BOSTON (April 28th, 2015) - Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league completed Week 3 of its 2015 season on Sunday, April 26th. There were three games played on Sunday afternoon between six of the league's eight teams.
The Florida Launch fell to the Chesapeake Bayhawks 15-11 in their first home game of the season. For the Bayhawks, this game marked their 100th regular win in franchise history, which spans over 15 seasons. Matt Mackrides had a spectacular game, scoring four goals and three assists, earning him a career-high seven points in one game. Mackrides is now the Bayhawks point leader with nine points on the season in two games. Nicky Polanco played a strong defensive game holding the major offensive force, Casey Powell, to only one goal. While the Bayhawks came into the fourth quarter with a seven goal lead at 14-7, the Launch battled back with four back-to-back goals cutting the deficit to three goals. Florida's starting goalie, Brett Queener, left the game in the first quarter with a lower body injury and was replaced by Adam Fullerton. Both Steven Brooks and Kieran McArdle had big games for the Launch, with Brooks scoring four goals and McArdle scoring two goals and three assists.
The Charlotte Hounds took on the Boston Cannons in their second game of the season at Boston's Gillette Stadium and won 12-11. The Hounds have played two very close games this season, with both of them going into overtime periods. The Hounds had a promising 5-1 lead in the first quarter, but spent the rest of the game neck and neck with the Cannons. Jim Connolly sparked the first rally back for the Cannons by scoring two back-to-back goals in the second quarter, while Scott Ratliff and Davey Emala produced similar motivating plays for their team in the fourth quarter. Kevin Drew, defensive player for the Hounds, had a strong game, scoring two points and guarding his team's lead well into the fourth quarter against the Cannons. Midfielder Josh Amidon was able to tie up the game for Boston with 11 seconds left to play. Mike Sawyer, attack for the Hounds, scored the game winning goal for his team about eight minutes into overtime, and now leads his team in points with five points in two games. Sunday's win for the Hounds was only the second time in team history that they have defeated the Cannons.
The Rochester Rattlers played the New York Lizards on Sunday afternoon in hopes of gaining redemption for last week's 19-9 loss. Although the Rattlers did not come out with the win, they played a much improved game against the Lizards and lost by a mere two goal deficit, 14-12. Rochester's goalie, John Galloway, made 24 saves on 38 shots for the Rattlers. Jordan Wolf and John Ranagan each had four-point games for the Rattlers. The Rattlers will look to continue their betterment as they take on the Florida Launch at home next Sunday, May 3rd. Paul Rabil had what may be regarded as his best game so far this season for the Lizards, scoring four goals and one assist. Greg Gurenlian displayed another commanding performance at the "X", winning 22 of 28. The Lizards will be travelling to Boston next weekend, where Paul Rabil will face-off against his former team for the first time since being traded to New York in the off-season.
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 3 MLL "Coca-Cola Players of the Game":
Nicky Polanco of the Chesapeake Bayhawks
Mike Sawyer of the Charlotte Hounds
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 3 MLL "Warrior Offensive Player of the Week" and "Warrior Defensive Player of the Week":
Warrior Offensive Player of the Week: Matt Mackrides of the Chesapeake Bayhawks
Warrior Defensive Player of the Week: Kevin Drew of the Charlotte Hounds
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 3 MLL "FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy":
Greg Gurenlian, Midfielder of the NY Lizards
22-for-28 at the "X"
With an 78% Faceoff Win Percentage against Rochester
Week 4 Preview
This Sunday, May 3rd, will be the first time this season in which all eight Major League Lacrosse teams hit the field. The Florida Launch and Rochester Rattlers will face-off in Rochester, both teams are coming off back-to-back losses and are ripe for big wins. The Ohio Machine will travel to Annapolis to face the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the "MLL Game of the Week". The undefeated New York Lizards will ship up to Boston to take on the Cannons at Gillette Stadium. Lastly, the Charlotte Hounds will visit the defending MLL Champion Denver Outlaws in a late afternoon game. All four games are available to stream on ESPN3.
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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