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Knight Caps: a bit of this and that from Rutgersland, vol. 3

It's game week. You know what that means, right? It means we won't stop pushing Rutgers stories at you until....well, forever!

By rvc73
Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

Dancing in the dark?  No, on the field.

You've probably seen the dance-off that Kyle Flood held between the offense and defense....and made it to Sports Illustrated in the process  The young men have some moves.

And apparently got some other people of note interested.

And, yes, it was those Rockettes!  And next year, there had better be high kicking women at practice, coach!

Packing and rocking the RAC

Very exciting news for Scarlet wrestling fans.  Rutgers, which last season put itself in the top ten for attendance in D1 wrestling, will host all five Big Ten matches at the RAC.

Date Opponent Location Time
12/13/15 Nebraska * RAC TBA
1/8/16 Michigan State RAC TBA
1/22/16 Wisconsin * RAC TBA
1/29/16 Maryland * RAC TBA
2/7/16 Michigan * RAC TBA

Norfolk State....can't make it to Piscataway?  No problem

There will be some nine watch parties at various locations around the country, courtesy of local Rutgers alumni groups.  You can find a local party for this, and future, games here.

Big Ten Player of the Week - Field Hockey

Rutgers field hockey junior back Devon Freshnock was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, it was announced Tuesday in the first weekly awards of the 2015 season. The Middletown, N.J. native anchored the Rutgers defense as it held opponents to just one goal in the first two games of the year, earning a 3-1 victory over Bucknell Friday before shutting out Ball State 4-0 Saturday.

"The coaching staff and team are incredibly proud of Devon for receiving this honor," head coach Meredith Civico said. "She has worked incredibly hard in the offseason to develop her game. It's exciting to see her performing so well this early in the season."

Freshnock also contributed at the offensive end, scoring one goal and adding an assist in the game against the Cardinals. It was the first multi-point game of her career, and she has already tied her career-highs in goals (one) and assists (one), while setting a new career-high with three points on the season.

This is the first weekly award that Rutgers field hockey has won as members of the Big Ten Conference. The last Scarlet Knight to earn a Player of the Week award was goalkeeper Shevaun Hayes, who was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7, 2013.

Big Ten Player of the Week - Men's Soccer

Sophomore forward Jason Wright was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, it was announced on Tuesday by the conference office.

Starting off the 2015 season right where he left off last season, the Scarlet Knights' returning leading scorer netted two goals, including the game-winner, in last Friday's season opening 4-2 win over Siena.  Wright's first goal of the game came just three minutes into the contest and he later added the game-winner in the 29th minute. He totaled five shots in match.  It was Wright's fifth two-goal match of his career. He now has 29 points (12G,5A) in his two seasons "On The Banks".  After the first week of competition, Wright leads the Big Ten in points and goals per game.

We do not forget the band!

There was the fundraiser for new uniforms - check!  There was the new design for said uniforms - check!  There was the delivery of those new unis - check!  And now.....

Defending the Blue Line

After 14 seasons behind the bench for the Rutgers ACHA D1 program, amassing a record of 135 ACHA D1 wins, Coach Andy Gojdycz has notified school administrators and the team that he is officially stepping down as coach of the Ice Knights.

Under Gojdycz, who returned to his alma mater as Head Coach in 2002  (graduating as the program's all-time leading scorer among defensemen in 2001), the Ice Knights were NECHL Regular Season Champions five consecutive seasons (2008 - 2012) before moving to the ESCHL in 2012. During that time, Gojdycz was named NECHL "Coach of the Year" in 2008 and 2011, while also a ACHA D1 "Coach of the Year" finalist in 2008. The Ice Knights qualified for the ACHA Division I National Tournament four consecutive seasons (2010 - 2013) and finished in the ACHA Top 25 nationally over a stretch of seven consecutive seasons.

In April of this year, Gojdycz was hired by the New Jersey Devils as Hockey Director of the AmeriHealth Pavilion in Newark.  Shortly thereafter, USA Hockey named Gojdycz ADM (American Development Model) Supervisor for the Atlantic District, specifically for New Jersey, in addition to his existing title of Associate Coach-In-Chief. These new roles and responsibilities ultimately resulted in his decision.

With Gojdycz's position at the top of the program vacant, the Ice Knights will now turn to his former RU teammate and long-time (nine seasons) assistant coach and scouting director Adriaan Klaassen to keep the ship steered in the right direction. Klaassen will move into the new role of general manager and recruiting director and will oversee the appointment of a new coaching staff for the D1 ACHA team.

Women movin' up

The Women's Soccer team has moved up in the national rankings to No. 22.  The women picked up two wins over Villanova and UMass, moving the Knights to 4-0 on the season.  All four wins have been shutouts.  Two Big Ten teams also made the rankings this week: PSU at No. 7 and Ohio State at No. 17.  The complete Top 25 is here.

Moment of Zen

We turn to our favorite Marching Band member, @Zuzufire108, for this week's edition.  The Rutgers Alumni Association is promoting the hashtag #scarletforever and #showyourR.  Zuzu posted this:

Indeed!