Men's Lacrosse Begins Colorado Road Trip At Air Force Friday

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (4-3, 1-2 ECAC) at
United States Air Force Academy Falcons (1-7, 0-1 ECAC)
Friday, April 9, 2010 - 6 p.m.(ET)/4 p.m.(MT)
Cadet Lacrosse Field - USAFA, Colo.

Bobcats Begin Colorado Road Trip At Air Force Friday
The Quinnipiac University men's lacrosse team returns to action Friday, when it begins a two-game weekend road trip in Colorado against Air Force. The Bobcats have taken a pair of tough losses to Ohio State and Hartford in their last two games, while the Falcons have fallen in four straight games. Air Force has played tight games at home, however, falling to St. John's by three and to Army in overtime in their only contests in USAFA, Colo., so far this season.

Scouting the Air Force Falcons
The Falcons (1-7, 0-1 ECAC) are led by Zack Carroll, whose 13 goals and 19 points both lead the team. Carroll is also the team's primary face-off man, having won 45 percent (50-111) of his opportunities. Vinny Sandtorv has also contributed 10 goals, while Adam Paranka and Ridge Flick have each contributed 15 points. Flick's nine assists lead the Falcons. Brian Wilson has started every game in net for the Falcons, compiling a 9.73 goals-against average and a .489 save percentage.

Benz, But Don't Break
Senior goalie Kevin Benzing has been his typical steady self in net for the Bobcats this season, maintaining a 7.71 goals-against average and a .602 save percentage while posting a 4-3 record. His save percentage ranks fourth nationally, while his goals-against average is sixth in the NCAA. Benzing stood on his head at Hobart, making a career-high 21 saves on 28 opportunities.

A-Pall-ing Performance
Zach Pall has won 55-of-88 (.625) face-off opportunities this season, good for the best face-off winning percentage in the nation. He's also second in NCAA Division I in ground balls per game at 8.0. He won 12-of-18 face-offs at Detroit-Mercy, and picked up a career-high 13 ground balls in the process. Pall also won all seven of his face-off opportunities against Wagner, went 10-of-16 against Providence and 12-of-19 at Hobart and against Ohio State.

...Kind of a Big Deal
The Bobcats rank in the top 10 in the nation in five of 14 statistical categories kept by the NCAA. They rank third in face-off win percentage (.593) and scoring defense (7.29), fifth in caused turnovers per game (10.57) and ground balls per game (36.71), and ninth in scoring margin (+3.57).

Oppenheimer Climbs Quinnipiac Career Goals List
With two goals April 3 at Hartford, Jack Oppenheimer pushed his career total to 41 goals, good for a tie for 14th in Quinnipiac history.

Simply the Best
For his 21-save effort at Hobart on March 20, Kevin Benzing was named the ECAC Lacrosse and Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The 21 saves were the most in the nation in a single game during that week, and a career high for the senior goalie.

Oppenheimer Goals: The Right Way To Score
With 16 goals and 21 points this season, Jack Oppenheimer leads the Bobcats. Oppenheimer led the Bobcats in both points (26) and goals (20) in 2009.

Marotto Makes His Mark
Alex Marotto scored three goals, all in the decisive second half, March 20 at Hobart. Marotto tied the game at 4-4, before later adding insurance goals to push the Bobcats' lead to 7-4 and 9-7.

New Addition
Junior transfer Christian Haggerty had a team-high six points (two goals, four assists) in the Bobcats' 12-2 win over Providence, March 13. For his effort, he was named the ECAC Lacrosse Co-Player of the Week. Haggerty currently leads the Bobcats with 11 assists.

Three For All
Christian Haggerty, Peter McNichols and Jack Oppenheimer each contributed three goals and an assist in the Bobcats' 13-8 victory, March 7 at Detroit-Mercy.

Saving Face
The Bobcats won 22-of-26 face-off opportunities against Wagner. Zach Pall led the way, going a perfect 7-for-7, while Derek Flynn (8-for-10) and Jay Binkowski (7-for-9) were also extremely efficient.

Kaiser Connects
Todd Kaiser led the Bobcats with a goal and an assist in Quinnipiac's season opener against No. 10 Loyola, Feb. 27.

Benzing Sends Back 16 Shots
Kevin Benzing did all he could to keep the Bobcats in the game, Feb. 27, against nationally-ranked No. 10 Loyola. Benzing stopped 16 of the 27 shots he faced on the day.

30 'Cats Back
The Bobcats returned 30 of 35 letter winners from 2009, including the team's top eight goal scorers. Junior Jack Oppenheimer scored a team-high 20 goals last season, while classmate Kevin Kelly was close behind with 17. Senior Ted Dimond also contributed double-digit goals with 12. Seniors Todd Kaiser (7), Garett Kerr (7), Alex DeAlmeida (5), Mike Gast (5), and Zach Dendas (5) all return for the Bobcats' offense.

On Deck
The Bobcats continue ECAC action in Colorado Sunday, when they face Denver. Opening face-off from Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. (11 a.m. MT). Sunday's game will be televised live on MSG+, Comcast Sports New England, Time Warner Cable, Sports Net (Rochester and Buffalo, N.Y.), TW Sports 26, Central New York (Syracuse), TW 3 (Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.), Cox Sports Television (Connecticut and Rhode Island), Fox College Sports (DirecTV Channel 617) and Comcast Entertainment Television (Denver/Colorado Springs).