GAME INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 | 1:00 p.m.
Location: Hickey Field (Loudonville, N.Y.)
Live Stats: www.sienasaints.com
Live Video: Siena All-Access
THE OPENING FACE-OFF:
- Saturday marks the start of the first season of Division I competition for LIU since 1992.
- Saturday's contest is the eighth all-time meeting between LIU and Siena, though the first since the 1987 season. The Blue and Gold lead the all-time series 6-1, having outscored the Saints by a 107-38 margin.
- LIU head coach Eric Wolf and Siena head coach Liam Gleason were two-year teammates at the University of Albany, having both graduated in 2007. During their two seasons the duo combined for 10 goals, 16 assists, and 28 ground balls.
- LIU closed the 2019 season by reaching the ECC Championship game for the second-consecutive season and finished with an overall mark of 11-5.
- Siena posted a 6-7 mark last season and finished sixth in the MAAC standings.
- The Sharks are out to prove their prowess in the NEC this season after being selected fifth in the west division in the preseason coaches' poll.
SIENA NOTES:
- The Saints proved to have a strong offense last season, averaging nearly 13 goals per game. Much of their offensive prowess has graduated, however, as Keenan Cook and Mike Reilly combined for 99 points and 62 goals last season.
- Jack Kiernan is the highest point scorer returning to Siena this season, having tallied 36 points behind 29 goals and seven assists.
- Jack Drillock will anchor the Siena defensive unit. The senior was named to the preseason All-MAAC team after causing 30 turnovers a year ago to go with 27 ground balls. Drillock ranked fourth in the country last season with 2.31 caused turnovers per game.
- Siena was selected sixth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason poll.
SHARK BITES:
- Junior Will Snelders has recorded a point in all 32 career games, a mark that stands as the 11th-longest mark among Division I players. During his sophomore campaign, Snelders tallied at least three points in every contest and ranked 15th in the nation with 4.69 points per game.
- The Sharks return over 90-percent of their scoring from 2019 to this season's squad. Seven point scorers left the program after 2019, with the highest point scorer coming in the form of Connor Farrell who tallied 14 points as a senior. The Sharks' top eight goal scorers return to the lineup (Snelders, Jake Gillis, Mike Kadnar, Alex Russell, Thomas Liantonio, Nick Grassa, Dan Foley, Dylan Villari) in 2020. That group combined for 204 goals and 301 total points last season, giving LIU one of the deepest attacks in the NEC this season.
- Freshman Will Mark is expected to make his debut in goal for the Sharks. Mark, the Danville, Calif. native, will replace 2019 graduate Bryan Ochs who posted a .551 save percentage and a 9.09 goals-against average between the pipes. Ochs ranked in the top-20 nationally in both categories, including ranking eighth in goals-against average.
- A win on Saturday would be the 22nd of head coach Eric Wolf's career and first at the Division I level. Wolf has compiled a 21-10 (.677) record, including two-consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins.
