University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Lacrosse Signs Six During Early Signing Period
November 18, 2004 | Men's Lacrosse
Nov. 18, 2004
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass men's lacrosse coach Greg Cannella is pleased to announce the Minutemen Lacrosse Class of 2009, as six players have signed National Letters of Intent to suit up in the Maroon and White.
UMass welcomes: attackman Ryan Bagnasco (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale H.S.), attackman Jimmy Connolly (North Andover, Mass./North Andover H.S.), defenseman Jordan Hendry (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.), defenseman Justin Kelleher (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster H.S.), goalie Jonathan `Doc' Schneider (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa H.S.) and goalie Nick Sciubba (Sea Cliff, N.Y./Salisbury School, Conn.). These future Minutemen will suit for the 2006 season.
"We think we have signed quality people, quality players and eventually quality teammates," said head coach Greg Cannella, who enters his 11th season as the Minutemen's head coach this year. "We graduate two senior attackmen, two defensemen and our starting goalie. With this class we are addressing our needs in those positions and hopefully they will be key contributors for us here at UMass."
Ryan Bagnasco (5-10, 175) is an attackman from Farmingdale High School on Long Island where he plays for coach Bob Hartranft. Bagnasco is a tremendous athlete who has helped lead the Dalers to three straight Nassau County Championships and a New York State Finals appearance in 2003. He was a South Shore All-County Honorable Mention selection by Newsday. Bagnasco is also the quarterback for the football team at Farmingdale which will play in the county championship tonight, Nov. 18.
Jimmy Connolly (6-0, 180) continues a family tradition at UMass. The attackman will be the third Connolly to wear the Maroon & White, following his father Steve, who was a captain of the undefeated 1969 UMass team, and older brother Ryan, who is a senior on the 2005 squad. Playing for his father at North Andover High School, Connolly has re-written the Massachusetts state high school lacrosse record book. He is the state's all-time leading scorer -- as he enters his senior season. He was named an All-American following last season and was selected MVP of the Cape Ann League. Connolly, as a junior, led Eastern Massachusetts in scoring and carried North Andover to the CAL title. He has 383 points through his junior season with 234 goals and 149 assists. As a freshman, he notched 71 goals and 42 assists. He hiked that to 83 goals and 56 assists for an Eastern Mass.-leading 139 points as a sophomore and had 80 goals and 51 assists last season in leading North Andover to a 15-5 mark in 2003. An outstanding athlete, Connolly has been the Scarlet Knights' starting point guard for the last four years.
Jordan Hendry (6-3, 215) is a defenseman from Englewood, Colorado, where he plays for coach Bryan Perry at Cheery Creek High School. Hendry is a big, strong, athletic defensemen whose physical style of play is well suited for the UMass defense. He helped the Bruins to a 5.9 goals against average as they allowed more than 10 goals on just three occasions. Led by Hendry, the Bruins reached the Colorado State semifinals. He was a Peak 200 & Top 205 All-Star last summer and currently stars on the Cherry Creek football team.
Justin Kelleher (6-1, 205) is a defenseman from Brewster High School where he plays for coach Gerry Walsh. Kelleher has played for the Hudson Valley Empire State Team each of the last three summers. He was a key in the Bears run to the Section 1 Class B semifinals. Kelleher is regarded as one of the top defensemen in the state. Kelleher is a terrific athlete who will fit in very well on the defensive end of the field at UMass. He also stars on the Brewster football team as he plays both tight end and defensive end.
Jonathan `Doc' Schnieder (5-10, 175) plays goalie for Massapequa High School for coach Steve Mollot. He helped the Chiefs to a 12-5 record and aided the defense in allowing 7.0 goals against last season. He was a South Shore All-County Honorable Mention selection by Newsday. Schnieder is a solid stopper who has a great field sense and can direct a defense very well. He was a Peak 200 All-Star last summer.
Nick Sciubba (5-9, 215) is a goalie from the Salisbury School in Connecticut playing for coach Bobby Wynne. He was recognized as a First Team All-New England with the Knights and was the first junior ever to be named an All-American from Salisbury. The backbone of the Crimson Knight defense, Sciubba had an incredible season, stopping 70.9% of all shots he faced and allowing 5.7 goals per game. While posting some superlative statistics, Sciubba impressed opposing coaches with tremendous performances in each game, including stopping a combined 50 shots in the team's three losses and holding opponents scoreless in 15 quarters throughout the season. He was one of six goalies selected for the STX Blue Chip Lacrosse Camp featuring the top-100 high school lacrosse players in the country.
