2013 All-CCC Men's Lacrosse Team
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Graduate student face-off man Sam Ozycz (Cheshire, Conn.) and freshman goalie Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Maine) were named Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, respectively, by the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), headlining a talented crop of 13 Endicott men's lacrosse players who were recognized on the All-CCC Team.
Thirteen honorees eclipses the program record set back in 2006 when CCC Offensive Player of the Year Kevin Lally '06 led a group of 12 all-conference players to a conference championship and first round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Of the 13 players named from this year's squad, five are repeat winners while eight are receiving their first postseason accolades from the conference in their careers.
The All-CCC Teams are nominated and voted upon by the league's head coaches and announced by CCC Commissioner Gregg M. Kaye.
Ozycz, the nation's leader in groundballs per game (13.8) and third-ranked player in face-off win-percentage (.745), earns his first CCC Defensive Player of the Year award and his second First Team All-CCC nod for his career. On the season, Ozycz has won 315-of-423 face-offs with 234 groundballs which includes a near perfect game on the road last week against Western New England in which he won 27-of-28 attempts with 26 groundballs to help Endicott clinch the top seed in the CCC Tournament. He also has seven goals and one assist on the season. Ozycz won four CCC Defensive Player of the Week and two ECAC Defensive Player of the Week awards this season.
CCC Rookie of the Year, Bell, has posted an 11-4 overall record this season with a 9.39 goals against average and a .558 save percentage. He has 174 total saves, including 16 in a victory over Western New England last Wednesday and 13 back on April 9th in a home 12-10 triumph over #4 Tufts. Bell ranked in the top four in three major goalkeeping categories: winning percentage (1st), goals against average (3rd), and save percentage (4th). Bell as also placed on the All-CCC First Team after being named CCC Rookie of the Week three times this year.
Joining Ozycz and Bell on the First Team are senior attacker Connor McCormack (Norwalk, Conn.), sophomore midfielder Harrison Cotter (Lordship, Conn.), and junior defenseman Breck Merritt (Weston, Mass.). McCormack, after missing the majority of the 2012 season due to injury, came back to earn his First Team honors after collect a Second Team nod back in 2011. McCormack ranks third on the team in points (38) with 31 goals and seven assists. His 31 goals are second on the team as are his four man-up goals. He has also totaled 29 groundballs and 10 caused turnovers while starting in all 17 games this season. Cotter, a first time All-CCC player, scored 20 goals, tallied 12 assists, scooped 30 groundballs, and caused six turnovers in his sophomore campaign. Merritt collects his second straight First Team award as one of Endicott's shut-down defensemen, causing 11 turnovers with 35 groundballs.
A trio Endicott appeared on the All-CCC Second Team in defenseman Anthony Martignetti (Winchester, Mass.), long-stick midfielder Kyle Burke (Haverhill, Mass.), and short-stick midfielder Peter Erickson (Yarmouth, Maine). Martignetti totaled 21 caused turnovers and 33 groundballs, Burke had 19 caused turnovers, 35 groundballs, and three goals, and Erickson had nine points on five goals and four assists with 19 groundballs. Last season, Martignetti and Burke were both Honorable Mention players.
Six of Endicott's standout offensive and defensive talents were named Honorable Mention by the CCC as top point-getter, sophomore Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.), leading goal-scorer, sophomore Kyle Weber (West Hartford, Conn.), and top assist-man, sophomore Joshua Tordik (Sayville, N.Y.) as well as junior midfielder Chris Murphy (Holden, Mass.) and junior defenseman Lucas Paratore (Wenham, Mass.) received awards. Pinciaro, a two-time CCC Player of the Week, amassed 46 points in his second season on 29 goals and 17 assists. Weber led the team with 32 goals, which included a program-tying eight goals in 16-12 over Eastern Connecticut on March 11th, and 41 points overall with team-high five man-up tallies. Tordik increased his point-total by 15 from his freshman to sophomore season to 35 total points as he had 12 goals and a team-high 23 assists this spring. Murphy, after playing just 13 games in his freshman and sophomore seasons, exploded for 16 goals, five assists, and 21 points in 17 games played this spring. Paratore, a one-time CCC and ECAC Defensive Player of the Week after posting a season-high five caused turnovers against #4 Tufts and two more against Roger Williams, is tied with fellow defenseman Martignetti for a team-best 21 caused turnovers. He ranks second on the team with 52 groundballs as well.
The top-ranked team in the upcoming CCC Tournament, Endicott awaits the winner of #4 University of New England versus #5 Salve Regina which is being played on Saturday, April 27th at 1:00 pm. The Gulls are their semifinal opponent will face off on Wednesday, May 1st at a time to be determined at Endicott Stadium.
