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Major League Lacrosse 2008 Season Preview

By: Chris Osburn
May 26, 2008

Sports fans know that Canada is famous for hockey (their national sport), but few people know that hockey is one of two national sports, the other being lacrosse. The fastest growing sport at the youth level in the U.S., lacrosse is by far the most exciting sport that America overlooks on a regular basis. Unless you live in the hotbeds of the lacrosse universe, Long Island, Western New York, and Maryland, you probably don't know an awful lot about one of the oldest sports in world history, with origins dating back to the 1100s.

I'm not going to get into a history lesson here, I'll just point out that there are two professional lacrosse leagues operating in the U.S. right now. One is the National Lacrosse League. This indoor league, which has teams stretching from New York to San Jose, just held its championship game, on Saturday May 17th, won in a nail biter by the Buffalo Bandits over the Portland (Oregon) Lumberjax 14-13 in front of 18,690 rabid fans at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York.

The other league is Major League Lacrosse. This outdoor (or field lacrosse) league consists of ten teams: Philadelphia, Rochester, New Jersey, Washington, Long Island, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

The MLL season runs from mid-May until late August. Teams play twelve regular season games and the top four teams move on to the playoffs, which will be held at Harvard Stadium in Boston. ESPN360.com will air every game of the season and ESPN2 will air eleven contests including the all-star game and the playoffs.

The league is broken up into two conferences, the Eastern conference and the Western Conference. Last season's record is in parenthesis.

Eastern Conference:

Philadelphia Barrage (9-3)

The Philadelphia Barrage, the two-time reigning champions, are solid from top to bottom. Anchored by perennial All-Star goaltender Brian Dougherty, defensive stalwarts Kyle Sweeney and Brian Spallina, veteran midfielders Matt Striebel (25 goals, 13 assists in 2007) and Roy Colsey (27g, 8a), and attackman Ryan Boyle (26g, 31a), Philly is once again the team to beat in the MLL.

Rochester Rattlers (9-3)

The Rochester Rattlers led the MLL in scoring last year (a staggering 208 goals in twelve matches) and have just as much firepower this season. The team is backstopped by goalie Mike Levin, human vacuum cleaner Brodie Merrill on defense (101 groundballs), face off specialist Alex Smith (190-331), midfielders Casey Powell (19g, 22a) and Joe Walters(29g, 12a), and All-world attackmen John Grant (44g, 25a) and Jeff Zywicki (31g, 17a).

Boston Cannons (5-7)

The Boston Cannons have nowhere to go but up after a disappointing 2007 campaign in which they never seemed to get the (cannon) ball rolling in the right direction. Led by the attack duo of Mikey Powell (27g, 21a) and John Christmas (24g, 19a), and a strong core of midfielders including Brett Bucktooth (22g, 7a) and Matt Poskay (21g,2a), Boston has enough weapons to challenge Rochester and Philadelphia for one of the two playoff spots in the east.

Washington Bayhawks (5-7)

Another team with a disappointing 2007 season, the Washington Bayhawks started strong in going 4-1 to begin the season, but ran into some trouble down the stretch, when wins became most important. After losing Tom Marechek (19g, 13a) to retirement, the team will look to Midfielder Kyle Dixon (22g, 17a) and attackmen Connor Gill (15g, 19a) and Matt Ward (19g, 9a) to take some of the pressure off of goalie Chris Garrity.

Long Island Lizards (5-7)

Long Island was yet another team that underachieved in 2007. Possibly the best defensive team in the MLL, Long Island is led by Nike Murtha in goal, defensemen Nicky Polanco and John Gagliardi, and face off specialist Peter Vlahakis (165-277). Their offense is led by attackmen Tim Goettelmann (28g, 10a) and Keith Cromwell (16g, 16a), and midfielder Blake Miller (18g, 5a).

New Jersey Pride (4-8)

After trading away midfielder Kyle Harrison (19g, 6a), attackman Jesse Hubbard (11g, 10a), and defenseman Brett Hughes for draft picks, New Jersey might have a rough go of it right off the bat, but look for them to stock up when the MLL collegiate draft is held on May 28th. New Jersey will have nine selections including the second, third, and ninth picks. The team will look for scoring from attackmen Scott Urick (23g, 4a) and Connor Ford (27 g, 9a), and midfielder Greg Peyser (9g, 6a) while they wait for reinforcements.

Western Conference:

Los Angeles Riptide (9-3)

The L.A. Riptide made it all the way to the championship game last season only to be upended by the Barrage 16-13. This squad has the most chance to take over Rochester's spot as the top scoring team in the MLL. The offensive fireworks will come from attackmen Spencer Ford (13g, 47a), Terry Riordan (29g, 3a), and Michael Watson (31g, 9a), midfielders Kyle Harrison (19g, 6a) and Sean Lindsay (20g, 11A). They also have a stout defense, led by defensemen Brett Hughes and Greg Bice as well as Goalie Mickey Jarboe.

Denver Outlaws (7-5)

The addition of attackman Ryan Powell (18g, 22a) from San Francisco should be able to counteract the retirement of goalie Trevor Tierney. But the production of Powell, Brendan Mundorf (36g, 11a), and midfielders Brian Langtry (26g, 11a), Drew Westervelt (20g, 14a), and Jeff Sonke (19g, 8a) will be key in the protection of the young defense anchored by goalie Jesse Schwartzman.

San Francisco Dragons (4-8)

The loss of Ryan Powell and midfielder Chris Rotelli (23g, 11a) means that for San Francisco to have any success this season, attackman Liam Banks (26g, 11a) will have to step it up in a big way. Second year attackman Jake Byrne (17g, 7a), as well as midfielders Tim Booth (8g, 4a) and Jarrett Park (12g, 7a) will also be counted on the step up their offensive production if the Dragons have any hope of challenging L.A. and Denver for a playoff spot.

Chicago Machine (3-9)

After losing all twelve games of the 2006 season, the Machine made great strides in 2007 by winning three games. They already started on the right track this year by defeating San Francisco 10-9 in their opening game. The face of the franchise is attackman Kevin Leveille (36g, 8a). He will be counting on support from midfielders Doug Shanahan (16g, 11a), Brad Heritage (20g, 3a), and Pat Heim (14g, 9a), along with defenseman Jake Deane and goalie Mike Gabel if the Machine hope to improve on their win total from last year.

Take a chance on something new, you might even like it. Here's the schedule for the ESPN2 telecasts:

Friday, May 23
Rochester @ Boston
Airs: Friday, May 23, 7:00 PM

Thursday, June 5
Philadelphia @ Long Island
Airs: Thursday, June 5, 9:30 PM

Thursday, June 19
Washington @ Boston
Airs: Thursday, June 19, 7:30 PM

Friday, July 4
San Francisco @ Denver
Airs: Tuesday, July 8, 3:30 PM

Saturday, July 12
Denver @ Los Angeles
Airs: Tuesday, July 15, 3:30 PM

Thursday, July 17
MLL All-Star Game
Airs: Thursday, July 17, 10:00 PM

Saturday, July 26
Chicago @ Denver
Airs: Tuesday, July 29, 3:30 PM

Saturday, August 2
Philadelphia @ Boston
Airs: Tuesday, August 5, 3:30 PM

Saturday, August 9
San Francisco @ Los Angeles
Airs: Tuesday, August 12, 3:30 PM

Saturday, August 23 NB ZIP Semi-Final Game Airs: Saturday, August 23, 12:00 PM

Sunday, August 24
NB ZIP Championship Game
Airs: Sunday, August 24, 1:00 PM

Chris Osburn is a MLL contributor for Inside Lacrosse Magazine. His work can be seen at www.chrisosburnwrites.com.

Links:

MLL official website: http://www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/


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Major League Lacrosse 2008 Season Preview By: Chris Osburn May 26, 2008 Sports fans know that Canada is famous for hockey (their national sport), but few people know that hockey is one of two national sports, the other being lacrosse. The fastest growing sport at the youth level in the U.S., lacrosse is by far the most exciting sport that America overlooks on a regular basis. Unless you live in the hotbeds of the lacrosse universe, Long Island, Western New York, and Maryland, you probably don't know an awful lot about one of the oldest sports in world history, with origins dating back to the 1100s. I'm not going to get into a history lesson here, I'll just point out that there are two professional lacrosse leagues operating in the U.S. right now. One is the National Lacrosse League. This indoor league, which has teams stretching from New York to San Jose, just held its championship game, on Saturday May 17th, won in a nail biter by the Buffalo Bandits over the Portland (Oregon) Lumberjax 14-13 in front of 18,690 rabid fans at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. The other league is Major League Lacrosse. This outdoor (or field lacrosse) league consists of ten teams: Philadelphia, Rochester, New Jersey, Washington, Long Island, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The MLL season runs from mid-May until late August. Teams play twelve regular season games and the top four teams move on to the playoffs, which will be held at Harvard Stadium in Boston. ESPN360.com will air every game of the season and ESPN2 will air eleven contests including the all-star game and the playoffs. The league is broken up into two conferences, the Eastern conference and the Western Conference. Last season's record is in parenthesis. Eastern Conference: Philadelphia Barrage (9-3) The Philadelphia Barrage, the two-time reigning champions, are solid from top to bottom. Anchored by perennial All-Star goaltender Brian Dougherty, defensive stalwarts Kyle Sweeney and Brian Spallina, veteran midfielders Matt Striebel (25 goals, 13 assists in 2007) and Roy Colsey (27g, 8a), and attackman Ryan Boyle (26g, 31a), Philly is once again the team to beat in the MLL. Rochester Rattlers (9-3) The Rochester Rattlers led the MLL in scoring last year (a staggering 208 goals in twelve matches) and have just as much firepower this season. The team is backstopped by goalie Mike Levin, human vacuum cleaner Brodie Merrill on defense (101 groundballs), face off specialist Alex Smith (190-331), midfielders Casey Powell (19g, 22a) and Joe Walters(29g, 12a), and All-world attackmen John Grant (44g, 25a) and Jeff Zywicki (31g, 17a). Boston Cannons (5-7) The Boston Cannons have nowhere to go but up after a disappointing 2007 campaign in which they never seemed to get the (cannon) ball rolling in the right direction. Led by the attack duo of Mikey Powell (27g, 21a) and John Christmas (24g, 19a), and a strong core of midfielders including Brett Bucktooth (22g, 7a) and Matt Poskay (21g,2a), Boston has enough weapons to challenge Rochester and Philadelphia for one of the two playoff spots in the east. Washington Bayhawks (5-7) Another team with a disappointing 2007 season, the Washington Bayhawks started strong in going 4-1 to begin the season, but ran into some trouble down the stretch, when wins became most important. After losing Tom Marechek (19g, 13a) to retirement, the team will look to Midfielder Kyle Dixon (22g, 17a) and attackmen Connor Gill (15g, 19a) and Matt Ward (19g, 9a) to take some of the pressure off of goalie Chris Garrity. Long Island Lizards (5-7) Long Island was yet another team that underachieved in 2007. Possibly the best defensive team in the MLL, Long Island is led by Nike Murtha in goal, defensemen Nicky Polanco and John Gagliardi, and face off specialist Peter Vlahakis (165-277). Their offense is led by attackmen Tim Goettelmann (28g, 10a) and Keith Cromwell (16g, 16a), and midfielder Blake Miller (18g, 5a). New Jersey Pride (4-8) After trading away midfielder Kyle Harrison (19g, 6a), attackman Jesse Hubbard (11g, 10a), and defenseman Brett Hughes for draft picks, New Jersey might have a rough go of it right off the bat, but look for them to stock up when the MLL collegiate draft is held on May 28th. New Jersey will have nine selections including the second, third, and ninth picks. The team will look for scoring from attackmen Scott Urick (23g, 4a) and Connor Ford (27 g, 9a), and midfielder Greg Peyser (9g, 6a) while they wait for reinforcements. Western Conference: Los Angeles Riptide (9-3) The L.A. Riptide made it all the way to the championship game last season only to be upended by the Barrage 16-13. This squad has the most chance to take over Rochester's spot as the top scoring team in the MLL. The offensive fireworks will come from attackmen Spencer Ford (13g, 47a), Terry Riordan (29g, 3a), and Michael Watson (31g, 9a), midfielders Kyle Harrison (19g, 6a) and Sean Lindsay (20g, 11A). They also have a stout defense, led by defensemen Brett Hughes and Greg Bice as well as Goalie Mickey Jarboe. Denver Outlaws (7-5) The addition of attackman Ryan Powell (18g, 22a) from San Francisco should be able to counteract the retirement of goalie Trevor Tierney. But the production of Powell, Brendan Mundorf (36g, 11a), and midfielders Brian Langtry (26g, 11a), Drew Westervelt (20g, 14a), and Jeff Sonke (19g, 8a) will be key in the protection of the young defense anchored by goalie Jesse Schwartzman. San Francisco Dragons (4-8) The loss of Ryan Powell and midfielder Chris Rotelli (23g, 11a) means that for San Francisco to have any success this season, attackman Liam Banks (26g, 11a) will have to step it up in a big way. Second year attackman Jake Byrne (17g, 7a), as well as midfielders Tim Booth (8g, 4a) and Jarrett Park (12g, 7a) will also be counted on the step up their offensive production if the Dragons have any hope of challenging L.A. and Denver for a playoff spot. Chicago Machine (3-9) After losing all twelve games of the 2006 season, the Machine made great strides in 2007 by winning three games. They already started on the right track this year by defeating San Francisco 10-9 in their opening game. The face of the franchise is attackman Kevin Leveille (36g, 8a). He will be counting on support from midfielders Doug Shanahan (16g, 11a), Brad Heritage (20g, 3a), and Pat Heim (14g, 9a), along with defenseman Jake Deane and goalie Mike Gabel if the Machine hope to improve on their win total from last year. Take a chance on something new, you might even like it. Here's the schedule for the ESPN2 telecasts: Friday, May 23 Rochester @ Boston Airs: Friday, May 23, 7:00 PM Thursday, June 5 Philadelphia @ Long Island Airs: Thursday, June 5, 9:30 PM Thursday, June 19 Washington @ Boston Airs: Thursday, June 19, 7:30 PM Friday, July 4 San Francisco @ Denver Airs: Tuesday, July 8, 3:30 PM Saturday, July 12 Denver @ Los Angeles Airs: Tuesday, July 15, 3:30 PM Thursday, July 17 MLL All-Star Game Airs: Thursday, July 17, 10:00 PM Saturday, July 26 Chicago @ Denver Airs: Tuesday, July 29, 3:30 PM Saturday, August 2 Philadelphia @ Boston Airs: Tuesday, August 5, 3:30 PM Saturday, August 9 San Francisco @ Los Angeles Airs: Tuesday, August 12, 3:30 PM Saturday, August 23 NB ZIP Semi-Final Game Airs: Saturday, August 23, 12:00 PM Sunday, August 24 NB ZIP Championship Game Airs: Sunday, August 24, 1:00 PM Chris Osburn is a MLL contributor for Inside Lacrosse Magazine. His work can be seen at www.chrisosburnwrites.com. Links: MLL official website: http://www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/