Men's Lacrosse Faces Denver On TV Sunday

Bobcats Complete Colorado Road Trip On TV At Denver Sunday
The Quinnipiac University men's lacrosse team returns to action Sunday, when it concludes its two-game road trip through Colorado against Denver. The game can be seen live on the following television stations - MSG+, Comcast Sports New England, Time Warner Cable, Sports Net (Rochester and Buffalo, N.Y.), TW Sports 26, Central New York (Syracuse), TW 3 (Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.), Cox Sports Television (Connecticut and Rhode Island), Fox College Sports (DirecTV Channel 617) and Comcast Entertainment Television (Denver/Colorado Springs). The Bobcats defeated the Pioneers, 11-10, in their last meeting, April 4, 2009, in Hamden, Conn. The win over the 19th-ranked Pioneers signified the Bobcats' first victory over a nationally-ranked team in program history.

Scouting the Denver Pioneers
In their first year under longtime Princeton coach Bill Tierney, the Pioneers (7-4, 2-0 ECAC) are led by Alex Demopoulos, whose 23 goals and 36 points both lead the team. Mark Matthews is second in both goals (20) and points (25), while Charley Dickenson paces the Pioneers in assists (16). Chase Carraro has taken the majority of Denver's face-offs (58-127, .457), though Dillon Roy has had the most success (38-71, .535). Zander Buteux and Peter Lowell have split time in net. Buteux's 9.66 goals-against average and .538 save percentage are better than Lowell's 11.11 and .509, respectively, though Lowell has posted a 4-1 mark to Buteux's 3-3 record.

A-Pall-ing Performance
Zach Pall has won 67-of-104 (.644) face-offs this season, good for the best face-off winning percentage in the nation. He also began the week second in NCAA Division I in ground balls per game at 8.0, before upping his mark to 8.29 gbpg. with 10 at Air Force. He won 12-of-18 face-offs at Detroit-Mercy, and picked up a career-high 13 ground balls in the process. Pall also won all seven of his opportunities against Wagner, went 10-of-16 against Providence, 12-of-16 at Air Force, and 12-of-19 against both Hobart and Ohio State.

Benz, But Don't Break
Senior goalie Kevin Benzing has been his typical steady self in net for the Bobcats this season, maintaining a 7.48 goals-against average and a .607 save percentage while posting a 5-3 record. His save percentage ranked fourth nationally to begin the week, while his goals-against average was sixth.

Gettin' After Ground Balls
The Bobcats won a decisive victory in the ground-ball game at Air Force, April 9, scooping up 34 to the Falcons' 15.

Glad To Have You
Junior transfer Christian Haggerty leads the Bobcats in points (24), with 12 goals and 12 assists. His assist total also leads Quinnipiac.

...Kind of a Big Deal
The Bobcats ranked in the top 10 in the nation in five of 14 statistical categories kept by the NCAA at the beginning of the week. They ranked third in face-off win percentage (.593) and scoring defense (7.29), fifth in caused turnovers per game (10.57) and ground balls per game (36.71), and ninth in scoring margin (+3.57). Those totals have since moved to .605 face-off pct., 7.12 scoring defense, 10.0 caused turnovers per game, 36.38 ground balls per game and +3.38 scoring margin.

Oppenheimer Climbs Quinnipiac Career Goals List
With a goal April 9 at Denver, Jack Oppenheimer pushed his career total to 42 goals, good for 14th in Quinnipiac history.

Oppenheimer Goals: The Right Way To Score
With 17 goals this season, Jack Oppenheimer leads the Bobcats. Oppenheimer led the Bobcats in both points (26) and goals (20) in 2009.

Simply the Best
For his 21-save effort at Hobart on March 20, Kevin Benzing was named the ECAC Lacrosse and Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The 21 saves were the most in the nation in a single game during that week, and a career high for the senior goalie.

Marotto Makes His Mark
Alex Marotto scored three goals, all in the decisive second half, March 20 at Hobart. Marotto tied the game at 4-4, before later adding insurance goals to push the Bobcats' lead to 7-4 and 9-7.

New Addition
Junior transfer Christian Haggerty had a team-high six points (two goals, four assists) in the Bobcats' 12-2 win over Providence, March 13. For his effort, he was named the ECAC Lacrosse Co-Player of the Week.

Three For All
Christian Haggerty, Peter McNichols and Jack Oppenheimer each contributed three goals and an assist in the Bobcats' 13-8 victory, March 7 at Detroit-Mercy.

Saving Face
The Bobcats won 22-of-26 face-off opportunities against Wagner. Zach Pall led the way, going a perfect 7-for-7, while Derek Flynn (8-for-10) and Jay Binkowski (7-for-9) were also extremely efficient.

Kaiser Connects
Todd Kaiser led the Bobcats with a goal and an assist in Quinnipiac's season opener against No. 10 Loyola, Feb. 27.

Benzing Sends Back 16 Shots
Kevin Benzing did all he could to keep the Bobcats in the game, Feb. 27, against nationally-ranked No. 10 Loyola. Benzing stopped 16 of the 27 shots he faced on the day.

30 'Cats Back
The Bobcats returned 30 of 35 letter winners from 2009, including the team's top eight goal scorers. Junior Jack Oppenheimer scored a team-high 20 goals last season, while classmate Kevin Kelly was close behind with 17. Senior Ted Dimond also contributed double-digit goals with 12. Seniors Todd Kaiser (7), Garett Kerr (7), Alex DeAlmeida (5), Mike Gast (5), and Zach Dendas (5) all return for the Bobcats' offense.

On Deck
The Bobcats return to action next Saturday when they travel to Worcester, Mass., to take on Holy Cross. Opening face-off from Holy Cross Field is scheduled for 5 p.m.