UNH Men's Lacrosse

Back in Action...Again

2012-02-02T00:49:00.011-05:00

Apologies for the winter hiatus but... Looks like it's that time of year again! The 'Cats are back in Durham after a well deserved winter break and ready for a fresh season of lax, academics and consistent blog posts. The boys haven’t been entirely idle over the past month or so – under the direction of our new strength and conditioning Coach Ryan George the team has been getting fit and lean for coming beach season (Learn more about his work here..).

Blogmaster John Kerrigan is looking pleased with his results!

The 'Cats have also hosted their 3rd annual youth lacrosse clinic with over 100 Seacoast Area youth lacrosse players in attendance. At the clinic we were fortunate enough to have Boston Cannons mid-fielder Mike Stone with us. He put on a great shooting demo and helped out with some of the drills as well.

Mike Stone doing his thing.

The most feared defensemen in the PCLL breaking it down for the young ones.

That being said, this week marks the beginning of the spring season and we'll be in the lovely field house for a couple of late night practices. The boys better be sure to bring their A-Game's and some Neosporin® for that track burn.

- the Blog Jefe Stokes

Team Look-A-Likes

2011-12-06T19:28:00.025-05:00

The fall season recap is coming soon, but until then we would like to give our readers some distraction before a dreaded finals week. Originally we planned on doing a Freshman-Look-Alike however there were some guys on the team we just couldn't leave out. So without further adieu, the look-a-likes:

Choice A: Freshman Attackman, Andy Upton and Roger Taney, 1800's Chief Justice of the United States (Ask stokes where he found this one)

Choice B: Freshman Attackman, Hoy Truong and Wan "Short Round" Li from Indiana Jones

Choice C: Sophomore Midfielder, Conor Ryan and Willem Dafoe

Choice D: Sophomore Defenseman, Scott Potter and everyone's favorite action hero: G.I. Joe

Choice E: Junior Defenseman, Drew "Doc" O'Connor and Jonah Hill

Choice F: Freshman Attackman, Alex Whitmore and Hunter Whitmore

Vote for your favorite look-a-like. The poll will close after the semester.

The Blog Is Back!

2011-11-16T21:26:00.005-05:00

After the past 6 months of inactivity the UNH lacrosse blog is back up and running. Jake Katz, the old blogboss, has stepped down and moved on into the real world. The blog has now been passed down to John Kerrigan and Adam Stokes.

As our first blog post we decided it would be in the best interest of our readers to introduce each other.

Adam “Stokes” Stokes

• Sophomore WSBE – Finance and Marketing Major
• Lacrosse: Midfield/Attack (Depends on how Clark is feeling that day)
• Favorite part of lacrosse: line drills
• Most chill kid on the team
• Has a freakish knowledge of all youtube videos
• The only human on earth to “hate” Seinfeld
• Spends 85% of his day napping in bed
• Eats strictly food covered in Franks Red Hot sauce

John Finley Kerrigan

• Sophomore WSBE Student: Majoring in Finance and Minoring in Math
• When he’s on the field he plays defense. When he’s on the dance floor …strictly offence.
• Known for his many illustrious nicknames: Afroman, Kool-Aid Man, Palmdale, Jim Kerrington, Little Samurai, Poo Bear and more recently Good Ol’ Iron Jaw.
• John is the forgotten middle child in a family of four.
• However, it’s quite possible he has the highest GPA on the team (besides any Communications Majors).
• He also has great quads (even ask Jordan Gauvin).
• Lastly, he’ll probably be doing more blog posts than me this season

PLAYOFFS?!?!?!?!

2011-05-02T10:38:00.003-04:00

The UNH wildcats are going to the playoffs baby. Following a 9-5 win over Northeastern we snuck in as the 6th seed and have a rematch we Boston University on Wednesday night in their barn.

The Northeastern game was an exciting back and forth contest until we opened it up in the fourth quarter. Joe Gardiner put the team on his back netting 5 goals and adding an assist. The defense played well the entire game, forcing a lot of turnovers and letting our offense dominate time of possession.

Goal Scorers : Gardiner 5 Conor Ryan 1 Milano 1 Buckley 1 Mark Cochrane 1

Lastly, there is literally an elephant in the proverbial room for our Lacrosse team, but as a journalist I have a duty to report the truth. Here it is : STA alumns are straight killing it.

Joe Gardiner- Leads the team in goals and 2nd in assists
Zach Goodwin- 16/18 in faceoffs against Northeastern
Chris Morse- Transition sparker for the defense and has a pretty impressive post-goal-stick-spiking celebration
The Blogfather- Leads the team in saves and time spent in cut off sweat pants
Big Dog Barry Katz- Leads the league in Winnebago's owned and pulled pork sandwiches

See you at BU

P.S. It was senior night

Win or Go Home

2011-04-29T15:21:00.004-04:00

Well as my good friend and musical inspiration Rebecca Black said: " Gotta get down on Friday." Well the mens lacrosse team has no choice but to get down tonight. With our final game of the regular season, we have to beat Northeastern to make our conference playoffs. So have a few pops, enjoy the weather and come to the game tonight at 7. Go Cats

P.S. I visit Northeastern very frequently and have gone to a number of basketball games. Last year when the Huskies were playing VCU I got selected to participate in the free throw shooting contest to win 5 free hotdogs from Spike's. Well any third grade girl can shoot free throws so I decided to back up and take some NBA range 3 bombs. After I schwaped a few to take a healthy lead on my overmatched opponent I backed up to the half court and absolutely BURIED the half courter sending the crowd of about 40 into a frenzy. Whats my point? The coolest thing ever to happen at Northeastern was done by a Wildcat. A Spike's hotdog has never tasted so sweet

God Bless

Wildcats go down to Buffs by 1

2011-04-26T10:03:00.004-04:00

Siiiiiiiiiigggh. The UNH wildcats fell to the University of Colorado Buffalos last night 9-8 to lose their fourth game of the year by 1. We came out of the gates flying and enjoyed an early 2-0 lead. The Buffs then played like a top 10 team in the country and scored 6 un-answered goals. We then had a little rally of ourselves to make the game 6-5 at half time. An even second half led to a see-saw game with back and forth goals. Once again we had one last chance to win it but the clock struck midnight with the final score Colorado 9 UNH 8.

Goal Scorers: Joe Gardiner 3 Mark Cochrane 2 Evan Flower 1 Dan Milano 1 and Connor Murphy 1

Zach Goodwin went 10 for 16 on faceoffs which is a good sign for things to come.

We have our last regular season game this Friday against Northeastern. This is essentially the first playoff game for us because if we win we sneak in as the 6th seed in the conference playoffs and have the distinction of being the one team that no one wants to play. We have lost 5 conference games by a combined 7 goals. Yes Johnny Mcenroe ...we are serious.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T12:44:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to take the time to wish all the readers a happy and healthy Easter Sunday. If you strayed off from your hunt and somehow landed on this site I wanted to treat you with something extra special.

This is a picture of yours truly on the right, and your starting Long Stick Middie Chris Morse on the left, circa 1997 for Cocheco Lacrosse. Here are some observations from this amazing photo.

1) I think its safe to say that helmet technology has come along way. I think if we just tied a bunch of pillows to our head it would have been safer. Its amazing I can remember Spanish vocab words after all the head shots I took in third grade.

2) My father was angry at me this week/year. How else could you explain him making me wear those dapper goggles. I don't care how important vision is that is just inexcusable.

3) Look at Morse's chinstap. "Play Lax." That is a top notch slogan for a Lax helmet.

4) I was always taller and more handsome than Morse.

Enjoy the photo and your chocolate bunnies

All Stick

2011-04-21T09:18:00.000-04:00

EMBED-Lacrosse Cheap Shot To Head - Watch more free videos

Wildchats 3

2011-04-21T08:33:00.003-04:00

My relationship with Maggie our manager is as follows. I pretend I can tolerate her in the hopes she will bring me snacks on the bus rides.

In all seriousness, Maggie is a member of the lacrosse team who does a lot for the team behind the scenes and in Twitter Land. Not a day goes by that I don't get a constant reminer about how I have never blogged about her. Well Maggie leave me alone, because you are the subject of Wildchats 3. Lets get this over with.

you are the unh lacrosse manager....why
I got an email, replied, didn't know what i was getting myself into and the rest is history. Also, looking for my soul mate

you bring me snacks for the long bus rides, what would you guess are my favorite snacks
Cool Ranch Doritos, or Goldfish Originals. You stole my pretzels once.

what is your favorite Law and Order ?
The last Law and Order I watched was with my dad when I was 10. I just like the theme song.

What is your favorite Josh Harnett movie?
Pearl Harbor. He's so god damn sexy that I think about breaking up with Ed when watching it.

Who is your favorite player?
Lately, Tom Ball. We had a rough start but I think he's come a long way.

If you were going to invite a lax player to your cocktail who would you take?
Jake... I was going to ask you... now this is awkward..

who has the kindest eyes on the team?
Well I'm not sure... but it could be Samurai, if he ever opened them.

If you were to describe Big Dog Barry Katz in one word it would be: Gregarious - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gregarious

If you could punch one person on the team in the face who would it be?
Garrett Buckley because his pregame music songs are standing on my last nerve. We get it, We get it, Wiz Khalifa does mash ups.

Keep on truckin- Frank the tank

BU tonight

2011-04-15T14:17:00.002-04:00

We got the Terriers tonight. Follow on Twitter

Also, there is some rumblings going on about some fans wanting to be the blogfather for their April-Ween costume. If you choose to do this...here are some tips just so you can pull off the look properly.

My Katzpri's are 2 inches below the knee and gray
I put on four lines of eyeblack and smear it down so people are afraid of me
I often have a fresh aroma compareable to Cooler Ranch Doritos
My right arm is a liiiitle bit longer than my left
And lastly, my abs have been compared to the statue of David

No one said it would be easy.

UNH update

2011-04-14T14:10:00.002-04:00

The UNH lax team has gone 1-1 since the tough loss to BC last week. This past Saturday we traveled down to Storrs Connecticut to take on the Huskies. Once again we fell behind early trailing 5-3 at half time. A back and forth game played out for thirty minutes. Down by 1 with 15 seconds left and the ball the Cats had one final chance to tie it up. Unfortunately, we never got a shot off and the final second ticked off with the scoreboard showing UCONN 8 UNH 7.

Goal Scorers Evan Flower 2, Joe Gardiner 1,C $ 1, Mark Cochrane 2, and Ed scored his first career goal.

We didnt have much time to sulk and lick our wounds as we had to travel to the beautiful city of Worcester on Monday night to take on WPI in the annual Coach Clark Classic. We imposed our will early and often and cruised to a dominating victory. Some young kids who have been working hard got a chance to show what they could do. Final score was 17-5.

10 different people scored goals. If you want to get your name on the blog...score again.

This upcoming weekend is a big one for the Cats. We have two league games is 19 hours. We travel to BU on Friday for a prime time game against the Terriers. The next afternoon we welcome PCLL newcomer SUNY Buffalo to Durham for a Saturday afternoon game. What makes that game special is that the fans are asked to come in costume for our inaugural "April-Ween" game. Everyone loves dressing up and everyone loves heckling people from Buffalo about living in Buffalo. Kill two birda (Buffalo) with one stone and come to the game in a costume.

Until next time

BC 7 UNH 5

2011-04-07T14:39:00.002-04:00

Your UNH wildcats lost to the #8 ranked BC Eagles 7-5 last night in front of a loud and hydrated crowd. BC went up 2-0 in the second quarter but UNH fought back to make it 3-2 Wildcats at half. After trading goals, BC found itself up 7-5 midway through the fourth. Despite a frantic effort and never-give-up attitude the Wildcats couldn't put another one on the board and it ended 7-5. BC improves to 5 -2 while UNH falls to 1-4.

Alright, now that we got that out of the way lets play some Thursday morning Goalie.

The energy is back for the wildcats. We were not the same team that took the field against URI.

Jordan Gauvin enjoyed the best game of his career. He played good D and sparked our transition game. Also took a number of good faceoffs

Our defense played very well and once our offense clicks, we will be a tougher team to beat

Our next game is against UCONN in Storrs at 7PM on Saturday. Hopefully the players are still hungover from Monday nights riots

We have the rowdiest fans I have seen/heard to date

I broke my head during the fourth quarter. This makes me sad

Goal Scorers: Evan Flower 2, Dan Milano 1, Cal Bailey 1, and Sam Elmes 1

BC Game Postponed

2011-04-03T18:31:00.003-04:00

There is an old baseball saying that goes something like: You can win,lose, or it can rain. Well Abner Doubleday forgot to add the "you can not clean off the field of snow on a gorgeous 50 degree day." That pretty much sums it up. We couldn't get the field cleared off and the game got moved to Wednesday night at 8( do your homework early, if you still go to class). Anyone louder than the Big Dog Barry Katz gets their first O'doul on me that night.

In other news, there has been a culture change for the lacrosse team. This change is extending all the way to the blog. I vow to spend more time reporting on games after, because you the reader demand it.

I know the mustache pictures are more overdue than my Dialogue and Teamwork term paper but they will be up this week.

Lastly, here is the punishment for the Elian Gonzalez miracle. It can not be understated how tight these jeans were. My thighs have still not recovered. My hand in my pocket is as far as I could get anything in those pockets. The lesson being : If you wager a Scott Lamay wardrobe you got to go harder to the bucket than Elian Gonzalez.

See you Wednesday night.

Rebecca Black said it best

2011-03-25T15:06:00.004-04:00

Made it through another week. We have URI tomorrow at 2 pm for our home opener and first game in the PCLL. Come check it out.

Only read this if you have four hours to kill in the Phoenix Airport

2011-03-21T18:54:00.005-04:00

Despite the fact that it was 80 degrees all week, Mother Nature decided for some reason to have a snow storm in New England causing the Men's lacrosse team to be delayed at their gate for about 4 hours. Before I get to the recap of the weekend I have to explain the amazing event that took place between Coach Clark and I.

I was bored and hungry. I challenged coach to a game of 20 questions. If I won he had to buy me a bagel and a drink, and if he won then Scott Lamay got to pick out my wardrobe for the next social get together. For anyone who doesn't know Lamay he is built like Kevin Durant and wears jeans to match it. There are skinny jeans and there are Lamay jeans. The stakes were set and the rules were agreed upon. Here are coach's questions in order:

1) Is it a fictional charachter? ( no)
2) Do I know him personally? ( no)
3) Is he an entertainer? ( no)
4) Is he an athlete ( no)
5) Is he involved in media (no)
6) Is it Elian Gonzalez?

IT WAS ELIAN GONZALEZ!!!!! There was no foul play, because I hadn't told anyone who I was thinking of. The team went wild thinking about me rocking a deep, and I mean, DEEP V neck. It was LITERALLY the most shocking thing of my life. Coach demanded I blog about, and I think I had to. Just think about everyone on this planet and guessing one Cuban refugee from the late 90's. I now have to lose weight to prepare myself for those jeans.

The blog asks those who are above 21 to please drink responsibly.

Now on to actual lacrosse news:

We opened up with two losses to #2 ASU and #19 Arizona. ASU played like the #2 team in the country and cruised to a big win. The Arizona game was close the entire way through but one stretch in the third quarter where the Arizona Wildcats rattled off four straight goals proved to be the difference.

With one game left against #23 Santa Clara the Wildcats were determined to come back to Durham with a win. Well at the start of the fourth quarter it didn't look to good. We were down 9-4 heading into the final stanza. We stormed back to tie the game up 9-9 with a minute left. After a big stop by the defense we had the ball at the top of the box ( about 25 yards) we called a play drawn up by Evan Flower. The offense was to block the goalie as Evan was going to throw one on net and hopefully something would happen. Well I will save you the suspense and tell you somehow, someway, the ball found its way in the back of the net, giving the cats their first win and stunning the Broncos of Santa Clara in the process.

Here is the video of the game if you want to see the improbable goal. Fast forward to the 52 minute mark.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13465396

Nuts.

In addition to the amazing comeback and weather there is one other part that needs mentioning. Ed. Ed decided this week that he is the funniest kid on the team. When I asked him why he didn't score 15 goals against ASU so we could of won he responded " Coach didn't put me in, but it was probably a good decision because I don't think I would have played well." You can't coach that confidence.

Well I am off to buy a $7 dollar Men's Health magazine from Hudson News so I can read 10 new foods that shred your gut because, frankly, these jeans aren't going to grow.

Win #1. Cue The Music.

It's A Dry Heat

2011-03-16T18:03:00.003-04:00

We have been in Arizona for about 36 hours now and some of us already look like we walked across the surface of the sun. Who says Irish Catholics can't tan? I say Tom Nazarro can't. Also, I know you have been patiently waiting for the mustache pictures, and I appreciate it. However, there has been some last minute Mustache strategy moves ( just for men). The pics will be up tomorrow.

We open our season tonight with #2 Arizona State. The Sun Devils already have a handful of games under their belt and have the advantage of being used to this "dry heat". It will take a team effort to throw the upset, and that's what the Wildcats have been focusing on this week in practice. Game time is at 7 oclock (10 pm Durham time). Pay attention to the twitter for up to the moment updates.

I think Norman Dale said it best...

Busy Day

2011-03-14T09:03:00.005-04:00

Today the UNH team checks two important tasks off their long to do list. Flying to Arizona State, and gloriously showing off your mustache. 25 days ago I challenged the team to not shave. Today, we see the results. Stay tuned for pictures and 'stache related games.

Switching to the actual lacrosse news, the Wildcats are flying out to Tempe today for a 3 game road trip. We are excited to showcase are east coast skillz and our facial hair. I know everyone is worried that they won't have any new posts to read as they sip on a pina colada but have no fear, I will be checking in and filling you in on the happenings in zona.

P.S. This goes out to the Red Hot Buffs. We feel your pain on getting snubbed from March Madness. Apparently an 11-18 record partnered with a strength of schedule of 312 and a rpi of 274 just doesn't get you in anymore. While everyone in Boulder is complaining over a burrito at Illegal Petes right now just remember, we got jobbed as well

relax responsibly

WildChats II

2011-03-11T14:43:00.003-05:00

No tricks up my sleeve. Lets meet Tom Nazarro or el pres as no one calls him.

As President of the UNH lax team, does a book of secrets actually exist?
Yes, it is in the Young Drive safe. Can't squak anymore.

If you were to compare your play to a Mighty Duck (fictional) who would it be?
I would have to say a blend of Russ Tyler and Kenny Wu...but not Chinese and Black

What is your favorite sandwich to order at Phillbrook?
Chicken bacon ranch, but the burrito bar takes the cake

Favorite Rocky movie?
The first one...only other acceptable answer is Rocky 4 ( I must break you)

Boxers or commando?
Sunday-Wed...boxers- Saturday...Commando

If you could have a rum bucket at the knot ( free advertisement) with anyone living or dead who would it be?
Tough question but Christopher Walken would have to be my choice

Do you know im still mad at you for calling me a fat sloppy goalie to your buddy the
other night?
I plead the fifth.

Do you like Rhino's?
No. What sound does a Rhino make though?

And the ceremonial last question:

If you could punch anyone in the face on the team ( besides me) who would it be?
Dan Hutchins who serves as the team VP and my roommate because of his general disregard for waking up to his alarm and his uncanny ability to be late to everything

The Post We Are all Waiting For

2011-03-07T22:57:00.006-05:00

Ok, So this post was supposed to be earlier today but due to some logistical nightmares ( my doctors appointment) it had to wait til tonight. This is the post where you the viewer gets to decide what Samurai Kerrigan's face will look like next week. As we all know, the WildKatz have been growing some 'staches for the past couple weeks. Not to be outdone, Samurai vowed to let the people decide what to do with his bushy, and I mean BUSHY beard. Lets meet the candidates...

The mustache- The classics are a classic for reason. This is meat and potatos for dinner, the Power I in football, and Dave Matthews on the radio in the summer. Timeless

The Mutton Chops- Can't you just see Samurai walking down main street with a musket and this little number

The Foo Man Chu- The only thing harder than spelling it is growing it. I awkwardly think Samurai would pull this off, my darkhorse in the election.

Lastly, and without a doubt the most insane. This has no name because it has NO soul. That's right folks, the often talked about, seldom seen ....HALF BEARD!!! Most men scoff at this idea, Samurai laughs at it.

Ladies and gentlemen, your choices for Sam Kerrigan's facial hair. Think it over and decide what do you really see a 22 year old boy rock. Pictures to follow.

Godspeed

Recap of the SNHU Scrimmage

2011-03-02T15:33:00.003-05:00

The Wildcats dropped their opening scrimmage 6-5 last night in Manchester against the Southern New Hampshire Penmen. The game was close the entire way with no team holding a greater than 2 goal lead. Here are just rapid fire, Monday Morning Goalie notes:

Who had Scott Lamay in their opening scrimmage first goal scorer pool? Good work Scott keep that train rolling.

We were 2-13 on manups and lost faceoffs 3 to 13...numbers we will need to fix before Arizona

We cycled in alot of defensemen with 9 total getting some time. The defense played well as a unit and had to deal with the SNHU offense a large portion of the time

Dan Milano needs to be respected as an outside shooter

Stokes doesn't seems to know what constitutes an illegal and legal stick. http://www.uslacrosse.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=bJ_dPChmINw%3d&tabid=2462

We won the groundball and clearing war which are positive signs. No one will doubt our hustle between the restraining boxes

SNHU's pregame is comparable to a U2 concert

Our managers gps is broken

Garrett Buckley and John Ball's mustaches are coming in strong

Our new gray jerseys are ( as the kids say ) fresh to death

Good luck to SNHU this year.

Katz out

Game At SNHU Tonight

2011-03-01T14:52:00.001-05:00

Sooo Jake how do you think its going to go?

First Contest Moved

2011-02-28T12:49:00.003-05:00

You can win, you can lose, or it can rain. That is what can happen on gameday. Well, Mother Nature reared her ugly head yesterday and caused a delay in our first contest with Southern New Hampshire. For the diehards out there, the game has been moved to 6 o'clock on Tuesday night in Manchester. This will be the first time we have been able to play against somebody in a different colored jersey this season. Coach Clark is literally chomping at the bit (what?). See you there.

P.S. Stay tuned, because in the near future the blog will be conducting a poll on what you the reader wants Sam Kerrigan to grow for the facial hair challenge. This will be up sometime this week so if the hilarious writing and updates don't keep you coming back, voting in this poll should.

Wildchat

2011-02-22T19:14:00.003-05:00

Well I survived my birthday weekend, much to the credit of one Michael Maloney. I want to thank everyone who came celebrated and put up my shananigans. Let's move on

This is the first of a sequence I am calling Wildchats ( see what I did there). I will be interviewing a player on the team periodically just to give the outsiders a look into the players who make up our squad. This may not be a 60 minutes type hard hitting question sequence, but it will be entertaining. Lets begin.

Q: You went to Oyster River and then obviously to UNH were you nervous venturing out far from home?
A: Considering my high school is in the same town as my college, no I was not nervous about venturing 10 minutes from home.

Q:Your older brother samurai is on the team describe that coincidence
A:bad question

Q:Any chance you’re going to grow a killer moustache like your brother?
A: Unfortunately I got all the height in the family, and sam got the hair. My moustache is going to be a little sparse in comparison.

Q:I couldnt help but notice your facebook default is a lax action shot from you in high school...dont you think thats a bit dated?
A: To be honest I change my facebook photo like twice a year. I just am too lazy to change it all the time. Ill post a new one within the week if that will make you happy.

Q:If you could punch one kid on the team ( besides me) who would it be and why
A: Paul Harvey, because you gotta hit the biggest kid to get respect
Dan Milano, because he gets to ride a bike instead of run laps
It’s a tie between the two

Q:You have about 5 inches and 30 pounds on your older brother ..did you always pick on him growing up
A:No, believe it or not the Samurai you know is a very different one back at the house. He is just a mean person. My extra height and weight have nothing over his brutality.

Just a joke Sam, don’t get mad at me.

Q:What was your favorite n64 game
A: Golden Eye was my favorite when N64 was in its prime, however Mario Cart is what we play in the dorm room.

Q:rumor has it you went to see afroman live at the stone church in newmarket..describe the show
A: first Id like to point out that I had no ambition in going to this show, my friend purchased the ticket without my knowledge. The show was terrible; Afroman is so broke he was accepting 1 or 2 dollars for people to take pictures with him. It was pathetic.

Q:where is youre favorite place to eat in durham
A:The Turbo Pocket from Pauly’s Pockets would have to be my go to. Unfortuently it’s a little out of my price range so I don’t eat it that frequently.

Q:pulp or no pulp
A:Absolutely no pulp

Q:are you a better texter or dancer
A:Id have to say im a slightly better dancer, Im not phenomenal at either however I get laughed at for my attempt at spelling big words in texts.

Q:how come you refuse to give me some sweet ORHS swag
As much as I have let go my high school grudges I cannot bring myself to give a St Thomas player Oyster River lacrosse apparel.

ladies and gentlemen...John "Afroman" Kerrigan

Shave today

2011-02-17T13:10:00.003-05:00

If you are a fan of the UNH lacrosse team then get out the razors, get in a nice shave and then throw the razor away. Starting tomorrow, there will be no shaving for the wildkatz. For our trip out to Arizona the team has decided to grow out our facial hair for 25 days and then on the eve of the trip, shave it all but our mustaches. These eyes have seen some wild things, but touching down in Phoenix AZ with 25 rocking 'staches is going to be up at the top of the list.

Just to clarify if you want to join in, you may shave your disgusting neard but you may under no circumstances shave your mouth caterpillar.

Grow early, Grow often.

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-13T18:54:00.001-05:00

'nuff said

Whole Lotta Nothing

2011-02-11T13:13:00.003-05:00

The first two weeks of lacrosse practice are just about in the books so I figured I'd check in. We will have our team solidified in a mere 8 hours so look out for the roster in the coming days. As for practice, well lets just say my sweet madras bro shorts are going to need a belt this spring if we keep our practice plan. Everyone is anxiously waiting to get outside so we can play in the friendly climate that is February in the Northeast.

Something that is bothering me about practice is people celebrating goals like they just wont trivia at the knot without the help of an iphone ( cough sam elmes cough). We are indoors and once goalies don't have to pick up white balls on a white background then you can start doing your 15 yard jog past the goal after you score. Does it take you that long to stop? I might have to get Hans to set up a castle of soda cans to teach you how to stop.

Our friends over at the Rocky Mountains gave us some sweet reviews on our new gloves. Here are there new "mittens."

Not bad not bad. I especially like the use of cursive. Reminds me of my phonics homework in third grade. One might ask, how come they don't have their state slogan on it? Well according to my thorough Wikipedia research the most recent slogan used on license plates were "Colorful Colorado." Not exactly as intimidating as live free or die. However, had I been in charge of design I would have definitely had : ( I have no idea when to use a colon ) Meet Me at The Walrus. Yes you can use that for next year.

Also I am going to steal/borrow/copy the interviewing a player. I hope we can still be friends.

Godspeed

The Day Has Finally Arrived

2011-01-31T12:14:00.002-05:00

Dust off your tennis shoes, drink your doctor recommended eight glasses of water, and carbo load because UNH lacrosse officially starts off tonight at the convenient time of ten o clock. Coach Sullivan's practice plan (written on the back of a Ballard's napkin) was discovered on wikileaks.

10-11:55(run)
11:55-11:59(good inspiring speech)
11:59-12:00 (thank me for winning every sprint and being an inspiration to all)

See you there.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Evan Flower's New Goal Celebration

2011-01-27T09:21:00.000-05:00

Pre Season Over/Under

2011-01-21T10:53:00.003-05:00

The season is just around the corner and I got unprecedented access to Vegas's over unders for UNH Lacrosse this season. What kind of a blogger would I be if I didn't share them. Get out your wallet cause I am paying for your spring break here. Let get started.

Over/Under Wins at 9.5 - I am taking the over of course. With 11 games and 3 of them against top 20 opponents, we are going to pull of an upset. Hammer the over

Over/Under Dan Milano Assists at 30.5 - I am taking the over. This may surprise some people as leading scorer Michael Maloney has since left. Maloney was a good finisher and got many of his goals from Milano (despite his shockingly low athletic ability). However, it is forgotten how many assists Milano WOULD have had simply if Maloney learned how to fake a goalie and did not insist on shooting high. With the same attack unit returning, I am actually going to take the over on Milano's assists. Play the over, but don't hammer it

Over/Under Mark Cochrane Lazy Penalties at 6.5- Whispers on the wind are that Mark Cochrane was so inspired by Natalie Portman's performance in Black Swan he dedicated himself to better footwork. I'm taking the under

Over/ Under sprints I Win .5- Under.

Over/ Under Tom Nazarro and Tim Harrington combined goals .5- Over. Heard it here first

Over/Under times Coach St. Germain tells the defense that communication is key 309108109394.5- Over. John Nash would have a hard time calculating this one.

Over/ Under times Scott Lamay makes me feel uncomfortable with his wardrobe 5.5- Over

Over/ Under save percentage this year 65 - Over. I would bet my house with my mother in it on this one, and I did.

Over/ Under Barry Katz led tailgates this year 4.5- Under. As much as it pains me with only 5 home games even the greats have scheduling conflicts such as parenting.

Over/ Under PCLL titles this year for UNH .5- Over.

Are These The Freshest Gloves In The Country?

2011-01-13T17:35:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Sam Elmes for the pic

GO DUCKS

2011-01-10T15:56:00.003-05:00

Tonight is the night. After running by everybody all season the Ducks head down to Arizona to take on the Auburn Tigers and the best recruit money can buy in Cam Newton. If you are a sports fan this is game is a must watch. The Ducks average 50 points a game and could march down the field faster than Drew O'Connor can get down a steak and cheese. The game also has some ties to the great UNH as the head coach Chip Kelly was the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats before taking the job in Eugene.

I can not wait for the game which kicks off at 8:30 ET. I will be loud cheering on the Ducks and going pushup for pushup with the mascot after every touchdown.

Preseason Rankings

2010-12-21T11:42:00.004-05:00

Seeing as this is a lacrosse blog I figured every once in a while I should post about...lacrosse. Lacrosse Magazine recently came out with their preseason rankings and the UNH Wildcats earned the #19 spot. Now we all know that preseason rankings are about as useful as the Princeton Maze but it does give us something to talk about in the cold winter months.

Our schedule is going to be very challenging if the rankings are anywhere near accurate. We get to play #2 ASU, The Red Hot Buffs at #7, and divisional foe BC at #15 respectively. Couple of big wins and the ranking is going to soar like Google Stock.

Check out the full rankings here.

I would like to take this time to wish everyone a very happy holiday season. I look forward to seeing everyone back at preseason. I will be the one winning every sprint.

Case of the Mondays

2010-12-13T16:07:00.002-05:00

It is finals week here in Durham. While many cram in the library half looking at flash cards and half looking at Facebook, I am already done and will take this week to catch up on my Boardwalk Empire and refine my NFL BLITZ skills. Despite finals week looming, it is important to remember that Jay Cutler is without a doubt having a worse Monday than you.

While most of New England could take pride in the way the Patriots handled their business in the windy city, it does not change the fact that Mondays are flat our brutal and we could all use a little break from our routine and enjoy a clip. We got our second SNL video of the year and one of my all time favorites. If Jimmy Fallon wasn't in it this clip might be considered perfect.

Enjoy.

Friday's Fan Of The Blog

2010-12-10T11:15:00.003-05:00

Since joining the lacrosse team in 2009 I have had the pleasure of meeting without a doubt, the biggest fan of UNH LAX. That fan is the one and only Chris Harrington. Harrington is a staple on the UNH sidelines whether it is verbally assaulting referees or giving Vince Lombardi like pre game speeches to players. Chris is an absolute legendary competitor and expects perfection from everyone. When Chris was playing in a flag football game with the New England Patriots and Tully Banta-Cain wasn't getting it done, Chris pulled him out of there and showed him how a real man plays linebacker. Obviously that fire isn't hereditary as the only thing I have seen his older brother win is a race to dessert stand at the dining hall.

With the winter days coming and preseason fast approaching I look forward to another season of Chris Harrington cheering on the 'Cats.

Delayed Case of The Mondays

2010-11-30T09:37:00.004-05:00

It has been a long hiatus since the last video. This is a great injustice and shall not happen again. I hope everybody had a safe, healthy, and calorie heavy Thanksgiving. We have alot to be Thankful for this year. I am thankful that I know Drew O'Connor. I imagine that you are thankful for being able to read this. I appreciate the compliment.

This is a big day at the blog. Not only do we have a killer video ( that I found all by myself, with no help from anyone) but Big Dog Barry showed me how to embed a video. Enjoy

P.S. I didn't find this video I send a special thanks to the finder. French Toast

Friday's ( Saturday) Fan Of The Blog

2010-11-20T17:42:00.002-05:00

It is time to honor someone who truly deserves it. Not only is Kelli DeDonato a fan of the blog, but she is a true diehard UNH lax fan. Kelli can be seen at most lax games cheering for her favorite long stick middy.....Dan Fugelstat. The past four times I have seen Kelli, she has brought up the blog. In fact, Kelli was the 20,000th visitor to the blog, a fact she was very eager to prove with a cell phone pic. Thank you Kelli for your continued criticism of the blog.

I have warned people before, I am nationally ranked at finding horrible pictures of you. I must be honest, it took longer than my normal 45 seconds to find one of Kelli. I am not even calling the picture horrible, I just can guarantee what is going on in this picture. This picture was an album entitled "prom" (creative). I am going to assume she was taking pictures for prom. She is flying solo in this pic, so I assume either her date hadn't showed up yet or she was going to the pre-prom cool kid photo shoot. Every parent is SO awkward about the solo shots so I assume Mr. Dedonato fired off about 15 solo pics, causing the Kelli to get a little annoyed, thus spawning an argument about one more picture. This forced, awkward, smile is what I believe to be...the last pic.

P.S. I know I have not posted a video the past two weeks and this is a day late. However, when I am knocking blogs out of the park ( which everyone except the blogfather is saying) I bet it is worth the wait.

P.P.S. Seriously, I can find anything on Facebook ...I bet I could find a bad pic of Marc Cochrane and he is stop traffic handsome

Godspeed

Friday's Fan Of The Blog

2010-11-12T13:07:00.004-05:00

There are a number of ways to make the blog. You could be a sick lax bro who rips cheddar on the reg causing me to give shout outs. You could make a hilarious youtube video that I find hilarious and share it with the world. You could give me a piece of pizza in exchange for some publicity. You could devote hundreds of hours to the lacrosse team and do it all with a smile. Well today's fan decided to go the last route. To all the ladies in the place with style and Grace Lyons is today's Fan of the blog ( woah Jake that was clever). I had the pleasure of meeting Grace last spring and our friendship never looked back. I would like to thank Grace for all that she does.

Did you know about Grace- I did some serious facebook intel and found out a fact I am pretty sure that less than 1% of the UNH population knows. Grace Lyons was a high school cheerleader. I have photo evidence. Color me shocked.

P.S. Maggie and Kerry relax your day will come...I am going shortest to tallest

P.P..S. Let this be a lesson to you...if you consider yourself friends with me or anyone related to the lacrosse team I might think about untagging some facebook photos. I devote more time to this blog than my Communications in Law class.

Friday's Fan Of The Blog

2010-11-05T14:13:00.003-04:00

(Not Pictured: Tim Harrington)

I have enjoyed my time as the blogfather but there is an injustice that must be rectified. For two years this blog called Young Drive home, and when it moved downtown, I payed no respect to it's roots. Therefore I would like to take this Friday to honor the boys who call 34/36 home. The boys have been more than good to me over the years. I am pretty sure I owe Cody around $40 in snacks. During the summer when I was to frugal to buy a parking pass, the boys let me throw the Malibu no questions asked ( just kidding Landlord). They have been good to me and it is time I return the favor therefore I would like to give the shout out to:

Dan "Applebottom jeans" Milano

Sam "I am unspeakably bad at pool basketball" Elmes

Marc I still owe the blogfather a PBandJ" Cochrane

Cody SOOO SICK" Cusano

Andrew "My name should be Ben" Hart

Dan "Dang" Hutchins

Tom "Where are my sleeves" Nazarro

Tim "The Professor" Harrington

I didn't check the spellings so everyone just relax

Keep on Keeping on boys

Case of the Mondays

2010-11-01T17:26:00.002-04:00

Last year the Godfather Michael Maloney posted a vote for the best Halloween costume. I figured I would save everyone some time and energy and just post the best costume. The residents of the wombat palace killed it as the Wizard of Oz. Some highlights included the Tin Man chopping down a girl dressed as a Christmas tree and Dorothy rocking vintage bright red Nike hightops. Look at Morse's mane ...you simply catch coach that.

Special shout out to Sam "Samurai" Kerrigan for his teach me how to Snuggie. Don't worry Grandma, Ill explain it you.

Here is your video of the week.

To quote my good friend Ben Simmers: BUUUUUUNNNNDDDDDDYYYYY!!!!

Special Case Of The Monday's

2010-10-25T13:27:00.003-04:00

Before we get to the much anticipated Youtube video of the day, I would like to take some time and recognize a very special person to the UNH blog. This Saturday a few hand selected bros traveled down to Gillette Stadium for ....I think a football game...no definately a football game. On the way home I had the first ever personal request to be on the blog since taking it over. Not only is this person such a big fan...she snaked a piece of pizza from her friend to give to me to sweeten the deal. Her loyalty and passion is UNQUESTIONED. I would like to take this time to give a blog shout out to Ariana Shapiro and all the girls at AZD ( except Andrea). But mainly Ariana ...and I guess Andrea to.

Now, for the reason we are here. Following Gus Chiggins is no easy task. The reason this video was approved is because the announcer's pure joy reminds me of Ariana's when I told her I would put her on the world wide web.

Click Me

Fridays Fan Of The Blog

2010-10-22T21:32:00.002-04:00

This weeks fan of the blog is near and dear to my heart. This weeks fan is Sam Foster. Foster is a resident at the wombat palace and is the only UNH student who can make pesto sauce. Foster shreds face melting solos on the guitar and even though he is a self claimed "music junkie," Foster did not get one music trivia question right this summer at the Knot. We went weekly. However, the main reason I chose Foster for the blog is that Foster is the one who chooses the videos for the Case of The Mondays. By my tally is 3-3. Keep up the good work Foster.

Did you know about Foster- Foster's first ever AIM screen name was sammyfrommiami. The fact that Sam had never been to Miami was irrelevant.

Case of the Mondays

2010-10-18T15:18:00.002-04:00

Here we are again staring straight into the eyes of another work week. Big news from the wombat palace, (my apartment) if Maurice Jones Drew stunts like we know he can than I will steal a fantasy win. I need this win so if you're reading this Mojo...kill it.

With that being said, here is the third video to help you get through the Monday...

Gus Chiggins

Friday's Fan Of The Blog

2010-10-15T13:42:00.004-04:00

For the first ever Friday fan of the blog, it was a no brainer to go with the Big Dog. Anyone who has any proximity to the team knows papa bear Barry Katz is the ultimate fan. He can be seen stunting in his Winnebago and cooking breakfast for 20 team members at 7 AM. However, some would argue that his greatest accomplishment was raising such a fine blogger.

The did you know about Barry Katz: Barry once owned his own deli. BJ' Corner Deli dominated the Dover restaurant scene in the 80's providing roast beef and smiles to hungry customers.

Hayden Sports better write me a check for free advertising. I literally have never seen that shirt before. I have no idea how I got that or why I chose to put that on. My Phoenix Mercury shirt must have been in the wash. I digress

Case Of The Monday's

2010-10-11T19:13:00.002-04:00

Well, if you are reading this you survived homecoming weekend. I congratulate and thank all the alumni for coming back. I am also going to thank the entire current team for holding Michael Maloney scoreless in the alumni game. How does that serving of humble pie taste? Bitter I bet.

I told you not to try and predict the Monday video, and I am guessing you didn't predict today's. Watching football on Sunday ( if you do not have Red Zone channel you are watching football in the stone age) I got reacquainted with the legendary announcer Gus Johnson. The man could make my Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa class seem interesting.

Without further Ado...

RISE AND FIRE

P.S. The UCLA, Gonzaga game ( BATISTA WITH THE CAAAAATCH) made my mom cry. She is a Gonzaga alum.

P.P.S. No one cares about grammar, yes, I know it's bad and it will always be bad.

P.P.P.S. Congratulations to Michael Maloney as the blog hit the 100th post...We will be celebrating at Young Drive, no cops( to soon?).

Case of the Mondays

2010-10-04T19:14:00.007-04:00

Mondays are no fun. The alarm always seems to go off half an hour to early, your fantasy team is mind numbingly frustrating, and you spend way to much time seriously pondering if Steve Buscemi from Boardwalk Empire is the ugliest actor you know off hand. Well, rest easy because I am brining you the inaugural Monday Video of The Week. Without further ado..

P.S. If you are reading this and not registered for the golf tournament ...what on earth are you waiting for? Whoever read the blog from Germany today ...you are excused

6 Pack of Questions

2010-09-27T13:41:00.002-04:00

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news being that you are about to read the UNH lax fall ball questions that literally everyone is talking about. The bad news is that Quint Kessenich backed out at the last minute for a live chat on the blog. Therefore, I have decided to handle it myself.

1) What is the schedule looking like for the spring?

We have a very exciting and challenging schedule for the 2011 season. Of course, we have our familiar foes of the PCLL which always brings exciting action. We will be welcoming Colorado to Durham for a much anticipated re-match from last year. The hit just keep on coming as we will travel out west to take on Santa Clara, Wisconsin, and wait for it........ Arizona State. Rack up some frequent flyer miles while you can, you will not want to miss that trip.

2) Who will fill the shoes for the defense?

Last year we graduated two starting close defensemen, one LSM, and lost the services of another LSM due to some business in Beijing program or something. We have many new candidates chomping at the bit to get a piece of the action. Keep an eye out for converted goalie RJ, ( sans flow) freshmen Kris Johnson, Alex Sellar, Zach Merrigan, and Chris Morse to make an impact. Thankfully, we return D-middies Jordan Gauvin, Tom Narazzo, and Tim Harrington to help ease the transition.

3) Who will take the faceoffs?

I simply do not know. Jordan Gauvin, Dan Milano, Zach Goodwin, and Matt Essaray have all been taken draws at practice. It is a wide open competition.

4) Who are the fresh faces to keep an eye on?

This list is long so settle in.... "T" Keane is a little (literally) spark plug worth noticing for the attack. Kyle Kenny ( spelling?), C. Ryan, Cal Bailey, Zach Goodwin, Ethan Gauvin, and "Stokes" are playing well and ready to make noise from the midfield. Zach Merrican, Kris Johnson, Chris Morse, are the new long poles. Youth will be served this year.

5) Who is the blogger's break out player of the year?

It's hard to say that Evan Flower is going to break out after an All American selection last year, but he is a ticking time bomb ready to shred chone darts all over New England. My second pick: Garret Buckley , wait til you see his pecs.

6) Is it true that Rj cut his flow?

I don't want to talk about it.

UNH Lacrosse Is Hitting The Links

2010-09-21T16:53:00.003-04:00

(Coach Sullivan, St. Germain, and Clarke respectively)

On Friday October 8th the UNH men's lacrosse team will be hosting an all day golf extravaganza. Take the day off, call out sick, drop the kids off at a friend's house and come enjoy 18 beautiful holes at the Oaks Golf Course in Somersworth, New Hampshire. Not only will you get to stripe some fairways, you will enjoy a fine lunch and walk away with a nice bag of goodies. This really is a true win-win get some golf in, meet the team, and help us with our fundraiser. I suggest getting a foursome together and try to make a run at winning it, which will be a tough task, as I already have my ringers notified and taking practice swings in the backyard.

Here is a link with more details and registration https://www.events.unh.edu/RegistrationForm.pm?event_id=7715

See you at the 19th hole...

Meet Your 2011 UNH LACROSSE CAPTAINS

2010-09-15T20:06:00.009-04:00

UNH lacrosse is proud to announce its 2011 lacrosse captains. We have two newcomers and one familiar face leading us. Lets take a minute and get to meet the student-athletes.

Evan Flower- Junior Attackman who occasionally rips chone darts. Still anxiously awaiting first facial hair. WOMBAAAATS

Tom Nazarro- Senior Midfielder who moonlights as the team's president. Tom lifts weights, eats cake, and frowns upon The Hamel Recreation Center for their policy on sleeves.

Dan Milano ( on the right) A senior Midfielder who returns for his second season as a captain. Milano has a split dodge like a wishbone and knowledge of all major works of literature like Wishbone...

I have no idea who the kid on the left is, thank God, looks like a duster.

From The Ashes It Rises

2010-09-05T18:33:00.007-04:00

For those of you out there who are unaware, Durham's finest Navy, which belonged to the gentlemen at 34/36 Young Drive, was tragically sunk in a peace keeping mission last year. While the waters were left unguarded, the river behind the house became less certain than the coast of Somalia,

Not to fear, the Young Drive Navy has risen again. Thanks to yours truly we can all breath a little easier as I found an inflatable raft this week. I am obviously the vessels fearless sea captain, with Tim Harrington and Dan Milano serving as the skipper and first mate respectively. This is a warning to all schools close to the water ( cough BC NORTHEASTERN cough) that you are being watched.

New boss chosen....

2010-08-29T20:14:00.007-04:00

All good things must come to end. In his last move as The Godfather of this blog, Michael Joseph Maloney displayed the cerebral and intestinal fortitude that typified his reign. With confidence he chose Jake Katz to lead this blog into the future.

In his first act as the new blogboss Jake declared a new attitude of transparency and issued the following introductory press release.

For Immediate Release - August 2010

My name is Jake Katz
I am #6 in your programs (and #1 in your hearts).
I am a Senior Communications Major.
I enjoy listening to Dave Matthews Band and have an encyclopedia like knowledge of all Disney Channel Orginial Movies ( This will not be the first time Smart House is referenced)
I don't find Princeton Maze to be a waste of time at all
I left my heart at the Walrus in Boulder Colorado
We are going to have some fun this year so stay tuned

Here is a trivia question for nobody in particular

What music band or singer has made the most money off touring in the past 10 years?

I could tell you, but why don't I SHOW you..... (click me...click me good)

Farewell

2010-05-13T08:37:00.004-04:00

This is your captain speaking, brace yourself, as you are now reading the final blog post from Michael Maloney on the UNH Men's Lacrosse Blog. I've touched on this before, but today I bid the blog adieu as it is time for me to move on to the real world. As much as I wish that entailed me going on an MTV show for three months, unfortunately I'm headed into the real world, and not onto The Real World.

The blog has been great to me. It was a lot of fun, and watching it grow over time from just a few posts about our clinic, to a website with over 16,000 hits ranging from Inglewood, Calfornia to West Bengal, India. It has given me a place to write what I want, how I want, away from the rules and regulations of covering for newspapers. People telling me that they check the blog regularly and that cracks them up, only made me want to write more. It was grounding for me, which is usually pretty hard to do to with this ego. I want to thank all of the avid followers I've had since Day 1, parents of players, actual players, Tweeters, female fans, other teams and lacrosse websites. It has truly been a pleasure on this side of the computer.

Without its fearless leader, however, the blog will still live on. I have reluctantly passed it on to two or three players who are more than capable of keeping this ship afloat and hopefully make it sail to the point that we are literally kidnapping recruits from Hopkins. Speaking of that, many of you have read my complete liberal use of the word literally. Over time it has grown into a running joke, as people tend to misuse it all the time. Just imagine me running into a high school with a ski-mask on and kidnapping a recruit, literally. So, moving on to another job that isn't going to pay me any money, in my immense amount of free time in my final semester I have created a new monster. Literally Incorrect.

In all seriousness though, thank you to everyone who ever read the blog, told someone about the blog, or told me something to blog about. You made my life more enjoyable and I can only hope that I did the same with my run-on sentences and obscure Bruce Springsteen references. Comment on this post wishing the new guys the best of luck, and if you want to thank me just carry on your amazing loyalty to them as well to help this team grow. If you really wanna thank me, you can offer me a full-time job. (Seriously)

End of The Year Blog Awards

2010-05-06T12:51:00.002-04:00

The Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League recognizes the players that fill the stat sheets, and those who do their best to try and slow down the Offensive Player of The Year. However, there are many players that are left out, and truly keep the PCLL in tact. I am here to give them what is rightfully theirs. I give you the inaugural Blog All Stars.

Sideline Voice of The Year
Zack Scantron, for his rowdy antics all year, but especially for his dance at the UCONN game.

Best Nickname
A true toss up between Connor "C-Money" Murphy and Jeff "Blanco" White, but this one goes to Blanco as it has become universal enough that I literally just found out his name was Jeff today.

Quote of the Year
"Keep Your Com-BRO-sure." -Assistant Coach Ben Clark during a sideline conference with the man-up squad. Ben also received accolades for Best Facial Hair in league with Tim Harrington's lineup coming in a close second.

Most Useless Rookie
Jake Katz, in a landslide. Jake was nominated for never setting up the field, never carrying anything to Outer, and not participating in a single ball hunt because "it is my THIRD year of college lacrosse, I am not a rookie."

Likely 2012 Occupants of Young Drive
Dang Hutchins, JT Markley, Blanco, RJ, Drew O'Connor, C$, Gardiner, Evan "Stank" Flower.

Worst Left Hand
Dan Hutchins. Your Division I First Team close defender has a left hand that could make babies cry. Hutch will never throw lefty, but makes up for his crafty HTML skills. Jake Katz was not eligible for this award because he is a goaltender, however, it should be known that his left hand is worse than a lukewarm Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Most Deceiving Athlete
John Tyler Markley. Great body, great abs, amazing closing speed, a well deserved actual All-Star. Do not be fooled, however, because I learned yesterday that he is terrible at volleyball, can't throw a football, and rides a moped. However, his Jai Alai skills will be unrivaled after his 12 month stint in China next season.

Best Tattoo on the Team
The CUSANO rib tat is really intense. Well not really intense, but pretty intense. However, Finnain "Spikehorn" Donovan shows his devotion to Vacationland with the outline of Maine tatted over his entire side. It almost makes me think that Maine is a real state.

Chillest Bro on the Squad
Two letters. R.J. No questions asked.

Hit of the Year
With stars glimmering in his eyes, Tom Nazzaro scooped a ground ball, and was one on with the goalie on his way to his first career goal. What he didn't know was that the goalie was the Peter Gabriel, who proceeded to absolutely demolish Naz in front of our largest crowd of the regular season. Dan Milano's was second, Joe "The Body Snatcher" Gardiner was third.

Best Dancer on the Team
Obviously, if it were up to me, I'd be claiming this hardware. However, to keep some integrity on the blog, it goes to both James Rubio and Scott LeMay who are both capable of burning holes in the dance floor.

Name That I Have Wanted To Put On The Blog All Season, But Have Not Had the Right Opportunity Other Than Obscure Awards That I Am Making Up On The Spot....Award
Rob Johnson. The Notorious R.O.B. is a staple of the squad, dominates the Gables, and has an iron jaw. To leave him out of this would be like leaving senior James Rubio off the PCLL All-Star team despite his 31 points, and stellar championship game. It would be unjust, unholy and just flat out wrong.

Congratulations to everyone who received awards. It is the highest honor on the Internet. You can claim your award at 34 Young Drive between the hours of fake and nothing o'clock p.m.

Several Wildcats Named to PCLL All-Conference Teams

2010-05-04T19:46:00.003-04:00

In the annual PCLL end of season meeting, the coaches gathered from around New England to assemble the Dream Team of the PCLL. With every team sending at least one player to the All-Star game, there were seven Wildcats that were considered the cream of the metaphorical crop.

First Team
Yours Truly (midfield)
Evan Flower (attack)
Dang Hutchins (defense)

Second Team
Dan Milano (midfield)
Brennan Duke (defense)
John Tyler Markley (long stick midfield)

Honorable Mention
Jake Katz (goaltender/stand-up comedian)

In addition to these awards, Head Coach Jake Sullivan was named the PCLL Coach of the Year, and a UNH midfielder was named Offensive Player of the Year partly due to his 33 goals, but mostly for the stellar .29 assist per game average that he upheld over a 14 game stretch, very impressive if I do say so myself. Stay tuned for my hand-picked All-Star team based on categories that the PCLL doesn't (but should) recognize.

UNH Drops PCLL Title Game in Thriller

2010-05-03T08:50:00.003-04:00

There really isn't too much to be said about what happened yesterday, as everyone reading this surely knows the end result. But being the dedicated resource that I am, I feel obligated to at least touch on the playoffs that happened in Durham this weekend.

After handling Northeastern 13-4 in the semifinals, we were set to play BC in the PCLL championship game. The number 1 seed vs. the number 2 seed, just the way the seeding gods had planned it. The Eagles were back-to-back-to-back PCLL Champions, and we were just a team having it's best season in recent history. BC went up 5-1 at half, but in an electric 3rd quarter the 'Cats put up 6 goals, and went into the fourth with a 7-6 lead. Then things got interesting. A two goal lead for UNH was erased with a minute and a half left, and the game was set for overtime. Of course.

BC possessed the ball for the entire overtime period, denying us even a single shot in the first four minute period, but Jake Katz literally played out of his mind, keeping our hopes at Denver alive. The game went into a second OT, where despite winning the faceoff, we were unable to hold possession. BC eventually got the right look, on a roll from x, and Christian Falco rolled one past Katz for the gamewinner that would ultimately end our season.

If there's a better way to lose a conference championship game, I haven't heard of it yet. That being said, its a double edged sword as the pain of it happening so fast is unrivaled. There was still an outside hope that we could receive one of six at large bids to Denver, however, this morning the committee announced the seedings and the 'Cats had been left off the guest list. Congratulations to Boston College who will play Colorado State University (#2) in Denver next weekend, and the UNH Wildcats for an 11-3 season that will not soon be forgotten.

(For more extensive coverage, pick up the newest issue of MCLA Mag, set to hit newsstands in the coming week or so. I wrote a very detailed article about the PCLL tournament and the championship game yesterday and really was in no rush to do it again here. Apologies)

Chone, Revisited and Epitomized

2010-04-29T14:09:00.003-04:00

I recently wrote a piece about the newest word to hit the bro lingo, CHONE. However, if I had my hands on this video, I would have saved myself some serious time and effort in defining it. I cited Kyle Harrison's choney video, but that was littered with several different goals, making it difficult to separate the chone from the regular run of the mill goals. So, courtesy of Sam Elmes and Lacrosse Playground, Johns Hopkin's attackman Kyle Wharton would like to inform you exactly what the epitome of Ripping Chone truly is. I give to you, the best lacrosse video you will see today:

The Link That Made of All of This Blogging Worth It

2010-04-28T15:41:00.006-04:00

Last week, I was peacocking about how the UNH Student Newspaper finally decided to cover us. It was great, some local pub from a newspaper that circulates to a few thousand people in the Greater Seacoast Area. However today, like a company announcing they are going public, the little UNH Men's Lacrosse Blog that was dreamed up in "The Condo" just went national.

Today was a normal day for me. Had a few peanut butter sandwiches, watched some Champions League, started thinking about the playoffs this weekend. However, while perusing the greatest website of our generation, Twitter, I saw this Tweet from Lacrosse All Stars.

"2010: The Year Of Chill? Who rules the throne: @UNHLacrosse @RedHotBuffs or @chapmanlax?" Accompanied by this link.

It couldn't be true. My piece about CHILLING, of all things, has sparked a well known lacrosse website to an entire column? And they're linking to my website? Well after I choked on my sandwich, I realized that's exactly what happened. That's right, the great people of LAS who brought you the infamous Red Army Controversy, found my blog post about how the word chill has gotten us to where we are today. They even featured a snippet of my article and a picture of myself and my beautiful home on Young Drive. I was literally frozen in shock.

UNH Lacrosse has always flown under the radar. No more. We are officially not only on the map, but being compared to these teams because of our ridiculous amount of schwag. Not to be an egomaniac, but this can only be contributed to one thing. The Blog.

From the creation of the blog, to Twitter, to columns on Collegelax.us, over the course of just one year, this team has generated the exact buzz that I thought would be impossible. Because of the beautiful thing called the internet, players, coaches, and fans are talking about UNH Lacrosse. As pathetic and lonely as it may sound, I can not help but to be incredibly excited. I feel like the proud father of Sidney Crosby. Waking up at 6am for practices, cold drives to rink, hundreds of dollars on skates are the equivalent of sleepless nights thinking about my next column, pesky HTML, and writing articles for the steep price of zero dollars. But then on draft day, when Sid signed an 8 million dollar deal, it all felt like it was worth it.

Well, today, despite my light wallet, I feel like a million bucks. I can see my name in lights, kissing babies and shaking hands with the Pope, while receiving my Pulitzer for Most Incredible Blogger of All-Time. But first, I guess I should worry about the PCLL Playoffs this weekend. nd the giant load of laundry on my floor. That and actually getting a full-time job for after I graduate so I can pay rent. I promise to do my best to not let this all go to my already oversized dome, because the truth is, for anyone to succeed, you gotta keep your comBROsure.

Link to the original Lacrosse All Stars piece can be found here.

'Cats Round Out Regular Season In True Form

2010-04-26T12:30:00.001-04:00

In one of the more ridiculous seasons in MCLA history, the UNH Wildcats finished up on Sunday with a win against BU. Despite the goal being scored above, the 'Cats clawed out a 13-12 win on Senior Day improving them to 10-2, which is appropriately, the best season that myself and the other seniors have had in all four years. We've come a long way since going 5-7 last season, also seeing as we were 1-4 within the division, but it hasn't come easy, and it has been far from predictable.

Recently, we played Stonehill College, a team who has given us trouble in the past, but is still a PCLL Division 2 team nonetheless. Well, after sitting in Boston traffic for 2 hours and arriving 8 minutes before the opening draw, we found ourselves in dogfight that we weren't exactly expecting. It took 3OT's, but eventually we got out of there alive, and was ready to move on to BU. Sound similar to another game this season? Like when URI, a team that finished 1-6 this season, and 0-5 in conference took us to double overtime, before we could close them out. Sure both games ended with a W, both coming from OT game winners by #2, but that's not important. In the first season that my seniors and I have won 10 games, here's a few observations from this season:

Both of our losses came to top 15 teams. (CSU #3, Boston College #15)
We won six games by 5 goals or less, four by a mere one, two of which were in OT.
The two teams that took us to OT combined for 5 wins all season.
We won one game by 22 goals, and another by 14.
We beat CU, who beat Michigan, snapping a 75 game winning streak. Irrelevant, but rad.
We played 6 games in the rain, and one well below freezing, winning all but one of them.
We've been in the Top 25 several times this season, peaking at 17 and currently resting at 24.
Captain Dan Milano has 26 assists this season, leading the conference. The second guy? 13.
The top three total point scorers in the PCLL are all from UNH.
The top three goal scorers in the PCLL are all from UNH, including the top guy who boasts a selfish 28 goals and 4 assists.
Our defense has only given up more than 10 goals twice.
Of our enormous roster, rookies Joe Gardiner and R.J. O'Riordan are the ONLY two players who have flow.

How did this happen? The stars don't align for any of these stats, and if you try to make sense of it your head might explode. The only thing I have learned is that we don't play well on the road, and that we play down to teams we think we should beat. The good news is, that it's playoffs now it's only good teams from here on out. The better news is that the playoffs are right here in the 603, so we don't have to worry about traveling until we fly to CO, the state where we happened to play our best ball of the year. So getcha popcorn ready, because Friday night at 7 we will be hosting the semifinals of the PCLL playoffs with nothing but momentum on our sides. Except now there's only one rule. In the words of Kenny Blankenship, "Don't Get Eliminated!"

UNH Potluck/Senior Day Tailgate. Don't Know What To Bring? Have No Fear

2010-04-23T10:58:00.002-04:00

Like I mentioned earlier, this coming Sunday we will be having a tailgate after the BU game. This is open for all parents, fans, and of course, the players. It will most likely be happening right next to the field as it has in the last few years, but stay tuned for an official announcement. And because of the incredible technology of 2010, you can click on this link below, and see what everyone else is bringing so we don't end up with 64 hot dogs and no buns. This is going to be legitimate, and I promise you that you won't want to miss it. Also, we beat Stonehill the other day, and in UNH Lacrosse form, it took 3 OTs to do so. I'll blog more about it soon, but its Friday and its 80 degrees out, so I don't want to spend it sitting in front of my computer seeing as thats how I'm going to be spending the rest of my Fridays after May 22nd. (sigh)

See what people are bringing!

We Have Officially Just Become the Chillest Team on the East Coast

2010-04-21T13:16:00.011-04:00

(Photos courtesy of Tim the Tool Man Harrington)

Chill. This one simple word has gotten the Wildcats to where we are this season. In the past, we have been a team full of hootin' and hollerin, loud warmups, and screaming coaches. No more. Due to a large influence from rookie goaltenders, Jake Katz and RJ O'Riordan, we are a cool, calm and collected group of bros who feed off of positive vibes. When people start to panic, our captains simply just tell everyone to chill. We have Miike Snow and Phoenix on our warm-up. In a game earlier in this season, offensive coordinator Ben Clark was quoted as telling his man up squad to "Keep your comBROsure out there."

A lot of this has come from the vibes of other successful MCLA teams, and we have taken that approach to northeast. In Boulder, there is no choice but to chill. Everyone is relaxed, people are nice, and don't sweat the small stuff. Out in Cali, Connor Martin and Chapman are one of the most successful clubs in the country, and their team is simply a bunch of bros who post ridiculous videos on the internet about flow. Chaptown was the inspiration for our tanks. We were the inspiration for the Red Hot Buffs blog which has recently become an empire, making my blog look like child's play. And everyone is still keen with everyone.

I have made a proposition, to the likes of both Colorado and Chapman via Twitter, offering one of these beach tanks for a piece of your respective merchandise. A tank from Chaptown, and a snazzy COLO-RADO shirt from the Buffs. I am a size large. Bring the live free or attitude to your respective squads, and let's continue to CHILL as hard as I am on my front lawn right now.

UNH Gets Pub (Beyond the Blog)

2010-04-21T00:52:00.003-04:00

(picture is fromThe Newsies. Myyyyyyyy second favorite musical)

The New Hampshire, UNH's only student run publication, which is circulated to about 5,000 people every Tuesday and Friday, was published yesterday, and to almost everyone's surprise there was an article about the Wildcats win over UCONN on Saturday. This is the very first legitimate outlet that has covered one of our games this season, and hopefully not the last. I'd suggest giving this article a read because unlike the blog you are reading now, it will give you a non-biased and newsworthy representation of the show we put on Saturday afternoon. Pair that with an insightful quote from Evan Flower, and even Yours Truly on the other side the microphone, and you've got quite a story for an industry in its dying days. Quite simply, just another piece of brilliant journalism brought to you by the hardest working students in the hardest major at the University.

A Message From the Honorable Barry Katz

2010-04-20T23:32:00.006-04:00

(Actual photo from last year's tailgate)

Many of you have seen the bearded man with the Winnebago that has been one of the most faithful fans both of the Wildcats as well as the blog since he has caught wind of both. Despite providing the boys with everything from pulled pork sandwiches to a wealth of lacrosse knowledge, this man has been there every step of the way. This man is the one, the only Barry Katz. And he has kindly reached out to the only source that UNH Lacrosse fans trust, (here) in order to spread his generosity to other UNH fans that are looking to get the same full experience that he rocks week in and week out.

For every father, brother, sister or friend attending the UNH game tonight, you are cordially invited by UNH Lacrosse to join Barry Katz at Stonehill College tonight, for a little pregame tailage. He will begin the festivities around 6 oclock and you can find him in the parking lot in a big white Winnebago. There will be food, drinks, etc. and everything that you would expect from a legendary tailgater like BK.

That being said, with a little bit more notice, we are also putting together a BBQ for AFTER the BU game on Sunday afternoon. This one will not only be for the fans, but for all of the players as well, being the last regular season home game. Everyone is encouraged to come as it will be a great opportunity to meet all the players and families that you have been dying to talk to all season long. So bring anything from your world famous dessert to a side salad, truly anything will help. If you are the organizational type and would like to email Barry to coordinate something for either game, his email is BKatz@weehours.com. I'll see you all in Easton later tonight.

UNH Runs UCONN, 10-4, With Highlights to Prove It.

2010-04-19T10:27:00.003-04:00

As shocking as it may sound, we played UCONN on Saturday, in the rain. That's right, and for those of you counting at home, and for those of you counting that is our 6th rain game of the year, out of only 8 games played in New England. In any event, the Wildcats played top to bottom, some of the best lacrosse we've played since Colorado. Rides, clears, finishes, dodges, and most importantly, goals were all dominated by the home squad. All the highlights from the game can be found in the video above, which was made by our fantastic new camera operator. Though the music is incredibly corny, it's still nice to see all the goals, hits and saves that you missed by being a fair weather fan.

On a more serious note, as many people know, the big game was being played in memoriam of UNH Lacrosse Alumni, Mike Bowen, who recently lost his battle with cancer. Mike has been a part of the 2010 Wildcats since he inspired us before we played Boston University this fall in what would be ultimately be the last UNH game he would be able to watch. Mike is on our minds, on our helmets, on our shooters, and in our hearts, and will surely be watching as we head into the final stretch of the playoffs before conference playoffs come to Durham in two weeks.

Ladies and Gentleman, Your Defensive Coach

2010-04-17T02:42:00.007-04:00

My sincerest apologies to Coach Saint, but I really had no other option but to make this gem public for the world to see. No witty comments, no captions, and most importantly no PhotoShop to make this funny. Simply an image to enjoy. Side note: I will probably have to run for this.

What Exactly is CHONE?

2010-04-16T14:41:00.006-04:00

(One of many victims to the CHONE)

All around the lacrosse community there are words and phrases that get tossed around in which only the most knowledgeable of lax bros can comprehend what they truly mean. Whether its a greaser, ripping the duck, or twine tickling 101, these combinations of words truly transform one's vocabulary. The newest term to grace the turf of Memorial Field? Chone.

Crafted in the Commonwealth Lacrosse world headquarters in Franklin, MA, chone is as much of a word as it is a lifestyle. I can't take credit for the invention of the word, however, I can take credit for making it a part of everyone's every day to day vocabulary. Pronounced in a way that rhymes with phone or loan; chone is a word that can be used on almost any occassion as nearly any part of speech. It's incredibly versatile, similar to the Mariner's newest utility man, but they are not to be confused.

Chone refers to a rip that snaps the tag directly under the crossbar. It was originally used with the word upper as it's modifier. For example, the first time I heard it in a sentence while shooting on a cage, a wise man said to me "Watch me rip this biscuit upper chone while you're still too busy going side meat patty." (I promise that is an actual, direct, accurate quotation) However, it has developed into its own animal, with people crafting phrases like "Choney", "Chone Darts", "Chonemeiester", or the ever elusive "Chone Zone." Basically, if you are in the chone zone, you will not be stopped, and every shot will be nothing short of a ripper d.

The reaction to ripping chone can be handled one of two ways. If you're the OchoCinco type, you can act out a preemptively drawn up cele, causing a scene but possibly risking a two minute unsportsmanlike penalty. More commonly, you can take the Dan Milano approach and shrug it off, acting like you do it on the reg. The great one's have all done the latter, from Michael Jordan, to Eldrick himself. It's kind of like apologizing for what you just did, yet still having no remorse for the action you just took. I compare the Chone Shrug to when the ever thoughtful Pilgrims invited the Native Americans for the first Thanksgiving. Sorry for slaughtering your entire extended family, but here, have some cranberry sauce, it's legit. You just look in the face of the opponent in disbelief and simply say in a collected voice, "Chone?" And though they will be beyond furious, they will likely nod their heads, respecting a good chone as it happens.

Rarely, and I mean rarely, do long poles get the chance at chone glory. The greats have tried to bring the word into their habits on the barbaric end of the field, and we have welcomed their efforts with open arms, however the perfect remedy has yet to be found. The best thing about chone, see, is that has the ability to transfer between sports, as long as a net is involved. Rip one bar down from outside the 18 in FIFA? Chone. Zdeno Chara scores a power play goal on a slap shot from the blue line that knocks Ryan Miller's water bottle into the stands? Chone. When I watch the below video, and the shot that begins around the :5o second mark, there is really no combination of letters in the English language that describe it better than C-H-O-N-E.

So use it, spread it, embrace it. Because whether you like it or not now, the chone is here to stay and you are going to start hearing it a lot more often. It will slowly sweep the United States of America, and you will have me to thank for the early tip off. If you really can't stand it, may I recommend a little getaway for yourself? I heard there's some really nice beaches off the coast of Ecuador.

Wildcats Ranked #24 by CollegeLax

2010-04-15T15:01:00.003-04:00

The following blog post takes place between the hours of 3 and 4 p.m. CTU has been notified that UNH is up one spot from last week in CollegeLax's essentially irrelevant poll. After going 3-0 over the weekend, the 'Cats are faced with two in conference games to decide their place in the PCLL playoffs. 2-0 equals a first round bye, 1-1 equals opening round host, 0-2 means we're traveling for round one and then coming back to Durham for the rest of the playoffs. It's crunch time and Jack Bauer isn't around to bail anyone out in this season. Hopefully we can catch the Twine Flu that has been circling around, and tear these two like an upper left corner.

Cats Knock Off Northeastern, Hold Off URI...What?

2010-04-14T12:31:00.012-04:00

In the past five days we have had three games, and went 3-0 nonetheless. More importantly, however, we have proved my hypothesis that the UNH Wildcats are the single strangest team in the MCLA for the 2010 season.

On Friday night down in the Bean, we played Northeastern, one of the perennial powers of the PCLL, and played a great game of lacrosse despite the monsoon conditions over Malden Catholic High School. Our game plan was tight, every one knew what to do, and we simply when out and executed. With a 6-6 halftime score, we once again proved the "second-half" team stigma, and outscored the Huskies 5-1 in third. The first line of middies produced like we practiced, being on the field for 9 of the 11 goals. Our defense was lock-down in the second half, strangling every possession the Huskies had, and limiting them to only 2 goals for the remainder of the game. Rarely, do I remember defensive stints, and even more rarely do I post them here, so this truly must have been special.

Following the big win Friday night, we had one night off and traveled down to Rhode Island to play the Rams of URI. Admittedly, we took the game a lot lighter than we should have, and went down there still peacocking our chests from the NU win. We looked good in the first quarter in every category except the important one. We possessed the ball the entire quarter, let our defense breathe, and peppered the Rams with 13 shots in the first 15 minutes. However, we could only manufacture one goal on these takes and went into the second with only a 1-0 lead. This was a trend for us throughout the game as we let URI hang around to the point where our backs were against a wall, and all of the momentum was on the home sideline. It seemed we couldn't catch a break. It felt like every call was going the other way, every ground ball, and every time we missed the net, they seemed to be hitting the one on the other end. I know who I look, blogging about myself. It's self righteous and egotistical, and I usually tend to avoid it when it comes to write-ups. But being a hard-working journalist, I think my readers would want to know who scored the game winner in double OT to get the 'Cats out of Rhode Island, and I will not deprive them of that.

It's true, I dialed up the fluorescent green machine, ordered a #2 which consists of the face dodge to dip and dunk combo with extra high cheese and ketchup, and sealed the bag shut for a sudden victory goal. And though the meal was good, it didn't sit as well as the ones we had at Northeastern, or in Boulder. It was sour and unsettling. And when the stomach is rumbling, you have a few choices. You can complain about it and sit around and wait to get sick, or you can be mentally strong and use it as fuel for the rest of the day, because regardless of what it tasted like, its still food. That being said, the 'Cats have a dinner date with some new Huskies this weekend, a relationship ended in a bloody dogfight in which UCONN picked up the tab. Except this time, they're coming to eat at our house, and there's only one thing on the menu. NECTAR.

CollegeLax Ratings

2010-04-07T10:23:00.002-04:00

You know the deal. New CollegeLax Rankings are posted, and just scraping in are the Wildcats. Yeah, it's up a smidge from last week, but we haven't been working to just make it in. It's crunch time now, time to win some big games in conference and prove that we belong with the top guys. At this point, being named 25th in the country is like receiving a George Michael album in your Easter basket. You'll smile, and pretend like it means something but you know that once you get your other gifts later on, you'll forget about that Twenty-Five album real quick.

Friday Night Bites: 'Cats vs. Dogs

2010-04-07T09:48:00.006-04:00

After a tough battle down at the Coliseum, the 'Cats are now gearing up for 2 more in conference games this weekend that hold just as much worth as the BC game last Friday. We'll be traveling down to Boston to play another perennial rival Northeastern Huskies on Friday night, in a game that will be played at Malden Catholic High School at 8 p.m. From there, Sunday, we have the lovely drive to Smithsfield, Rhode Island to take on the Rams of URI.

The focus is on the game this Friday night, as we have only beaten Northeastern once in my four years here, and it came in a 6-5 thriller that happened to be at Malden Catholic as well. The only guarantee for this game, is that a member of the beloved Red Army will come out on top, as NU's head coach, and Walpole native Joe Brady is one of the founding founders of the greatest Men's league teams on this side of the Great Wall. That being said, I gotta give it to the Army for their showing at the BC game. I wasn't expecting it, but to look up and see CCCP members both new and old, sent a single tear of joy trickling down my cheek. I'm sure they will be out in full force again Friday night, hopefully getting raw, and hopefully on the side of the Wildcats, but who I am to try and persuade them? I mean, I'm sure Northeastern's blog gives the Red Army the respect it deserves on the reg. . .

(Also there is a new poll up. I'm going to start interviewing players on the team with ridiculous and outrageous questions. If you'd like to see anyone in this segment, please let me know, and I'll be sure to accommodate)

UNH Bumped to #17 in the U.S by CollegeLax

2010-03-23T10:28:00.009-04:00

After a 24-2 win over CCSU going into Spring Break, UNH is now ranked number 17 in the CollegeLAX Prodigy Poll for the week of March 17. And just as I did when we were 21, I Googled "17" and changed the first image to suit us appropriately. In this case, it happened to be a Zac Efron movie, but of course I'd find a way to make it work. Instead of just making it work, though, I made it pop, with what might be my favorite blog post of all time.

Everyone's favorite Sailor/LSM John Tyler Markley's physique, attitude, hair, style,all the way down to the way he walks, all have an uncanny resemblance to the High School Musical Star, and he just so happens to wear jersey #17. And that, ladies and gentlemen is why they call me The Boss, and that's why I get paid the big bucks. Well, that, but also this. . .

Quick Scheduling Info

2010-03-23T10:07:00.003-04:00

Due to some logistically nightmarish organizational skills by our fellow PCLL teams, a couple of our games have been changed and can be seen at right in bold pink. But for those that don't want to do the work to scroll over, here it is in summary.

We are still hosting Bridgewater State College tonight at 7 p.m

This game will be played on the brand new fields built behind Bremner Field, and are specifically lined for lacrosse. One of few games out there this season.

Our biggest game of the year vs. Boston College has been moved

Instead of next Thursday at BC, it'll be played this Sunday, March 28th at 8 p.m. at the Harvard Coliseum in Allston/Cambridge shown above

Our game vs. Northeastern University is still on ice.

Hang tight on this one. We are definitely playing them, but the time and place has yet to be determined by them. Their field time is limited and the originally scheduled games have been bumped. Stay Tuned, and when I hear, you'll hear.

So change your Blackberry Calendars, tell your friends, and pencil UNH Lacrosse in for the remainder of the season. I promise it will be worth it, but as Levar Burton said on Reading Rainbow, "But you don't have to take my word for it."

UNH Ranked #21 In The U.S by CollegeLax

2010-03-10T15:50:00.010-05:00

This link says it all. The 'Cats are in the top 25 for the first time in my four year career, and possibly in the history of the club. With another big out of conference game tomorrow night vs. Minnesota State, it's time to climb that ladder.

Rookie Look-A-Likes 2010

2010-03-09T21:23:00.014-05:00

Well, here it is, everyone's favorite time of the year. The time when I dig deep through the trenches of Facebook and find embarrassing photos and compare them to the celebrities and figures we know and love. You can check out all of the older Look-A-Likes in these links. Round 1 featured a Bulgarian footballer and John C. Reilly, while Round 2 touched up on everyone's more animated side. But, like everyone's favorite juicer, I'm not here to talk about the past. To the pics! And make sure to vote on which is most similar on the poll to the right.

Choice A: Rookie Attackman Conor Murphy and The Office's John Krasinski AKA Jim Halpert

Choice B: Rookie Goaltender Jacob Katz and Beans from Even Stevens

Choice C : Rookie Attackman Joe Gardiner and Super Bowl MVP Drews Brees

Choice D: (the most obscure actor you'll see all day): Rookie Midfielder Garrett Buckley and Kyle Howard AKA Gunther from the Paper Brigade

Vote! And if you think you have any better lookalike comparisons, post 'em in the comments.

Upset City: Winner, Winner, Buffalo Dinner

2010-03-06T15:22:00.010-05:00

For those of you who aren't following our new live Twitter feed, let me be the first to say that you missed out last night. We played Colorado University, who was ranked by CollegeLax as the #8 team in the country. UNH isn't even near the top 25 (yet). On paper, this game seemed to be a logistical nightmare for the Wildcats, and that's before you even factor in the altitude. But, the Wildcats came from behind and were able to take the Buffs down 9-8 in a game that was as classic as jeans and a white tee.

We went down 3-0 to start the game, but fresh off a 6 goal deficit turned into upset win not even a week ago, there never a sense of panic, and a consistent focus at what was at hand. After the ball landed on the turf in front of the cage, the kid was able to scoop the GB and bomb a 5 mph shot (change up) past the keeper for a garbage goal that put us on the board. Captain James Rubio scored the next goal stick side high coming off a dodge, but we just could not seem to close the door. Every time we scored, they answered. 4-2, then 5-3, the cushion was always there. They netted one more, and we went into the half down 6-3, yet still fully confident that the game was ours. There was no more shock, and realized that we could easily run with or past the Buffs we had heard so much about.

We did exactly that, flattening their cushion with goals coming from a few kids that were born in the 1990's. Freshman Joe Gardiner had a hat trick, while his classmate Garrett Buckley had two goals that went into the net instead off the iron around it. And of course, sophomore Evan Flower tagged a chone of his own. Gardiner's first goal was notched with less than one second left in the third quarter, making the game 7-6 heading into the fourth.

Despite never leading, the momentum was all on the away bench, and the CU boys were unravelling before our eyes. Whether it's the fact that they were blindsided by their "blind date" or that they just hadn't been in a situation like that in a long time, the game got chippy and the flags flew accordingly. We spent a good part of the fourth man-up and netted the tying goal in a said opportunity. Then with 2 minutes remaining Joe "Fructis" Gardiner beat the keeper and we had our first and last lead of the game. Keeper Jake Katz made 21 saves on 29 shots for the Wildcats, stomping out kick saves like a champagne glass wrapped in a napkin. We cleared, possessed the ball, took and took a timeout. Then, we unanimously decided to put the ball in the hands of Taylor Kenny to run out the final 25 seconds. Of course, he chilled, and ran out two All American defensemen to kill the clock and we were free to rush our goalie like a bunch of wild buffaloes. We did, fully solidifying the biggest win for UNH Lacrosse within the Sullivan era. This is exactly what we needed to kickoff the season. A team building, rejunivating, come from behind victory. And to get a great feeling like that just from your own hard work is a feeling that no money could ever buy. Especially in this economy.

If you want to check out all of the stats from this nailbiter, you can get them right HERE off the MCLA website. Also, check out the CU Lacrosse blog, at www.redhotbuffs.com (Inspired by Yours Truly). Their blogger is a rad dude and they have some very entertaining videos, polls, and interviews of their own.

Wildcats White Out the PENmen in OT Thriller

2010-03-01T09:20:00.004-05:00

Despite looking like he belongs at the Magic Kingdom signing autographs, this is not one of the Seven Dwarfs. This is in fact, a Penman, the mascot of Southern New Hampshire University. Why they would name their team after a journalist like myself is completely beyond me, but that's a whole 'nother blog. What I do know, however, is that they have a Division II lacrosse team that has literally trounced us every single year and twice on Sundays for the last 4 that I've been involved. One year it was close, but every other time, they basically showed us why they were D2 and we were exactly what every player and coach hates, "Just a club." And to start the game, we were on pace for another one of these embarrassments. With a miscommunication of the starting time, the original field not being plowed, and our flat demeanor, we came out and went down 7-1 to start the game, and it was as ugly as one of Don Cherry's suits.

But, they call it halftime for a reason, and if one team can score seven in a half, there's no reason the other can't do that in the second. The beauty of live sports. We did exactly that, possessing the ball, keeping it simple, and slowly but surely creeping back into the game. A few man-up goals, an unsettled or two, all backboned by sound defense and great goaltending, suddenly their 7-1 half was matched by us starting the second 7-1 and we were in a 9-8 game. We tied it up with just over a minute remaining, and almost closed it out in the final seconds, but of course, a game like this had to be settled in overtime.

They call it sudden-death, but it seemed more like a dragged-out, waterboarded death. 10 minutes of overtime play, and probably 8 saves to boot. Back and forth, SNHU would have a great chance and our goalie would make a great play, feed, and then we were going back. Then we'd dodge, and shoot, and their goalie would literally stand on his head to keep his boys hopes alive. We hit the crossbar. They hit the crossbar. There were literally no fingernails left in the stands. That is, until sophomore Evan Flower, received a pass about twelve yards out and ripped a duck into the side panel, quietly giving himself a gentleman's 6 goals on the day. The bench erupted and stormed the field, debris everywhere, and it was official. The Wildcats just topped SNHU for the first time, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time. With our two toughest games of the season this week in beautiful Colorado, a win like this can only help. It can boost team morale and create the positive vibe we need, and it reminds us that even if we are already written in for a loss in some people's books, that someone still invented the erasable PEN(men).

Wildcats Make Bacon of War Pigs

2010-02-21T21:43:00.005-05:00

In the words of Black Sabbath:

Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees the war pig's crawling

We finally got out of the Field House and back onto Memorial last week. Sure, practicing outside in the 20 degree weather is no picnic, but everyone seemed to be amped to have an entire field worth of space to work with. After only two days outdoors, we had our first test of the season, a club called the War Pigs, who are based in NH but tout players from hotbeds like MD, LI, NJ, and of course the big daddy, MA. The team was comprised of recently graduated college players, so it was a good place for us not only to start off but to be reminded what an entire game feels like, the spacing of rides and clears, and the finer points of a game that we can't touch on indoors. We rolled, 11-4, with three of their goals coming in unsettled situations. At the other end, goals came from everywhere on the field. Some beautifully crafted chone pieces, and some garbage rebound goals. It doesn't matter who had what, because in today's day, I'd like to remind everyone that nobody asks "How" its always "How many?" I mean, even the great Bill Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet said that a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. (English degree) If you want to check out photos from the game, there's 367 of them right here, starting with the most beautiful one on there.

Our next test will be against Division II Southern New Hampshire University, this coming Sunday. And for once, the "PenMen" are coming to Durham instead of the other way around. After that, we're moving to MCLA games for good, rallying up our top 25 and heading out west to Colorado to face two of the top 25 teams in the country. Stay Tuned. And as you could have guessed, I give you...War Pigs. And since everyone and their father has heard Sabbath, here's a cover by Cake to keep you on your toes.

You Be The Judge

2010-02-18T00:04:00.009-05:00

Before I officially start blogging about my final UNH season, something has been brought to my attention that I need to share in a public forum. As is such, I figured that this blog would be the best place for it, also seeing as I have blogged about our Commy community that is the Red Army. The best summer club in the country has been robbed blind, with nothing to do except complain on blogs. Take a look at our Logo (top) that was coined in the summer of 2008, and placed on our uniforms. The sickle and lacrosse stick, edged out. A timeless symbol for a timeless team. Now look at the kits on the bottom. Ignoring the fact that their uniforms are incredibly rad, our logo along with our team name have been stolen like a Vanilla Ice track and stamped all over on these uniforms. We contacted them, told them to cease and desist. This "club" claimed they came up with the team name by themselves (please) and that they paid someone to make the design. (AKA Google Red Army Lacrosse to find our website). In the words of King Leonidas, This Is Madness.

Kids all over the country think they can just scoop a quick Google search and become members of the KGB? Do I wear Hopkins Gear and tell chicks I'm on the team? That I came up with the Blue Jay logo completely on my own with no accreditation to the fine learning institution of Johns Hopkins University? Just imagine if an expansion team in the MLB just casually decided to use the Boston 'B' as their logo. There would be riots in the streets, people would be outraged leaving only the women and children safe. This will end well for the (real) Red Army, I promise you. If we have to go old school, and settle it on the field, we will fight tooth and nail for the rights to our logo that was so craftfully designed over several years. We will not back down, we will not be intimidated. We are the Soviets. Long Live The Army.

P.S This is exactly what I needed to get me fired up for Blogging season. Getcha popcorn ready.

Happy Birthday to the Blog!

2010-02-08T12:28:00.003-05:00

I know that I have been slow on the blogging lately, but quite frankly, nothing has really been happening in our lacrosse world up here. We've been practicing three nights a week in the Field House, we're hosting our Wildcats Lacrosse clinic this weekend, and we're less than a month away from opening our season, but these are all things I have already mentioned to the world.

However, I'd like the world to also know, that the blog has officially been up and running for an entire year. Actually a little bit longer, as the first post was Feb. 4, 2009. That's right, an idea that started from me being bored in my filthy apartment has grown into a year long phenomenon and will even be passed on next year to someone new while I'm in the real world, with a real job that doesn't include first person slang and Bruce Springsteen videos. So check out the new website, (the blog gets copied and pasted there as well) and get ready for some serious blogging once the snow melts and the ball starts rolling. For now, just go out there and sing happy birthday (right now) and try your best to do better than this little guy. Long live the blog.

Coming Attractions for 2010

2010-01-27T16:27:00.008-05:00

Just a little video I made this morning to get the world fired up for our season. Song belongs to Deadmau5.

'Cat Nip Is Back! (sort of)

2010-01-13T17:58:00.005-05:00

Well, I finally got my new username and password to do some solid write ups for the national MCLA website, www.collegelax.us , and posted my first one of the new millennium which you can conveniently find right HERE. I'll try to update periodically up there about game updates, spring trips, or anything else that might interest those blog-readers who have yet to discover this blog. The first one is bland, strictly a press release about our new schedule. So mark your calendars at home and get your popcorn ready, because remember, CatNip is not just for cats. To read all of my old Cat Nip columns to prepare your brain for the phenomenal writing you will endure this spring, click on the logo on the right column....or right here if your lazy.

New Website Up and Running

2010-01-12T21:45:00.004-05:00

We have finally caught up with the times, dumped our old, broken down, HTML based website and have launched something spectacular. We're still getting some of the kinks out with domain name, which will soon be easily accessible at www.UNHLACROSSE.com but you can check it now here for now. Just click ENTER and you will be sent to the new and improved website that features sections for multimedia like pictures and videos, along with a fully functioning store that you can purchase some UNH Lax swag, and. . . sadly to say, a section entitled Blog. That's right, I have been informed the the blog will be moving from here to there sometime soon, but will still function from here as well. I feel like Conan, but the truth is that it looks cleaner there, not to mention it gives you access to everything else UNH just a click away. So bookmark the new site, check it out, buy some merch and enjoy our new eye-friendly website courtesy of internet savvy Vice President Dan Hutchins.

Wildcats to Host 4th Annual Wildcats Lax Clinic

2010-01-12T13:26:00.007-05:00

(Insert Your Son HERE)

Quite frankly, it would be un-American of us lacrosse players not to share our knowledge to the younger Granite Staters who look up to us in such a deserving light. So, without further ado, I am proud to announce that we will be hosting the 4th annual Wildcats Lax Clinic on Saturday, February 13. After a phenomenal turnout last year, we can only hope that more parents and kids will spread the word so we can top what we did in 2009. The clinic will be from 9am-1pm and offers copious amounts of benefits for the kids taking part. Along with getting to meet the best blogger on this side of the Hampton tolls, each player will be provided with:

Snacks, water, refreshments.
A UNH Lacrosse Clinic reversible pinney
One on one instructions from the entire UNH squad
Head and assistant coaches will be present as well
Instructional drills along with controlled scrimmages

The clinic is $50, but wait, there's more! If you have more than one child interested in coming, it will only be $35 for each additional kid. Us college students understand the tough economic times, but this truly is a deal that should have been pitched by the late Billy Mays. So if you have any sons interested in learning some new skills and drills, or just wanna get a full gear run in before the season starts, please email our new team president, Tom Nazzaro at tjr26@unh.edu and he will get you all set up. If you don't have any younger kids, help out our cause and tell your friends, co-workers, Fantasy Leaguers, mailmen, and really anyone that might be interested, and it will be greatly appreaciated.

We will do our best to make your children good enough to play at Syracuse, but hopefully they will know their roots and choose UNH instead.

Happy New Year

2010-01-03T17:20:00.005-05:00

Hope everyone had a safe and relatively sensible holiday season. I for one, had a phenomenal Christmas and a shocking New Years Eve, but now comes the time when people decide to make "resolutions" to make themselves feel like they have a fresh start, and I must begin to think about graduating college, but more importantly my final year of collegiate lacrosse. Yes, I still have the Red Army Dynasty to look forward to, but I am a ripe 22 years young, in the prime of my athletic career, and I'm looking to do this last year right.

So, chronologically, the first matter of business of me going hard is the 2nd Annual Febru-HAIRY competition. While abroad, I heard of this legendary tradition held in Minnesota every year, where men take 28 days to simply be men. No shaving is allowed, no trimming is allowed, and it becomes a competition of who can grow the gnarliest beard in one (short) month. This year, I am encouraging all of my teammates, coaches, fans and parents to join me again in this camaraderie-driven, team building journey in growing beards, and then seamlessly transitioning into what I like to call Mustache March. Some will be red (see below), some will be patchy, most mustaches will resemble those seen at Taco Bell, and some people will just plain scratch out of the competition(Pun intended). I admit, that last year I caved, probably around the 14th for some unknown reason, but this goes back to me doing it right on my farewell tour. I will consistently shave in January, so my Februbeard can be one for the ages, to contend with the Sullivans, Donovans, and Srebniks of Febru-hairies past. The blog will have pictures of these beards, and you guessed it, it will end in a poll. If you think you can contend, feel free to send me a picture and I will gladly enter you into the mix. Good luck gentlemen, it will surely be a long, itchy road, but the end result will be worth it. Plus, who doesn't like having an excuse to be grizzly, and make a hater look bad in the meantime? I can see it now. . . .

"Dude, that beard is haggard. You look like hell."
"Bro, it's Febru-hairy. Look around, your the only one without a beard."
"Oh crap. You lacrosse guys are so rad. I wish I could hang with you all."
"Later, Hater."

Merry Christmas from The Boss and The UNH Wildcats!

2009-12-25T12:20:00.002-05:00

In the most predictable blog post of my career, I give you unquestionably the greatest Christmas Song of all time. If you can watch Clarence do the Santa Claus voice and not at least smile, you have some internal issues and need to see Dr. Drew.

22: Doin Work

2009-12-21T12:34:00.004-05:00

Well, first I want to thank everyone who came up to Maine this weekend in a surprise weekend that included debauchery, shenanigans, an epic 180 and everything in between, all under the roof of a rented 26 bedroom house for all of us to celebrate me slowly morphing into a responsible adult. Apparently, the planning for these festivities have been going on since October, stretching all the way out the way out to Denver, and somehow despite my several snitch friends, I remained in the dark until everyone walked in. Yep, the Boss just turned 22, but based on the past three days, it doesn't seem like me or anyone associated with me is slowing down quite yet. Thank you to everyone that got involved, especially the one that planned it all, and I hope it was worth it. As a token of my appreciation, I give you a montage of the greatest 22 that ever lived. Emmitt Smith? Roger Clemens? Doug Flutie? Big Black's Biceps? No, thank you. Ladies and gentleman, the inventor of swagger in lacrosse. A hero for the many players out there that realize playing well just isn't enough, and that you better look good and make people remember you along the way. I give to you, Mikey Powell.

Gettin, Gettin Some Heads

2009-12-15T11:47:00.006-05:00

After hassling bros since the beginning of Fall Ball, getting kicked in the shins by Microsoft Excel, and exchanging several hundred phone calls/emails with my main people at ComLax (shameless), all of the gear has finally arrived in Durham. A cute +6,000 dollar order of 54 new 2010 heads, 12 helmets, 6 shafts, loads of protective gear and mesh for days, it's all here, ready for you to claim before the Christmas season, so you can string up, and break in your new head over break and ball out with your little brother. Because if you show up with a brand new stick to start the spring that hasn't been touched yet, it will be painfully obvious. So on your way out of Durham, take that quick left down Young Dreezy and pick up your stuff so it's not filling my living room anymore. And if you are one of 5 people that hasn't paid, you better get here before you leave, or the reprucussions will be deadly.

Also, you should all start following me on the newfangled thing that all the kids are talking about, Twitter or at least favorite that page because it's public. That has up to the second updates of what's happening, and during games in the spring we're going to be updating the scores LIVE! So you can know I scored a goal, from your couch, just seconds after as they are still sewing the net back together. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Jolly Kwanzaa, and Happy Festivus for the Rest of Us.

Here is what 54 heads look like on a very excited college student. Why? Because I can.

(click to enlarge, props to BrokeDrake for the photo)

Wildcats Take A Shot Against Cancer

2009-11-15T13:45:00.020-05:00

(click to englarge)

On a rare serious note, I'd like to use this platform to thank and extend the best of luck to UNH Lacrosse Alumnus, Mike Bowen (at left with the yellow vest). We recently rounded out our fall ball season with a game against in conference rival BU, honoring Mr. Bowen who has recently been diagnosed with brain cancer. We will be honoring Mike all season in Durham, using his inspiration to help us win, and hopefully he'll be using us for the same reason.

Here is a write up from team President Dan Milano:

Mike Bowen, a former Division 1 lacrosse player here at UNH, said it best when he said “we are a family.” He was referring to the brotherhood and extended family that is men’s lacrosse here in Durham. Mike played lacrosse for the Wildcats from 1971 to 1975 but has been faced with a game of his own – a battle against brain cancer. Nick Petri, a former teammate of Mike’s here at UNH, alongside with help from Whitney Pillsbury, Coach Jake Sullivan, The Rivers School, current members of the men’s lacrosse team, and the men’s lacrosse team at Boston University organized a game to honor Mike’s devotion to the game and the lacrosse family in Durham. The game was played Saturday, November 7th at The Rivers School in Weston, MA between Boston University and the University of New Hampshire. Mr. Bowen greeted the team prior to the game and gave the Wildcats more than enough inspiration to take the field against their division rival terriers.

The game marked the end of an exciting fall ball season for the Wildcats and was a great display of the progress they have made. The Wildcats took a two goal lead into halftime at which point the “take a shot against cancer for mike” campaign began. Parents and fans of both teams were given the opportunity during halftime to take a shot on Wildcat goalie Jake Katz by making a donation in Mike’s name to fight cancer. The second half was no different from the first with the Wildcats jumping on the Terriers and increasing their lead. Contributions were made at both ends of the field. Seniors John Kasper and Tim Wyeth had standout games at the defensive end while rookies Joe Gardiner and Mark Bumann opened eyes at the attack position. At the final buzzer the Wildcats enjoyed an 11 – 6 victory that marked the end of a great day. Mike Bowen joined the team on the field after to thank everyone and share some words of wisdom. It truly was a picture perfect ending to a promising fall ball season. Our thoughts remain with Mr. Bowen as he continues his ongoing battle off the field.

Who Ya Got?

2009-11-09T15:14:00.009-05:00

Here you go. As promised, a couple of pics from this year's UNH Lacrosse team from Halloween. Poll is to the right, so have a vote and let me know who you think got dolled up the best for the last day of October. Also feel free to comment underneath, its anonymous. Winner of the poll will get absolutely nothing.

(Fake Cigarette prop for costume. Smoking Kills.)

HalloweenTime

2009-10-30T15:57:00.002-04:00

I know, I know. . .I've been away for a while, but a triumphant return is not too far away. Promise. Quite frankly, nothing too special or suitable for the internet has been worth blogging about this busy October. However, on the eve of college's greatest holiday, sitting here at the ComLax world headquarters bumping some Wale beats I had an inkling. We have a team of very good-looking, educated, creative adults with bountiful amounts of ideas for costumes circling around, so what better way to judge them than right here on the blog? So after this weekend of reckless debauchery and shenanigans, I will post up some tasteful pictures of Durham's top laxers in full garb and get a little poll going of which Wildcat has the best costume. Come one, come all prepare for costumes that are funny, ironic, tasteful, tasteless, offensive, shocking, embarassing, witty and everything in between. Prepare for the worst, but expect nothing short of the best photos to spice up your otherwise mundane Monday morning. Happy Halloween from the Boss and remember kids, sift through your candy before you eat it to make sure there's no razor blades in there.

Golf Tournament

2009-10-01T10:36:00.003-04:00

So next weekend is Homecoming, which I'm sure everyone and their uncle is excited for due to the massive amounts of shenanigans that will be taking place. However, it also the annual UNH Men's Lacrosse Golf Tournament. So tell your parents, friends, uncles, loaded friends, alumni, professors, bosses, roommates, highschool coaches and really anyone that you think might like to play golf, eat food, and drink some beers (see: noun; Everyone). Not to mention, doing all this while donating to the essentially fundless UNH Men's Lacrosse team. It's simple math, an incredibly fun day for everyone + less fundraising for us + feeling good about donating to a good cause = UNH Men's Lax Golf Tourney. The form you can print is HERE , and send a check along with with the names and emails of the foursome playing. The video of me is below. Look forward to seeing you all there.

2010 Stick Regulations: UPDATE

2009-09-13T21:03:00.008-04:00

Alright, so everyone knows about the looming rule changes about head measurements that is coming with this spring season. If you want to read the official rule book along with all of the rules, you can catch the PDF HERE. Otherwise, I'm here to hit you with the SparkNotes. So, as comprehensive a list that I've seen is as follows. And for player's on the team, I'm going to be putting in a larger order in the winter that will get us a pretty solid deal. So check out these heads, do your research, and that way when the time comes it'll be smooth and painless.

WARRIOR

Evo Ti X
Spyne
Razer X
Evo X
Revo X
Mojo X
Evo Pro X6
Revo Pro X6

BRINE

Gospel
Clutch X
Edge Asset X
Franchise X
Recruit
Voyce X6
Cyber Pro X6

GAIT

Torque 3
Bedlam
Flow
Showtime

STX

Super Power (what yours truly uses)
X10
Professor

MAVERIK

Juice
Bazooka
Vision

UPDATE: Check out the Diagram at the top. We can use sticks both on the middle or on the left side.

I Wanna Blog Right Na,Na,Na

2009-09-11T10:41:00.005-04:00

Alright, well I have several things to relay to the world, and instead of doing several clever posts with enlightening videos and what not, I'm gonna put it all here. Why? Because it's Friday morning, and I'm in bed still feeling the effects of the 2 dollar Grateful Deads I decided to splurge on yesterday evening. From the top:

1. If you look to the right ---> you will see that I posted an Akon track. Akon will be rolling into Durham October 8th for our Homecoming concert. Yeah, I know it hasn't been announced yet, but being the Face of UNH I have an inside scoop. So anyone here that is down with some Kiss 108-esque beats you should check this show out. And if anyone questions your source, tell em The Boss sent you.

2. On the same note, Akon is only a pre-show to the real festivities of Homecoming weekend. The morning after the concert is a day that I would call the best day of the year, but it's second only to CountryFest. The UNH Men's Lacrosse Golf Tournament is the 9th, at the beautiful Ledges course. To all the fathers reading this, I would highly reccomend you get involved with this because your irresponsible sons probably forgot to tell you. The course is amazing, the day is filled with every player on the team, tons of alumni, full blown barbeque, and basically a boatload of shenanigans. Not to mention that all of the profits will go to our club, and everyone knows we could use the loot. If you want to get a foursome together, you can email me at Michael.MaloneyJ@gmail.com and I'd be more than happy to hook you up with a registration form. I'll be playing, just look for the guy with the plaid pants about 2 feet away from the pin.

3. On a completely different and serious note, I just want to remind everyone that today the anniversary of the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center 8 years ago. Everyone knows someone who is connected to these attacks, so take today and be thankful. Shake hands with a firefighter, thank an ROTC kid that's cruising around campus in fatigues, and take two minutes to call your mother and tell her that you love her. Everyone was affected by 9/11, and today is not only a day for rememberance, but day that we can look forward to the future and be proud to be an American. These colors don't run.

4. And while I'm on the topic of running. . .Us 'Cats opened up our preseason yesterday with some time trials of a mile, a 40, and a shuttle run. It was the best conditioned group of hacks I've seen in my four years here, especially when you factor in that we came in cold, with barely any training, just weeks after summer lifestyle ended. Everyone was under 8 minutes in the mile, and we had over 30 freshman come out and give it their all on day one with no intentions of leaving. So bookmark this blog on your Firefox because I'm coming back harder and faster than Brett Favre could ever dream of. And to all the players on the team I have one more thing you should be thankful for. Just be glad you're mile didn't end like this kid's. . . . . . .

Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back

2009-09-02T16:03:00.004-04:00

To quote old school rap sensation Mase himself, in one of his catchiest beats:

"Hello boys and girls. How are you? You know, today is going to be a wooonderful day. Today could be a wonderful day for many reasons. We might get mail from the postman. Or, we might just get a song from Mase. Because I'm Back...Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back. . .

Well, I had a hard time deciding which track would lead us into this new school year, and had Mase himself on the burner but again, this is a family website and I understand that my older demographic may not be so keen on the hip-hop and/or potential lyrical issues. So I went with the greatest American artist of all time, but more importantly the inspiration for my psyudonym.

That's right we are all back in Durham, for what I will be referring as my Farewell Tour throughout this year. We are beyond full swing here at Young Drive, and encourage any and all visitors. So prepare for a few changes on the blog, some new content, and possibly even postings from some of my colleagues here in the duplex (probably not).

So check out that Mase vid, get down with some Bruce and COME ON UP TO Whit next Wednesday, September 9th at 6pm. All vets must be there and any rookies that are interested in balling out with the best talent that the 603 can offer. Oh and Markley, don't forget to bring your abs. (See what I did there with the 'come on up'? Pretty savvy. The kid's still got it.)

2010 Stick Regulations

2009-08-17T09:46:00.002-04:00

As everyone probably already knows, this season the rules have changed for what heads are legal and what heads aren't. After some advising by Coach, I want to take this opportunity to tell EVERYONE that they need to be up to speed come lacrosse season. Yeah, it burns that we all have to buy new heads (especially if you're a senior), but it's better than getting a 3 minute locked in penalty because you were a meathead over the summer. If you aren't using one of the following heads, you're stick is ILLEGAL (list subject to update):

STX SuperPower (recommended and used by yours truly)
Warrior Spyne
Maverik Juice
Reebok 6k
Reebok 9k
Brine Edge X 2010 (old Edges are illegal, defensemen)
There will be more heads coming in September including a new Clutch, Cyber, etc. Stay tuned here and I'll let you know when I know.

All of these heads can and should be bought at your local ComLax retail stores. There is one in Portsmouth just minutes from UNH, but if you aren't in D-town yet then you can check out stores in Franklin, Weymouth, Nashua(NH), Framingham, Danvers, Kingston, Berlin, Medford, and 24-7 on www.ComLax.com

A Loogie, Cleared Benches, and a Goal from the Boss: Another Day, Another Dollar

2009-08-04T18:01:00.004-04:00

The Red Army played its last game of the regular season on Sunday night, and it was far from regular. Completely abnormal to say the least. We went into the 9p.m game undefeated, with a playoff berth already clinched, so our bench was slim based on time and circumstances. The 90 percent humidity made it feel like we were breathing underwater, but these things happen. However, in a tie game, with 9 minutes left to play, one of our defensemen had a questionable hit on a HopLand (yes that's their team name) attackmen. Standard. They start jawing back and forth and eventually get close enough so their birdcages are touching eachother and the verbiage is slowly progressing into language not suitable for TBS. Then came what I'll call the "Spit heard round the world." Said attackman launches a loog at our defensemen, who being a male, responds with a punch, and then that's where the metaphorical feces hit the fan. People bombing from the benches, attackmen and goalies coming from opposite ends, refs, league officials coming in the from the sidelines to moderate. I even think I saw Don Zimmer get thrown to the turf. Eventually the madness is controlled, both players ejected and suspended for a week, with two furious teams, chippiness increased, and we still had nine minutes play to play. (Ed note: this is a minimum contact MEN'S LEAGUE.) Well the game went on, and in the strangest event of the evening...WE LOST. 8-7. But, you know, it happens, I mean even Ali got TKO'd once.

But that was the regular season, and now it's time for the playoffs. So to steal from my favorite blogger out there, Cue The Video!

The Weekend That Was

2009-07-21T16:26:00.006-04:00

Welp, no Erin Andrews news for you here, but it was quite an eventful weekend worth at least a little blog post to boot. Several vital members of the Wildcats made the trip up to Durham this weekend to move some stuff in, shake some hands, set up a home, get in a quick swim, and be on their way. Needless to say, this was a successful endeavor, from a legitimately iced out pair of sunglasses to a UN inspired WisWall jump, this truly makes the poll question at right that much harder to pinpoint. I mean, when even when an off the ballot silent assassin Brennan Duke is making waves with a strong performance, you know the competition is lethal.

And that was just Friday and Saturday. Sunday, I battled heat, lack of sleep, an enticing outdoor public pool, and another unkown slowing element (see Hangover) to make my way down 95 because of my undying devotion to the Red Army Lacrosse Club. In a game that was more up and down than a RollerCoaster Tycoon park, we found ourselves in quite a little second half bind.

We we're up 5-2, and rolling pretty, and suddenly we were down 7-5 with just minutes to play. Under the Kremlin's discipline, we snapped back into gear and tied it 7-7. Then on what looked to be the final drive of the game, a missed behind the back attempted rip ended up getting chased down on the endline and we had one chance left. I found myself with the ball in the corner, game tied, with 9 seconds left against a defender whom I played HS with at Walpole. Summer league, yes, however, this was a dream situation to be in. To be the the Adam Vinatieri, the Carlton Fisk, the Brett Favre, or (dare I say it?) the AARON BOONE of Franklin Men's Open League Lacrosse could potentially be the highlight of my twilighting athletic career. Drove right, cut back left, lost the defender, got to GLE and with one second left laid out horizontially trying to tuck the ball past a keeper with a Gait-esque wrap around that was just begging to win an ESPY. Stuffed. Goin' to OT.

So we go on to win the draw, possess the ball, get an open drive, shoot, score and win. Great, grand, wonderful. But, despite not fulfilling any dreams, the Army remains undefeated at 4-0 and will be playing during prime time at 8p.m next Sunday, you should come, it's only an hour and a half from Durham and it will surely be a show. I mean, we're playing a team called (no joke) The Flying Chinchillas.

Also, quick little shout out to Jim Naz, hear he's a big fan of the blog. As a broke college student with a generally abrasive sense of humor who watches Jeopardy everyday, I'm glad that I'm making a difference somewhere....................even if it is Braintree.

Walpole Contends for Best HS Team in the World, Gets Snubbed

2009-07-15T18:17:00.006-04:00

Laxpower.com: LaxPower is proud to introduce the National Online Lacrosse Tournament, the first-ever virtual national high school lacrosse championship. Sixty-four teams qualified for the 2009 NOLT, with the following schools receiving berths.

The top-ranked team in each state* and the top team in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council, according to LaxPower's final Power Rankings (PR) for the 2009 season
The 24 highest-rated teams remaining in the country based on their final Power Rankings for the 2009 season, with any ties broken based on strength of schedule
Winners will be determined based on votes from a panel of LaxPower experts and LaxPower's computer Power Rankings

Sounds like a pretty legit idea, I suppose. Assemble a national tournament of the best teams from around the country. Square 'em up and let one group call themselves the best team in the nation by some bushleague formula. Fine. But here's where it gets a little salty. Just two days after announcing the bracket, the first "games" were "played." Here's the results from Walpole vs. Ithaca, NY:

(8) Walpole Rebels (MA) 98.85
(9) Ithaca Little Red (NY) 98.79
1: Ithaca - Excellent game, but good goaltending and D wins out.
2: Ithaca - Strong leadership and goaltending allows the Little Red to advance.
3: Ithaca - The key to the postseason is good goalkeeping, so I give you A.J. Fiore.
4: Walpole - The Rebels have too much talent at both ends of the field
Computer: Walpole

So, to sum it up the three out of four analysts picked the Little Red to beat the Rebels. However, analyst number 4 (Eric Smith) works for Laxpower and is the only one covering the Northeast. So he is obviously more qualified to be "covering" this "game" than these other clowns. Walpole was also a higher seed by the computers because they were better, and the computer calculated Walpole would have won . So three schmos votes swayed this "game" when the expert and his highly intelligent machines were denied from was rightfully theirs.

To remind you, this was a simulated game, about 2 high schools, that really means absolutely nothing, and really involves no one reading this. But, it still is just one more reason that Walpole is still top dog around these parts for all of the haters. Because the likes of teams like Duxbury, Medfield, St. Johns, Reading, Marshfield, and all these other towns that get the pub didn't even come close to making it into the most important, fictional, meaningless, national tournament in the world.

Danny Crisafulli Named To MCLA All-Academic Team

2009-07-15T17:37:00.010-04:00

Now a distinguished alumnus of the U, former Captain Danny Crisafulli was named a 2009 MCLA Scholar Athlete. The award was given to only 23 players in all of MCLA D-1, and to 43 total, So it is quite a little honor. Now, I'm not a math guy, never have been. But if you factor in 213 teams times about 35 kids per team, we're looking at about 7,455 kids playing MCLA ball. 43 over 7,455 off the top of my head looks like about .57% of players made the cut, but that's just a rough estimate. So, he is in the 99th percentile of scholar athletes in the MCLA, so call Danny up or drop him a T-Bomb with some daps for his accomplishments in Durham.

Despite honoring #18 with the credit he deserves, I wanted to make sure he didn't get on his high horse. So naturally, I wanted to post a couple gratuitous pictures from his prime college days and knock him down a peg or two. However, he seems to be smart (see above) and has his Facebook photos blocked...Kids these days and their technology

Red Army-6 Masteons-4

2009-07-14T16:44:00.004-04:00

In another low scoring bout, the Army's incredible discipline was just too much for the Masteons, and their all of their purple glory. The win improves the east coast's best summer league team to 2-0 as we edged out Ron Mexico's Octaroons over the holiday weekend. This disciplined, unselfish play was displayed at its peak when, with a 2 goal lead and three minutes to play, the offense possesed the ball behind the net, cycling men through in order to run out the final ticks. That is until with 16 seconds left, and the Masteon goalie attacking x, the Army's fogo made an attempt to run at the open goal and was promptly taken to the turf. What a bender.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2009-07-14T10:55:00.006-04:00

Blogging live from my cube at the New Balance World Headquarters, here's our winner. After discussing with several people via texts, calls, comments, etc, as well as our distinguished head coach's pull these are what were gonna go with. The poll that was at right was rigged by team President and my own roommate Daniel F. Milano as he voted for shirt 6 every single day, and even got his family involved in the voting. Reminds me of Black Sheep, when Governor Tracy rigs the Washington campaign for governor essentially screwing Al Donnelly. Despicable act.

Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good

2009-06-30T21:46:00.004-04:00

Alright so here's the deal. We need new shooting shirts, plain and simple. Aside from being our amazing blogger, I also happen to be a fashion aficionado, and I've gotten a couple mock shooting shirts (which will look WAY better in person, trust me, I've seen em) with the prices listed next to them. If anyone is interested in any of these, please please write a comment and let me know the deal, and even who you are.

Obviously, I didn't pick the quote on the back of the last few, and would probably go with BEAST MODE, but thats just me. I like 1 and 6 a lot, especially because 6 has the high numbers and the saying, but one is too hot for anything youve ever seen in the MCLA, or any sort of lacrosse so that gets my vote. For the first time for real, COMMENT, it will have an impact. We are in NH, and DigiCam is the way to roll.

ED Note: Everything can change within these, they are just drawn up, it's all custom. And if you are a parent, tell your sons to give me a shout, or just let me know what you think would look good from the sidelines (especially if it has a nice big 2 on the back)