MLL Major League Lacrosse

All-MLL team recognizes 2005's best

Published on August 20, 2005 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release


BOSTON, Mass. - Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, announced Saturday the members of the 2005 All-MLL Team, recognizing the best players at each position during the regular season. Named to the All-MLL Team were:

Attack: Gary Gait (Baltimore), Mark Millon (Boston), Casey Powell (Rochester)

Midfield: Chris Fiore (Boston), Mark Frye (Baltimore), Blake Miller (Long Island)

Defense: Shawn Nadelen (Baltimore), Chris Passavia (Boston), Nicky Polanco (Long Island)

Goalkeeper: Chris Garrity (Boston)

Face-off Specialist: Paul Cantabene (Baltimore)

The All-MLL Team was determined by votes submitted by the General Manager and the Head Coach of each of the six MLL teams. The winners, along with other MLL honorees, were acknowledged on Saturday at the 2005 Major League Lacrosse Awards Luncheon.

Entering his fourth season as the Bayhawks' Player-Coach, Gait had his best season in an MLL uniform. He led the league in goals (42) and points (63) in helping the Bayhawks to a league-best 10-2 record and their fourth National Division championship in five years. Prior to this season, Gait's best year came last season when the former Syracuse University attackman scored 32 goals, including the first two-point tally of his MLL career, to go with 14 assists.

Millon ended his first season in a Cannons uniform with 56 points on 38 goals and 18 assists, ranking third in the league in points behind Gait and Powell. He became the first player in league history to score 200 career goals and register 300 career points with his 14-point outing against the Bayhawks on July 31 and currently stands tied for first place with Powell on the league's all-time points list.

Powell led the Rattlers in scoring and ranked second in the league with 57 points on 27 goals and 30 assists. The 30 assists were second in the league behind Boston attackman Conor Gill, who had 34 assists. Over the last five games, the former Syracuse University attackman scored 15 goals with 19 assists in helping Rochester end the regular season with a five-game win streak after starting the season with a 1-6 mark. He ended the season with a two-goal, four-assist effort against the Baltimore Bayhawks, tying him with Millon for the league's career points lead with 305 points. Powell was named Offensive Player of the Week three times in the final four weeks of the regular season.

Fiore had the best season of his three-year MLL career, scoring 22 goals (one two-point goal) along with 10 assists. He scored a season-high three goals in each of the first two games against Philadelphia on May 29 and Rochester on June 4. He matched his career total with the 22 goals, while surpassing his previous career total of eight assists. He ranked fifth on the team in points with 33 and was fourth on the squad with his 10 assists.

Frye also had a career year for the National Division champion Bayhawks, tying the league single-season record with 11 two-point goals, which was set by Boston midfielder Mike Regan in 2003. Frye's 22 goals were a personal best while his nine assists doubled his career total. He finished the season with at least one two-point tally in nine of 12 regular season games.

Miller earns his second straight All-MLL honor after leading the Long Island Lizards with 33 goals and 11 assists. Last season's Warrior Offensive Player of the Year, Miller was acquired by the Lizards during the off-season. Against Philadelphia on June 25, Miller scored a game-high six goals to go with an assist as the Lizards handed the Barrage an 18-12 loss. He also had five goals in the season opener against New Jersey and in the season finale against Boston.

Nadelen earns the nod for the Bayhawks after helping the National Division champions to a 10-2 record. He started all 12 games and had 22 ground balls as Baltimore led the league in fewest goals allowed (150). He registered a season-high six ground balls in the Bayhawks' 31-9 win over Philadelphia on June 12. A five-year MLL veteran, Nadelen has played in 50 career games and made 24 starts.

Passavia made an instant impact for the Cannons in his first full season. Passavia started all 12 games for the American Division champion Cannons and recorded 32 ground balls. He scored his first career MLL goal in the Cannons' June 18 win over the Long Island Lizards at Nickerson Field. A 2004 graduate of the University of Maryland, Passavia was selected by the Cannons in the first round of last year's Collegiate Draft.

Polanco earns All-MLL honors for the second straight season. The two-time Warrior Defensive Player of the Year, Polanco helped the Lizards return to the playoffs after missing last year's postseason. Polanco held some of the league's top offensive players in check during the regular season. Polanco helped the Lizards hold opponents to a total of 180 goals in 12 games, which ranked third in the league. The former Hofstra University defender was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week in Week 12 after holding Millon without a goal for the first time since August 8, 2002, a streak of 34 straight games. Polanco ended the season with 47 ground balls, which ranked second on the team.

Garrity ended the season as the MLL's leader in wins (10), save percentage (.596) and goals against average (12.5) in helping the Cannons win their second straight American Division title and matching the league's best record with the Baltimore Bayhawks with a 10-2 mark. In last week's regular season-ending 19-16 win over the Long Island Lizards, Garrity made 19 saves before the game was stopped with 8:26 remaining in the fourth quarter because of rain. In a July 16 loss to Baltimore at Nickerson Field, Garrity made a career-high 25 saves against the Bayhawks, matching a league season high. He was named MLL Defensive Player of the Week after making 18 saves in Boston's 16-14 win over the Rattlers at Bishop Kearney Field.

Cantabene returned to the All-MLL Team for the second year in a row after leading the league in ground balls (94) and face-off win percentage (.584). He won 208 of 365 faceoffs in 12 games during the regular season in helping the Bayhawks win the National Division title for the fourth time in five years. He became the first player to reach 500 career ground balls by recording 10 loose balls in Baltimore's 19-9 win over Philadelphia two weeks ago. He also made an impact on offense, scoring a personal-best 16 goals, including the first two-point tally of his five-year MLL career.

Major League Lacrosse, a six-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global L.L.C., and partners Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player and now CEO of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading global provider of innovative and high performance lacrosse equipment; and Timothy B. Robertson, former CEO of The Family Channel and the current chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, L.L.C., an investment holding company with activities in international media and Internet technology ventures. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001 and has teams in Baltimore, Boston, Long Island, (Montclair) New Jersey, Philadelphia and Rochester. The 2005 MLL season began on Friday, May 20 and concludes with the New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend Friday, August 19 and Sunday, August 21 at Boston University's Nickerson Field. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.

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