the team performing at levels akin to what they were doing in 1999 and 2000.

Currently, Colby is 5-2, just upset #5 ranked Endicott out of Massachusetts, lost to a solid Stevens program by 1, lost to undefeated #9 Tufts by 5 early in the season and has picked up solid wins against Trinity, Wheaton, Williams and Plymouth State. This Saturday, Colby plays perennial NESCAC power Middlebury which is currently ranked 11th in the country. The Saturday after that they play another NESCAC powerhouse in nationally ranked #12, Wesleyan. These two games will tell us more about where Colby really is but the fact is that the Mules are back and can not be overlooked by anyone.

PotD - what now?

what is up with HaverfORD's uniforms? why is H-----ORD in red and AVERF is in black? I'm sure there is some awesome, tradition-laden stroy behind the color allignment but for now I'm confused... and a little intrigued.

PotD - australia lax practice

Random thoughts on lax fashion and function

The weekend has come to a close and there is always subject matter to discuss beyond the weekend review of games.

1)Western New England College has no, I repeat, NO stickers on their helmets. I find this odd as few other teams go this route but I must say it looks good and helps keep costs down. I'm sure that is what they do it.

2)UVM and Lehigh got new helmets. Both are HUGE improvements over the ugly buckets they were wearing before. Lehigh's uniforms in general are pretty awesome when you consider the colors they have to work with: Brown, gold and white. The Gold face masks are particularly sweet.

3)CW Post has awesome uniforms. They also have some great lime green dyed stick on the squad as well as some other groundbreaking dye jobs. leave it to the LI boys to keep coming up with interesting stuff. I usually don't call people out on ridiculous behaviour and it could be said that I encourage it but one thing I do not encourage is painting your entire face to look like Lattimer from The Program. CW Post FoGo #16, I'm looking at you. shockingly poor.

4)the last point I will make is that when I look through pictures of Duke games, I see Max Quinzani [and others, but he is the most high profile] thumbing the head of their stick. It is illegal for any part of the hand to touch the plastic yet #8 gets away with it non-stop. Either the refs need to start calling this or the NCAA should remove the rule. What was the point of getting rid of draw strings when you won't call thumbing? I expect this to be resolved in typical NCAA fashion... meaning in 4-5 years.

weekend review IV

It was an interesting weekend of lacrosse for sure. Most of the games went the way I thought they would but some did not. I'll cover the upsets, the statements games and add in some other stuff just for fun.

Colgate beat Navy 10-9. Both of these teams are very good but neither has a real shot at the NC. One of them MIGHT be able to make the Final Four if they get into the tourney and get a decent bracket. Duke beat Gtown and is gelling more and more. the Blue Devils could be dangerous later on. Lehigh kept the close wins coming with a 10-9 victory over St. John's in OT. I like where the Mountain Hawks are headed and in a season or two they could be a very competitive team at the highest levels. MD beat UNC. UNC lax must hate being in the ACC at this point. JUST WIN ONE IN-CONFERENCE GAME! JUST ONE! Umass is looking better as well as they beat a very talented Loyola team. A lot of people thought Zoomass would be down after the issues/arrests/suspensions from last season but the Gorillas seem to be coming together and moving forward. Rutgers got their 2nd win of the season over previously undefeated Hobart in a low-scoring affair. Hobart's D is good but they seriously need better offensive production if they are going to win any of their games coming up. The level of competition they face in upcoming weeks is better than Rutgers. Cuse rolled on, UMBC won a close one and UVA beat Hopkins 16-15 in a barn burner. UVA looked really dangerous with kids who can create and score all over the field. They have attackmen, middies and even defensemen who can push transition and create where nothing previously existed. Hopkins looked really good too and they are starting to come together. After seeing the game on TV, I would now say that Cuse, UVA and Hopkins are the 3 front runners for the NC. I know, what a surprise! ha.

LeMoyne snuck by CW Post in Div 2 action 6-5 while NY Tech beat Dowling 9-8. Division 2 is very close this year and although the Division is small, 5-6 teams could win the NC. This represents a DRASTIC change of opinion from previous posts where I really thought only Tech and LeMoyne were real contenders.

Most of the D3 action [and there was a lot of it!] went as predicated with some upstate exceptions. RIT lost to Hartwick as Johnny Meade had 17 saves. Ithaca beat Cortland 11-8 with a real team effort. Roanoke beat Cabrini 16-13 and until Cabrini starts beating the teams they should AND the teams they are neck and neck with, they will stay out of my top 10. Cabrini has a LOT to prove at this point in the season. Stevenson on the other hand, kept right on winning with a 12-10 decision over Lynchburg. This is the first time in a while where Salisbury isn't only worried about not winning the NC but they should also be worried about not winning the CAC! WAC needed OT to beat McDaniel 9-8 and WNEC continues to impress with a 10-9 win over Naz.