Cannons select total of four midfielders in 2008 MLL Collegiate Draft
May 29, 2008 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Boston Cannons News Release
BOSTON, MA - Thursday, May 29, 2008 - The Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) selected four midfielders, including the first overall pick Paul Rabil, in the 2008 MLL Collegiate Draft, Cannons Vice President and General Manager Mark Kastrud announced today. The eighth annual 2008 MLL Collegiate Draft was held at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, on May 28.
Currently a finalist for the prestigious Tewaaraton Trophy, given to the top player in the nation, Rabil, 22, led Johns Hopkins in scoring for the third straight time this season as he totaled a career-high 36 goals and 14 assists for 50 points. The 6-3, 225-pound native of Gaithersburg, Maryland, scored 14 goals and added three assists for 17 points in the four NCAA playoff games that he was a part of in 2008, including a career-high six goals and an assist in the NCAA Championship game against Syracuse on May 26.
Rabil earned First Team USILA All-America honors in each of his final three seasons at Johns Hopkins and was selected as the McLaughlin Award winner in 2007 as the nation's top midfielder. He finished his career as JHU's career leader in goals (111) and points (178) among midfielders and is Hopkins' career leader in goals (28), assists (23) and points (51) in NCAA Tournament games.
With the 26th overall selection in the third-round, the Cannons selected midfielder Paul Manesis from the University of Massachusetts. The 6-2, 195-pound native of New Canaan, Connecticut, played in 60 career games for the Minutemen, including all 46 games during the last three seasons. A short-stick defensive midfielder, Manesis collected three goals and five assists for eight points in his career at UMass, as well as 38 groundballs and 17 penalty minutes.
The Cannons selected face-off specialist Chris Eck with their fourth-round selection (38th overall) in the MLL Collegiate Draft. The 6-0, 200-pound graduate of Colgate University, from Fairfield, Connecticut, ranks third all-time in Division-I lacrosse history and first in Colgate history in face-off wins with 658. An All-Patriot League First Team selection in 2008, his .609 career face-off win percentage also ranks among the top 20 career performances in NCAA history, while his 302 groundballs rank third all-time at Colgate. He owns the top three single-season win totals in Raider history with his 193 face-off wins this season being an all-time best. Eck is a three-time All-Patriot League honoree and was selected to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team for his performance in the two tournament games this season.
With their fifth-round draft pick (46th overall), the Cannons selected midfielder Tony Tanzi. A graduate of Sacred Heart, Tanzi appeared in 52 games during his collegiate career, scoring 42 goals and 20 assists for 62 points. He also finished with 111 career ground balls. The 5-11, 175 pound native of Mahopac, New York, was named to the Turfer Athletic NEILA All-New England Second Team in 2008 and also was invited to participate in the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game. A two-season team captain at Sacred Heart, Tanzi was one of the top three ranked athletes in several categories among all seniors at the MLL Collegiate Draft combine testing.
The Cannons will return to action when they travel to the state of New York to take on the Long Island Lizards on Saturday, May 31 at 7:00 PM. The game will air live in the New England area on Comcast SportsNet.
Cannons Flex Packs and individual game tickets are on sale now. The Cannons offer outstanding games and entertainment perfect for families, corporate outings and groups of friends.
For more information, or to purchase Cannons tickets, visit BOSTONCANNONS.COM or call (617) 746-9933.
2008 BOSTON CANNONS SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time (ET) Television Result
Saturday, May 17 New Jersey Pride 7:00 PM CSN NE W 13-9
Friday, May 23 Rochester Rattlers 7:00 PM ESPN2 L 17-14
Saturday, May 31 @ Long Island Lizards 7:00 PM CSN NE
Friday, June 6 @ New Jersey Pride 7:30 PM CN8
Thursday, June 19 Washington Bayhawks 7:30 PM ESPN2
Saturday, June 28 @ San Francisco Dragons 10:00 PM CSN NE
Thursday, July 3 Philadelphia Barrage 7:30 PM CSN NE
Saturday, July 12 Long Island Lizards 7:00 PM CSN NE
Saturday, July 19 @ Washington Bayhawks 7:00 PM CSN NE
Saturday, July 26 @ Rochester Rattlers 7:30 PM CSN NE
Saturday, August 2 Philadelphia Barrage 7:00 PM ESPN2*
Saturday, August 9 Denver Outlaws 7:00 PM CSN NE
NB ZIP MLL CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND AT HARVARD STADIUM
Date Game Time (ET)
Saturday, August 23 Semifinal 12:00 PM ESPN 2
Saturday, August 23 Semifinal 3:00 PM
Sunday, August 24 Championship 1:00 PM ESPN 2
*Game will air on August 5 at 3:30 PM
Home games in bold.
All games scheduled to air live unless otherwise noted.
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