A dozen Lasell men’s lacrosse players earn GNAC post-season honors

NEWTON, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its All-Conference Men's Lacrosse Teams on Monday, and a program-record 12 players from Lasell College were recognized for their performances in 2019. The All-GNAC Teams are voted on by the conference's head coaches.

Senior attack Ryan Madden (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) and senior defenseman David Sheehan (Tewksbury, Mass./Central Catholic) earned the conference's top honors, being named GNAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. Freshman attack James Anderson (Medway, Mass./Medway) also received a top honor as GNAC Rookie of the Year.

Joining Madden and Sheehan on the All-GNAC First Team were senior defenseman Evan Abatiell (Rutland, Vt.), senior midfielder Mike Susi (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) and junior short-stick defensive midfielder Brendan Johnson (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth South).

Lasell had five selections on the All-GNAC Second Team – sophomore attack Andrew Fidalgo (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug), sophomore midfielder Colby Buccheri (Rowley, Mass./Triton Regional), junior face-off specialist Ben Werner (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet), sophomore defenseman Tyler Rose (Springfield, Mass./Minnechaug), and freshman goalie Alex Beauchemin (Westfield, Mass./Westfield). Rounding out Lasell's selections as Third Team picks were Anderson at attack and junior Dan Gorman (Wilbraham, Mass./Bridgton Academy) as a long-stick midfielder.

Lasell's dozen All-Stars helped the team finish with a program-best 16-2 overall record (8-0 GNAC) under fourth-year head coach Bill Mason, including a program-record 15-game winning streak, and rank sixth in the nation in Division III in scoring defense. Lasell also received the GNAC Team Sportsmanship Award for men's lacrosse.

Ryan Madden	David Sheehan	James Anderson	Evan Abatiell	Mike Susi	Brendan Johnson
Andrew Fidalgo	Colby Buccheri	Ben Werner	Tyler Rose	Alex Beauchemin	Dan Gorman

Madden led the team and ranked second in the GNAC in scoring with 70 points, including a school-record 48 goals (second-most in the conference) and 22 assists (tied for eighth in the GNAC). He led a Laser offense that ranked second in the GNAC with 13.11 goals per game.

Madden finished off a record-setting career for the Lasers. He wound up with 163 goals, 58 assists and 221 points, setting the all-time goal scoring marks for a season and career, and finishing second all-time in points. He is a four-time All-GNAC selection, earning Second Team honors as a freshman in 2016 and First Team accolades the next three seasons.

Sheehan has been a staple for the Laser defense the past four seasons, earning his third All-GNAC selection and second straight First Team nod. He led the conference and ranked 31st nationally this season with 44 caused turnovers, and finished second on the team and seventh in the conference with 67 ground balls. Sheehan, who was usually assigned to mark the opponents' top attackers, was also Lasell's representative on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

Sheehan winds up an outstanding career for the Lasers, starting every game the past four years. He owns school records for caused turnovers in a season (49) and career (165), and shares the mark for a single-game (7). His 165 caused turnovers in a career ranks among the top 10 in history in the NCAA for Division III.

Abatiell and Rose joined Sheehan as shut-down defenders on the GNAC's top defense. Rose was second in the conference with 28 caused turnovers, including a school record-tying seven in one game, and Abatiell was eighth with 18 caused turnovers. A four-year veteran and two-year starter, Abatiell finishes his career with 66 ground balls and 36 caused turnovers. Rose was the GNAC Rookie of the Week after his record seven caused turnovers in a game.

Susi and Anderson finished tied for third on the team and tied for 15th in the GNAC with 49 points. Anderson scored 36 goals and added 13 assists, and was the GNAC Rookie of the Week six times this season. Susi finished with 31 goals and 18 assists, and joined Madden and Sheehan on the GNAC All-Tournament Team. Susi finishes his career with 80 goals and 31 assists for 111 points.

Johnson and Gorman were among the unsung heroes on the Laser defense, Johnson as a short-stick middie and Gorman as a long-stick middie. Johnson picked up 27 ground balls and causes nine turnovers, while Gorman collected 25 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers, 15th-most in the conference. Gorman was the 2017 GNAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team selection before an injury forced him to miss nearly all of last season.

Fidalgo had another outstanding season for the Laser offense, finishing second on the team and 11th in the conference with 54 points, including 28 goals and a team-leading 26 assists, tied for third-most in the GNAC. These numbers came on the heels of a 40-point rookie campaign, giving him 94 points on 47 goals and 47 assists in two seasons. Fidalgo was also the GNAC Player of the Week twice this season.

Buccheri had a breakout season for the Lasers, finishing fifth on the team with 24 goals, 10 assists and 34 points, ranking 21st in the GNAC in goals. He started all 18 games at midfield, and also picked up 23 ground balls. He looks to be an even bigger factor for the Lasers going forward with the graduation of two key offensive players.

Werner earns an All-GNAC honor for the second straight year, having been a Third Team selection a year ago. He was second in the conference and 32nd nationally in Division III this season in face-off percentage (.632), winning 172-of-272 face-offs to set the program record for face-off wins and winning percentage. He also ranked second in the GNAC with 100 ground balls.

Beauchemin started 17 of 18 games in goal for Lasell, finishing with a 15-2 record and a school-record 6.55 goals against average, which led the GNAC and ranked fourth nationally in Division III. He made 116 saves with a .550 save percentage, fifth-best in the GNAC. Beauchemin received both GNAC Rookie and Player of the Week honors this spring in addition to his All-Conference accolade.

2019 GNAC All-Conference Team

First Team
A – Brandon Pavoni, Anna Maria
A – Ryan Madden, Lasell
A – Michael Finn, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
M – Ben Farrell, Johnson & Wales
M – Mike Susi, Lasell
M – Cody Moore, Norwich
LSM – Peter Orlandella, Norwich
SSM – Brendan Johnson, Lasell
F/O – Joseph Santangelo, Norwich
D – Evan Abatiell, Lasell
D – David Sheehan, Lasell
D – Jacob Center, Norwich
GK – Paul Schwarz, Anna Maria

Second Team
A – Andrew Fidalgo, Lasell
A – Colby Larsen, Rivier
A – Shane Puleo, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
M – Ben Hartig-Orr, Emmanuel
M – Colby Buccheri, Lasell
M – Eric Guinasso, Rivier
LSM – Alex Osmanski, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
SSM – Christian Williams, Norwich
F/O – Ben Werner, Lasell
D – Tyler Rose, Lasell
D – Jake Giannelli, Norwich
D – Raymond Emery, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
GK – Alex Beauchemin, Lasell

Third Team
A – Matt Katon, Emmanuel
A – James Anderson, Lasell
A – Dylan McSparren, Rivier
M – Matt Gelb, Johnson & Wales
M – John Jennings, Norwich
M – Zack Hamilton, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
LSM – Dan Gorman, Lasell
SSM – Zach D'Amico, Johnson & Wales
F/O – Shane Fors, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
D – Kyle Benning, Anna Maria
D – Connor Prangley, Emmanuel
D – Sean Wallace, Norwich
GK – Nick Kandra, Norwich

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Ryan Madden, Lasell
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – David Sheehan, Lasell
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR – Paul Schwarz, Anna Maria
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – James Anderson, Lasell
COACH OF THE YEAR – Bill Cosentino, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
INSTITUTIONAL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD – Lasell

ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Mykel Stinson, Albertus Magnus
James Wieliczko, Anna Maria
Jacob Hill - Emmanuel
Jake deMey, Johnson & Wales
David Sheehan , Lasell
Ian Kriger, Norwich
George Nicolopoulos , Regis
Chris Pennie, Rivier

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