BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- At the end of every sports season, traditionally prior the final regular season home game, we honor our senior student-athletes for their contributions to their respective programs prior to playing their final home game at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. With the current global climate and spring seasons being cancelled our seniors had the opportunity to walk on the field with their family taken away from them. In honor of our seniors we would like to take the time to recognize them and their time as a Buccaneer.

Men's lacrosse was three games in to their 2020 season with a record of 1-2 when their season was cancelled. They were in their first season in the Little East Conference and had been picked fifth in the preseason poll with hope of finishing near the top of the conference and making a deep run after leaving the NEWMAC after the 2019 season where they had struggled. . The team's senior day for the eight seniors would have been on April 17^th against UMass Boston.

We begin with Captain attacker, #3, Ben Avakian. Ben is a Marine Engineering major from Bourne, Mass. Head Coach Rick Bagby describes "Avak" as a player who evolved into a complete lacrosse player during his Buccaneer career. In his career Avakian scored 99 goals and had 27 assists for 126 points. He picked up 82 ground balls and caused 19 turnovers as an offensive player. This season, in three games, Ben scored eight goals, had two assists and five ground balls. "From seeing the field for potential assists or using the field to his advantage to set up his own scoring opportunities, Ben has become a target of all of our opponents game plan," Coach Bagby Said. "You must stop Avak to have a chance against us. But, more important to me has been his growth in understanding the game and all of its components. Ben has been a pleasure to coach and will missed."

Next is Marshfield, Mass native and Marine Engineering major, #8, Michael O'Brien. O'Brien's time on the field in his four year career has been limited but when he has gotten his chances he has produced. In his career he has scored nine goals and racked up four assists. He had one goal and an assist in the three games in 2020. "Mike is has a black and white personality. What you see is what you get. He comes to work every day with no drama. He is the type of player every coach loves," Said Coach Bagby. "He is one of the best off-ball players on the team which has set him up for a number of his goals during his career. He was set up to be a big part of our offense in 202o; the entire coaching staff is sorry we were unable to get him his time to shine. We know he would have." Added Bagby.

Third is #9, Franklin Ragge. From Scituate, Mass, the Marine Engineering major has been a very productive and successful midfielder for the Buccaneers over the last four seasons. Frank had 42 goals and four assists in his career with 20 ground balls. Though his best season was his sophomore year with 17 goals, Ragge had five goals in 2020 already through three games which projected out to be nearly 30 goals over the team's 17 games 2020 season. "Frank is a threat from the wings every time he touches the ball. His shot was always heavy, getting past goalies before they knew what hit them," said Bagby. "He always played hard and always had a smile on his face. The guys will tell you he was our resident comedian. He will be missed on the field and in the locker room.

Next is captain midfielder, #25, Thomas Modula. A Facilities Engineering major from Vernon, N.J. module is describe by his coaching staff and teammates as a warrior. "Describing him as a warrior is where I could stop but there is so much more to say about this young man," Bagby said. "Tommy is athletic, fast, and has a never say die attitude. He is always dependable with a motor that doesn't stop running. If we needed a big defensive stop in the midfield Tommy would get it done. As for being a captain, he is a natural. A leader, organized, and a coaches best friend." Added Coach. Offensively, Modula did not register a goal in his career but did have two assists. He did have 33 ground balls and seven caused turnovers in his career.

Fifth up is #29, Harrison Butler. A native of Wrentham, Mass and a Marine Science, Safety & Environmental Protection Major saw limited time in his career with the Buccaneers but is said to have a great attitude towards the game. "He came to work every day and saw practice as his game," Bagby said. "He had a knack for making dazzling plays in practice and getting his teammates to play and practice harder. He is a guy we will certainly miss as he made everyone around him better." Added Bagby. Butler played in five games in his career.

Next is face-off man, #33, Michael Sharry. The Facilities Engineering major from Braintree, Mass, nicknamed "Spike" gave the Buccaneer program very productive years from the face-off "X". Sharry won 320 face-offs in his career, over 51% of the face-offs he was a part of. Offensively, he scored three goals and had seven assists in his career. "Mike is a relentless competitor who hates to lose, "Bagby Said. "He saw every faceoff as a personal challenge which game him the opportunity to prove to himself that he was better than his opponent. If you win more than 50% of your face-offs then you have done your job. We always knew with him taking the face-off we were in good hands and he would do his job," Bagby added. Sharry could be seen long before the game started, during the game and sometimes after the game working on his face-offs on the sideline.

Our penultimate senior honoree is captain defender, #38, Sean Smialek. A two-sport athlete, football and lacrosse, from Dartmouth, Mass, this is the second senior day of the 2019-2020 year for the Marine Engineering Major. As a defender there isn't much offensive production but defensively Smialek finished his career with 22 caused turnovers and 48 ground balls. There isn't a recorded stat for it but he probably also has countless amount of blocks in front of the net as well. "Sean is one of those quiet leaders who leads by example. He left his heart on the field every day," said Coach. "Sean possesses all of the attributes of an outstanding defenseman: smart, strong, quick, and a solid stick. We always knew what we had when Sean was on the field."

Finally, and certainly not least, goalie, #39, Matthew Pierson. The Marine Engineering major from Longmeadow, Mass had been waiting patiently for his chance to start for the past two years and got that chance in 2020 and then it was gone. In his short time as a starter in 2020, Pierson made three starts, made 30 saves and picked up his first career win. He was also named Little East Conference goalie of the week shortly after the season was cancelled. In his career he posted a 52.2% save percentage in 15 games allowing 9.18 goals per game. "Matt has the skill and IQ to be one of the best goalies ever at the Academy. Unfortunately his time to shine was cut short. I am heartbroken that he didn't get his chance to show off his outstanding skills," said Bagby. "Most importantly, he was not only a great shot stopper but he was effective at clearing the ball and is a tremendous leader. His chatter in goal was infectious, and though misunderstood and underrated, he made our defense substantially better."

From all of us in the Department, your teammates, and coaches, thank you for your dedication and commitment to our storied men's lacrosse program and to the Academy. Your achievements on and off the field will always be remembered. Good luck to all of you on your future endeavors.