BINGHAMTON ATTACK
Junior Andy Cook leads the attack with 15 goals and 10 assists, and sophomore Brian Donahue, who had just one point last year, has 12 goals and five assists. Overall, the Bearcats have scored a team total of 86 goals, a far cry from their season total of 64 goals last year. Binghamton has seen more opportunities to score with 53 more total shots and a higher percentage of faceoff wins than last year. Despite this improved production, the Bearcats have mustered only four goals in four different losses and have scored double-digit goals just once this season. The game will hinge heavily on which Bearcats offense we see.
HARTFORD ATTACK
Hartford has also seen offensive improvements over last season, scoring nearly 30 more goals than in its winless 2008 season. The Hawks are led by three freshmen: Aidan Genik (22 goals and nine assists), Ryan Compitello (17 goals and 13 assists) and Carter Bender (16 goals and 10 assists). Sophomore Tim Fallon has also won 46 percent of his faceoffs this season. Even if Hartford’s season ends on Saturday, its talented young core should produce solid offense for years to come.
BINGHAMTON MIDFIELD
Junior Steven Carlson is a prominent scoring threat, as he has notched 14 goals this season while leading the team in shots taken with 56. Senior Duncan Streeten has tallied nine goals, and senior Kevin Joy has four goals and four assists. But defensively, there may be room for improvement.
“I don’t think the defensive midfield played particularly well,” said Bearcats head coach Ed Stephenson after their last game, a 14-9 loss to Stony Brook.
If the defense can improve in the midfield area, Hartford will have trouble getting quality offensive chances.
HARTFORD MIDFIELD
Senior Jacob Eustice leads the midfield scoring effort with eight goals and four assists, while faceoff man Fallon, also a midfielder, ranks third in the America East with 66 ground balls. Hartford has an experienced core of midfielders that can cause havoc for even the best of teams, and if Hartford wins the midfield battle, it will be extremely difficult for the Bearcats to get a foothold on both offense and defense.
BINGHAMTON DEFENSE
Senior Chris Winter leads the unit in ground balls with 45, a career high, while freshman Ben Waldron has scooped up 41. But as a unit, the Bearcats rank last in the America East in ground balls. The Bearcats have allowed opponents to reel off a total of 426 shots this season, compared to allowing just 345 last season. “We give [opponents] too many second- and third-chance opportunities,” Stephenson said. Will we see the Bearcats unit that held Vermont to just four goals or will we see the group that allowed seven opponents to score double-digit goals?
HARTFORD DEFENSE
Hartford’s defense is led by sophomore Conor Flynn, who leads the America East conference with 72 ground balls this season. Senior Eric Guevera has tallied 31 ground balls. The Hawks rank third in the America East with 9.89 goals against per game, and they have allowed more than 11 goals just once this season. Hartford is coming off a stunning 10-8 upset of UMBC, a team that has by far the most productive offense in the America East, averaging nearly 12 goals per game. The unit also leads the America East in turnovers forced per game. The defense can shut down the No. 6 team in the nation on a good day, so this unit is a dangerous one.
BINGHAMTON GOALTENDING
Senior Larry Kline leads the America East in saves (135), minutes played (724:33) and games played (13). But Kline has faced 367 shots on goal this year compared to facing 296 all of last season. Without an effective defense in front of him, his goals against average has fallen to eighth in the conference (10.68) after a season in which he ranked No. 12 in the nation with a 7.41 goals against average. Kline is one of the most talented goalies in the conference, but when the defense gives up so many opportunities against opponents, it’s difficult for even the best goalies to keep up.
HARTFORD GOALTENDING
Freshman Scott Bement has started nine games for the Hawks and compiled a 9.61 goals against average, good enough to rank third in the conference among goalies with seven or more starts. He also ranks first in saves per game (13.22) and third in save percentage (.592). Bement is coming off a career game against UMBC, making 19 saves on the nation’s fifth-ranked offense. Bement is one of the most impressive young goalies in the conference, and a game with Kline, one of the America East’s more experienced goalies, will make for a phenomenal matchup.
BINGHAMTON COACHING
Head coach Ed Stephenson has coached the Bearcats to a 2-11 record this season while playing one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, facing eight top-20 teams. He has coached the Bearcats since the program’s Division I introduction, but has only one winning record in his eight seasons with the program. Nevertheless, the Bearcats have made the America East tournament for five consecutive years. The Bearcats need to win this game to make it six in a row, and Stephenson is the key to preparing his players for this do-or-die game.
HARTFORD COACHING
Head coach Peter Lawrence has coached the Hawks for four years. In his first season, he led the team to more wins than it had in its previous two seasons combined. However, Hartford rode a 26-game losing streak for nearly two whole years before winning two straight. Lawrence has made a tremendous impact in recruiting and the success is significant given that his three leading attackers and his goalie are freshman. Coming off the biggest win in the program’s history, Lawrence will ride the momentum of his squad to try to clinch a spot in the America East tournament for the first time since 2003.
OUTLOOK
Binghamton and Hartford are both fighting for a postseason berth in their Saturday matchup. If Binghamton wins, the Bearcats are in. If Hartford wins and Vermont loses to UMBC (which it most likely will), then the Hawks are in. Both teams have tallied just two wins this season, but Hartford is coming off its historic upset of UMBC. With a tournament berth on the line, this will surely be a close game that could be decided by the final couple of minutes. The contest will be held at 7 p.m. this Saturday at the Bearcats Sports Complex.