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BIG RED AMONG THE BEST IN DIVISION III FINAL STATS
June 17, 2009
After completing the season with a 14-3 record, a #6 slot in Laxpower's computer ratings and as a #14 choice among the nation's coaches, it's no wonder that the Big Red was among the statistical best in Division III this year.
Denison fared best as a team: scoring defense (#2 with 6.18 goals/game; scoring offense (#7 with 14.65 goals/game; scoring margin (#4 with a 8.47 goal differential); win percentage (#9 at 82.4%); assists per game (#6 with 9.0/game); points per game (#7 with 23.65).
Individually, Denison had 3 players in the Top 15 in their respective categories: Greg Shannon (#3 with 6.73 goals against/game); Conor Detjen (#10 with a 65.3% face-off pct) and Brady Burton (#15 with 3.12 goals/game).
DENISON DOMINATES ALL-NCAC TEAMS
June 17, 2009
Senior All American midfielder Dan Maude headlined the All NCAC teams after being named Player of the Year and Coach Mike Caravana was chosen Coach of the Year as Denison dominated the 2009 All Conference selections. Maude was accompanied by 12 other members of the Big Red: 5 players earned First Team honors, 5 more were voted to the Second Team and 3 players were chosen to the Honorable Mention team. For a full report, see Denison's official press release.
This past season continued a Denison's tradition of great individual performances. Since 2000 the Big Red has amassed a total of 107 All NCAC selections, including 45 First Teamers, and 3 Coach of the Year honors.
Pictured: Left - Coach Mike Caravana, Right - Dan Maude
NATIONAL HONORS FOR MAUDE, MINOR
May 21, 2009
Dan Maude was selected to the 2009 All America squad as a member of the third team yesterday. Maude concluded his Big Red career as one of Denison's all time midfield scorers with a total of 104 goals. He was an Honorable Mention All America last season. Dan was the only player from the NCAC to achieve All America status this season. (See Denison's official press release. See also the complete All America list).
Maude (left photo) will also paraticipate in this week's USILA Division III North-South Game, played by the nation's best seniors and being held at Harvard Stadium at Harvard, MA this Friday at 2 p.m. He'll be joined on the South roster by defenseman Jim Minor (right photo). This is the first time in several years that Denison has had more than 1 player in the game. (See Denison's official press release).
2009 SEASON IN REVIEW
May 21, 2009
The Big Red's 2009 exciting season came to a close last week in the NCAA quarterfinals when they lost to Gettysburg 13-8. The game started on a high note as Conor Detjen controlled opening face-off, passed to Ted Gulyas who drove right and put a shot over the shoulder of the Bullets' goalie. The score came just 15 seconds into the game. Gettysburg tied the game a short time later and, despite a trade off of goals over the next few minutes, controlled the game the rest of the quarter and into the second. By halftime, a 7-goal deficit (the score was 10-3) was too much to overcome. Particularly in the first half, the Big Red was undone by turnovers poor shooting. However, Gettysburg shot extremely well and its disciplined play prevented Denison from making any runs after its own play settled down. If there was a silver lining, it's in the fact that Gettysburg went on to defeat Stevenson in the NCAA semi-finals and could become National Champions this Sunday by defeating Cortland.
Despite the season-ending defeat, there was a lot to celebrate about the year. See Denison's official press release.
The Insider talked with Coach Caravana about the team's last game, the season in hindsight, and what's ahead for 2010.
Photo: junior Brady Burton, a captain for 2010, had 3 goals for the Big Red.
LIVE COVERAGE OF DENISON / GETTYSBURG GAME
May 12, 2009
Tomorrow's NCAA 3rd Round Tournament game is the 17th time the Big Red and the Bullets have played and the 8th time Coaches Caravana and Janczyk have faced off against each other. Janczyk's record against Caravana is 7-1, with Caravana's lone win coming in his first year at the helm of Denison (1990). Caravana has coached the Big Red for a total of 16 seasons; Janczyk has been at Gettysburg for 27.
The game can be followed free of charge through live video at and livestats. Face-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST.
For those attending the game, friends and family will be meeting for a pre-game fire up at the familiar Pub & Restauratn, 22 Lincoln Square in the center of Gettysburg. Campus is only a few blocks away.
For background on the Denison/Gettysburg match up, see Denison's and Gettysburg's official previews of the game.
Pictured: Top, Denison Head Coach Mike Caravana. Bottom, Gettysburg Head Coach Hank Janczyk
DENISON MEETS GETTYSBURG IN ROUND 3
May 11, 2009
The Big Red's game vs. Gettysburg on Wednesday promises to be a good one. After starting the season 2-3, Gettysburg has won 12 games in a row and finished the season 14-3. It received a bye in the tournament's first round then defeated Washington & Lee, 15-10 at home in the second round (see Gettysburg's official press release). Denison's (14-2) only slip up was against Randolph-Macon in week 2 of the season.
Denison/Gettysburg have an interesting history. The Bullets lead the series 13-3 and ex-head coach Matt McGinnis was an assistant there before moving to Denison for the 2006 season as Mike Caravana's assistant. The teams met twice last season, both games won by Gettysburg, the second an overtime win in the NCAA quarter-finals.
Denison boasts the nation's #2 defense and #6 offense but it does have its weaknesses. Despite its successes, its youth and inexperience sometimes raise their ugly heads: the Big Red had 29 turnovers against Roanoke, including several unforced errors and a number of poor passes. Both of these will need to be corrected on Saturday.
Gettysburg doesn't overwhelm its opponents (the average score of its games is 11-7); it just wins. The Bullets are well coached, disciplined (it averages only 3 man down minutes per game) and well balanced.
Statistically, the Big Red has the edge. It's superior in ground balls (36 vs 30 per game), man up (40% vs. 30%), man down (78% vs 70%), save percentage (60% vs 55%) and face-offs (62% vs 48%). The keys to a Denison win will be possessions and ground balls, and much of the Big Red's fate lies in the stick of face-off specialist Conor Detjen (67%), ranked # 7 nationally, who struggled against Roanoke. If Denison can play its structured offense, continue to play stellar defense, and control the ball, plan on watching the Big Red play at the winner of the Stevenson/Salisbury game next Saturday.
Face-off is set for 2 p.m. EST. You can follow the game on LiveStats on Gettysburg's web site.
NCAA'S ADVANCE TO ELITE 8
May 11, 2009
The NCAA tournament now moves into Round 3 on Wednesday. With the exception of Denison's upset of Roanoke in Round 2, the top seeds have won their games. One of the most interesting match ups is Salisbury at Stevenson. The teams split their 2 games this season, each winning at home. The winner of that game will face the winner of the Denison/Gettysburg game in the semi-finals. Denison, after a valiant second half effort, was defeated by Stevenson at home, 12-9, in the last game of the regular season.
See the up-to-date NCAA Division III bracket
BIG RED CLOBBERS 'NOKE IN NCAA'S, HEADS TO QTR FINALS
May 9, 2009
They say defense wins championships and the Big Red's certainly did its part in stifling the nation's #1 offense (19.44 goals per game) today as Denison defeated Roanoke 14-7 in Salem, VA. Time and time again, the "Magnificant 7" (see above: Top, L to R, freshman goalie Gregg Shannon with 14 saves, senior Matt Edenbaum, senior Jim Minor and junior John Payne; Bottom, L to R, senior Nick Jacobs, senior Ted Gulyas, and junior Cy Ryan) turned away 'Noke's offensive stars. In fact, the Maroon's top 2 scorers were held to just 2 goals and 1 assist combined.. The defense consistently forced shots off goal and, when they didn't, Shannon was there to stop their shots.