PROJECTED NCAA SEEDS
1. Syracuse
(13-2, NCAA tournament first round)
Coach: John Desko (13th season, 147-44)
Top returning point-getter
Stephen Keogh, senior A (31 goals, 5 assists)
Other key returnees
Josh Amidon, senior M (14, 13)
Jeremy Thompson, senior M (15, 8, .582 faceoff percentage)
John Lade, senior D (32 ground balls)
John Galloway, senior G (7.16 goals-against average, .595 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Tom Palasek, junior A
Billy Ward, freshman A
Pat Powderly, freshman A
Outlook: The Orange is eager to make amends for last year's surprise double-overtime loss to Army in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The team possesses an abundance of talent throughout the roster, especially in the midfield with the return of all three starters in Amidon, Thompson and senior Jovan Miller. Galloway, Lade and sophomore defenseman Brian Megill anchor a defense that surrendered just 7.4 goals per game in the regular season, ranking first in Division I. Depth could be an issue.
2. Virginia
Atlantic Coast Conference
(16-2, NCAA semifinals)
Coach: Dom Starsia (19th season, 215-67; 29th season overall, 316-113)
Top returning point-getter
Chris Bocklet, junior A (53, 14)
Other key returnees
Steele Stanwick, junior A (29, 32)
Shamel Bratton, senior M (24, 17)
Matt Lovejoy, junior D (32 ground balls, 13 caused turnovers)
Adam Ghitelman, senior G (8.24 GAA, .548 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Scott McWilliams, freshman D
Rob Emery, freshman A
Mark Cockerton, freshman A
Outlook: Scoring shouldn't be a problem for the Cavaliers, who return five of the six starting attackmen and midfielders who paced the offense to 13.4 goals per game in the regular season — the third-best average in Division I last season. McWilliams and redshirt junior Chris Clements are the leading candidates to join Lovejoy on the first defense, which needs a consistent effort from Ghitelman in the postseason. The key could be whether Virginia has become emotionally stronger over the past three years, which have been marred by tragedies.
3. Maryland
ACC
(12-4, NCAA quarterfinals)
Coach: John Tillman (first season; third season overall, 20-19)
Top returning point-getter
Grant Catalino, senior A (34, 20)
Other key returnees
Ryan Young, senior A (18, 30)
Travis Reed, senior A (21, 18)
Brett Schmidt, senior D (36 ground balls, 28 caused turnovers)
Max Schmidt, senior D (39 ground balls, 21 caused turnovers)
Key newcomers
Mike Ehrhardt, freshman D
Emmett Cahill, freshman M
Rustin Bryant, freshman A
Outlook: The Terps continue to flex their muscle on opposite ends of the field. Catalino, Young and Reed have enough scoring punch to carry the offense, but they could use a little help from juniors Joe Cummings and Jake Bernhardt and the rest of the midfield. The Schmidts (no relation) and fellow starter Ryder Bohlander will be asked to play at midseason form in the beginning of the season until the goalie situation between junior Mark White and redshirt freshman Niko Amato is settled.
4. Notre Dame
Big East
(10-7, NCAA final)
Coach: Kevin Corrigan (23nd season, 206-103; 25th season overall, 216-118)
Top returning point-getter
Zach Brenneman, senior M (29, 13)
Other key returnees
David Earl, senior M (22, 6)
Kevin Randall, junior D (22 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers)
Kevin Ridgway, senior D (21 ground balls, 7 caused turnovers)
John Kemp, sophomore G (7.52 GAA, .569 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Edison Parzanese, senior A
Westy Hopkins, freshman A
Liam O'Connor, freshman M
Outlook: Defense propelled the Fighting Irish through the postseason, and that unit figures to be an area of strength again. Randall and Ridgway are back as starters, and the return of senior Sam Barnes and junior Jake Brems from injuries that sidelined them last season should alleviate some of the pressure on Kemp, who has the unenviable task of succeeding Scott Rodgers; the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA tournament, Rodgers surrendered just 22 goals and made 53 saves in four tournament games. Offense is the biggest question for this team, which ranked 39th in scoring last spring.
OTHER STATE SCHOOLS
Johns Hopkins
Independent
(7-8, NCAA first round)
Coach: Dave Pietramala (11th season, 113-38; 14th season overall, 136-55)
Top returning point-getter
Kyle Wharton, senior A (24 goals, 9 assists)
Other key returnees
Chris Boland, senior A (4, 0)
Tucker Durkin, sophomore D (25 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers)
Chris Lightner, sophomore D (20 ground balls)
Pierce Bassett, sophomore G (9.90 goals-against average, .536 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Jack Reilly, freshman D
Tobias Armour, freshman LSM
Brandon Benn, freshman A
Outlook: Less than a year removed from compiling the program's first sub-.500 record since 1971, the Blue Jays are eager to bury that memory. To do so, the team will need Boland, who is returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, to jell immediately with Wharton and sophomore Zach Palmer. The ongoing development of sophomore midfielders John Ranagan and John Greeley will also play a significant role.
Eastern College Athletic Conference
(9-5, NCAA first round)
Coach: Charley Toomey (fifth season, 38-29)
Top returning point-getter
Matt Langan, senior A (16, 18)
Other key returnees
Eric Lusby, senior M (20, 5)
Steve Dircks, senior D (34 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers)
John Schiavone, senior faceoff specialist (90 ground balls, .599 percentage)
Jake Hagelin, senior G (8.24 GAA , .544 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Chris Palmer, senior M
Mike Sawyer, sophomore A
Pat Laconi, freshman SSDM
Outlook: For the Greyhounds to overtake Denver for the ECAC championship, they are going to have to find options to replace attackmen Collin Finnerty (24, 12) and Cooper MacDonnell (22, 6). Graduation also claimed defensemen Steve Layne and Kyle Cottrell, but Hagelin was tied for seventh with an 8.25 goals-against average. Schiavone ranked sixth in faceoff percentage last season.
(12-5, NCAA first round)
Coach: Tom Gravante (16th season, 106-131)
Top returning point-getter
Cody Lehrer, junior A (48, 9)
Other key returnees
Andrew Scalley, sophomore A (32, 17)
Brett Schmidt, junior A (17, 21)
Bryant Schmidt, junior M (21, 16)
T.C. DiBartolo, senior G (8.81 GAA, .606 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Shane Pierce, freshman D
Tim Durkin, freshman D
Kyle McDonough, freshman M
Outlook: The Mountaineers returned to the NCAA tournament by capturing the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and its automatic qualifier, but an automatic qualifier is not at stake in the newly formed Northeast Conference. An offense that averaged 10.6 goals last spring did not lose a single player to graduation. DiBartolo and senior defenseman Andrew Miller are back, but replacing defensemen Russell Moncure and Matt Nealis will be quite a task.
Navy
(7-8, missed NCAA tournament)
Coach: Richie Meade (17th season, 138-88; 20th season overall, 165-111)
Top returning point-getter
Andy Warner, senior M (22, 15)
Other key returnees
Nikk Davis, junior M (7, 7)
Michael Hirsch, senior D (26 ground balls, 17 caused turnovers)
Matt Vernam, junior D (13 ground balls)
R.J. Wickham, junior G (8.55 GAA, .593 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Tucker Hull, freshman A
Sam Jones, freshman A
Harrison Chaires, freshman A
Outlook: The Midshipmen had eight losses, the most under coach Richie Meade since he took over for the 1995 season. The team is one of Meade's youngest, with 27 freshmen and 12 sophomores on the 56-man roster. The defense is solid with Wickham, Hirsch and Vernam, but a young, inexperienced attack poses the biggest question for Navy.
Colonial Athletic Association
(7-8, missed NCAA tournament)
Coach: Tony Seaman (13th season, 96-83; 30th season overall, 260-156)
Top returning point-getter
Tim Stratton, senior A (15, 18)
Other key returnees
Matt Hughes, sophomore A (13, 4)
Matt Lamon, junior A (10, 4)
Marc Ingerman, senior D (13 ground balls)
Travis Love, senior G (9.24 GAA, .556 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Andrew Hodgson, freshman M
Thomas DeNapoli, freshman A
Zach Brown, freshman A
Outlook: The Tigers have reached the past two CAA tournament championship finals but fallen short of grabbing the win and the subsequent automatic qualifier. The attack unit will be the foundation of the offense, but graduation took a toll on the midfield and defense. Love and Ingerman anchor the defense, but can they build cohesion with junior Michael Landy and redshirt freshman John Fennessy?
UMBC
(4-9, missed NCAA tournament)
Coach: Don Zimmerman (18th season, 129-108; 25th season overall, 202-123)
Top returning point-getter
Rob Grimm, junior A (16, 11)
Other key returnees
Jamie Kimbles, senior M (12, 9)
Shane Ryznar, junior A (9, 1)
Tim Shaeffer, junior D (16 ground balls)
Aaron Verardi, junior D
Key newcomers
Greg Korvin, freshman A
Zach Linkous, freshman M
Ian Gray, freshman D
Outlook: After finishing with their worst record since 1996, the Retrievers have a 36-player roster, 28 of whom are freshmen and sophomores. That youth is especially prevalent in the midfield, where as many as five first-year players could contribute. Shaeffer and Verardi will try to shut off opponents, who will be shooting against sophomore Adam Choen and junior Brian McCullough in the net.
BEST OF THE OUTSIDERS
Army
Patriot League
(11-6, NCAA quarterfinals)
Coach: Joe Alberici (sixth season, 40-38; seventh season overall, 48-44)
Top returning point-getter
Jeremy Boltus, senior A (29 goals, 38 assists)
Other key returnees
Garrett Thul, sophomore A (41, 9)
Bill Henderson, senior D (44 ground balls, 19 caused turnovers)
Tim Henderson, junior LSM (56 ground balls, 32 caused turnovers)
Tom Palesky, senior G (9.32 GAA, .556 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Taylor Bethea, freshman A
Tyler Kamide, freshman M
John Burk, freshman D
Outlook: What can the Black Knights do for an encore after upending Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA tournament and advancing to the quarterfinals? A lot will depend on Boltus and Thul, who power the offense. The Henderson brothers and Palesky anchor the defense. If a midfield led by senior Rob McCallion (9, 17) and junior Devin Lynch (14, 7) complement the attack, this program could make some noise.
(12-6, NCAA semifinal)
Coach: Ben DeLuca (first season)
Top returning point-getter
Rob Pannell, junior A (29, 51)
Other key returnees
Steve Mock, sophomore A (21, 2)
Roy Lang, junior M (16, 6)
Max Feely, senior D (30 ground balls)
A.J. Fiore, sophomore G (8.69 GAA, .545 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Peter Mumford, junior D
Cody Bremner, freshman A
Connor Entenmann, freshman A/M
Outlook: DeLuca takes over for Jeff Tambroni, who left for Penn State. . Getting to a fourth Final Four in the past five years will begin with Pannell, a favorite to be a Tewaaraton Award finalist. The defense should be strong with the return of all three starting defensemen (Feely and sophomores Jason Noble and Mike Bronzino) and Fiore.
Denver
ECAC
(12-5, NCAA first round)
Coach: Bill Tierney (second season, 12-5; 27th season overall, 284-98)
Top returning point-getter
Alex Demopoulos, junior A (36, 24)
Other key returnees
Mark Matthews, junior A (38, 11)
Cameron Flint, sophomore M (23, 2)
Patrick Rogers, junior M (20, 5)
Todd Baxter, senior A (13, 9)
Key newcomers
Jamie Faus, freshman G
Harley Brown, freshman D
John Zurlo, freshman D
Outlook: Scoring likely won't be an issue for the Pioneers thanks to the return of the entire starting attack and midfield. The concern is on defense, which said goodbye to all three starting defensemen and the starting goalkeeper. Faus is the leading candidate to start in the cage, but can a freshman solidify a unit for the reigning ECAC champion?
ACC
(16-4, NCAA champion)
Coach: John Danowski (fifth season, 66-13; 29th season overall, 285-152)
Top returning point-getter
Zach Howell, senior A (51, 19)
Other key returnees
Justin Turri, junior M (20, 17)
Robert Rotanz, junior M (9, 4)
C.J. Costabile, junior LSM (4, 5, 65 ground balls)
Dan Wigrizer, sophomore G (9.41 GAA, .508 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Jesse Fehr, senior A
Jordan Wolf, freshman M
Christian Walsh, freshman M
Outlook: An offense that ranked second in the country with 13.5 goals per game will rely heavily on Howell and Turri to fill the void created by the departure of Ned Crotty (23, 63), Max Quinzani (68, 14) and Steve Schoeffel (19, 6). A defense that graduated Parker McKee and Dan Theodoridis took another hit after senior Michael Manley tore an anterior cruciate ligament in the summer. The Blue Devils welcomed a talented group of freshmen, who might be asked to contribute immediately.
CAA
(9-5, NCAA first round)
Coach: Seth Tierney (fifth season, 36-23)
Top returning point-getter
Jamie Lincoln, senior A (33, 20)
Other key returnees
Jay Card, senior A (31, 22)
Stephen Bentz, senior A (29, 12)
Mike Skudin, senior D (29 ground balls, 13 caused turnovers)
Andrew Gvozden, sophomore G (9.30 GAA, .522 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Steve Serling, senior M
Ian Braddish, sophomore M
Jack Moorehead, freshman D
Outlook: Adding Serling and Braddish — who transferred from Lafayette and North Carolina, respectively — to an offense that already includes Lincoln, Card and Bentz gives the Pride an experienced unit that might be in midseason stride when the year begins. Gvozden will start as the goalie, but sophomore Rob Bellairs is waiting in the wings if Gvozden struggles.
North Carolina
ACC
(13-3, NCAA quarterfinals)
Coach: Joe Breschi (third season, 25-9; 14th season overall, 117-72)
Top returning point-getter
Billy Bitter, senior A (22, 22)
Other key returnees
Thomas Wood, junior A (30, 13)
Jimmy Dunster, junior M (17, 13)
Ryan Flanagan, senior D (51 ground balls, 36 caused turnovers)
Chris Madalon, senior G (8.86 GAA, .522 save percentage)
Key newcomers
Nicky Galasso, freshman A
Mark McNeill, freshman M
R.G. Keenan, freshman F-O
Outlook: Graduation sapped the Tar Heels of two starting midfielders, and two more transferred elsewhere. Still, if Bitter can avoid injuries that hindered him last spring and return to his 2009 numbers, the offense shouldn't really miss a beat. Defensively, Madalon, Flanagan and junior defenseman Charlie McComas should make it tough for opposing scorers. Keenan and senior Michael Burns will be counted on to kick-start a quiet faceoff unit.
America East
(13-4, NCAA quarterfinals)
Coach: Rick Sowell (fifth season, 37-22; 12th season overall, 43-42)
Top returning point-getter
Kevin Crowley, senior M (51, 26)
Other key returnees
Tom Compitello, senior A (37, 35)
Jordan McBride, senior A (48, 8)
Kyle Belton, junior A (23, 5)
Adam Rand, senior F-O (81 ground balls, .616 faceoff percentage)
Key newcomers
Kyle Moeller, junior D
Jak Wawrzyniak, freshman D
Matt Bellando, freshman A
Outlook: After ending a seven-year absence from the NCAA tournament, the Seawolves are eager to advance to the school's first final four. An offense that ranked third in the country last season at 13.4 goals per game remains just as effective with Crowley, a Tewaaraton Award finalist, Compitello and McBride. Rand gives Stony Brook plenty of chances. A lot will depend on whether an untested defense, led by fifth-year goalkeeper Rob Camposa, can rise to the challenge.