April 11, 2008

By Wayne Staats Daily Collegian

April 11, 2008

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (UWIRE) --

His helmet covered up and darkened most of his face, but once Andrew Mackrides started talking, his eyes lit up -- even though he was talking about a game against a winless team.

Mackrides and the rest of the Penn State men's lacrosse team enter tomorrow's 1 p.m. game at St. John's with more excitement than usual with the game's CN8 broadcast.

Senior middie Mackrides, a Newtown Square native, said the game this weekend offers a unique opportunity.

"Obviously, we don't get as many games -- once a year the past two years," Mackrides said. "CN8, it's big around the Philly area. I'm telling all my buddies to watch the game on TV."

The channel, broadcast by Comcast, is available to more than nine million viewers. Twelve states televise CN8, stretching as far north as Maine and as south as Washington, D.C.

Since it is a rare televised game for Penn State (4-5, 1-3 ECAC), the team recognizes the increased pressure that comes along with it, even though the Red Storm is winless.

"It's a game people can get, TiVo, copy and watch," Penn State coach Glenn Thiel said. "A lot of people will see it. Hopefully, we can pull one out."

Although being televised increases exposure, the team didn't take advantage the last time it was on television. Against Loyola (Md.) on March 1, the Lions were broadcast by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), owned by the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.

In that first televised game, Penn State struggled in a 7-4 loss, so the final regularly televised game of the season against St. John's (0-9, 0-4) is another opportunity.

Thiel acknowledged playing on television is a rare event for his team. But Thiel also said the game can help Penn State in future recruiting battles.

The players said the game really isn't making them much more nervous than usual. Instead, the team was more concerned with the effect television timeouts will have on gameplay and momentum.

"It just kind of disrupts the normal flow you're used to in a game," junior Max VanArsdale said. "It slows down a little bit."

Although game stoppages will be an obstacle for the Lions, St. John's will also have to deal with the television timeouts and the fact that it enters the game still searching for its first win.

But St. John's has had chances to get a win, as four of its losses came by three goals or less. The Red Storm has mostly been plagued by inconsistent goalkeeping, as it is last in the conference, giving up 9.89 goals per game. Even so, St. John's can't be overlooked, as Thiel said last year's game was close until a three-goal rally gave Penn State a 9-5 win.

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