Bell is a Rock Between the Pipes

The sweeper misplays a head ball. The opposing team's forward reads the mistake perfectly. He's on his horse. The crowd is on their feet. It's just him and the goalie. He takes two touches and sends a bullet for the far post. The keeper sprawls to his left, uses every bit of his six foot four inch frame and miraculously deflects the ball wide. The crowd moans in collective disappointment.

This is what UB's sophomore goalkeeper Dan Bell lives for.

"To be honest I like shocking people. When people think it's a guaranteed breakaway goal or penalty shot, I just like the shock value," said Bell. "To me it feels better to pull off an amazing save than to score a really good goal. I've done both and I get more out of making the nice save and keeping my team in the game. It's just the rush I get."

Bell's soccer rush began in Brampton, Ontario at the young age of five.

"My parents were just looking for something for me to do so they threw me and my brother into soccer," explained Bell.

Starting out as a field-player, Bell took an interest in the goal at the age of 14.

"My brother was a goalie first. I wasn't the best field player, but I was all right," said Bell.

Bell worked hard at his position and continued to follow in his older brother's footsteps. In the fall of 2003, three years after his brother Jason started goaltending at Princeton, Bell began his college career at UB.

Although an arm injury sidelined Bell for most of the 2003 season this year he has returned to become a defensive rock for the Bulls. After logging over 1,300 minutes in the goal, Bell has finished the regular season with a 7-5-2 record, four shutouts and a .686 save percentage. Bell attributes much of his success to his on field mentality.

In order to avoid becoming bored or complacent during a stretch of the game where he might see limited action, Bell stays vocal in order to assist his teammates.

"It's tough sometimes. I prefer games where I get more action. The best thing you can do is to stay as focused as you can on every play and try to be involved in every play. I always try to keep talking to keep myself into the game," said Bell. " I try to be a verbal leader. Every goalie needs to be because he can see all the plays."

Off the field Bell spends his time watching and playing hockey, going to movies, hanging out with friends and following politics.

"I'm pretty laid back. I enjoy hockey and I'm really into politics right now, especially with the elections. In Canada we had an election this summer."

Bell's interest in politics is more than just a mere fascination. Although his major is undecided, Bell is looking at politics as an option that could hopefully land him a teaching job.

"I'm thinking of the social sciences and majoring in international relations. I eventually want to be a high school teacher. My plan is to do teachers college in Ontario. I could definitely be a coach," said Bell.

As for right now Bell is focused on getting the Bulls back on the winning path. The Bulls began the season with an unprecedented 6-0-1 start and then quickly fell apart. After the loss of key players, because of both injuries and suspensions, the Bulls finished at a disappointing 7-7-2 overall and 1-4-1 in the Mid-American Conference.

"I guess the best way to describe this season is that it has been a roller coaster. We had the best start this program has ever had and after all the off-field issues it just went down hill," said Bell.

With some of the suspensions expired and two key players healthy, Bell is optimistic about the Bulls' chances for making some noise in the MAC tournament.

"Lately I think we have really started to pull together. We've got two key players back from injury in Lee (Catchpole) and Matt Stuczynski, and we have almost all our players back from suspension. I think it's finally getting back to where it was at the beginning of the year, when we knew we had a good team and we know we have a good team now. The mood around the change room is that we can do it."

The Bulls will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich. to face Northern Illinois in the first around of MAC tournament on Friday at 9 a.m.