Season Preview: ‘The sky is the limit’ for Men’s Lacrosse in 2022
By Wes Mayberry
| 2022 Men's Lacrosse Schedule |
ADA — After advancing to the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals last season, the Ohio Northern men's lacrosse team enters 2022 looking to post its seventh consecutive winning season as it chases its first-ever tournament championship under seventh-year head coach Nat St. Laurent.
"We have a good group this year, and I enjoy working with them quite a bit. They're still realizing their potential and what we're capable of doing," St. Laurent said. "We lost a lot of senior leadership and a lot of great players and a lot of offensive firepower from last season, but this is certainly a talented group that has some confidence. I'm really excited for this season."
The Polar Bears lost all five of last year's All-OAC honorees to graduation after an 8-6 season but return a promising group that includes five players who started at least half the team's games in 2021 and 36 lettermen overall.
Junior goalkeeper Cole Zaferakis (Liverpool, N.Y.) returns after starting all 14 games in 2021, and seniors Nick Gosnell (Dublin/Jerome) and Bradley Griffin (Troy, Mich./Bloomfield Hills) started 10 games last season. Senior Chris Cranston (Fairfax Station, Va./Lake Braddock) and junior Nate Mitchell (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne) round out the group of returners with significant starting experience.
In all, ONU's 53-man roster is comprised of 12 seniors, nine juniors, 19 sophomores and 13 freshmen.
Here is a preview of the 2022 Ohio Northern men's lacrosse team, by position.
Attack
The Polar Bears lost a major presence in their attack with the graduation of Cameron Marous after last season. Marous, a four-time All-OAC selection, led ONU with 46 points, 22 goals and 24 assists last season and graduated as the program's all-time leader in points (250), goals (140) and assists (110) in 71 career games.
"Losing Cameron at attack — you can't replace him," St. Laurent said.
A three-year letter winner, senior Ben Gawronski (Dublin/Scioto) leads the attack this season after playing in 12 games with five starts in 2021, tallying 14 points on nine goals and five assists to go with nine ground balls. He enters 2022 with 27 career points via 17 goals and 10 assists.
"Ben is a senior captain and is a big, strong kid. He had a great preseason," St. Laurent said.
Junior Tyler Ferguson (Springboro) played in seven games as a reserve in 2021, posting nine points on three goals and six assists.
Junior Riley O'Neal (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) returns after being named Academic All-OAC last season in which he tallied six points on two goals and four assists in nine games off the bench.
St. Laurent also likes the addition of junior Alex Reimer (Lancaster, N.Y.), a transfer from Canisius.
"Alex has brought some experience and depth to this position group, and he's competing for a starting spot," St. Laurent said. "We're really excited about him."
This group also includes a trio of sophomores who are returning lettermen in Andrew Butera (Perrysburg), Aidan Dempsey (Silver Spring, Md./St. John's College) and Zachary Krempasky (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton).
Dempsey finished 2021 with 10 points on five goals and five assists in nine games, and Krempasky added two points via one goal and one assist across six games. Butera also played in six games a season ago, tallying one goal.
Sophomore Sebastian Michaud (Springboro) and freshmen Caleb Bennett (New Market, Md./Linganore) and Ian Roy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern) provide additional depth.
Sophomore lettermen Willy Hanson (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) and Max Olsen (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) will rotate between attack and midfield positions after playing in nine combined games and totaling three points on two goals and one assist in 2021.
"Our attack is a competitive group. We're still trying to figure out who our starters are going to be," St. Laurent said. "We really love our talent there, but it's young."
Midfield
The ONU midfield lost three fifth-year seniors from last year's team to graduation in Mason Schmeling, Kevin Giles and Pat Berthelsen-Leon, so the team needs others to step up to help fill those voids.
A three-year letterman and the team's leading returning goal-scorer from last season, Gosnell leads this year's midfield group after being moved from his attack position. He has started 15 of 24 career games and is coming off a junior season in which he tallied 14 goals and 13 ground balls.
"Nick is doing really well in the midfield," St. Laurent said. "He has all the ingredients you need to be a very good midfielder."
Cranston played in all 14 games and made seven starts last season. The three-year letterman tallied nine points on eight goals and one assist in 2021 and has 11 goals in 27 career games.
"He has been a four-year player for us in the midfield, and with an inexperienced and unproven group there, we will be relying on him this year as a senior leader with experience at that position," St. Laurent said.
Sophomore John Lynn (Cincinnati/Sycamore) joins the Polar Bears as a transfer from defending NCAA Division III national champion Rochester Institute of Technology (N.Y.), which went 14-0 in 2021.
"John brings the knowledge of what it's like to practice and compete and be ready to play and knows how special a championship run can be," St. Laurent said.
They are joined in the midfield by seniors and three-year lettermen Ethan Falsone (Orchard Park, N.Y.), C.J. Moran (Austin, Texas/Bowie) and Cameron Veto (Fenton, Mich./Hartland). All three played in double-digit games off the bench last season, and Moran led the group with four goals. The trio has combined for 14 career goals, nine of which have come from Moran.
Junior Ryan McClure (Mentor) returns after playing in nine games in reserve and scoring three goals in 2021.
Sophomores Andrew Caliri (Lexington, Mass.), Bennett Michel (Perrysburg) and Nate Strauf (Pittsford, N.Y./Mendon) also played in double-digit games in reserve last season, combining for 10 goals and four assists. Caliri led the group with six goals.
Sophomore Ben Wilson (Dublin/Watterson) is another returning letterman in the midfield.
The position group is rounded out by freshmen John Copes (Washington, D.C./Rock Creek Christian Academy), Will Edkins (Liberty Township/Lakota East), Nate Jablonski (Cary, Ill./Cary Grove), Seamus McPhee (Tonawanda, N.Y./Kenmore East) and Matt Wilder (Arlington, Ill./Saint Viator).
"We have an unproven group in the midfield, but we have some guys who are ready," St. Laurent said.
Faceoff
Sophomore Chad Calderwood (West Linn, Ore./Episcopal) returns as the leader in the faceoff circle for the Polar Bears. Calderwood was 73-for-130 on faceoffs for a percentage of .562 over 13 games as a freshman and enters his second season already sitting at fifth in program history in faceoff wins and third in faceoff percentage.
Freshman Luke Dittus (Wear Chester/St. Xavier) is shaping up to be another key contributor in the faceoff circle this season.
"Chad did well last year in getting his feet wet, and Luke has done phenomenal so far," St. Laurent said.
They are joined by sophomore T.J. Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), who was 12-for-22 (.545) on faceoffs in six games a season ago.
Defense
Seniors and three-year lettermen Brian Dalidowicz (Dayton/Archbishop Alter) and Bradley Griffin (Troy, Mich./Bloomfield Hills) lead the returners on the back line.
"Brian is coming back from his second ACL surgery and looks phenomenal," St. Laurent said. "And Brad is the heart and soul of our team — he plays with so much heart and passion."
Griffin has started 16 of his 25 career games, including 10 of 14 last season when he totaled 20 ground balls and a team-high 13 caused turnovers. His 22 career caused turnovers ranks 10th in program history.
Dalidowicz a two-time Academic All-OAC honoree, made three starts last season and has played in 12 career games.
Seniors Will Doran (Terrace Park/Summit Country Day) and Joe Wasik (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne) also return as three-year lettermen.
Doran played in all 14 games as a reserve last season, posting 15 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. He has 25 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers in his 25-game career.
Wasik, an Academic All-OAC selection as a sophomore in 2020, has appeared in 16 career games, including seven a season ago when he tallied two goals and five ground balls.
Nate Mitchell (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne) leads ONU's junior class of defenders after playing in all 14 games and making seven starts in 2021. The two-year letterman tallied 12 ground balls and eight caused turnovers last season and has played in 20 career games.
Fellow two-year lettermen Ethan Hojnacki (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and Brett Boehm (Brunswick) played in 12 and six games, respectively, last season, with the former tallying 11 ground balls and five caused turnovers.
Sophomores Grant Butler (Powell/Olentangy Liberty), Roman Casciani (Zionsville, Ind.), Gus Mandel (Cincinnati/Seven Hills) and Gabriel Paige (Adams, N.Y./South Jefferson) round out the group of returning lettermen for the Polar Bear defense.
The remainder of this position group includes junior Andrew Reimer (Lancaster, NY.), sophomore Max Rosen (Amherst, N.Y./Central) and freshmen Trey Bradford (Riverview, Fla./Newsome), Joe Keeley (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Preparatory School), Canon Pfaff (Grafton, Wis.), and Jack Wasik (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne).
St. Laurent said Butler and Keeley highlight the defense's sophomore and freshman classes, respectively.
Goalkeeper
Zaferakis, a two-year letterman, has started all 20 games he has played in his career and enters his junior season with a 12-8 record , 188 saves, 55.3 save percentage and 8.94 GAA. Named to the InsideLacrosse.com All-Freshman Team as the nation's top freshman goalie in 2020, Zaferakis set the program record for saves by a freshman (88) and sophomore (100). He posted an 8-6 record last season, ranking fourth in the OAC in wins, fifth in GAA (8.90) and ninth in saves. Zaferakis currently ranks second in program history in saves, wins and goalkeeper minutes (1,020:26) and fourth all-time in career GAA. He also holds the program record for most saves in a single game with 19.
But the Polar Bears boast other capable starters in goal, including senior three-year letterman Matt Huizenga (New Albany), who has displayed much improvement after playing in 11 career games and serving as the team's third-string goalie the past two seasons.
Senior Carson Smith (Forsyth, Ga./West Forsyth), another three-year letterman, has played in 13 career games.
St. Laurent likes the depth of talent he has in his group of goaltenders.
"We have a lot of competition going on, and we still don't know who our starter is going to be," he said. "Cole was Inside Lacrosse Freshman of the Year a couple years ago, Matt has the ability to be an all-conference goalie, and Carson has been our No. 2 goalie the past two years. It's been great to see the competition between those guys."
Sophomore Michael Duffy (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) and freshman Robert Brunner (Cincinnati/Indian Hill) round out the position group.
Schedule
The Polar Bears open their 2022 schedule on Feb. 19 at Alma (Mich.) and will play their home opener on Feb. 26 against DePauw (Ind.).
Northern rounds out its non-conference schedule with a home game against Centre (Ky.) and road contests against No. 2 Salisbury (Md.), No. 17 Gettysburg (Pa.), Trine (Ind.) and Medaille (N.Y.).
ONU opens OAC play on March 26 at home against Mount Union.
Other home conference opponents include Wilmington, Marietta, Heidelberg and Capital.
The Polar Bears will play OAC foes Muskingum, Otterbein, John Carroll and Baldwin Wallace on the road.
The OAC Tournament is scheduled for April 30 to May 7.
St. Laurent is excited for his team to face what is a very difficult slate of games this season.
"I think our win-loss record isn't going to be very revealing of where we're going to be at the end of the season because this is the hardest schedule we've ever played. This is a tall ask of our team, but I'm super excited for the challenge. We've been wanting to see where we are on the national scale, and our guys are excited for the opportunity," he said. "We have our work cut out for us, but those games are going to get us better, and we're using them to help us grow and come together as a team to compete for an OAC championship, which I think we're capable of doing. The sky is the limit for this team."