Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Gary! Are You Serious? Pizza!?

...Hello!  I hope everyone had a nice weekend and for those celebrating, a Happy Easter!  Well, on a different note, winter made a little bit of a comeback here in Plattsburgh tonight.  Walked into my room and could have sworn in was mid-February.  I'm not going to complain though, the last two weeks have really given  me spring fever, and I knew karma was gonna get me when I posted Kenny Chesney's "Summertime" video on the last blog.  Oh well, anyways, lots to talk about in this one, as the Cards had a busy week facing North Country foe Clarkson, and of course playing the Red Dragons of Cortland this past Saturday...
...So after the long spring break, and the tough way in which we ended it, the team knew we needed a strong performance last Wednesday versus the Golden Knights to bounce back and gain some momentum heading into SUNYAC play.   After two great practices on Monday and Tuesday, the team was ready to go.  Clarkson is always a emotional and close game, and this year's was no different, as the game ended up being a real see-saw battle between the two squads.  After a half of solid defense from both squads, the Cardinals sat a goal down at halftime, 4-3.  The second half was more of the same.  We went on a nice three goal run to take a 6-4 lead, but the Knights climbed their way back into the game, eventually tying it up at 7 with only 3 minutes to play.  When the whistle blew and overtime began, the team had complete confidence that the game would be ours.  After a strong possession and some near misses, the goal finally came.  Dodging to his right and then rolling back, Senior captain Brett McClelland ripped a low-to-high blast in the upper right-hand corner, sealing the victory for Plattsburgh.  Although it was a non-league game, a win over a North Country rival always feels nice, and it gave the Cards some needed momentum and confidence as we headed into the weekend showdown with Cortland.  McClelland finished the day with a hat-trick, while Joey Kramer netted 2 of his own, and Timmy Lawrence,Tom Duggan, and Brendan Damm all added a goal of their each...
...Sitting at 8-1, the team, after nearly 2 months of practicing and playing non-conference games, was finally at the moment everyone was waiting for.  SUNYAC play was on, and if you ask any player of the program, they can tell you that there is just something different about the conference games.  The added intensity, physicality and overall emotion involved in the games makes them special and creates an "anything can happen" type of play.  The team, after another two solid practices, was ready and set to make history.  For quite some time, Cortland has been the bully of the SUNYAC's, and Plattsburgh has never beaten the Red Dragons...
...We felt, however, this year we could change that trend.  Talented, healthy, and determined, we were ready to face the #1 team in the nation.  The game setting was perfect; sunny, 55 degrees, an Awesomeee home crowd (probably the best I've seen in my four years here) and the #18 team versus the #1.  The whistle blew and Cortland jumped off to a fast start.  Up 5-1 only ten minutes into the game, we refused to let up.  With the advantage of a two-minute non-releasable penalty, we climbed our way back into the game.  Both teams delivered blows to the opposing defense, and the crowd in attendance got to witness a great battle.  Another back-and-forth game led to a tied score at halftime, 8-8.  The offensive pace slowed down, and with only 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 11.  Cortland, however, was able to go on a four goal run in the remaining ten minutes, converting on some transition opportunities and successfully playing keep away from the Cards as we desperately tried to make a come-back.  We made it a three goal game with just under two minutes left, but time was not on our side.  Huge day from a few players, as Joe Kramer finished with 4 goals, Timmy Lawrence with the hat-trick, Tom Duggan with two of his own, and Brett Mcclelland, Brendan Damm, and Nick Travers (who also had an awesome day at the face-off X) all finished with a goal each...
...A loss never feels good, but I think I speak on behalf of everyone, from the players to the fans, when I say that this game proved that this team is for real.  Although we fell a few goals short, we showed to ourselves and the rest of the lacrosse community that our team is talented, gritty  and can run with the best of them.  With the win over Clarkson and the close game against Cortland, the Plattsburgh Cardinals were yet again ranked in the Coaches Poll Top 20, moving up to the 16th spot!  A huge accomplishment for a young program, and our goal is to remain in the top 20 throughout the rest of the season.  We realize, however, that we now sit at 0-1 in the conference, and that we can not slip up in any upcoming conference games.  Our goal is to earn a home playoff game, and in order to guarantee that, we have to win every league game from here on out.  The competition will be tough, as SUNYAC play seems to be up this year, but we're confident we can get the job done.  First up this week is our last non-conference opponent, St. Lawrence.  Another team we have yet to beat and a North Country rival just like Clarkson, we want this win real bad.  I've lost to this team in OT and twice in real close battles, so more than any other non-conference game, I gotta get a win versus this team my senior year.  Huge thank you to all the parents that came up and helped with the tailgate, awesome as always, and another THANK YOU to the crowd that showed up Saturday to support us.  Hearing everyone supporting and cheering us on really added to the game, and without a doubt helped us when we were down early on.  I hope everyone can make the Wednesday game, and if not, can hopefully catch us at Oswego this Saturday at 1 p.m. as we look to even up our conference record.  Have a good week everyone...

And by request of midfielder Tom Duggan, here's a little taste of the 90's to get over that mid-week hump...