College Crosse Gameday: How To Watch, Attachments, & Open Thread For April 8, 2018

Three games cap off a weather-filled weekend that still gave us plenty of excitement. Two of those games are Big Ten games. Let’s have some fun.

You can find today’s Big Board directly below. Clicking on the team name will take you to that team’s homepage. Clicking on the Stream cell will take you to the broadcast of that game, while the Live Stats cell will take you to the live stats of that game.

Skittles Scale!

(Ed. Note: For information/entertainment purposes only! #WeDoNotEndorseGambling)

Game Previews

• Rutgers @ Michigan (Noon): Both teams are coming off home losses to open up Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights played a tight game with Johns Hopkins, but lost the game late thanks to a Kyle Marr dagger. Michigan stuck with Maryland for a little over a half before the Terrapins steamrolled the Wolverines in the second half. Is this a game Michigan can steal against a team that is nearly unstoppable at home?
• Sacred Heart @ Saint Joseph’s (1:30 PM): This game was supposed to be played yesterday, but due to the forecast, it was the only Saturday game that was pushed an extra day. The Pioneers gutted out a win last week at home against Mount St. Mary’s. With Robert Morris and Bryant out of the way, the Pioneers will try to continue to march toward a spot in the NEC Tournament with a 1-2 record. St. Joe’s has wins over Hobart and Wagner in their two NEC games, but the meat and potatoes of their conference schedule will begin today.

I need music for this final game:

• Maryland @ Penn State (7 PM): After the return of Sunday Night Lacrosse proved to be a hit (as always), Penn State will try to earn their first non-disputed win against the Terrapins. Wait, why’s that? Well, Maryland says in their history and notes that they’re 35-0 against the Nittany Lions when the series began in 1924. However, Penn State says their record is actually 2-39, with the series beginning in 1916. Those wins came in 1916 and 1920. That’s an extra six games in the series. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Who cares?
  Back to the game, where both teams started off conference play with big wins on the road. The game means more for the Nittany Lions as they’re currently on the bubble. With a win, Maryland could make a push as the top team in the nation thanks to Albany’s loss. The last time both teams met in State College, the Terps squeaked out a win in overtime.

Attachments

Here’s some game notes and previews for tonight’s games:

• Maryland
• Michigan
• Penn State
• Rutgers
• Sacred Heart (There are none)
• Saint Joseph’s

Mark Dixon has some players to watch in today’s games:

Today is Senior Day for the Rutgers guys:

A great story from Griffin Whitmer of The Daily Targum on Scarlet Knights man-down senior defenseman Steve Hillenbrand:

Hillenbrand is also the vice president of the Rutgers Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), where he heads the community service committee and has been a member of the organization all four of his years on the Banks.

”The committee does a phenomenal job providing student athletes with community service opportunities within our own community around Rutgers,” he said. “It gives us a lot of opportunities to give back to the community that does so much for us.”

He is also a multi-year volunteer at the Rutgers Recreation Department’s “Special Friends Day,” where he spent a day participating in activities alongside people with intellectual disabilities.

“It’s so rewarding to come out here and get to know a kid throughout the course of the day and have some fun,” Hillenbrand said at Special Friends Day in March of 2017. “It really gives you a different perspective, helps you to appreciate them more, and definitely opens your eyes to a whole new experience. I’m really happy I’ve come back this year and I’ll definitely be back next year too.”

Hillenbrand said that being a leader in the community and classroom is something he has always taken pride in, but it is also something that extends beyond just him on the team.

”I think coach [Brian] Brecht does a fantastic job at this -- coaches are looking more and more to recruit high-character athletes,” he said. “...(Who) take pride in their academics, take pride in community service. That’s something that I personally take a lot of pride in.”

Michigan will try and play spoiler (and Victor):

Maryland has highlights from last week’s win over Michigan:

Song of the Day

Happy Masters Sunday. Make sure you have two screens on today!

Games start at noon! I’ll see you out there!