MLL Ohio Machine

Machine Announces 23-Man Protected Roster

September 9, 2015 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Ohio Machine News Release


COLUMBUS, OHIO (September 9, 2015) - The Ohio Machine has named its 23-man protected roster for the 2016 Major League Lacrosse season, it was announced today by Machine Vice President & Head Coach Bear Davis. The 23-man protected roster includes the Machine's top nine scorers from last season and team captains Kyle Harrison, Marcus Holman and Brian Phipps.

"We have been extremely fortunate that we have had the ability to keep the core of our team intact for a few season," Davis said. "With the upcoming expansion draft, we know our opening day roster could look a little different, but we are extremely confident in the 23 men that we have protect. They each bring an element to this team that helps us on and off the field."

Offensively, after finishing the 2015 season with 195 goals scored, the Machine's 23-man protected roster returns 180 of those goals. The Machine led all of MLL with 112 assists last season and 104 of those assists return to the team's protected roster. Tom Schreiber and Steele Stanwick return to the Machine after they tied for the league lead with 30 assists last season.

Defensively, the Machine protects the core of its starting defense. Led by Phipps in goal, the team protects a group of young and athletic long poles. Brian Karalunas and Jackson Place played in all 14 regular season games last year and return to anchor the defense. The defense is aided by the return of defensive midfielders Dominique Alexander, Jake Bernhardt and Dan Groot. Defenseman Brian Farrell was not protected as he announced his retirement at the end of the 2015 season.

Two players on the Machine's 23-man protected rosters are graduates of Ohio State. Alexander and Logan Schuss, who missed the 2015 season due to a job commitment, both donned the Scarlet and Gray in college. Three members of the team's 23-man protected roster graduated from the University of North Carolina (Jake Bailey, Holman, and Jimmy Bitter), while the University of Maryland leads all colleges with four players (Bernhardt, Kevin Cooper, Groot, and Phipps) on the Machine's protected roster.

Per MLL rules, each team is required to cut its roster down to 23 players regardless of each player's status heading into the off season. Players not protected by the Machine are eligible for the 2016 MLL Supplemental Draft held on December 16, 2015. Additionally, the Machine will name its 12-man protected roster for the November 18 MLL Expansion Draft.

Ohio Machine 23-Man Protected Roster:

Number Player Position

23 Dominique Alexander M

40 Jake Bailey D

15 Peter Baum M

3 Jake Bernhardt M

4 Jimmy Bitter A

41 Kevin Cooper M

28 Jimmy Dailey A

2 Dan Groot M

18 Kyle Harrison M

1 Marcus Holman A

33 Ryan Izzo M

25 Brian Karalunas D

11 Matt McMahon D

51 Mike Noone D

30 Brian Phipps G

17 Jackson Place D

94 Greg Puskuldjian FO

42 Scott Rodgers G

26 Tom Schreiber M

20 Logan Schuss A

6 Steele Stanwick A

24 Steven Waldeck D

91 Dana Wilber D



Major League Lacrosse Stories from September 9, 2015


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