BOSTON (May 5th, 2015) - Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league completed Week 4 of its 2015 season on Sunday, May 3rd. This was the first weekend of the season in which all eight MLL clubs competed, with four afternoon games. Two teams entered Sunday undefeated, but only one remained.
The Florida Launch travelled to Rochester to take on the Rattlers and lost in overtime, 10-9. The Launch scored three consecutive goals in the final quarter to force sudden victory overtime but was not able to come out with the win. Jordan Macintosh, whom returned from his indoor season to the Rattlers only hours before game start had the game winning goal in over time. Macintosh had a very productive first game of the season, scoring four goals and an assist. Among other returned players for Rochester, Mike Manley, played a hefty defensive game to help his team battle into overtime. The Launch had many key goal scorers on Sunday, such as Steven Brooks (four points), Kieran McArdle (three points) and Sam Snow, who recorded the first two goal game of his career. Both teams will return to action at their home stadiums next weekend.
The Ohio Machine recorded their first win of the 2015 season, playing against the Chesapeake Bayhawks, who then recorded their first loss of the season. Peter Baum scored three goals and an assist in Sunday's game for Ohio, making him fourth on the league scoring leaderboard, with 13 points in three games. Tom Schreiber also notched a hat trick and an assist in the game. Chesapeake attackman, Jack Rice, also had a hat trick, but his team was unable to come up with the win. The Bayhawks were shut-out in the final quarter of the game, solidifying the win for the Machine. Brian Phipps, goaltender for Ohio, had a big first win with 14 saves.
The New York Lizards continued their unbeaten streak and tallied their fourth win of the season against the Boston Cannons on Sunday. They are now the only undefeated team in the league. This game marked the first time Paul Rabil played against his former Boston team since being traded and he came up big for the Lizards. Rabil scored three goals, two of which were two-pointers and two assists in New York's 15-14 win over Boston. Rabil is now two goals away from his 200-goal mark. The Cannons shared in the scoring efforts with ten players tallying points for Boston. Max Seibald scored a two-point goal and an assist and Owen Blye score his first hat trick of the season. For the first time all season, The Lizards' offense did not have the majority winning percentage at the "X", perhaps because Greg Gurenlian was inactive. In turn, Cannon's midfielder, Craig Bunker, had the best record at the "X", winning 19 for 28 face-offs. The Cannons will have their chance for redemption next week as the teams rematch in New York.
The defending champion Denver Outlaws deprived the Charlotte Hounds of a road win on Sunday, winning 15-12. Four of the Outlaw players had hat tricks that contributed to the win, Greg Melaugh, Jeremy Sieverts, Eric Law and Drew Snider; this is the first time one team has had four player score hat tricks in a single game. Jeremy Sieverts had a breakout game slotting four points for the Outlaws. Jake Tripucka, of the Charlotte Hounds, also had a four point game, with two goals and two assists. Eight other players had points for the Hounds but they were three goals shy of tying the game. The Hounds and Outlaws were fairly close in face-off wins, but Denver won more with 17 out of 30. The Hounds will take on the Chesapeake Bayhawks next Sunday and the Outlaws will travel to Rochester to take on the Rattlers.
In continuation of their contributions to Major League Lacrosse, three of our sponsors, Coca-Cola, Warrior Lacrosse and The Faceoff Academy will present weekly recognitions to players across the league that display exceptional play during the game and in their prospective role on their team.
Coca-Cola Players of the Game
Coca-Cola, as a multi-year and proud sponsor of MLL, will feature a weekly honor titled the "Coca-Cola Players of the Game", where one player from each match-up will be deemed the most valuable player of the game. Here are the Week 4 MLL "Coca-Cola Players of the Game":
- Jordan MacIntosh of the Rochester Rattlers
- Tom Schreiber of the Ohio Machine
- Jeremy Sieverts of the Denver Outlaws
- Paul Rabil of the New York Lizards
Warrior Lacrosse Offensive & Defensive Player of the Week
Warrior Lacrosse, a leading lacrosse brand for equipment, footwear and apparel, will continue to sponsor both an offensive player of the week and defensive player of the week. These awards are two separate awards that honor the best offensive and defensive MLL performances from the week. Here are the Week 4 MLL "Warrior Offensive Player of the Week" and "Warrior Defensive Player of the Week":
- Warrior Offensive Player of the Week: Paul Rabil of the New York Lizards
- Warrior Defensive Player of the Week: Brian Phipps of the Ohio Machine
FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy
The Faceoff Academy specializes in the most elite level face-off coaching in the world. In showcasing the huge role face-off men play in lacrosse, The Faceoff Academy will present a weekly award titled the "FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy". The award will feature the best face-off performance of the week based on winning percentage at the "X". Here is our Week 4 MLL "FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy":
- Craig Bunker, Midfielder of the Boston Cannons
19-for-28 at the "X"
With an 67% Faceoff Win Percentage against New York
Week 5 Preview
This coming weekend, the Boston Cannons will travel to the New York Lizards for a rematch on the first Friday night game of the year. On Saturday, the Ohio Machine will have an away game at the Florida Launch, where the Launch are still vying for their first win of the season. On Sunday, there will be two early afternoon match-ups; the Denver Outlaws will battle the Rattlers in Rochester and the Bayhawks will play the Charlotte Hounds.
About Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded by Jake Steinfeld and is headquartered in Boston. Major League Lacrosse commenced play in June 2001 and has embarked on its fifteenth season. MLL has continued to lead the sport of lacrosse into the mainstream of competitive team sports. The league is made up of eight teams: The Boston Cannons, Charlotte Hounds, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Denver Outlaws, Florida Launch, New York Lizards, Ohio Machine and Rochester Rattlers.
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