MLL New York Lizards

Lizards Suffer Setback as They Drop First of the Season against Charlotte

June 20, 2015 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
New York Lizards News Release


Uniondale, NY (June 20, 2015) The New York Lizards (8-1) drop their first game of the year in a back-and-forth 13-12 game against the Charlotte Hounds (2-7) Saturday night at James M. Shuart Stadium. The Lizards wore custom pink jerseys in support of Susan G. Komen of Greater New York City.

Matt Gibson and Tommy Palasek each had three goals on the evening, and Rob Pannel and Mike Stone recorded two apiece. Pannell also tallied one assist in the game.

The first quarter started off by way of a Mike Chanenchuk unassisted goal, as he stormed down the middle of the field to give Charlotte a 1-0 just 38 seconds into the game. Just over a minute later, Kevin Cunningham caught a low-angle feed from John Haus to escalate Charlotte's lead by two. Right off the ensuing faceoff, the Lizards struck as Matt Gibson scored the first of his two straight, with assists coming from Steve DeNapoli and Ned Crotty.

With 5:14 remaining in the first quarter, Lizards rookie midfielder Hakeem Lecky put the Lizards up 4-2 on a high-to-low unassisted shot. The goal was the first of Lecky's MLL career.

The play of Lizards' goalie Drew Adams was the story of the second quarter, making a number of acrobatic saves right on the doorstep, keeping Charlotte scorers off the board. Adams added a spark to the Lizards that propelled the offense to a late run that tied the score at seven at half. The final goal came with 49 seconds left in the half as Tommy Palasek scored his second of the game off a nifty pass from Rob Pannell.

In the first half, Greg Gurenlian continued to display his dominance at the faceoff 'X', going 11-15, a 73 percent total.

In the third stanza, New York started off right where they ended the first half with a Mike Stone goal assisted by Kyle Hartzell. The goal was Stone's first of two on the day. The rest of the quarter saw each team going on three goal runs, the first by the Hounds with two goals from John Haus and the third by Kevin Cunningham. The Lizards responded with a little run of their own, with goals coming from Rob Pannell, Ned Crotty, and Tommy Palasek.

At the end of the third quarter, the Lizards were up 11-10 heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter went mostly Charlotte's way, with the fourth three-goal run of the game after a Mike Stone goal. The run put Charlotte up 13-12, with the three goals coming from Will haus, Joey Sankey, and Kevin Cunningham. Cunningham's goal marked his third- and the last overall goal- of the game.

In the end, the Hounds bested the Lizards by one goal, winning 13-12. The loss marked the first of the season for the Lizards, bringing the team to an 8-1 overall mark. The Hounds improved to 2-7 on the year with the win.

Check out NYLizards.com/Auctionsto bid on the game-worn pink Lizards jerseys. Bidding opens Mon., June22nd at 9 a.m.

The Lizards travel to Florida to take on the Launch on June 26th at 7:30 p.m. After that, the team will go to Chesapeake to battle the Bayhawks on July 2nd at 7:30 p.m.

The final home game of the season for the Lizards is on July 9th as the Lizards take on the Denver Outlaws. The first 1,000 fans will receive an exclusive Rob Pannell poster. For tickets, please call 1-855-NYLizards or visit NYLizards.com/Tickets.

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Major League Lacrosse Stories from June 20, 2015


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