March 19, 2002
Stony Brook, N.Y. -
Lafayette at Stony Brook, March 20, 3:00 p.m.
Game Backdrop: Stony Brook plays its third straight home games and its fourth in five outings as it hosts Lafayette Wednesday.
Last Time Out: Stony Brook posted a 10-9 comeback win over Quinnipiac on Saturday. The Seawolves trailed 4-1 after one quarter and 8-6 after three, but Kevin Pall ignited a fourth quarter rally with his third goal of the game at the 10:22 mark. Kyle Pearl evened the score at eight but Quinnipiac's Joe Baglio put the Braves ahead 9-8 with just over four minutes to go. Less than a minute later, Steve Conlon got the equalizer for the Brook and then with 1:01 remaining Pall scored the game-winning goal off an assist from Aaron Weiss. Steve Armsworthy made 11 saves to record the win.
The Series: Stony Brook holds a 4-1 all-time edge in the series between the two teams. The Seawolves knocked off the Leopards 14-8 last year.
About Lafayette: The Leopards come into today's game with an 0-3 record after a 13-2 loss to Hobart on Saturday. David Crean leads the team in scoring with four goals while Pat Lennon, D.J. Krueger and Drew Wiesman each have two apiece. Michael Neary has handled the duties in goal and has a .541 save percentage.
Rookie Of The Week: Freshman Steve Conlon notched four goals and three assists in two games last week, including the game-tying goal late in Saturday's win over Quinnipiac. He now ranks second on the team in points with 11 and is the team's top playmaker with six assists.
His performance earned him America East Rookie of the Week honors as he became the first Seawolf to win the award.
Closing In On 100: Kevin Pall's four goals on Saturday gave him 97 for his career. He is now only three goals shy of becoming the second player in school history to score 100 or more career goals. His 97 goals tie him for second on the all-time list with Chris Kollmer. Pall is tied for second in the league in scoring (3.5 ppg) and goals per game (3.25).
Facing Off: Junior face-off specialist Dennis Nafte has been tough on his opponents so far this season. Nafte has won 28 of 44 face-offs (.636).
Wild Kyle: Freshman defenseman Kyle Pearl has show that he likes to get involved in the offense as well. The rookie defender has scored in each of the last two games, both goals coming on end-to-end dashes. With his goal against Quinnipiac, Pearl became the first defenseman to score at least two goals in a season since 1996 when Jason Cruciani notched two goals. Defenseman Ed Havel scored three goals for the then Patriots in 1994.
Lax Facts: Steve Armsworthy returned to the lineup against Quinnipiac to record 11 saves and earn his first win of the year. He currently ranks second in the America East in save percentage . . . Denis Scannell leads the team with 26 groundballs . . . Pall has now scored in 34 consecutive games . . . long-stick middie Eric Hatkewitz has scored in two straight games . . . George LaFlare had a pair of assists in last Saturday's win . . . SB has failed on its last seven extra-man opportunities . .
