Major League Lacrosse Releases Schedule for 2005 Season
Published on January 11, 2005 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release
Boston, MA (January 11, 2005) â Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premiere professional outdoor lacrosse league, today announced the schedule for its fifth season of high scoring, hard hitting, fast paced lacrosse. Each of the MLL's six teams will play a schedule of twelve games in 2005, beginning on Friday, May 20 in Long Island. The 2005 schedule includes two Wild West Tour games, continuing the MLL's "Project West Coast" initiative, designed to add a West Coast Division of at least four new teams by the start of the 2006 season. The season will again conclude with the New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend, consisting of a pair of Semi-Final games on Friday, August 19, and the Championship Game on Sunday, August 21.
"We are thrilled to begin our fifth season of the best lacrosse in the world," said David Gross, MLL Commissioner. "We look forward to providing our fans with twelve exciting weeks of lacrosse action, culminating with another successful New Balance Championship Weekend. Continuing with "Project West Coast" also remains a high priority. We will bring the MLL westward two more times in 2005, helping pave the way for a West Coast division of the league in 2006."
Major League Lacrosse play kicks off in 2005 with a lone game on May 20 when the New Jersey Pride, led by Jesse Hubbard, the MLL's all-time leading goal scorer, visit the two-time MLL champion Long Island Lizards. All six teams are in action the following week, highlighted by a rematch of the 2004 New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Game, in which the Philadelphia Barrage defeated the Boston Cannons. The Cannons visit the Barrage on Sunday May 29 at 7:00PM.
The Wild West Tour will return in 2005, with a pair of MLL games scheduled for western venues. Baltimore and New Jersey, who last year played a Wild West Tour game in Denver, will take their May 28 meeting out west. The date of the second Wild West Tour game, as well as the locations for both games will be announced at a later date. Last year, the MLL played the inaugural Wild West Tour as a first step in the league's west coast expansion initiative. The 2004 Wild West Tour featured the first two MLL regular season games played outside of league cities, in Seattle at Qwest Field and in Denver at Invesco Field at Mile High. The two Wild West Tour contests drew an average of more than 8,700 fans per game.
Defending division champions meet on June 4 when the National Division champion Rochester Rattlers visit Boston to take on the Cannons, who won their first American Division title in 2004 with a league-best 8-4 record. The Baltimore Bayhawks, winners of three straight division titles before being unseated by the Rattlers last year, get their first chance for revenge when they visit Rochester on June 18.
The 2005 schedule also includes the fifth annual Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft, scheduled for Wednesday, June 1. The Collegiate Draft will again be preceded by the Warrior Major League Challenge, an all-star game featuring the best graduating college seniors playing under MLL rules.
2005 Major League Lacrosse Schedule
Week Day Date Visitor Home
1
Friday
May 20
New Jersey
Long Island
7:30PM
2
Friday
May 27
Rochester
Long Island
7:30PM
2
Saturday
May 28
Baltimore
New Jersey
* Wild West Tour
2
Sunday
May 29
Boston
Philadelphia
7:00PM
Wednesday
June 1
2005 Warrior Major League Challenge & Collegiate Draft
3
Saturday
June 4
Rochester
Boston
7:00PM
3
Saturday
June 4
Long Island
Philadelphia
7:30PM
3
Sunday
June 5
New Jersey
Baltimore
4:00PM
4
Saturday
June 11
Boston
Rochester
7:30PM
4
Sunday
June 12
Philadelphia
Baltimore
4:00PM
5
Saturday
June 18
Philadelphia
New Jersey
7:30PM
5
Saturday
June 18
Long Island
Boston
7:00PM
5
Saturday
June 18
Baltimore
Rochester
7:30PM
6
Saturday
June 25
New Jersey
Boston
7:00PM
6
Saturday
June 25
Philadelphia
Long Island
7:00PM
6
Sunday
June 26
Rochester
Baltimore
4:00PM
7
Thursday
June 30
Baltimore
Long Island
7:30PM
7
Thursday
June 30
Philadelphia
Boston
7:30PM
7
Thursday
June 30
Rochester
New Jersey
7:30PM
8
Saturday
July 9
Boston
New Jersey
1:00PM
8
Saturday
July 9
Philadelphia
Rochester
7:30PM
8
Sunday
July 10
Long Island
Baltimore
4:00PM
9
Thursday
July 14
Rochester
Philadelphia
7:30PM
9
Saturday
July 16
Long Island
New Jersey
7:30PM
9
Saturday
July 16
Baltimore
Boston
7:00PM
10
Saturday
July 23
Philadelphia
Boston
7:00PM
10
Saturday
July 23
New Jersey
Baltimore
7:00PM
10
Saturday
July 23
Long Island
Rochester
7:30PM
11
Thursday
July 28
Long Island
Philadelphia
7:30PM
11
Saturday
July 30
Rochester
New Jersey
7:30PM
11
Sunday
July 31
Boston
Baltimore
6:00PM
12
Thursday
August 4
Long Island
Boston
7:30PM
12
Thursday
August 4
Baltimore
Philadelphia
7:30PM
12
Friday
August 5
New Jersey
Rochester
7:30PM
13
Thursday
August 11
New Jersey
Philadelphia
7:30PM
13
Friday
August 12
Boston
Long Island
7:30PM
13
Saturday
August 13
Baltimore
Rochester
7:30PM
New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend
Friday
August 19
Semi-Final Doubleheader
5:00PM/8:00PM
Sunday August 21 Championship Game 1:00PM
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 will begin on Friday, May 20 and conclude with the New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend on Friday, August 19 and Sunday, August 21. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from January 11, 2005
- Rattlers open 2005 season May 27 at Long Island - Dallas Rattlers
- Major League Lacrosse Releases Schedule for 2005 Season - MLL
- Cannons announce 2005 schedule - Boston Cannons
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