Hofstra is a top-10 team this season in most preseason polls, and it sure looked the part against the Division II Dolphins. Ironically, a team located in the heart of one of the nation's three lacrosse hotbeds is led by a couple of Canadian attackmen. Junior Jamie Lincoln, who transferred from Denver in the off-season, scored five goals, and junior Jay Card scored two and assisted on a third. Another Canadian, freshman Adrian Sorichetti, also scored a goal.
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Mike Morrison, SU's media contact for men's lacrosse, said the entire Orange team will be ready to go today with the exception of junior faceoff specialist Josh Knight, who injured his wrist during semester break and has yet to practice with the team this preseason.
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The question, as silly as it seemed, had to be asked. Perhaps it will be a staple of any future discussion of a Syracuse-Le Moyne athletic contest. "Oh God," Dolphins lacrosse coach Dan Sheehan said when he heard it. "I guess it’s a great story." The story is the Division II Le Moyne basketball team’s upset of SU in a preseason scrimmage in November. Sheehan’s Dolphins will face the top-ranked Orange and Hofstra at noon today in the Carrier Dome in their annual three-team scrum. Naturally, he and SU coach John Desko were asked if another shocker was possible.
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The top-ranked Syracuse University men's lacrosse team will play the first of two preseason scrimmages at noon Sunday in the Carrier Dome vs. Division II neighbor Le Moyne and Hofstra. The team's second preseason test will be noon Friday in the Dome vs. Maryland.
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Coach Roy Simmons Jr. once told me the story of how Manhasset native Jim Brown came to Syracuse. Judge Kenny Molloy, a Syracuse alum, served as one of Brown’s mentors in Manhasset and he’s the one that influenced Jim to go Syracuse. Molloy also raised the tuition to pay for Brown’s first year and solicited a promise of a future scholarship from the SU Athletic department if he proved to be the superstar that his Manhasset patrons claimed he would be.
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Even though it has won two consecutive national championships and surely is wearing a large bull’s-eye on its back as the 2010 season approaches, the Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team could take comfort – and motivation – from the fact that Faceoff Yearbook ranked Duke No. 1 when it hit the streets a few months ago.
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The third annual John Mack Southern Tier Shootout began Saturday at the Greater Binghamton Sports Complex, continuing its mission of raising money for on-field defibrillators for Southern Tier lacrosse teams. (Video 0:49)
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Led by three goals and an assist by junior attackman Jeremy Boltus (Baldwinsville), Army used a 5-0 fourth-quarter run to earn a 7-5 victory over visiting Massachusetts in its final tune-up for the 2010 regular season.
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The Blue Devils, meanwhile, forged together chances in bundles. And by the 5:40 mark in the first period, all-everything Ned Crotty finished to put Duke up 1-0. But on the next faceoff, OSU responded. It immediately scored to notch up the score, and the squads ended the period tied at two apiece. Evidently, Duke coach John Danowski was none to pleased with his team’s effort. As soon as the referee’s whistle blew, Danowski sent his team to one sideline to begin several sets of wind sprints.
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When Kelly Amonte Hiller came to Northwestern a decade ago, Evanston was the Pluto of the lacrosse solar system, a cold, dark spot light years from the East Coast hotbeds of the sport, a place that appealed mainly to athletes with a sense of adventure.
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The Rochester Knighthawks got scoring from two of its featured offensive standouts as John Grant Jr. and Gary Gait combined for seven goals and three assists. Unfortunately, they only got one other goal from the rest of the team in a 14-8 loss to the Boston Blazers on Saturday before 7,526 at the TD Garden in Boston.
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Rochester Knighthawks Owner and General Manager Curt Styres announced today that the team has acquired veteran transition man Chris Driscoll from the Buffalo Bandits. In return, Rochester sends Buffalo its second-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2010 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft and a second-round pick in the 2012 draft. The Knighthawks have also released practice squad player Brandon Turner.
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Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler today announced the team has acquired two second-round draft picks in the 2010 and 2012 NLL Entry Draft from the Rochester Knighthawks in exchange for defenseman Chris Driscoll (pending league approval).
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Colin Doyle had 1,003 points and four fresh stitches between the eyes when he headed home to Kitchener, Ont., on Saturday night. The captain of the Toronto Rock scored a goal and assisted on four others in a 14-10 victory over the Buffalo Bandits to become just the third player in pro lacrosse history to get 1,000 points. The stitches were courtesy of a late-game Jon Harasym stick to the face.

Growing up playing lacrosse in the 1970s and 1980s, I never saw Jim Brown play. What I knew about him was based on seeing him on myriads of NFL highlight films particularly as Walter Payton came ever closer to breaking Browns all time rushing records and from my Dad. “That Jim Brown is bad!” my dad would often say . . .
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Jim Brown is an alum of Manhasset High School, a hot bed of lacrosse for a very long time. “I grew up in Manhasset . . . and I had the best education you could get. I lived with some of the richest people in the country, but they were good people. I took advantage of that education and I used it to make myself stronger and make me more than just a big, strong athlete,” says Brown.
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Jessica Hotchkiss (Fayetteville-Manlius/Drexel) “ . . . brings a work ethic that is unparallel to most athletes,” said McCord. “Her defensive presence and communication will be crucial to our success. Her ability to demand excellence from herself, her teammates, and the coaches will also be a huge benefit. Her belief in this program and growing it to be a top Division I program is a top priority for her.”
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Not content with snapping their two-game losing streak last Saturday with a 16-8 romp over Toronto, the Rochester Knighthawks did some tinkering with their roster over the past few days.
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Orlando's game in Denver was the first part of a double header as they were scheduled to play the Wings on Saturday in Philadelphia. That game has been cancelled by the NLL as a pending winter storm is supposed to hit the Philadelphia area. The game will be rescheduled at a later date.
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Villanova/UMBC scrimmage.

X FACTOR
Midfielders Josh Amidon, Jovan Miller and Kevin Drew all contributed in significant ways to Syracuse's second straight national championship. Now they'll be asked to contribute as go-to guys in replacing the Orange's midfield ranks. Amidon, a 6-foot-1 left-hander, is the team's hardest shooter who'll be asked to initiate more with the ball in his stick. Miller has played primarily short-stick defensive middie, a role in which he was arguably the nation's best. It remains to be seen what he can do with the rock on the offensive side on a consistent basis. Drew ditched hoops to focus fulltime on lacrosse.
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Both teams are scheduled to play on the road this evening and the Saturday flights for both teams to Philadelphia have already been cancelled by their respective airlines due to the pending winter storm, leaving no other alternative travel options.
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From CitrusTV, a preseason interview with Syracuse attackman Tim Desko. (Video 1:41)
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Although much is being made of Max Seibald’s National Lacrosse League debut this weekend, the Philadelphia Wings confirming via President and Owner Russ Cline’s weekly blog that the recently picked up Seibald would be playing twice this weekend during the Wings’ doubleheader, another highly coveted former first rounder also was also officially brought (back) onto pro rugs this week, Matt Danowski signing a two-year deal with the Rochester Knighthawks, the Hawks confirming that the former NCAA scoring sensation will be in the lineup this weekend when Rochester faces the Boston Blazers on Saturday night.
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After a poll Tuesday, voters in Schuylerville approved a $1.8 million project to construct a field turf field and a new press box at Schuylerville High School.
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Lelan Rogers will be the first to admit there is no replacement for Sid Smith on Syracuse University’s 2010 lacrosse roster. Not in one uniform, anyway. Yet, Rogers believes he has an answer. Several of them, actually. As the Orange prepares to open its quest for a third consecutive Division I national championship at noon Sunday in the Carrier Dome vs. Le Moyne and Hofstra in its first preseason scrimmage, Rogers is ready to unveil a more diverse defensive look than SU has fielded in years.
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Syracuse junior goalkeeper Liz Hogan has been selected as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in a vote by the league’s head coaches. The Orange received three first-place votes in the preseason poll and was picked to finish second.
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"We are thrilled to have Ted to our staff," said Alberici. "He brings a considerable amount of lacrosse knowledge to our guys and has a great ability to relate to young people. He already has been a welcome addition to the program."
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The Colgate University men's lacrosse team will scrimmage Cornell on Friday (Feb. 5) at 4 p.m. The Raiders were originally scheduled to scrimmage at Towson on Saturday (Feb.6), but the game was cancelled due to weather conditions.
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Syracuse, which has advanced to the NCAA Championship in each of the last three years under the direction of head coach Gary Gait, returns seven starters and 22 letterwinners in 2010. The Orange (14-5, 6-1 BIG EAST) also totaled a league-leading four Preseason All-BIG EAST selections, including Hogan.
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The Buffalo Bandits needed a spark to end the franchise’s worst losing streak to start a season. Hamburg native Frank Resetarits helped provide it.
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Over 100 high school lacrosse players from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan participated in the adidas Midwest regional underclassmen team tryout held at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. The top 25 players were selected to represent the Midwest Region in the 2010 adidas National Lacrosse Classic and named as adidas High School All-Americans by a committee of high school lacrosse coaches after a three hour evaluation process. Registration for the evaluation was open to all high school underclassmen players entering grades 10, 11 and 12 next fall.

The Colgate University men's lacrosse team will scrimmage Cornell on Friday (Feb. 5) at 4 p.m. The Raiders were originally scheduled to scrimmage at Towson on Saturday (Feb.6), but the game was cancelled due to weather conditions. The scrimmage against the Big Red will either be at Andy Kerr Stadium or Tyler’s Field depending on the forecast.
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This is the second installment of SUathletics.com's preview of the upcoming 2010 men's lacrosse season. Part I of focused on the attack and midfield. Part II features an overview of the team's defensive midfield, close defense, faceoff specialists and goalies.
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Jeff Tambroni's track record of successfully plugging holes created by graduation is established to the point where, when inevitable questions are raised about the Cornell men's lacrosse team, the thinking "how will he do it" has been replaced by "who will it be this year?"
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Rochester Knighthawks Owner and General Manager Curt Styres announced today that the team has signed defenseman Regy Thorpe to a one-year deal. Thorpe was also added to the 23-man active roster. To make room, the Knighthawks traded forward Jamie Rooney to the Boston Blazers in a deal that included the teams swapping first-round picks in the 2010 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft.
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During the two-game weekend, he stopped 63 shots in 101 minutes of work and earned a .797 save percentage and a 9.50 goals-against average. On Saturday, he made 39 saves to help the Knighthawks break a two-game losing streak.
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In honor of black history month, I am going to do a series of post on African American lacrosse players. Most folks know about Jim Brown and Kyle Harrison. But there are a lot of African Americans who played the game who served as my role models in my youth.
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During the next two days, SUathletics.com will preview the upcoming 2010 men's lacrosse season. Part I of the preview focuses on the attack and midfield. Part II features an overview of the team's defensive midfield, close defense, faceoff specialists and goalies.

Having won the 2008 and 2009 national championships, Syracuse enters this season on the verge of its second “three-peat.” But don’t mention that to head coach John Desko. His sole focus is preparing the Orange to go out and win the 2010 NCAA title, not defend the previous two.

Part II
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Based on the strength of 13 returning letterwinners and four starters, Colgate has been voted to defend its Patriot League Championship by sports information directors and head coaches around the League. Lehigh junior Lauren Dykstra was voted as the League's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while junior Caitlin Mandrin Hill of Navy earned the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year nod.
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The time and location of the Cornell men’s lacrosse game vs. Dartmouth has been changed, as the Big Red has been selected to participate in the New England Lacrosse Classic on Saturday, April 3. No. 6/6 Cornell will take on the Big Green at Gillette Stadium at noon. The game is the first of a double-header, as No. 8/7 Princeton will face No. 16/15 Brown in the nightcap at 2:30 p.m.
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The Colgate University men’s lacrosse team has been ranked in the top-25 of the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook. The Raiders enter the preseason preview in the 21st spot after closing out the 2009 season with a 9-6 record. Among the games on this year’s home schedule are match-ups with Dartmouth (Feb. 27), Navy (March 27), and Lehigh (April 10).
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Syracuse coach John Desko and players talk about replacing defensive star Sid Smith. (Video 1:34)
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Wednesday marks the 24th celebration of National Girls and Women in Sport Day. This year’s NGWSD theme is “Stay Strong, Play On.” Thousands of sports educators, student-athletes, coaches, administrators, parents and fans will participate in the commemoration of NGWSD, and the Patriot League is proud to be a part of the national celebration.
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Former Villanova lacrosse captain Eddie DiDonato has cleared all serious life-threatening obstacles and has been taken off his ventilator following a ninth operation 17 days after being shot six times in an Old City altercation, according to his best friend.
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Once again this year, the Boys & Girls Club of East Aurora will host travel lacrosse teams for seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls. The program will include a schedule of eight to 10 competitive games against other club teams and private schools.

Scott Barnard, who is in his fourth year at Hamilton, spoke for an hour about preparing a college defenseman. The other clinicians were Cornell University associate head coach Ben DeLuca, Cortland head coach Steve Beville and Harvard University head coach John Tillman.
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With a preseason No. 13 ranking and one of Division I’s toughest schedules, including a new slate of conference games in the Big East, there isn’t a whole lot in the way of big expectations for the Hoyas this season. Two underachieving seasons in which Georgetown has failed to make the NCAA tournament has only kindled that sentiment. But don’t tell that to them.
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The Syracuse men's lacrosse team was a unanimous selection to win the Big East by the conference's coaches on Jan. 28. Six SU players were selected to the All-Big East preseason team. And on Feb. 1, the nation's two premier lacrosse polls, the Nike/Inside Lacrosse poll and the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association coaches' poll, both ranked Syracuse the No. 1 team in their preseason editions.
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A recent breakout in athletics has brought one university national attention and is changing the way some people see the Ivy League institution. Our Tamara Lindstrom caught up with coaches at Cornell to see what's behind the Big Red's success. (Text, Video 1:33)
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The question then becomes: why doesn’t the Ivy League choose to be an athletic conference rather than just an academic one? Why doesn’t the Ancient Eight just drop all this crap about not giving athletic scholarships and bring some of Cornell’s sports back into the higher echelons of the sporting world? (Football, I’m looking at you).
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Brandon Mullins, a 6' 2", 195 lb. close defender and LSM from Division II Texas State Champion Coppell High School has verbally commited to play for Syracuse University. In forty-five games Brandon has 5 goals, 22 assists,and 238 groundballs. As a sophomore he was First-Team All-District and was the State Championship Defensive MPV. He was also the only sophomore defender on the Team Dallas Club team.
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Former Navy lacrosse Captain Andy Tormey (CBA) is part of the US Military’s efforts to help in the support of Haiti, which was recently rocked by violent earthquakes. Navy SID Stacie Michaud put us in touch with the former Midshipman to share his experiences from helping the thousands of people whose lives have been torn apart after the earthquake.
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Commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rudy Keeling has announced that after a majority league vote, the ECAC Lacrosse League will now have a final four format tournament at the end of the season to determine both the ECAC Lacrosse League champion and the recipient of the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Lacrosse Championship.
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Rochester Knighthawks Owner and General Manager Curt Styres announced today that the team has signed forward and former Duke standout Matt Danowski to a two-year deal. The Knighthawks activated Danowski and placed transition man Bobby McBride on the injured reserve list.
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Syracuse is ranked No. 6 in the preseason Inside Lacrosse women’s media poll. The Orange, which received 157 votes, is one of three BIG EAST Conference teams ranked in the top 10.

Owen J. Roberts junior attackman Kohl Batdorf has made a verbal commitment to play NCAA Division I lacrosse at Hobart College. Batdorf collected 47 goals, 40 assists and 88 groundballs and earned First Team Pioneer Athletic Conference and Honorable mention Phillylacrosse.com honors last year, while helping the Wildcats (19-2) win the league title and advance to the second round of the District 1 playoffs.
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In their four-year run, St. Lawrence has always graduated good players, but managed to restock - really, that's what good teams do. But there's something different heading into this year. The Saints aren't just missing a couple of pieces; they're almost unrecognizable at this point.
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A former player at Bellarmine University, Elevation Lacrosse’s Chris Williams wanted to play a part in the efforts to raise money for his former coach Jack McGetrick (Cortland St.), who has been the focus of events across the lacrosse landscape to benefit his cancer treatment. To that effect, he and his mates at the company have designed the above T-Shirt, which is available NOW at Elevation:
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. . . a student of Ryan Powell's Rhino Lacrosse. Could it be the Orange soda?
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So before we go to our Q&A with Kevin, here’s how “Player’s perspective” will work. At various points in the season, starting now in the tail end of preseason workouts and just over a month before official varsity practices start, we will ask the same basic questions to a core group of players. (Those questions will be tweaked a bit depending on the player and team, of course.) But it will be their way – and your way – of getting their thoughts on what’s happening as it happens.
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The Philly-based Pattison Sports Group will hold the inaugural Summer Slam Lacrosse Tournament for 96 boys’ youth club teams on June 26-27 at the Episcopal Academy. The tournament will consist of teams from around the country in four age groups: U11, U13, U15 and U17. Each team is guaranteed four games and teams playing for divisional titles will play a fifth game.
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The No. 6/6 Cornell men’s lacrosse team opened preparations for the 2010 season with its first day of practice Monday, Feb 1. The team plays its first game in three weeks, as the Big Red will travels to Hobart on Saturday, Feb. 27, to take on the Statesmen at 1 p.m. “We’re incredibly excited to get started,” said Jeff Tambroni, the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Cornell Lacrosse. “With so many new faces and the new challenges that come with that, our whole staff is looking forward to hitting the field.”

Cody Jamieson can feel the weight of the world lift off his shoulders. He has seen a substantial amount of weight melt off his waist, too. “Probably 15 pounds,” Jamieson, a senior attackman on the Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team, said recently . . .

The Syracuse men’s lacrosse team is the consensus No. 1 team in the nation. The Orange edged out Duke to claim the top spot in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) preseason coaches poll and the NIKE/Inside Lacrosse preseason media rankings. Both polls were released on Monday, Feb. 1.

Next week we will release our CaseyPowellLacrosse.com/JustLacrosse.com D-I preseason poll.
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After sitting out the fall to recover from surgery to repair an injured labrum, Rob Grimm (Carthage) is working back into game-ready condition both physically and lacrosse-wise. He played against Navy, is practicing and making strides. Seniors Matt Latham and Chris Jones return at the attack after combining for 63 points last season. Grimm’s contributions, however, could be the key to pushing UMBC’s offense over the hump in replacing scorers Alex Hopmann and Peet Poillon from a year ago. An efficient player and excellent feeder from X, Grimm’s 27 points came in limited playing time and his shooting percentage was the highest among regular offensive players.
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Coach Gordon Purdie has also announced that midfielders Zach Bates (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham Wading River H.S./Herkimer CCC), Kevin Kemp (Webster Thomas H.S./Herkimer CCC), defensmen Carroll Kennedy (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas Institute/Monroe CC), Chris O'Donnell (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin H.S./Hofstra University), and goal keeper Devin Schneiderbauer (Pepperell, MA/St. Bernards H.S.) were selected as captains for the 2010 season.
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By preseason standards, Champion Challenge -- a US Lacrosse event featuring both U.S. teams, both Duke teams, Army’s men and Notre Dame’s and Florida’s women – had it all. It began emphatically, with U.S. Elite’s 23-7 victory over Notre Dame. It ended dramatically, with preseason No. 1-ranked Duke upending the U.S. men’s national team 9-8 on Max Quinzani’s goal with 5.8 seconds remaining.
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"The ECAC is thrilled to be able showcase the talents of the student-athletes in our lacrosse league on national television," said ECAC Commissioner Keeling. "Not only will being on television create a positive atmosphere for the games, but it will also allow the country to see how competitive our league is."
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There was the nasty concussion Ben Price suffered from an eighth-grade skiing accident. Then the countless jarrings from wrestling and baseball. By senior year, he was plagued by nagging headaches after football practices at Wayland High School.
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This three-hour course covers topics such as organization and communication, sports psychology, recognizing and managing injuries and creating an emergency action plan. In addition there will be many useful teaching scenarios presented throughout the morning's session. (scroll to "As a parent who spent many years")
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Former two-time Tewaaraton Trophy winner Hannah Nielsen has been added to the Penn State coaching staff for the 2010 season. The former Northwestern superstar will replace Tara Hohenshelt, who will serve as the team's Director of Operations through May 2010.
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. . . Aaron Bold played the bulk of the minutes for the K’Hawks during Week 4, filling in for O’Toole nicely after a shaky start in the Orlando Titans loss, and then a big reason why the Hawks handed the Toronto Rock their first loss of the 2010 season, with a dominating win at home on Saturday night.

One of the most hotly-contested debates of college preseason was whether the Duke, ranked No. 1 in Lacrosse Magazine's Division I poll, or Syracuse was the best men's lacrosse team in the country. On Sunday, the Blue Devils were arguably the best team in the world.
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Syracuse University is the media's preseason choice in 2010, taking 11 first place nods to begin the season at No. 1 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Face-Off Yearbook preseason No. 1 Duke was just behind, taking six first-place votes, with Virginia and North Carolina tallying one first-place nod each at No. 3 and 4, respectively. Johns Hopkins rounds out the Top 5 in the poll, which will have its first in-season update on February 15th.
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“It’s a very good advantage,” SU head coach John Desko said. “I think of all our (faceoff) people, if he is able to get the ball in his stick or push it out the front it’s another threat. It will help change what the other team thinks it might have to do with their faceoff guy. They might not be able to take some of the chances as far as going after the ball at their offensive end of the field, because if they miss it Jeremy is going to be a threat.”
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Another day, another batch of photos from the Champion Challenge down in Florida, where Duke was a surprise 9-8 winner in their scrimmage vs. Team USA this afternoon. Scott McCall was there and shot both that contest and the Team USA-Duke women’s scrimmage as well.
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On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a forum in Houston. After holding two previous hearings that looked into NFL head injuries, a panel will look at how high school and colleges are handling the problem. Locally, each high school is responsible for its policy. It is not set by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, but often shaped by guidelines it provides member schools. The state guidelines, chairman of safety research Lloyd Mott said, are influenced by the findings of the International Conference on Concussion in Sport.
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Fourteen year old Alex Ballatori (Brighton midfielder) and fifteen year old Anthony Merola (Greece attackman) represented the Western New York region for FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and were joined by team members from several states, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, New York and California.
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The State Lacrosse Committee recently announced that the classifications will change again for the 2011 season. Class A schools will have 1,050 students or more (currently 1,100). Class B schools will have between 650 and 1,049 (currently 650 to 1,099). Class C schools will have 649 or less (currently the same).
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The Notre Dame women's lacrosse team closed out its weekend in Florida with a strong overall effort as the Irish dropped a 15-11 decision to the U.S. National Developmental Team at Disney World of Sports in the Champion Challenge, a US Lacrosse event.

Duke women lose to Team USA. Check ESPNU listing for delayed coverage of both games.
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If work ethic alone could guarantee greatness, Jovan Miller would be the next superstar on the Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team. "There were people who saw Jovan last year after some of our games out on a high school field shooting on a goal," SU head coach John Desko said recently. "I’m talking about after one of our games. He’s one who works very hard on his own. He’s constantly trying to improve his game."
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Amherst, Irondequoit, Corning West, West Genesee, Jordan-Elbrige, RFA, and Huntington all represented.
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Army defenseman Bill Henderson (Tully) was named the first Junior Captain in school history for the 2010 season. His hustle in Saturday’s exhibition allowed him to earn his squad extra possessions and he recorded an assist at 4:30 of the second quarter on Boltus’ second goal.

“It means everything to me that I have the respect of my teammates and coaches,” Henderson said. “It means a lot to me to be able to go out and help my teammates.”

Coach Alberici was quick to mention that Henderson earned the rank of captain not only for his play on the field, but for his character as a person. “Bill commands respect because of how he handles himself on and off the field,” Alberici said. “He’s not the type of guy that’s going to walk in the locker room and give a Knute Rockne inspirational speech, that’s not his style it is much more about his actions.”
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When Laurie Handley called around asking for help with Saturday's Jim Bennett benefit dinner, her sales pitch consisted of just two words. "As soon as I said 'Jim Bennett,' they'd say, 'What can I give?,' she said. Bennett, a 57-year-old father of three, was diagnosed in November with advanced-stage adrenal cancer. Hundreds of friends and family members packed the Ukrainian National Club in Auburn Saturday afternoon for a fundraiser to help provide for his family and his medical expenses.
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The Army lacrosse team started its preseason preparation for the 2010 season with a busy day of scrimmaging on Saturday at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. As part of the Champion Challenge, sponsored by US Lacrosse, the Black Knights took on the US National Team in an exhibition game, after starting the day with a controlled scrimmage against Duke.

"I wanted us to compete and I felt we got that," said Army head coach Joe Alberici, who also serves as an assistant coach for the US National Team. "We played everybody on the team and I was pleased with the intensity that everyone of them played with."
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It was a big day of lacrosse down in Florida, as Team USA and Army faced off, with Notre Dame and Florida’s women’s squads also taking on the National Team at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex. Photographer Scott McCall was there to record it all, so here’s a selection of the shots he was able to gather. Check back tomorrow for a fresh set of photos from the Sunshine State.
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On the men's side, Team USA defeated Army, 15-7, in its first exhibition since naming the 23-man roster that will travel to Manchester, England for the FIL World Championships this summer. On the women's side, the U.S. Elite Team cruised to a 23-7 victory over Notre Dame, while the U.S. Developmental team downed Florida, 17-8.
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Early as it may be, the Rochester Knighthawks were desperate for a victory Saturday night, and in what ranks as their most impressive performance of the year, they got one, blowing out the previously undefeated Toronto Rock 16-8, in front of 6,676 fans at Blue Cross Arena.
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Dove was the second part of the one-two Orange crush last year next to Katie Rowan. She notched 59 goals (including seven game-winners), as well as 21 assists and 51 draws. With Syracuse’s style and Rowan’s departure, Dove could be set for big offensive production this spring.
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The Big East was last year’s most improved conference, putting four teams in the top-15, three of them in the top-10. Syracuse (14-5) returns seven starters and looks to find a way to replace Katie Rowan’s production. They are led by senior All-Americans Christina Dove (59, 21) at midfield and Halley Quillinan (45, 7) at attack.
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The National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations has discussed the issue, and its board of directors could offer a recommendation in April. At the state level, N.C. High School Athletic Association associate executive director Rick Strunk said his organization hasn't discussed IMG's plan but has concerns.

"I am really excited about my attack this year . . . Kristen Taylor (F-M) is going to be our leader up front. She is really healthy and feeling good, which is great since she was sick and not able to play at full strength the last couple of years. We will rely on her as a leader because she is tough as nails and a true competitor.

"We also want to make some room for Laura Zimmerman (Westhill), who really came on strong at the end of last season and has continued to get better every single day. Laura can be a tremendous threat for us all over the field. Laura has become a tremendous player. Her quickness, toughness and competitive fire separate her on the field.
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The first Men's Division I scrimmages were scheduled for today. Navy moved up its match with UMBC from 11:00 to 10:00 a.m. because of the snow that's blanketing much of the Mid-Atlantic region. The weather beat them to the punch, and the scrimmage was played far in less than ideal conditions, as you can see from the shots below. Photos are courtesy of Ben Mackey.
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The University of Delaware saw their Men’s Lacrosse team scrimmage against the Colgate University Raiders on a brisk, 22 degree Friday afternoon at Rullo Stadium. The Blue Hens are coming off of a disappointing season in 2009 as they finished with a 5-10 record overall and a 2-4 CAA Conference record. Likewise, Colgate is coming into the 2010 season after what some would call an up and down season marked by winning and losing streaks, finishing 9-6 overall and 5-1 in the Patriot League.
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Senior Christina Dove and volunteer assistant coach Katie Rowan will compete at the 2010 Champion Challenge this weekend at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Buena Vista, Fla. Dove will compete with the US developmental squad, while Rowan is a member of the US senior national team.
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It’s not even the second month of 2010, and I’m very happy to be able to say there’s gonna be a lot of lacrosse to keep track of this weekend, and we’ll be bringing you as much of it as we can right here on InsideLacrosse.com.

ESPNU Champion Challange Coverage
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Matt DaSilva:
Welcome to Lacrosse Magazine's live blog from the fifth-annual Champion Challenge, a US Lacrosse event in Orlando, Fla. That's right, while the rest of LM's acolytes are back in Baltimore bearing winter's brunt in 20-degree blasts and the city's paralyzing traffic due to President Obama's visit to Charm City, I'm sittin' pretty at sunny and 70 . . .
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Only in the National Lacrosse League could one of its biggest stars also be considered a journeyman. In Orlando, however, Titans captain Casey Powell (Carthage) feels he has finally found a home.
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With the season opener three weeks away, the Orange women’s lacrosse team is preparing for the 2010 campaign. Syracuse welcomes back seven starters from last year’s squad that finished the season with a 14-5 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. In addition, the roster includes many new faces who could have an immediate impact.
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The U.S. men, along with the U.S. Elite and Developmental women’s teams, highlight a seven-game schedule that will draw top college teams to Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Jan. 30-31. US Lacrosse announced Tuesday that Sunday's games between the U.S. men's and women's national teams and their Duke opponents will air on delay on ESPNU.
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U.S. men's national team defenseman Shawn Nadelen, a player considered to be an antidote to Canada's John Grant Jr., tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) last week in a National Lacrosse League game for the Philadelphia Wings, forcing Team USA to shuffle its roster for this weekend's Champion Challenge, a US Lacrosse event.
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ESPN/IL analyst Quint Kessenich previews the 2010 season for the Brown Bears. (Video 3:01)
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Brown head coach Lars Tiffany talks about the 2010 season and losing his starting goalie. (Video 1:56)
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The Buffalo Bandits are learning what life without star John Tavares might be like after the National Lacrosse League’s all-time leading scorer retires. And frankly, it’s no fun.
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Ryan Powell might be the only American player on the Edmonton Rush, but he's far from feeling singled out. As for lacrosse being an official Canadian sport, he's quick to point out to any of his teammates exactly who won the IIHF World Junior championships earlier this month.
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Casey Powell gave a special guest a very special tour of the team’s pre-game warm-ups at Amway Arena. Check out Powell and some other Titans as they introduce Drunky the Bear of The Monsters of the Morning talk radio show in Orlando to what the National Lacrosse League is all about.