The Bryant University Bulldogs need to find a win this Saturday as they take on fellow NEC rival the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks.
The Bulldogs so far:
Bryant is currently 2-6 this season, defeating the Providence Friars this past Tuesday night with a final score of 7-5. The Bulldogs played extremely well throughout the game as faceoff specialist Kevin Massa went 100% in the second half. Bryant saw 2 goals from sophomore standout Tucker James and freshman Cam Ziegler. Juniors Shane Morell, Collins Gantz and sophomore Ryan Sharpe each had one goal. But the win was credited to Bryant’s defense, as junior goalie Gunnar Waldt had 15 saves and only allowed 5 goals to a powerful Friars offense. Looking ahead, Bryant needs to improve on clearing the ball, as they looked anxious causing a few turnovers and went 14-19 in clears. Currently they are only 76.7% in clears, being one of their main weaknesses. On the penalty front, the Bulldogs had 4 for a total of 3:30 in time being man down. Luckily they picked up defensively, going 4-0 on man down.
On the series against Saint Joseph’s:
The matchup between Saint Joseph’s has been a good one. The Bulldogs currently lead the series 2-1. However, the Bryant Bulldogs lost to the Hawks last season in regular play, as Saint Joseph’s went on to be the NEC regular season champions.
On Saint Joseph’s:
The Hawks are currently 4-5 this season, with 1 goal losses to both nationally ranked UVA (then #7) and UPenn (then #14/15). Just last week they defeated Delaware 14-6, a game they dominated from beginning to end. Graduate senior Ryan McGee had 6 goals. However the Hawks have struggled finding the right man between the pipes, rotating 3 different goalies for a cumulative 57.5% save rate. Expect TJ Jones to get the start come Saturday who got the win against Delaware but only has a 47.3% save rate.
The matchup:
This game will truly test Bryant’s offense, as they have struggled all season to put up numbers. They only average 7.5 goals per game. Bryant’s Kevin Massa will be tested at the faceoff, as Mike Lanham for Saint Joseph’s is 56.3% in wins. Massa is currently ranked #10 in the NCAA with a win percentage of 62.2%. The Hawk’s average 9.68 goals per game, and have seen goals from 16 different players. This will be a good matchup as Bryant’s strength is defense, while Saint Joseph’s is their offense.
Tilt is scheduled for 3pm EST. and can be viewed live for free at http://necfrontrow.com/webcast.php/BRY-2368/
