After short stays at Denver and Towson, Paul Danko seems to have settled in with Division III Stevenson.
In three games, including two starts, with the No. 3 Mustangs (3-1), the senior attackman has seven goals and two assists. He is tied for third on the team in goals and tied for fourth in points (nine) and has begun to develop chemistry with fellow starters Pat Candon and Stephen Banick.
"Paul's a great shooter, and that's what we need him to do," coach Paul Cantabene said Thursday. "When he's open, finish the shot. He's doing a good job of that. He didn't shoot the ball as well against Roanoke as we had hoped, but he's doing a good job. He's a really good role guy off of Pat and Stephen, getting open shots. When they get doubled or people slide to them, he's a really dangerous guy. He can shoot the ball from just about anywhere on the field."
The Gilman graduate replaced sophomore Tyler Fuhrman in the starting lineup. Fuhrman, who posted 20 goals and nine assists last spring, has yet to record a point in three games, including two starts).
"Tyler has struggled a little bit," Cantabene said. "He played great in the preseason, but has struggled as of late. So we're giving Paul a chance because he shoots the ball a little bit better than Tyler does."
Danko scored seven goals in two seasons with the Pioneers but got little playing time with the Tigers in 2013. Cantabene said he was not scared off by Danko's prior lack of production.
"No, we didn't have a lot of reservations," he said. "For us, it had been a while since he had played in a meaningful game. So the biggest thing was seeing how he was going to transition from practice to an actual game. I think he's done a good job of that."
Cantabene said the biggest adjustment for Danko has been acclimating himself to Stevenson's freewheeling motion offense after having spent time with more disciplined systems at Denver and Towson.
"I think, at times, [the transition] was [difficult] with the shot selection and what he was trying to do," Cantabene said. "I think he forced it a lot, and that kind of made him look like a worse player than he actually was. Once he relaxed and let the play come to him, he played much better. At first, I think he really struggled, but then, all of a sudden, he kind of figured what was going on, where to be, how to get open. We don't need Paul to be 'the man.' We need Paul to be our gravy train, basically, and finish those shots. Once he figured that out, he was like, 'OK, I can do this,' and he's been more successful that way."