Feb. 16, 2001

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Seawolves head into their second year as a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League looking to meet the challenge of the highly competitive league. With seven starters returning, head coach John Espey hopes that experience will pay off and help the Seawolves move up the conference ladder. The Seawolves 15-game slate features nine home contests and five teams that rank among the Top 20 in the nation in the preseason Inside Lacrosse Power Poll.

At attack, the Seawolves return all three starters in Jon Tompkins, Tris Gillen and Jesse Foss. The trio will have to find a way to make up for the loss of Dominic D'Orazio. D'Orazio graduated last spring after posting 75 goals and 35 assists in his four-year career, finishing eighth on the school's all-time scoring list.

Look for Jesse Foss to shoulder much of the burden left by the departure of D'Orazio. Foss emerged as the team's top playmaker last year, leading the team with 16 assists. He added 13 goals on the year and finished second on the team in scoring. Gillen enjoyed his best season as a Seawolf (11g, 5a) and looks to build on that success this year. Tompkins, who will also run at midfield this season, is known for his hard-nosed style of play, a style that yielded 10 goals and five assists in 2000.

Junior Phil Archabald made seven starts last season and notched seven goals and five assists. He is recovering from a broken foot that he suffered during the fall and is slated to be ready for the start of the season. Look for newcomer George LaFlare to add speed and quickness to the Stony Brook attack this year. Senior Brian Abrams and newcomer Sean Quinlan will also see time at attack this season.

At midfield, starters Denis Scannell and Kevin Pall may form the backbone of the 2001 team. The duo combined for 44 goals and 19 assists which accounted for 31 percent of the team's offense last season. Pall was one of the best stories of the 2000 lacrosse season. After not recording a single point in his freshman season, Pall had an incredible year, netting 34 goals and recording 12 multiple-goal games. His 34 goals were the eighth-best single season performance in school history. He accounted for eight of Stony Brook's 15 extra-man goals and had two game-winners as well.

While Pall continues to etch his name in the scorebook, it is Scannell who anchors the midfield position for SB. In addition to being the club's primary face-off man, Scannell's speed and athleticism allows him to be an outstanding two-way player. Scannell led the team in ground balls (59) to go along with 10 goals and five assists. His outstanding fitness level stands out as he plays at a high level for the entire game.

Steady Matt Campolettano made 13 starts and gives coach Espey a strong, versatile player who will make a significant contribution this year. 'Camp' contributed five goals and one assist last year which was down from his freshman season but that was not indicative of his value to the team. His versatility allowed him to start the season at close defense before moving back to the midfield position later in the year.

Coach Espey also likes what he sees of Matt Toner, Tom Mazeika and Sean Ehatt. All three have worked extremely hard in the off-season and he hopes they will take on bigger roles this year.

Second-year face-off specialist, Dennis Nafte, can't wait to compete with the best face-off men in the ECAC Lacrosse League and newcomers Aaron Weiss and Billy Snow should see time as long-stick middies in their first season with Stony Brook. Junior Frank Barile also returns this season. Barile appeared in six games last year before succumbing to a back injury.

Newcomers Michael Dworczyk (transfer from Nassau CC), Nasir Haque and Kevin Anderson will also compete for time at midfield.

On defense, three starters return as well. Veterans Dan DaPonte and James Smith return with plenty of experience under their belt. DaPonte has started 28 games in two years and enters his junior season 20 pounds heavier than he was as a freshman. At 6-4, DaPonte gives the Seawolves a big presence in front of the net. Alongside Daponte will be Mike Sakowich who started 14 games at close defense in his first year as a Seawolf. A strong, physical player, Sakowich will continue to be a force on defense for Stony Brook.

Junior James Smith returns for his third season and may get the starting nod as well. Smith finished second on the team in ground balls (58) and is known for his aggressive, hustling style of play. He will also be used as a long-stick middie at times during the year. Eric Hatkewitz, a starting outside linebacker for the football team, looks forward to his first season in a lacrosse uniform. Hatkewitz sat out last season with a broken hand but he hopes to add a physical presence that will punish opponents who venture in front of the Stony Brook net this year. Dante Daddi returns for his third season. The junior defenseman appeared in six games last year.

The goaltending duties belong to Tom Bushy as SB readies for the season opener. A three year understudy, Bushy enters his final season as a Seawolf as the starter in goal. He appeared in nine games last year and made 22 saves while posting a 1-0 record.

Transfer Steve Armsworthy comes to Stony Brook after two years at Catonsville Community College. He enters Stony Brook this spring and will look to push Bushy for the starting nod between the pipes.

The road to success won't come easy to the Seawolves as five teams rank in the Top 20 in the early going. Three of them are ECAC foes in Georgetown (7), Navy (12) and UMBC (19). Bucknell (16), and Hartford (18) also cracked the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Top 20. Penn State, Rutgers and Massachusetts round out the rigorous conference schedule that faces the Seawolves in 2001. Fortunately, SB has nine home games this year as its shoots for its first winning record since 1998.

Coach Espey and his team knows the challenge that the ECAC Lacrosse League presents but is looking forward to see his team's development. "We were a very young team last year. Those players now have a year of experience and know what to expect from the competition," Espey said. "We should be a much improved team this year."

The Seawolves open the 2001 season on March 3 at Massachusetts. Face-off is 1:00 p.m.