STONY BROOK (NR)
2013 Record: 7-9
The Skinny
It should be an exciting year for Stony Brook. Jim Nagle’s team returns mostly intact with a young, experienced core ready to make a move on the national scene. While questions exist in the backfield, the team’s offense will push them towards the top of the America East. Stony Brook nearly knocked off Albany in last year’s conference tournament, but just fell short in a 17-15 barn burner.
Returns and Losses
The strength of the core is on offense led by attackmen Brody Eastwood (44 goals, 1 assist) and Mike Rooney (19 G, 23 A), supported by the midfield line of Challen Rogers (18 G, 26 A), Chris Hughes (10 G, 2 A) and Mike Andreassi (14 G, 7 A). With plenty of playmakers, dodgers and finishers, they will be a fun group to watch. A veteran group of defenders returns along with a battle-tested sophomore goaltender in Dan Shaughnessy.
While the returning offense is more than enough to overcome the departure of Jeff Tundo (36 G, 27 A), the midfielder’s leadership may be tough to replace for this young squad. Also gone is JJ Laforet. He was a do-everything longstick middie for the Seawolves, but left a big hole upon his graduation.
Who should you know
Brody Eastwood—Attack
The Canadian finisher made quite the first impression. He tied Jordan McBride’s single season goals record by a freshman with 44 goals. How did he do it? By shooting at a highly impressive 63 percent. His opponents should not be surprised by him in his second season, but it will be hard to stop Eastwood. He can score in almost any situation and has great accuracy to find twine instead of the goalkeeper.
Challen Rogers—Midfield
Possibly more impressive than Eastwood was the emergence of another Canadian. Rogers is one of Stony Brook’s top producers that is back. Garnering all-rookie and second-team honors within the America East, the British Columbia native proved to be a difficult match-up in one-on-one coverage. His craftiness, 6’5″, 210 lb frame and playmaking will be the catalyst for a versatile and skilled Seawolves offense.
Question Marks
1) Health on Defense
At their best, the backfield can be competitive, but not great. That was not the case last year as injuries strained the unit and forced many rookies into the spotlight. Even Laforett was injured for much of his final year. Shaughnessy did all he could in goal, but the defense was too banged up at times to keep Stony Brook in games against high scoring teams. There were no notable injuries in the fall. As long as this group can stay on the field, the Seawolves can develop the consistency to bring Stony Brook their first winning season under Coach Nagle.
2) Possession
Despite Stony Brook’s impressive shooting numbers, they were inconsistent at generating and maximizing offensive opportunities. Much of their struggles came in the transition game. Courtesy of College Crosse, here is a closer looks at their numbers:
| VALUE | NT’L RANK | |
| Opportunities per 60 Minutes Margin | -5.22 | 60 |
| Possession Ratio | 46.05% | 60 |
| Faceoff Percentage | 40.43% | 57 |
| Clearing Percentage | 82.55% | 55 |
| Ride Percentage | 9.42% | 58 |
Their lack of success on face-offs and inability to clear the ball dispelled their upset bid of Albany in the America East semifinals. It could still be a good season for Stony Brook, but they must become more efficient at generating more chances and retaining the ball.
