Livonia: 2009 Preview
April 24, 2009 -
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March, 2009 - Livonia ended their league season third in GRALL with a 4-3 record (11-7 overall). Seeded second in the Class C tournament the Bulldogs lost to Penn Yan in the Section Five finals and finished as seeded.
Livonia graduated nine seniors last season. Tyler Russell (RIT) led the team in goals last season and will be difficult to replace in the attack. Russell was named to the GRALL top 16 as well as the All Tournament Team last season.
Offensively, the Bulldogs will look to midfielder Jeff Wester in the midfield. Wester led the team in both assists and points last season with 37g-56a and was 3rd in assists and 7th in points in Section Five last season. Coach Brett Wood says "Jeff does a great job of setting up others for success. We hope to look to him for leadership." Wester is a three sport athlete, coming off seasons in football and hockey.
The Bulldogs will also look to attackman Chris Bausch and Mike Donals for offensive points. Bausch (36g-31a) and Donals (41g-15a) were the third and fourth top point scorers at Livonia last season. Both are looking to continue on the success of their sophomore year. Coach Wood says of his attackman, "Bausch has a knack for getting open and making better decisions that in freshman year and Donals has improved his total game and looks to diversify what he did last year."
Defensively, Justin Becker returns to the cage for the Bulldogs. "He looks to improve on his 55.27% svs with an experienced group in front of him," Coach Wood says. Becker, who was named to GRALL HM two seasons ago, looks to continue his strong performance between the pipes for the Bulldogs. In front of Becker, the defense is led by Mike Suess, Brandon Braun, Andrew Keller and Tristan Hudak (GRALL HM), each of whom return from last season.
Out of league contests with Newark, Pal-Mac, Midlakes, Honeoye-Bloomfield, Greece Ath/Ody and new program Markus Whitman team will be a help for Livonia. Games against Geneva, RH and Victor will be a challenge for them. Coach Wood and the Bulldogs look to make another run at the Class C title; however, according to Wood, "the drop of Geneva and Aquinas to Class C will make things interesting."
Top Returning Players:
Justin Becker - Goal - 12
Chris Bausch - Att - 11 - GRALL HM
Jeff Wester - Mid - 11 - GRALL Top 16, Class C All Tournament Team
Tristian Hudak - Def - 11 - GRALL HM, Class C All Tournament Team
Mike Donals - Att - 11
Andrew Keller - Def - 12
Mike Suess - Def - 12
Brandon Braun - Def - 12
Top New Players:
David Bell - Def - 12
Tom Benedict - LSM - 10
Charlie Bergen - Att - 11
Salvatore Flannaca - Att - 12
Ethan Jamison - Def/Goal - 9
Brandon Kuter - Def - 11
Billy Motzer - Att - 12
Tyler Ohle - Def - 11
Andrew Smith - Att - 11
Wyatt Struble - Att - 9
Matt Valentine - Att - 11
Updated:3/24/2009