With the first week of practice and first scrimmage in the books I figure it’s time to give a little update on where we’re at heading into 2011.

We were able to have a solid first week of practice with two practices indoors and three outside on a full field. With 59 guys coming out for the team this year we were spending more time evaluating this first week than we normally do and also took a lot of time to get everyone through each drill. We’ve been able to make a first round of cuts but will have one more round in store after this weekend.

The highlight of our scrimmage yesterday down in Schenectady was the return of Gary “Force” Forcier to the team after having his season cut short last year. Gary had shoulder surgery last spring but is doing well and we’re glad to have him back. Many of you know Gary but for those who don’t, he’s been our bus driver for over 15 years and has become part of the team during his time with us.

As for the scrimmage itself, I thought Union played pretty well and the video confirmed that last night. They have some nice attackmen and are good finishers inside. As for our group, we have some good depth on the defensive end this year and I believe we’ll be a formidable defense by the time we get into our regular season. Matt Rayner, Henry Clark, Chris Mejia, and Johnny Duvnjak all did some good things for us in the first half at close defense.

Offensively, sophomore Stew Kerr came in during the 2nd half and had a hand in 4 of our last 5 goals. He is making a strong push to get on the field this year. As for our starters, we know David Hild is going to score some goals for us this year and put a few on the board yesterday. Tim Cahill who’s been inside for us the past few years was held scoreless and Darren Schuefele had a nice goal off a dodge from x in the first half. Another guy to keep an eye on at attack is freshman Griff McGoldrick (Fairfield Prep, CT). Griff is 6’5, is very skilled and also moves well for such a big guy. My guess is that we’ll have to find a way to get him on the field this year.

In the midfield we’ll have some new faces on the field this year. The guy who got us on the board for the first time yesterday was freshman Quinn Cronan (BB&N, MA). Quinn is a 6-1, 195lb middie who will be on the field as a d-middie and perhaps get some offensive runs for us this year. Sophomore Erich Pfeffer finished last season on a good note and looks to be picking up right where he left off, he was 2,1 yesterday. Seniors Andrew Conner and Brooks Toth have also looked good in practice and will get plenty of time in the midfield this year. Finally, freshman George Curtis will also find a way onto the field this year. He has great wheels, a good motor, and will be able to contribute on the offensive or defensive end.

The other performance worth noting from yesterday came from freshman goalie Nate Gaudio (Cheshire, CT). We finally got Nate into the scrimmage yesterday in the 5th quarter as we were trying to get everyone in off the bench. He saw a lot of rubber (16 shots) in the quarter but made some great saves.

Overall it was clear from the scrimmage yesterday that we need to pick up our intensity in practice and be a better team getting the ball off the ground. The reason we schedule these scrimmages early on in the season is to see where we’re at and what we need to work on as we get ready for our opener. I think Union showed us exactly what we need to be doing and it was the best thing for our team going forward. After watching the film I was surprised to see that the score ended up being 10-9 with Union scoring the go ahead goal in the 5th quarter. Union had built up a nice lead throughout the scrimmage (6-2 at one point) and it felt like we were still down by a few goals when the whistle blew. As Rit always says, you’re never as good as you think you are and you’re never as bad either. With a day off today I think we’ll find out all we need to know about this team on Tuesday when we get back after it.

Next up is a scrimmage against St. Lawrence this weekend. We’ve had some good runs with them the past few years and I wouldn’t expect this year to be any different.