Four Rattlers Named To 2008 All-MLL Team
August 19, 2008 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Dallas Rattlers News Release
(Rochester, NY)... Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional lacrosse league, announced today the players who have been named to the 2008 All-Major League Lacrosse team, recognizing the best players at each position. The selections were based on votes submitted by the general managers and head coaches of the 10 MLL teams.
Rochester Rattlers attackman John Grant, midfielder Joe Walters, defenseman Brodie Merrill and face-off specialist Alex Smith were among the 12 names selected for this year's All-MLL team.
Named to the All-MLL team for the second straight year, Grant was honored as the Bud Light MVP and Warrior Offensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row after leading the league in goals and points. He set a Rochester team record with 47 goals while adding 13 assists. He was named as the Offensive Player of the Week three times this year and earned Bud Light MVP honors four times as the Rattlers posted a league-best 9-3 record.
Over the last two seasons, Grant has scored 91 goals, including six two-point tallies, with 38 assists. He was a unanimous selection to the All-MLL team.
Walters enjoyed his best season as a pro this year while helping the Rattlers secure the top seed in the upcoming NB Zip MLL Championship Weekend. He scored 32 goals with 12 assists in 12 games for the Rattlers, which ranked second on the team in points. With 44 points, he was tied for sixth in the MLL and ranked second among midfielders. He scored a season-high six goals with an assist in a May 31st win over Philadelphia and added a five-goal, one-assist performance against the Barrage three weeks later. He also scored five goals and two assists in a win over New Jersey on July 19th.
Merrill ranked second on the Rattlers' squad with 75 ground balls while leading all MLL defensemen with 18 points, scoring six goals with 12 assists. He was honored as the MLL Defensive Player of the Week after leading the Rattlers to a victory over the New Jersey Pride on July 19th when he tallied a season-high 12 ground balls along with an assist. He also had 12 ground balls in the Rattlers' victory over Long Island on August 1st.
Merrill scored two goals against Boston in the season opener on May 23rd and against the Cannons on July 26th in a 26-19 victory at PAETEC Park. In the season finale against Chicago on August 10th, Merrill recorded a goal with three assists.
Named as the All-MLL face-off specialist for the second straight year, Smith set an MLL record by winning 249 face-offs in 12 games for the Rattlers, breaking the previous record of 244, which was set by Long Island's Peter Vlahakis earlier this season. Vlahakis captured the record previously held by former Baltimore Bayhawks midfielder Paul Cantabene during the 2004 season. Smith also ranked second in the MLL with 94 ground balls and scored three goals with two assists. A 2007 graduate of the University of Delaware, Smith earned Bud Light MVP honors on July 12th after leading the Rattlers to a win over the Washington Bayhawks.
The 2008 NB ZIP MLL Championship Weekend will begin on Saturday, August 23rd with a pair of semifinal games at Harvard Stadium. The Rochester Rattlers (9-3) will face the two-time defending champion and No.4 seed Philadelphia Barrage (7-5) in the first semifinal at noon on ESPN2. The contest can also be heard live on WYSL 1040 AM and wysl1040.com. In the other semifinal game, the Denver Outlaws (8-4) and Los Angeles Riptide (7-5) will play at 3:00 p.m. The two winners of the semifinals will advance to the NB Zip MLL Championship Game on Sunday, August 24th.
Named to the All-MLL team were:
Attack: John Grant, (Rochester), Kevin Leveille (Chicago), Merrick Thomson (New Jersey) Midfield: Brian Langtry (Denver), Matt Striebel (Philadelphia), Joe Walters (Rochester) Defense: Eric Martin (San Francisco), Brodie Merrill (Rochester), Kyle Sweeney (Philadelphia) Goalkeeper: Mickey Jarboe (Los Angeles), Rob Scherr (New Jersey) Face-off Specialist: Alex Smith (Rochester)
Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 19, 2008
- Denver Outlaws in MLL Semi Final Saturday - Denver Outlaws
- Eric Martin Named to 2008 All-MLL Team - San Francisco Dragons
- Rattlers Complete Chicken Wing Contest Wednesday - Dallas Rattlers
- Four Rattlers Named To 2008 All-MLL Team - Dallas Rattlers
- Major League Lacrosse Announces 2008 All-MLL Selections - MLL
- Grant Repeats As Warrior MLL Offensive Player Of The Year - MLL
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