In an age where specialists rule sports, players like Denver’s Geoff Snider are becoming a dying breed.

The 24-year-old senior from Calgary does not fit the mold of the standard lacrosse player. Snider takes faceoffs for the Pioneers, but his game isn’t limited to the X. He’s also a scorer, defender and all-around threat.

Snider’s jack-of-all-trades game earned Great Western League player of the week honors in late February. The senior midfielder scored three goals and one assist and won 17-of-39 faceoff attempts in the Pioneer Face-Off Classic as the Pioneers won both of their games against North Carolina and Manhattan. Snider leads his team with 12 points (eight goals, four assists) this season and has won 63 percent of his faceoffs.

Denver head coach Jamie Munro said Snider’s diverse skills are rare today, but the Pioneers have had players like him in the past. In each of the past five years, at least one of Munro’s faceoff specialists has contributed on the offensive end as well.

‘I think we really try to make our guys multi-dimensional,’ Munro said. ‘We want complete players.’

Munro said recruiting pure faceoff specialists is hard for programs because it is difficult to tell if those skills will translate to the next level after high school.

Snider was not recruited for his faceoff skills. When he arrived at Denver, he started to train with a faceoff specialist and soon enough he found a new skill.

‘We just started competing,’ Snider said. ‘It’s become a big part of my game now. It’s a whole separate part of the game but it’s a big part.’

To have success winning faceoffs and scoring goals, Snider needs to have superior stick-handling skills. He built a lot of those skills off the lacrosse field and on the ice during his two years playing junior league hockey in Canada before going to Denver.

Snider said he looked at Denver because it had a great hockey tradition, but realized that he would have a better chance at earning a scholarship through lacrosse. Nonetheless, his two years of hockey made him a more polished player.

‘Hockey helped my work ethic,’ Snider said. ‘You have to be mentally tough.’

Hockey did more than just polishing Snider’s skills, according to his coach. Snider was 21 years old when he began his freshman year and will turn 25 next month. As most freshmen contribute to their teams at age 18, Snider has a significant physical edge over his competition.

‘When you’re 22 years old, you may or may not be a man,’ Munro said. ‘(Snider) is a man. He has been through a lot so he is a good leader.’

Munro said the age factor has not been a problem for Snider on or off the field, because he is a serious guy. Snider understands he has a rare opportunity to compete at the college level when many people his age are long past their college days.

‘A lot of guys my age have jobs,’ Snider said. ‘I get to act unlike my age.’

His contributions have helped lead Denver to a 4-1 record and a No. 11 ranking in the Inside Lacrosse Poll. After losing to Virginia to start the season, the Pioneers have won their last four and the players are beginning to think about contending for the national championship.

‘The guys are really realistic,’ Snider said. ‘We would love to win the conference but a lot of guys have their sights set on the Final Four.’

Another Bucknell Upset

The Bison are at it again, but not in basketball. Bucknell upset No. 1 Maryland on March 14 to shake up the top five once again. Freshman Joe Mele scored the game-winning goal with just nine seconds left in the second overtime. The 7-6 loss dropped the Terrapins out of the top spot in the Inside Lacrosse Poll after grabbing it just two weeks before.

Stock Rising

The Hofstra Pride has shot up the rankings to No. 6 in the Media Poll. Hofstra slipped out of the rankings on Feb. 27 after a season-opening loss to Massachusetts. The Pride responded by winning its next four games including victories over Johns Hopkins, North Carolina and Princeton.

Stock Falling

Towson fell another five spots in the I.L. Poll after losing to Virginia on March 19. The Tigers started the season ranked 11th, but have dropped to 20th after posting a 2-3 record and are in danger of falling out of the rankings completely. Syracuse also dropped five spots to No. 16 after losing to Johns Hopkins on the weekend.

Power Five

1. Virginia – The Cavaliers are 8-0 after beating Princeton and Towson, but the real tests are on their way as Johns Hopkins, Maryland and Duke make up three of the last five games on Virginia’s schedule.

2. Cornell – Cornell and Duke squared off Tuesday, sharing the No. 2 ranking in the I.L. Poll. The Big Red emerged victorious, moving the team’s record to 5-0 and giving them sole possession of the No. 2 slot in the Power Five.

3. Maryland – A disappointing loss to Bucknell hurts the Terrapins in the rankings this week, but not enough to drop them from the top five. Don’t forget how Maryland looked against Duke two weeks ago, when they claimed the top spot in the rankings. They could very likely get back there again.

4. Hofstra – The Pride beat Johns Hopkins, North Carolina and Princeton in an eight-day stretch to move its record to 4-1. That type of hot streak hasn’t been seen since Gerry McNamara at Madison Square Garden.

5. Duke – Sure, the Blue Devils have lost two games when many teams ranked below them have lost only one. But Duke’s losses came to No. 2 Cornell and No. 4 Maryland in the I.L. Poll. Saturday’s game against Georgetown will determine who deserves to be in the top five.

Published on March 22, 2006 at 12:00 pm