Men's Tewaaraton Stock Watch: Virginia's Good 'Problem'

There aren’t many good problems to have, but here’s one Virginia coach Lars Tiffany would probably tolerate: His other two starting attackmen being so productive that it draws attention away from Connor Shellenberger.

During games, that would carry obvious benefits. The star of the 2021 NCAA tournament might, over time, have a little more room to operate as defenses somehow become more wary of the likes of Payton Cormier (18 goals, six assists) and Xander Dickson (21 goals, five assists).

Off the field, it might mean a little chatter about one of the best players in the country. Shellenberger ranks third on the Cavaliers in points per game, and in the first month of the season, he’s worked more as a table-setter (18 assists) than a guy who takes over through sheer goal-scoring will.

It’s more of a scenario to think through at the moment than anything. Shellenberger remains a central figure for this Virginia team. If the Cavaliers continue to have a strong season, he’ll probably be one of the reasons why.

Yet it’s not impossible Virginia’s stars wind up splitting support if all of them produce monster numbers. It’s a potential “problem” the Cavaliers would gladly take and speaks to the abundance of talent in Tiffany’s program. But it’s also a possible wrinkle in this year’s Tewaaraton voting to consider.

Note: The Tewaaraton Foundation announced nine addition to its Tewaaraton Watch List on Thursday, March 9. See the full Watch List here.

1. CJ Kirst, Cornell, A (20 G, 6 A)

The charismatic attackman did his part in the Big Red’s 16-13 victory over Ohio State, delivering four goals and an assist as Cornell improved to 4-0.

The junior ranks second nationally in both goals per game and points per game as the Big Red inches closer to an Ivy League schedule that might again require explosive offensive outings on a weekly basis.

2. Brennan O’Neill, Duke, A (19 G, 15 A)

The Blue Devil junior sure looks like this year’s best combination of scoring and feeding at this point in the season. He had another four goals and two assists Sunday, as Duke scraped out a victory in its conference opener at Syracuse.

Next up is an intriguing test Friday against Loyola, which played without senior defenseman Cam Wyers in last week’s defeat of Lafayette. A possible Wyers-on-O’Neill matchup would be one of the weekend’s greatest highlights.

3. Matt Brandau, Yale, A (9 G, 9A)

The senior dropped four goals and four assists on Friday against UMass, bouncing back from a relatively modest one-goal, two-assist showing in the Bulldogs’ loss to Penn State.

Brandau can clearly score it, but he also has an opportunistic finisher joining him on Yale’s starting attack in Chris Lyons (18 goals). Like Kirst, Brandau might be required to post big numbers on a weekly basis given the Ivy League’s title toward stacked offenses.

4. Connor Shellenberger, Virginia, A (7 G, 18 A)

Shellenberger combined for one goal and six assists in the Cavaliers’ victories over Richmond and Johns Hopkins in the last week.

To be clear, that was plenty enough to rout the Spiders 25-8 and keep the Blue Jays at a distance almost the entire way in an 18-13 victory on Tuesday. Other games will hold more value in determining if Shellenberger takes home the hardware the week after Memorial Day.

5. Pat Kavanagh, Notre Dame, A (4 G, 16 A) and Chris Kavanagh, Notre Dame, A (15 G, 6 A)

It’s time to return to the dual-honor concept pioneered by Lyle and Miles Thompson. Both Kavanaghs have done their part, as the Fighting Irish have navigated the first third of their schedule without a blemish.

Both played significant parts in Notre Dame escaping Maryland with a 13-12 triumph in triple overtime on Saturday. Chris Kavanagh’s third goal came with 1:56 remaining in regulation and forced extra time. Pat Kavanagh scored his only goal with 2:06 left in the third overtime to win it.

Next five: Matt Campbell, Villanova, M; Zach Cole, Saint Joseph’s, FO; Devon McLane, Brown, A; Ross Scott, Rutgers, A; Luke Staudt, Loyola, G