2010 Preview: Penfield

March 25, 2010 -

Penfield
10-8 10 17

 March, 2010 - Penfield finished last year as seeded (sixth) in the tournament after a first round win over Greece Ath/Ody and a loss to third seeded Pittsford. Graduation hit the Patriots hard as they lost fifty percent of their roster (18 graduated, 15 return). Continuing to play in college are James Dwyer (Marist), Gary Schreib (Alfred) and Kyle Van Thof (Penn State). Van Thof will be one of the hardest felt loss for Penfield as he was named All-American and D-1 Player of the year last season and was co-leader in goal production for the Patriots. Penfield will need to look to the upcoming classes if they hope to remain competitive within Division I. Head Coach John Schembri has also brought on board former Aquinas Head Coach Jerry Dawes as an assistant coach this season.

Offensively the Patriots will look to their attack for their offensive presence, with seniors Tucker Nelson and Will Schoeneck along with junior Alex Miles and sophomore Matt Bilak leading the way. Nelson co-led in goals, and was the leader in assists and points last season with 35g-30a. He has made plans to attend Marist next fall and hopes to play with Dwyer. Schoeneck transferred from Aquinas for his senior year. In the midfield Coach Schembri will look to juniors Dan O'Brien and Freddy Crilly along with sophomore Matt Condon. Looking to replace Van Thof at the face-off is freshman Connor Russell who also transferred from Aquinas.

Four year varsity player Mike Catanzaro will be the cornerstone of the defense. Senior Jamie Solomon, who saw 46 minutes of play last season, will battle with sophomore Keith Keehn for the starting spot between the pipes. Solomon finished last season with ten saves spanning six games.

Leadership is going to be a key issue for the Patriots this season. The loss of such a talented senior class can be devastating for a team and new leaders will need to step up early to fill the void. With thirteen league games for Division I and II teams, only three out of league games can be scheduled. The Patriots have added contests with West Seneca East, Binghamton and Penn Yan.

Top Returning Players:

Top New Players:

Updated:03/26/2010