Our Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Previews roll on, and at this point, we’ve covered seven NCAA D1 teams (Air Force, Albany, Army, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, and Bryant). Let’s make it eight and finish up with the ‘A’ and ‘B’ schools. We move one more spot down the list to Bucknell, located in Lewisburg, PA.
Bucknell enjoyed a solid 2012, but I’m sure it wasn’t exactly what the team was hoping for. They really were right there, even if they ended the year at 9-7. Three early losses, all of which were very close, nearly sunk the Bison season before it really ever started. Losing to Delaware by 1 in OT, UMass by 2 and then Villanova by 1 in OT is never ideal. However, after that, Bucknell was red hot… at least until the end of the season when they lost another three straight games, this time to Lehigh and then Colgate twice. Two of the three games were once again decided by 1 goal, and Bucknell’s only other loss way to Army… also by 1 goal in OT.
https://youtu.be/ilBEVsaYTYQ
That is a ton of one goal losses. Five to be exact. Add in the 2 goal UMass loss and the Bison were in every single game but one. Like I said, they’re right there.
So what will 2013 bring? Possibly more of the same. Bucknell will once again play a very competitive Patriot League schedule, and they take on OOC foes like Delaware, Bryant, UMass, Cornell, Albany and Penn State. The key for the Bison is reversing the close game trend, and winning those games they in, but eventually lost, last year. That is often easier said than done!
Bucknell returns 6 of their 8 top scorers, and while Billy Eisenreich is gone, players like Todd Heritage, Chase Bailey and Peter Burke could all step up their scoring this year. Kyle Feeney returns for his senior season in goal, and should once again be the backbone of the Bucknell D, which returns lately intact.
Click HERE to see Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview posts for Air Force, Albany, Army, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, and Bryant!
