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Clarkson University Athletics

Men's Lacrosse 3/2/2018 11:28:00 AM March 2, 2018

2018 CU Men's Lacrosse Preview - vs. Brockport (3/3)

In the past seven years, the Clarkson University Men's Lacrosse team has advanced to the Liberty League Tournament on five occasions, but the Golden Knights have not reached the post-season in back-to-back seasons since 2012-13. After moving on to the conference tournament in 2017, the Golden Knights are looking to buck the trend in a newly expanded league.

The Golden Knights open up the 2018 season with a home game against Brockport at 2:00 pm on Saturday afternoon at Hantz Turf Field.

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Key Returners: Sophomore Conor Bartlett is the team's top returning scorer and playmaker, having tallied 15 goals in his first year and leading the squad with 22 assists. Classmate Ryan Gabriel was chosen as the Liberty League's Rookie of the Year and conference all-star thanks to a strong showing on faceoffs. Gabriel picked up 62 groundballs and won 58.3% of his chances at the 'x' during his first collegiate season, finishing among the league leaders in both categories. Fellow sophomore Liam St. Croix was picked as a Liberty League All-Star thanks to his prowess on the defensive end. Along with St. Croix, senior Michael Nourse and junior Thomas Stanton will be counted on to shore up the Clarkson defense. The latter duo combined to start 15 games and each appeared in all 15 contests last season. Senior Mark Uhlig ranked second on the team in groundballs and is a solid defensive-minded midfielder who added five points on two goals and three assists in 2017. Junior Shane Kilday placed fifth on the squad last year in scoring with 25 points thanks to 18 goals and seven assists, with the former figure ranking him fourth on the team. Senior Sam Groves and junior Marcus Lavarnway also chipped in a combined 15 points with six goals and nine assists between them.

Key Losses: The Golden Knights are down five of their top seven scorers from a year ago and will need to replace four key contributors on offense. Ryan DaRin enjoyed his best collegiate season and ranked among the conference leaders in points (56) and goals (45). Ryan St. Croix, a two-time USILA All-American Honorable Mention, was always a key mark for opponents, but he still managed 30 goals last season from the midfield, pushing him to 110 in his career, the sixth-most in program history. Kyle Brown produced one of the hardest shots in the conference and the Knights will need to replace the 26 goals he added to the offense. Three-year starting goaltender Nick Strandholm was a two-time conference all-star and finished his career with the third-most saves (530) in program history, doing so over the course of 52 games. Additionally, the Knights lost conference all-stars Justin Gibson and Marc Simmons, both playing key roles on defense.

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Players Mentioned

#37 Kyle Brown: M; 6' 1"; Junior

#17 Ryan DaRin: A; 5' 10"; Junior

#44 Justin Gibson: D; 6' 5"; Junior

#9 Sam Groves: A; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#14 Michael Nourse: D; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#16 Marc Simmons: M; 6' 1"; Junior

#7 Ryan St. Croix: M; 6' 3"; Junior

#4 Nick Strandholm: GK; 6' 0"; Junior

#1 Mark Uhlig: M; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#8 Marcus Lavarnway: A; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#37 Kyle Brown
: 6' 1"; Junior
: M

#17 Ryan DaRin
: 5' 10"; Junior
: A

#44 Justin Gibson
: 6' 5"; Junior
: D

#9 Sam Groves
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: A

#14 Michael Nourse
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: D

#16 Marc Simmons
: 6' 1"; Junior
: M

#7 Ryan St. Croix
: 6' 3"; Junior
: M

#4 Nick Strandholm
: 6' 0"; Junior
: GK

#1 Mark Uhlig
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: M

#8 Marcus Lavarnway
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: A