November 1, 2011

ECRHA Roundtable, Marple Weekend, 10/29-10/30/11

Players of the Week

Once a week, Commissioner William Bourque and Senior Staff/Marketing Committee member Jesse Creek will bring you a weekly roundtable discussion, focusing mainly on naming players of the week. In addition to players of the week, insights and predictions on weekends will often be included. Hopefully this is a fun thing that everyone enjoys and we can continue to expand it in the future. As for now, here is the first weekly ECRHA Roundtable:

Jesse Creek: Yet another ECRHA weekend in the books, as three divisions converged in Broomall PA to play twenty-four games this past weekend. Lots of standout performances this past weekend- who stood out the most to you, Bill?

Bill Bourque: I'd have to go with Jonathan Lucente from Neumann. After transferring to West Chester over the summer, Lucente came up huge during the first weekend, scoring 8 goals, including 5 against Brockport and the GWG against his former team, on a breakaway with under two minutes to play.

Jesse: Lucente definitely had a great weekend- but a case can be made too for Jack Grossman from WCU as well. He racked up seven goals over the weekend, while matching Lucente's point total with twelve.

Bill: Absolutely, Grossman was outstanding all weekend. Against Rutgers, he scored a natural hat trick to take what had been a close game and turn it into a West Chester route.

Jesse: The Golden Rams have an abundance of scoring power, as evidenced by the fact that they outscored opponents 40-12 over the weekend. If anyone can take them down, it has got to be the Neumann Knights. They gave West Chester the best game of the weekend, eventually falling 7-5. Ed Jones had a great weekend for the Knights, posting seven goals in three games.

Bill: Jones just might have one of the best slap shots in the league. I don't have an official count, but Jones was giving goalie fits this weekend with his shot from the outside. He is definitely one player you don't want to allow to let one go.

Jesse: Agreed. There is a lot of talent between those two teams. I would not be surprised to see both teams reach the Division I final this year.

Jesse: So we have three prime candidates for player of the weekend- each has a good argument for being player of the week. When it is all said and done though, I have to go with Lucente. The breakaway goal at the end of the Neumann/West Chester game was a back-breaker, and probably the biggest goal of the weekend. What say you, Bill?

Bill: You took the words right out of my mouth, it doesn't get more clutch than that. I would also have to give Grossman the edge over Jones for second star of the week. Grossman featured a much more rounded game this weekend and if it wasn't for Lucente, would probably be the favorite for player of the week.

Jesse: Agreed. Kind of shocked- that was pretty easy. Let's take a look at Division II, where a lot of players can make a case for player of the weekend. Who made a compelling case last weekend, your honor?

Bill: Brian Pershinsky. It's not often that you can talk about a player as doing everything, but Pershinsky is that guy for Binghamton. His ability to control the play gave teams fits all weekend and is a big reason Binghamton is 6-0 on the season.

Jesse: Agreed. It's a real shame the schedule maker didn't have Binghmaton play Queens College. Queens had a great opening weekend, outscoring opponents 21-10. Missing a beat due to the jump up to Division II? I don't think so. My vote goes for Thomas Esposito. Six goals to go with his four assists for the weekend led Queens to an undefeated opening weekend.

Jesse: That being said, I think the last vote should go to Justin Kozak from the University of Delaware. Despite going 1-2 over the weekend, Delaware lost some very close games to both Queens and Binghamton, and Kozak was a key reason Delaware was in those games. Kozak compiled ten points, but what I found impressive was the fact he showed he can not only score (five goals) but can also set up his teammates (five assists) as well.

Bill: Esposito played big for Queens, I can specifically recall him scoring two huge goals in the waning moments against Drexel that took a tied game and turned it into a 7-5 victory.

Bill: Thankfully Queens and Binghamton are destined to meet soon, with a titanic clash coming up on Long Island when the two will meet at 3PM for one of the featured games.

Jesse: Should be a pretty intense game. I'd say that game is a toss-up as of now. Whoever can stay out of the box the most will likely win that game. Anyhow, my pick for the first star of the weekend is Pershinsky. Binghamton looked a bit lost without him during their preseason weekend. Without him, they are a completely different team.

Jesse: What are your thoughts for the second and third star?

Bill: I am going to have to agree with you that Esposito deserves the second star. His ability to step up his game late is a large reason Queens left the weekend without a loss.

Bill: For third star, I think Kozak is a great choice. He is clearly the leader of the Delaware team and I heard numerous compliments around the rink this weekend about his passion. To put up 6 points in losses against Binghamton and Queens is nothing to be ashamed of.

Jesse: Agreed. Well said, Bill.

Jesse: Alright, let's move on to the last division that played games this weekend- the B division.

Bill: West Chester was pretty darn impressive this weekend and have established themselves as the team to beat in B a year after losing the national title game in overtime against Lindenwood.

Jesse: For sure. They made a pretty big statement in Marple, going undefeated while scoring an astounding thirty-eight goals this weekend. Leading the way, Bobby Koob, who posted ten points throughout the weekend. He certainly deserves consideration for player of the week, wouldn't you say?

Bill: While I think that Koob was great this weekend, I actually have someone else pegged into my number one spot, some may disagree, but I think that Mike Lantieri deserves some love for this 7 goals, 8 point weekend for Rowan. His 5 goal, 6 point effort against Rutgers stands out in my mind.

Jesse: You make a pretty good case for Lantieri. He definitely deserves credit for his efforts this past weekend. I think another person to consider is Justin Dickel from West Chester. Seven goals in three games is pretty impressive, even if WCU won most of their games by a wide margin. As is the case with their Division I team, the B team has a lot of offensive firepower which will make them hard to stop this year.

Bill: Finishing is important, but I think we might be overlooking what Daniel Plinke did on that same West Chester team. Plinke scored 5 goals and setup 3 others to tie Dickel in points. However, Dickel did score in all 3 games, while Pinke was held without a point against Brockport.

Bill: For my money, I am going with Lantieri as first star, followed by Koob and Dickel respectively. What say you?

Jesse: I think that is pretty fair. West Chester has a lot of solid players up and down that roster- you could make a case for four or five guys on that team. Lantieri single-handedly took over some of those games. I'd give Lantieri the first star, followed by Koob and Dickel.

Bill: Well, it has been fun, but I think that should just about wrap things up this weekend. Any bold predictions for next weekend in Feastervile?

Jesse: My bold prediction? Hofstra runs the table in DI, upsetting West Chester on Sunday in what should be a pretty good game. You?

Bill: Wow. Bold Prediction, you heard it here first. I am going to go with Pittsburgh beating rival Slippery Rock 8-6 in a thrilling featured game at 3pm.

Jesse: Interesting- either way it should be a pretty great game to watch. Until next week...