Rick Berkman Head Coach Seventh Season 48-32 Watertown, NY Salisbury State '92

Rick Berkman is entering his seventh season as the head coach of the menís lacrosse program at SUNY Potsdam, and in that time he has brought the Bears laxmen to new heights. During Berkmanís tenure the Bears have had six winning seasons, four post-season appearances, a conference championship and an impressive 20-8 mark in conference play. In 1997, Berkman was named Empire Lacrosse League "Coach of the Year" after guiding Potsdam to its first-ever Empire Lacrosse League championship. Berkman also guided the Bears to the first of four post-season appearances in 1997. In 1998, Berkman was named USLCA (Unites States Lacrosse Coaches Association) "Man of the Year". Berkman was recognized for his contributions to the growth of lacrosse in the North Country. He has organized several lacrosse clinics, tournaments and youth leagues since his arrival to Potsdam. In 1999, the Bears reached the ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) Championship game and came within one goal of winning their first post-season title. In 2000, the Bears set a school record for wins in a season with 10 and were an ECAC semi-finalist reaching the post-season for the fourth consecutive year. Berkman also serves as a Physical Education Instructor at SUNY Potsdam and is on the NCAA Lacrosse Advisory Committee. He will also be coaching the Menís Varsity Golf team which will begin play in the fall of 2001. Prior to Potsdam Berkman served as assistant coach at Salisbury State, where he helped guide the Seagulls to three consecutive NCAA tournaments and their first NCAA National Championship in 1995. As a player for the Seagulls, Berkman led the team to a National Championship appearance in 1991 only to fall one goal short to eventual champion Hobart College. That season he was named a first team All-American and captained his team in the prestigious North/South game. During the summer months Berkman works several lacrosse camps and clinics including All-American, Colorado, Vermont, and Hobart Lacrosse camps. He is also an avid golfer in the summer months and hockey player during the winter.

Todd Kaiser Assitant Coach Liverpool, NY Penn State '99

Todd Kaiser enters his second season as assistant lacrosse coach at SUNY Potsdam. He joins the staff after a very successful collegiate career. Kaiser began his collegiate career at Herkimer Community College where he won a National Championship in 1996. In 1997, Kaiser earned first team All-American honors while playing attack for Herkimer. In 1998, Kaiser transferred to Penn State where he started for two seasons for the division I Nittany Lions. His responsibilities include recruiting of student-athletes, organizing on-campus visits, and working with the teams offense and extra-man units. He also works several lacrosse camps during the summer months. Kaiser, a Liverpool native is currently working on his masters degree in elementary education which he will finish in the spring of 2002.

The SUNY potsdam menís lacrosse team enters itís seventh season under the direction of head coach Rick Berkman. During Berkmanís tenure he has guided the Bears to a league championship and four consecutive post-season appearances.

The outlook is bright for the 2001 Bears as they return several key players from last years team, which finished the season as an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament semi-finalist.

The Bears finished the 2000 season in second place in the SUNYAC conference with a 4-2 record. This years conference champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and the Bears feel good about there chances for a first ever NCAA appearance.

"This years team will be very solid from top to bottom as we return three of our top four leading scorers and the entire starting defense and goalie are back".

ATTACK

Leading the Bears attack this season will be Jedidiah Hammill (Brasher Falls,NY) a junior who has amassed 63 goals and 28 assists in his first two years at Potsdam. He was a second team SUNYAC selection a year ago and was the Empire Lacrosse League "Rookie of the Year" in í99. Sophomores Josh Hickey (Carthage,NY 21g 6a)) and Erik Lemelbaum (Syracuse,NY 8g) return after having solid freshman years in which both saw considerable time in the starting line-up.

Also returning is Ed Pieper (Albany,NY) a highly recruited transfer from Herkimer who sat out last season with an injury. The attack will also be strengthened by seniors Anthony Devita (Syracuse,NY), Jack Charlebois (Potsdam,NY) and freshman Pete Kolson (Canton,NY).

the attack unit returns some key veterans and will be strengthened with the addition of Pieper who had an outstanding fall season".
 
 

OFFENSIVE MIDFIELD

The offensive midfield unit is very strong with the return of four players who have all started at some point in their careers. Leading this unit will be senior captain and All-American candidate Brian Austin (East Syracuse,NY), who has received first-team SUNYAC honors the past two seasons. He was also the Bears leading scorer in 2000 and has totaled 67 goals and 81 assists in his three seasons which ranks him fourth in career points at SUNY Potsdam. Sophomore Eric Lehman (Lowville,NY) was voted the Bears "Rookie of the Year" in í00 and is ready for a breakout year this spring. Joining Austin and Lehman on the first line will be senior captain Tom Partigianoni (Cortland,NY) who has averaged 15 points per season throughout his career.

Also returning to the Bears midfield are senior Mark Arquiett (Brasher Falls,NY), junior Matt Foster (Liverpool,NY), sophomore Kevin Keegan (Cortland,NY) and freshmen Chris Minei (Fairport,NY) and Dan Cook (Vestal,NY).

OUR DEPTH AND TALENT AT MIDFIELD SHOULD ALLOW US TO PLAY AN UP-TEMPO TRANSITION STYLE OF LACROSSE THIS SEASON"

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD

The defensive midfield is solid with the return of senior Rex Ratliff (East Syracuse,NY) who is considered the Bears top short-stick cover defender. Ratliff is in his fourth year with the Bears and he also is a starting guard and captain for the menís basketball team. He will be joined by senior face-off man John Herriman (Rochester,NY) and senior Brian Resnick (Merrick,NY) who is also a captain and guard for tne menís basketball team.

At long-stick midfield, junior Bubba Ayrassian (Canton,NY) returns after being named an honorable-mention SUNYAC all-star in 2000. He is a very tenacious defender with excellent stick checks and has a knack for getting groundballs. He will backed up by sophomore Tom Giamichael (Cortland,NY) who had a very solid freshman year and will also face-off for the Bears in 2001.

"the defensive midfield unit will be very strong with excellent depth and veteran leadership"

CLOSE DEFENSE

The Bears close defense returns its entire starting unit and will be led by senior captain Nate Paquette (Middlebury,VT) who is a very tough, physical defender. Sophomores Brandon Webster (Vestal,NY) and Andy Ewing (Endicott,NY) return after starting every game for the Bears as freshman. Webster is the Bears top 1x1 defender who received honorable-mention SUNYAC status during his freshman campaign. Ewing is the Bears top takeaway guy who possesses excellent stick skills and plays an intrical part in the clearing game.

Sophomore Mike Sergi (Canton,NY) is a transfer from Canton Tech who will add some experience and depth to the Bears defense. Also vying for time at the close defense will be senior Andy Weir (Whitesboro,NY), sophomore Andrew Rizzi (Albany,NY), and a trio of freshman including Josh Crump (Brownville,NY), Doug Lampert (Chittenango,NY) and Kevin Streeter (Homer,NY).

"our defense throughout the past year has developed into one of the strengths of our team"

GOAL

Junior Chris Serve (Pittsford,NY) had an outstanding sophomore season in which he started every game in goal for the Bears and was voted the teams defensive MVP. He was voted an honorable-mention SUNYAC all-star last year after making 227 saves and holding opponents to 9.4 goals a game. Chris had an outstanding fall season and is ready to lead the defense again this year. Junior Terry Roehm (Liverpool,NY) and sophomore Brian Albanese (East Syracuse,NY) are very capable goalies and will look to push Serve for the starting position.

" our goaltending will be a definite strength as all three keepers are capable of getting the job done"
 
 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brian Austin

Brian has been the heart and soul of the Bears midfield for the past three seasons and he is a solid candidate for All-American honors this year. He is currently fourth on the Bears all time scoring list with 67 goals and 81 assists for 148 points. He is a two year captain and three year conference all-star garnering first team accolades the past two seasons. He is capable of taking over a game and usually plays his best against our top opponents, which was evident in last years 10 points performance in a win over SUNYAC rival Oneonta. We expect Brian to have an outstanding senior year.

Jedidiah Hammill

Jed has had an outstanding start to his career and has amassed 63 goals and 28 assists in his first two years for the Bears. In his freshman season he was named the conferences "Rookie of the Year" and has been named a second team SUNYAC all-star for two straight seasons. A fixture in the Bears starting line-up since his first game, Jed is athletic enough to play either midfield or attack for the Bears. He is a prolific goal scorer who could one day be the programs all-time leading scorer. We are very excited to have Jed for two more years.

Tom Partigianoni

Tom has been a constant in the Bears line-up for his entire career. He started his career as an attackman and received honorable-mention ELL status as a freshman. He has since moved to midfield where he has run on the second unit for the past two years. Tom has scored 48 goals with 11 assists in his career and will look to add to those totals in 2001. Tom is a very versatile player who consistently makes good decisions on the field. He is an outstanding leader and has been named a team captain for his senior year.

Bubba Ayrassian

Bubba is the Bears mainstay at long-stick middie and had an outstanding sophomore year garnering honorable-mention SUNYAC status in just his first year playing the position. He is an extremely hard worker who can almost always be found in the weight room. He possesses excellent athleticism and his speed is a key to starting the Bears transition game. With another year of experience behind him Bubba is ready to lead the Bears back to the playoffs in 2001.He will also be one of the Bears four captains this year and the only junior to receive this honor.

Nate Paquette

Nate started every game for the Bears in 2000 and will look to lead the Bears defense again this year. He is the teams vocal leader and also one of the hardest workers on the team. He is regarded as one of the toughest players on the team who plays a very physical style on the field. Nate will mainly play crease defense and look to punish opponents who dare go through the middle. He has also been named a team captain for the upcoming season.

Chris Serve

Chris was a welcome addition to the Bears a year ago and started every game in the 2000 season. He is an excellent stopper who excels at clearing the ball and doesnít hesitate to run it the length of the field. Chris is a vital part of the transition game and with his pin-point outlets he can create scoring opportunities from his end of the field. He was an honorable-mention SUNYAC all-star a year ago and is determined to be a first teamer this year. He allowed 9.4 goals a game last year and made 227 saves.

Menís Lacrosse Information

Head CoachÖÖÖÖÖ. Rick Berkman

Office #ÖÖÖÖÖÖÖ (315)267-2317

E-MailÖÖÖÖÖÖÖ..berkmarw@potsdam.edu

Asst. CoachÖÖÖÖÖ. Todd Kaiser

Office #ÖÖÖÖÖÖÖ (315)267-2348

E-MailÖÖÖÖÖÖÖ.. kaiser25@potsdam.edu

Athletic DirectorÖÖÖ.. Jim Zalacca

Athletic PhoneÖÖÖÖ. (315)267-3135

ConferenceÖÖÖÖÖ.. SUNYAC

Bears HotlineÖÖÖÖ.. (315)267-2152
 
 

SUNY Potsdam Homepage