JOSH HERWITT
Josh is CSTV.com's men's basketball editor and writes a weekly national column. E-mail here!
If you asked him at the start of the 2007 season, Nick Sciubba never would have thought that he would be finishing the year as the nation's leader in two statistical categories.
In fact, he didn't think he'd even be seeing much time on the field.
From the time he graduated from SalisburySchool and set foot in Amherst, Mass., as a freshman for UMass, Sciubba longed to be a starting goaltender at a Division I school.
But for over a year, all he got was a view from the sidelines.
That's why after playing backup to Doc Schneider throughout the 2006 season and watching the Minutemen upset team after team in the NCAA tournament only to lose in the championship game against undefeated Virginia, the Sea Cliff, N.Y. native began looking elsewhere for playing time before his sophomore campaign.
What he came across was a new opportunity in Lewisburg, Pa., where a Bucknell team under first-year head coach Frank Fedorjaka struggled at times, finishing 2006 with a 6-8 record.
So when the Bucknell coach named Matt Antonelli the starting goaltender at the start of the 2007 season, it was Sciubba who was once again stuck in the backseat as the Bison's backup goalie.
"He came into a tough situation," Fedorjaka explained. "Any time you have a transfer, it's tough for them to be accepted right away. Here he is as a goalie and his competition was [also] a sophomore."
Little did the rest of the country realize, however, was that while Cornell's Matt McMonagle and Princeton's Alex Hewit were attracting much of the preseason headlines back in February, Sciubba was suited up in Orange and Blue, ready to prove that he was just as talented as any other goalie if that opportunity ever came his way.
Then, in the second game of the season, with the Bison facing a 5-2 deficit in the second quarter against Hobart, Sciubba finally got his chance.
"Coach told me to always be ready, and I told him that I would be ready if my chance did come," Sciubba recalled. "If I ever got that chance I was definitely going to look to take advantage of it."
And take advantage he did.
Within the first 10 seconds of stepping into the cage, it was Sciubba who made an instant impact, stuffing a Hobart shot from point-blank range and quickly out-letting the ball to the other end of the field for a crucial transition goal as Bucknell came back to win in overtime.
That was the first impression he would make on Fedorjaka and certainly not the last. From that point forward in fact, the starting goalkeeping duties became Sciubba's to lose.
"From that second that he got inserted into the Hobart game, he wasn't going to let that opportunity slip away," Fedorjaka said. "I give Nick a lot of credit for hanging in there, seizing the moment and taking advantage of the opportunity that was given to him. Not many people actually do that."
Not many people could also finish the season as nation's leader in save percentage (.641) and goals-against average (6.24), and that's just what Sciubba did in 2007.
Sciubba's performance in the cage this season was impressive to say the least, allowing six goals or less in all but three of his appearances for Bucknell (11-4 in 2007).
One of those games included a 12-save performance against Penn State in the Bison's 7-5 victory at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, while Sciubba managed to keep the Bison close in a 6-3 loss to Patriot League champion Navy, stopping a stellar 13 shots from the Midshipmen.
Not to mention, it helps when you have the nation's second-ranked defense, which allowed just 6.33 goals per game this season, playing in front of you.
"To play behind a defense that I had made my job a lot easier," Sciubba acknowledged. "It was those guys who really made things a lot easier for me and played unbelievable all year."
Even after allowing an unconventional 11 goals in Bucknell's season finale against Patriot League rival Colgate, Sciubba still managed to retain the top save percentage and goals-against average at the end of the year.
"The longer he was here, the more he became accepted by his teammates," Fedorjaka said. "And once that all happened, he really flourished.
"His play at the biggest moments in the games was outstanding. He was a stopper in every sense of the word."
Sciubba has played his way into being Bucknell's starting goaltender for the time being, but he won't be able to feel too comfortable with Antonelli still behind him for his junior and senior years.
"We look at this year as the year that really brought our program to the next level," the rising junior said. "As high as the expectations were for this year, they're going to be higher next year."
That dilemma for Sciubba, on the other hand, is a comforting thought for Fedorjaka, who now can enjoy the luxury of having two seasoned and knowledgeable goalies going into next season.
So if lacrosse fans were unfamiliar with the name Nick Sciubba before the 2007 season, they'll be sure to know it by the time next February rolls around.
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