The Bryant Bulldogs face fellow NEC rival Hobart this Saturday, signaling the start of conference play. On the series so far Bryant is leading over Hobart 3-1, which includes the last outing back in May 2014 where the Bulldogs defeated the Statesman for the NEC title.
On Bryant:
The Bulldogs have struggled early on this season and only have a single win coming against the Hartford Hawks. Last week they fell to then ranked #2 UNC with a final score of 10-9. Bryant’s junior Gunnar Waldt played outstanding between the pipes, registering 15 saves while facing 25 shots. But UNC’s Luke Goldstock snuck 6 critical goals past Waldt to give them the victory. Bryant played one hell of a game and looked as if they were back on form. But things have started off slower for the Bulldogs. Even with sophomore standout Tucker James alongside Junior Shane Morrell, the offense has struggled to put up numbers. The team has 47 goals this season and only broke into double digit scores against Hartford. They average a mere 7.83 goals per game. Defensively, Bryant has struggled to force opponents to take outside shots. But their zone defense last week contained UNC’s powerhouse, reasonably, for most of the game. As a result, goalie Gunnar Waldt has had a tough couple of weeks making saves. He currently has a 47.5% save rate. Nothing to write home about, considering he was in the hunt last year for the Tewaaraton Award.
But don’t write off this Bryant team just yet. Just last year they made their Cinderella story run into the NCAA, defeating the Siena Saints in a play-in game and then defeating the #1 seed Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The Bulldogs went on to fall to Maryland in the quarter finals. Actually this current 2015 season shows similarity to the 2013 season where Bryant went 0-7 before a win over Stony Brook in late March. The Bulldogs ended up winning the conference that year and made it to the first round of the NCAA tourney against Syracuse. And at the end of the day, thats all that matters; win the conference and make the NCAA tournament.
On Hobart:
The Statesmen are currently 3-3 on the season with wins against Siena, Binghamton, and Canisius. They dropped a pair of losses to nationally ranked #10/11 Cornell early on in the season and then just last week to #17/19 Towson with a final score of 9-6. Hobart has done a good job offensively, averaging 9.5 goals per game and has seen 11 different players registering scores. Senior captain Alex Love is leading the team with 9 goals and 4 assists. However Hobart’s faceoff game is not as strong as it should be. Freshman specialist Andrew Spallanzani and sophomore specialist Jake Shapiro have a combined 41.8% win record. Whether the new 2015 faceoff rules have anything to do with this low percentage or not, that still is something to watch out for during the rest of the season.
In terms of NEC play, Hobart struggled during its first year in the conference in 2014, going 3-3. They ended up beating St. Josephs in the semi-finals and then fell to Bryant in the finals 10-4. But Hobart has been known to rise to the occasion in the past. In 2013 they defeated Syracuse in a non-conference game and as well as Colgate. Expect Hobart to be more competitive this year, given that 3 out of their 4 top scorers are all seniors. They have experience.
The matchup:
Expect Hobart to put up a fight on Saturday. They have played relatively well all season so far and always look for a good game against fellow NEC rival Bryant. But on to the Bulldogs: they’re hungry for their second win. After narrowly losing by one score to the 2nd best team in the nation, Bryant knows what it needs to. Consider that game a blueprint. The faceoff matchup will be crucial to give either team the upper hand. Bryant’s senior specialist Kevin Massa, arguably one of the best in the country, sits at a 60% win record. That’s nothing compared to last year’s impressive 68%, but he is still getting started. However, Hobart has the upper hand when it comes to scoring distribution. The Bulldog defense will have to adapt its zone defense and watch out for multiple first and second line attackers. The battle in the cages will also be good to watch. Bryant’s Gunnar Waldt is starting to click into rhythm, while Hobart’s Jackson Brown has 73 saves.
At the end of the day though, the Bulldogs will take this one. They have waited too long for their second victory. Expect the win, because they’re playing for the ring.
