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The Hobart College lacrosse team will open the 2012 campaign, its 110th varsity season, against Siena in Syracuse, N.Y., on Sunday, Feb. 19. The Statesmen and Saints will play the third game of a lacrosse tripleheader in the Carrier Dome beginning at 5 p.m.

Hobart took a step in the right direction in 2011. The Statesmen improved their overall record by two games over the previous season and made great strides in close games.

In 2010, Hobart was just 2-6 in games decided by three goals or less, including 1-4 in one-goal games. Flash forward a year and the Statesmen went 5-3 in games decided by three goals or less, including a 3-0 mark in one-goal games.

Hobart set the tone early, rallying from an 8-4 fourth quarter deficit to defeat Robert Morris in the season opener.

That improvement and the returning leadership and talent at every position has the players and coaches upbeat about the 2012 campaign.

Head Coach T.W. Johnson, now entering his fourth season at the helm, is focused on building on that foundation. He wants this team to be more consistent and do a better job of closing out games.



To that end, Johnson is encouraged by the work ethic he's seen in offseason and preseason workouts. That level of dedication starts with the leadership provided by captains senior defensive midfielder Matt Campbell, senior midfielder Bobby Dattilo, junior defensive midfielder Ryan Korn, senior attackman Sam Miller, and junior midfielder Jake Silberlicht.

The group is focused on returning its defensive play to 2008-09 era levels when the Statesmen allowed fewer than eight goals per game, improving ground ball collections outside of faceoff situations, raising its clear rate from 80 to 85 percent, and improving its shooting percentage (23.3 percent last season).

GOALIE

For the second year in a row, the Statesmen will have a new starter on opening day. Evan Kirk (.514 SV%, 10.83 GAA, 5-7) made the most of his lone season as the starter, getting drafted by the NLL's Minnesota Swarm with the sixth overall pick.

Junior Jon Lawless and sophomore Peter Zonino are expected to battle for the starting nod. Lawless played in six games last season, starting the final two contests for an injured Kirk. Lawless compiled a .593 save percentage, and a 7.97 GAA. He's a strong stopper and a smart player with a good grasp of the defense.

Zonino hasn't appeared in a collegiate game yet, but has impressed the coaches in practice with his ability to lead the clear, getting the ball up the field in a hurry.

Sophomore Matthew Bak and first-year Coltan Armitage, a high school All-American, will provide depth in the cage.

DEFENSE

The close defense features three players with a proven track record in the starting lineup, senior Stephen Doodian, junior Sean Regan, and junior Reid Rosello.

Doodian returns to the team following a year off, leaner and more mobile. He's a tough defender, excelling at shutting down an opponent in a one-on-one situation.

A two-year starter, Regan is Hobart's most physical defender. He's been more disciplined this preseason, which the coaches hope will lead to fewer penalties (a team-high 10 in 2011).

Rosello earned Hobart's Rookie Award with a strong 2010 campaign, but his effectiveness was limited last season due to injury. Back at 100 percent, expect him to return to form.

Sophomore Connor Eustace and first-years Eric Lombardo, George Fries, and Mark Greer will also see time. Eustace played primarily in man-down situations as a first-year but his work ethic and team first mentality have him poised for a breakthrough season. Lombardo has excellent stick skills and is a very smart defender. Fries is an imposing presence (6-foot-3, 200 lbs), while Greer is a converted short stick who is picking up the nuances of close defense.

MIDFIELD

If there's any spot on the field that both insiders and outsiders would agree is a strength of this team, it's at the faceoff X. Senior Bobby Dattilo, a 2011 first team All-ECAC pick, won a school record 64.9 percent of his restarts in workhorse fashion, taking 296 of the team's 300 faceoffs. He ranked third in the country in winning percentage and eighth in the nation in ground balls (6.6/g). Predictably, Dattilo has drawn a great deal of preseason recognition. Face-Off Yearbook tabbed his a preseason second-team All-American. Dattilo is one of 20 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, and one of 64 student-athletes on the initial Tewaaraton Award watch list.

If he can produce numbers comparable to last year, Dattilo will graduate with the Hobart Division I career records for faceoff winning percentage (his .588 is ahead of Tim Booth's record .565) and ground balls (Dattilo's 190 are 73 off the mark).

Dattilo is expected to see more time on offense as well, giving the Statesmen a dual threat at the X for the first time since Booth notched 22 points in 2003.

First-year Gryphin Kelly is likely to spell Dattilo. He's enjoyed a strong preseason and is likely to carry on the Hobart tradition of faceoff dominance.

The first midfield line with get a shuffle this year following the graduation of Tim Bigelow (42 gms, 22-40-62) and Mike White (37 gms, 11-15-26).

Senior Chris Pedersen returns for his fourth season as a starter. A dangerous dodger up top, he has 45 career goals and 40 career assists, ranking eighth among DI Statesmen in assists and 12th in points.

Classmate Derek Akner has improved his shooting accuracy (a point of emphasis for this year's team) and is penciled in to join Pedersen on the top line.

Silberlicht is a solid two-way midfielder and is sure to see time on one of the top two lines.

First-year Taylor Vanderbeek, a high school All-American, has shined in the preseason, impressing with his speed and the maturity of his game. He too will compete for time on a top line.

Juniors David Chakola, Seth Goldacker, and Jesse Mancuso, and sophomore David Biegler will battle for a spot on the second and third lines.

First-years Branden Kessler and Emmy Poccia could also factor into the rotation.

At long-stick midfielder, Hobart will be without the services of four-year mainstay Alex Caton (43 turnovers caused, 190 ground balls), but sophomore Peter Bolte and junior Ethan O'Connor are more than capable of picking up the slack.

Bolte made great strides from fall ball to preseason practice. He's 6-foot-3 and rangy with excellent stick skills. O'Connor played short-stick D-middie last season, but made a seamless transition back to long-stick middie during the preseason. He's a ground ball machine and will be a key player on the wing for faceoffs.

The short stick defensive midfielders will not lack for leadership with Campbell and Korn shouldering the majority of the load. Both players are solid defenders and bring speed and vision to the transition game.

ATTACK

Miller and sophomores Alex Love and Cam Stone give the Statesmen a formidable starting attack. Last season that trio accounted for a third of Hobart's scoring.

Miller, who posted six hat tricks in 2011, begins his final season with a 24-game point scoring streak. The 2011 second team All-ECAC selection is focused on raising his game beyond his 26-goal, four-assist effort a year ago.

Love (15-4-19) and Stone (8-4-12) made an immediate impact on the field, but the coaches have been more impressed by the duo's raised expectations for themselves.

Sophomores Jake McHenry and Mike Marone also figure to make an impact up top. McHenry is likely to be used on extra-man opportunities while Marone will have a chance to show his stuff after battling the injury bug a year ago.

First-year Zach Reed, a high school All-American, could also work his way into the lineup after producing 168 goals and 212 assists at Bath-Haverling High  School.

SCHEDULE

“We love our schedule,” Johnson said. “We open with Siena, the defending MAAC champion, at the Carrier Dome and then seven of our 14 opponents are ranked in the preseason top 25. That's always the case with our schedule, we challenge our guys year-in and year-out.


“If we want to contend for a conference championship and get into the NCAA tournament, you have to play a strong non-conference schedule.”

After opening with the Saints, the Statesmen return to Boswell Field on Feb. 25 to face No. 3 Cornell for the 132nd time in one of the oldest rivalries in collegiate athletics.

Hobart will also face preseason ranked foes in No. 5 Denver (March 31), No. 8 Syracuse (April 17), and No. 12 Bucknell (March 10). Additionally, the Statesmen take on Colgate (March 6), Loyola (April 21), and Ohio State (April 7), all three of whom received votes in the preseason coaches poll.