Photo by: Freshman goalie Ryan LaPlante, redshirt sophomore defender Drew Babb, senior midfielder Patrick Rogers and freshman defender Mark Riis protect the Pioneer goal. Denverb
Despite a defense made up of underclassmen, most in their first year of playing the position, the Pioneers have managed to reduce their goals allowed per game by more than an entire goal since last season. After graduating its top six defensemen, Denver has had to rely heavily on the younger players this season.
Head coach Bill Tierney said he has seen the defense truly come together this season, as they have improved from averaging giving up 9.2 goals per game last year to only eight per game so far this season.
Stepping up to lead the team this season is redshirt sophomore Drew Babb, who lost two years of play as a medical redshirt resulting from his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and avascular necrosis. Babb is the oldest defensive player on the team, with the exception of senior Henry Mientka, a short-stick midfielder.
“Drew Babb has been the leader out there. He has defeated cancer, but he hasn’t played for two years,” said Tierney. “We changed him from a midfielder to a defenseman, but even though it’s in his first year of playing defense in his life, he’s the older guy and he’s the one that’s leading the defense.”
Babb, despite only beginning on defense this year, has had to step up after junior Kyle Hercher sustained a concussion against Penn State, the week before sophomore goalie Jamie Faus’ injury, and has been out since. Hercher is expected to play in this weekend’s game against Fairfield.
“When [Hercher] got injured, there wasn’t anyone on defense that had significant experience, so really everyone has had to step up,” said Babb. “I think the fact that we don’t have a returning starter on defense has pushed us to work harder and get the most out of each other, which has been fun to be a part of.”
During his injury, Hercher has helped from the sidelines as Babb took the reigns on the field.
“When I was out, I tried to watch as much as I could and give advice about what I was seeing,” said Hercher. “We all started playing together early on this year, so they kind of had a feel for what was going on, even without me there. Drew is just a natural leader. He’s very vocal and he’s always asking questions and trying to get better. I didn’t really have to do anything special to get him going; he just stepped into a leadership role and embraced the fact that he’s a leader on the team.”
Also stepping up for Denver is freshman goalie Ryan LaPlante, who took over for the injured Faus on March 20 against Cornell.
“We have a young goalie who had 16 saves the other night [against Bellarmine on April 6], a freshman who has just been fantastic in taking over the starting role since Jamie Faus got hurt,” said Tierney. “Ryan LaPlante did a great job the other night.”
Denver has also seen strong performances from freshman defenseman Carson Cannon and freshmen long-stick defensive midfielders Mike Riis and Nick Gorman. The trio of freshmen has stepped up to help strengthen the Pioneer defense.
“They are young, but I’m proud of how they have come,” said Tierney. “I think it’s pretty much under the direction of Drew Babb.”
The freshman trio has had an adjustment period, but they have learned from experiences such as the game against Team USA, where the Pioneers fell 16-15 in overtime on Jan. 29.
“One of the biggest confidence boosters for us was when we played Team USA, which is all guys who have graduated college, and seeing how we matched up against them,” said Riis. “We did not play that bad, so that kind of helped us to see that we’re there.”
Cannon said he also learned from the older players to adjust to the college atmosphere.
“You’ve got to give in and just try to kind of pick up everything they’ve passed because it’s a whole new game,” said Cannon.
Under the direction of Babb, the young line has begun to come together to be a stronger team and help the Pioneer offense.
The Pioneer offense has struggled to cash in on scoring opportunities this season, according to Tierney, and without the standout performances that the defense has been delivering, the Pioneers would be in a different place this season.
“I think they are really coming together. Henry Miketa, who plays short-stick, is a senior for us, but everybody else is either in their first year playing [defense] or a freshman,” said Tierney. “Honestly, if you look at our season, our defense has progressed fine; it’s our offense that’s been a little bit erratic. We know we have the talent and we know we can score, but sometimes it’s been few and far between getting the amount of goals that we should.”
Gorman also agreed with Tierney that Babb has been a key part in leading the team, and has been an important aspect of the transition for the freshman line.
“I’d just say defensively I kind of look up to the older guys like Drew and Kyle. I know Kyle is out with a concussion right now, but we kind of looked up to them because they taught us a lot of defensive strategies,” said Gorman.
Along with the team coming together, Babb said in leading the young line, he has learned much from them, despite teaching them.
“Honestly, I think they have taught me just as much as I’ve taught them. I guess one thing I try to emphasize during games is to just stick to what we do,” said Babb. “We play against one of the best offenses in the country every day in practice, and our coaches prepare us so well for the games that if we just play fast and like we know how, we’ll be fine.”
