LXM PRO, presented by Champion, ignited the 2013 season with a high-intensity, physical game. The players took the field sporting custom, unreleased, Cascade R helmets, matching STX and Maverik gear as well as brand new Champion Uniforms. LeBard Stadium at Orange Coast College was full of 2,500+ fans anxiously awaiting the up close and personal experience of watching highly touted newcomers Peter Baum, Tim Desko and Billy Bitter to contribute to the veteran play of Kyle Harrison, Johnny Christmas and Sam Bradman. With the back and forth action we’ve come to expect from LXM, the match up favored Team STX, who narrowly triumphed over Maverik United, 14-13.
Maverik United’s, Erik Krum, scored the first goal of the season just 49 seconds into the game. With a big save by Johnny Rodriguez, Maverik United possessed the ball on attack once again with Christian Pastirik scoring the second goal of the game. Sam Bradman was the first to score for Team STX, finishing with his trademark low-to-high runner. The first quarter finished 3-2, Maverik United in the lead.
Team STX lit up the score board in the second quarter, notching 6 goals. It was a big quarter for LXM PRO newcomers with Tim Desko scoring two, Peter Baum contributing two points with an assist and a goal, and Maverik’s Billy Bitter scoring his first goal as well. Team STX, Benson Erwin found the back of the net with a helper from Maxx Davis. Xander Ritz helped further the lead, finishing the ball with finesse rarely seen from a dodging attackmen. Despite the three goals scored by Maverik United, the first of the quarter by Zach Brenneman, it was not enough to maintain the lead. Team STX closed out the first half with an 8-6 advantage.
Early in the third quarter, Sam Bradman extended the lead for Team STX with his second goal of the game. On a man up situation, Christmas converted his second goal, assisted by Sean Lindsay. Danny Hennegan continued to dominate the faceoff X, winning yet another faceoff which Krum converted into his third goal of the game off a feed from Jeff Colburn. Hamilton Pollard continued to be a huge presence for Maverik United, leading all defensemen with five caused turnovers. Towards the end of the quarter Shamel Bratton and Christmas notched one goal apiece, with the quarter ending 10-9, Team STX.
Graham Gill notched his first goal of the season to make it a tie game. Bradman responded with back-to-back goals, netting another one later in the quarter, finishing the game with five. Shamel Bratton found the back of the net again, his third of the night. Chris Ajemian and Christmas added a point each for Maverik United. In the final thirty seconds Lindsay managed to roll under his defender with a one-on-one opportunity to tie the game, however Matt Russell made his 17th save, preventing the game from going into overtime. Kyle Harrison finished the game with an assist and five ground balls. Brendan Porter played a huge role for Maverik United with one assist, four ground balls, and one caused turnover. Post game, Xander Ritz, LXM PRO player and LXM co-founder, discussed the growth of LXM, “This event was a testament to the progress LXM has made over the last four years. Through the Adrenaline merger we've really made a concerted effort to focus on the experience of the youth players and families. The "M" in LXM has really come to represent "Mission" in our eyes and hopefully that effort is felt by those in attendance and watching at home on TLN."
After the game both teams attended the Knockaround signing session, where the PROs refueled on Gatorade before watching the showcase of the best of the West in the Adrenaline All-American game. While discussing the outlook of the rest of the LXM PRO season, Adrenaline President & CMO, Alex Cade remarked, “Today’s game debuted the best competition we’ve seen for LXM PRO. It’s an exciting time for this tour and Adrenaline, seeing everything come together, in large part thanks to the incredible sponsors and dedicated players who share our united vision for the future of the game. With training partners, SKLZ and Athletes Performance, these athletes will continue to transform the game. Not to mention the gear that STX, Cascade, and Maverik develop for these athletes continues to revolutionize the sport. We have a line up of unparalleled, custom uniforms by Champion for the rest of the LXM PRO season, and are excited for the rest of the tour to unfold.” For those unable to attend this event be sure to watch the game now on The Lacrosse Network Youtube page. Find out more about the next stops on the 2013 LXM PRO tour, presented by Champion.