It has been just over nine months since the top-seeded Rensselaer men’s lacrosse team suffered a season-ending 14-13 loss to Skidmore at Harkness Field in the opening round of the UCAA tournament.
A sore subject to many surrounding the lacrosse program; but not for Head Coach Tom Korrie: “I’m not shy in talking about the game,” Korrie said. “I like to use it as motivation for the players and to keep the players focused.”
Eight of 10 starters are returning from last year’s squad, including several Pre-Season All Americans, and all the players have been anxiously waiting to get back out on the field.
The Red Hawks will be relying heavily on their potent attack line of Luke Ruglis, a UCAA first team selection last season and one of the team’s four captains, Adam LoGiudice, and Nick Calotti—both UCAA second team selections a year ago.
The three combined for 84 goals and 39 assists last season and are considered one of the best attack lines in the entire country.
“They are the best attack in the country, but I’m biased,” Korrie said. “They are very smart group and they never take plays off. Great players never take plays off.”
The small, but strong, Ruglis, LoGiudice, Calotti, and the rest of the Red Hawks seem to be, in their coach’s words “built for turf” as Rensselaer posted a 6-1 mark at Harkness Field last season.
“They can really move,” Korrie said. “They are mighty mites out there and they know how to utilize their quickness and speed.”
However, while the offense is set for RPI, there are still several questions facing the Red Hawks this season.
Rensselaer only lost three key players last year, but they were all on defense. The graduation of defensemen Mickey Parris and Brett Palmer and goaltender Matthew Moog has left a huge hole in the Rensselaer defense.
Korrie surprisingly, turned to freshman Ryan Michels, a High School All-American, to fill the void in net for RPI.
“Ryan played well in the fall scrimmages and he earned the job,” Korrie said. “He is untested and raw, but the only way to get experience is to play. He will need the defense to do the little things for him until he gets his feet.”
Korrie will be looking for two of his captains, defensemen Corey Ingram and Joe Panniello, to help ease the transition for Michels to the college level. Both Ingram and Panniello earned all-conference awards in 2003 for Rensselaer.
The midfield could be another area of concern for Rensselaer if injuries persist to plague the team. Sophomore Cody Daigle, who contributed quality minutes to the team last season as a freshman, tore his ACL prior to the season and will be a big loss for RPI.
“I want to have four or five lines of midfielders,” Korrie said. “We really cannot afford anymore injuries at that position, if someone else gets hurt we could be in trouble.”
Red Hawks face-off man and team co-captain, James Gallucci, will be key for Rensselaer in the midfield. Gallucci who won just over 60 percent of the face-offs he took last year and Korrie will be expecting much of the same from him this year.
“Ball control can be a great defensive strategy,” Korrie said. “If we can keep the team out of our opponents’ hands, they can’t score.”
With a solid group of savvy veterans and talented youngsters the Red Hawks are primed to win the highly competitive UCAA this season and get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001, when they reached the national quarterfinals. Only Korrie and this year’s seniors, who were then freshmen, remember that magical run.
“The seniors know what is takes to get back there and they are dying to get back. Korrie said. “The conference is very tight, and it will really come down to who can win two games in row late in the year. We just want to be alive May and have a chance at the conference title and the NCAA tournament.”
