Men’s Basketball
10-11 (4-7 LEC)
The guys started the most recent stretch poorly, with four consecutive losses, including a 31-point drubbing in the Clark Center at the hands of RIC. With the recent troubles, it seemed as though the guys would have a tough challenge ahead of them when they faced Southern Maine in their gym’s grand reopening. They beat the odds and pulled out of their slump in front of a large home crowd and beat the Huskies, 69-55, while holding them to a very impressive 28.6 percent from the field. The emphasis that Rashjeem Benson and the boys have put on defense has really been showing lately. They are a team that few in the LEC want to face when tournament time rolls around. The Beacons have three regular season games remaining before the playoffs begin, and if they can get hot now, they can make some serious noise in the LEC.
Women’s Basketball
12-10 (4-2 LEC)
It’s been pretty rocky for the Lady Beacons lately. They’ve lost their last three games, including a 77-69 defeat at the hands of Southern Maine at the Clark Center’s grand re-opening. Freshman Olivia Murphy has been the big story this season for the ladies, with 14.4 PPG and 10 rebounds per game so far this year. Kirsten Morrison has also been fantastic with 13.1 PPG and 48 percent field goal percentage. The ladies have a good shot at going far in the LEC tournament if they turn this ship around quickly. The team is young, talented, and very hungry; they’re enjoying their best season in years, so watch out Little East, because the Beacons are coming.
Men’s Hockey
16-3-2 (9-3-2 ECAC)
The 9th ranked Beacons have emerged as one of the strongest teams in the nation for 2012-13. Mike DeGrazia and Travis Daniel have combined with a host of freshman talent to create an offensive juggernaut. DeGrazia is leading all of Division 3 in points per game this season. Over the most recent stretch, the guys showed that they can not only win wild shootouts (they beat Skidmore 6-4), but they can also tough it out in low scoring, physical slugfests (they won 2-1, over Castleton State). The ECAC is the toughest contest in the country, but the guys have risen up to the challenge every time they’ve had to. They allowed five goals against Babson, but they managed to score seven in a wild game loaded with ups and downs. We could have a serious national championship contender on our hands, UMass! Freshman goalie Zach Andrews has played some of his best hockey right when he’s had to, and the youth on the team seems to be maturing every day. The Beacons look like a powerhouse right now and they’re showing no signs of slowing down soon.
Women’s Hockey
8-10-4 (5-6-4 ECAC)
Coach Colleen Harris’s squad has had their ups and downs this year, but they’ve recently put together some really nice wins. After tying Nichols, 2-2, they defeated Manhattanville, 5-3. They followed that up with a tough, 4-0 loss to Salve Regina and a 1-1 tie with Holy Cross. They still have time to put together a hot streak and possibly win some games in the ECAC tournament, but they don’t have any more games to spare. Emily LaRosa and Kayla Kiernan share the team lead with six goals a piece, and Alli Greenberg and Dylan Caron share the Beacons lead with seven assists each. The season has been a real team effort, with the stats spread fairly evenly among everyone. Kailyn Burke has been solid in goal, and she’s only a sophomore, so her best years are still to come.