MLL Records Broken in 2019
Published on November 6, 2019 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release
Boston, MA- When John Grant Jr. came out of retirement this May, he said it was in order for his nine-year-old daughter Gabby to see him play. One of the unintended rewards in coming back was it gave Jr. the chance to chase the MLL all-time points record. Grant came into the season just a handful of points away from the record of 596 career points (regular season and post). Would Grant Jr. break the record in 2019?
Grant Jr. Makes History
- Major League Lacrosse (@MLL_Lacrosse) June 9, 2019 On June 8th, Grant Jr. and the rest of the Denver Outlaws took on the Atlanta Blaze on the road in Georgia. Grant Jr. came into the contest with 595 career points. Jr. started off the scoring for the Outlaws with a goal, tying him with the all-time record. Later in the game, the moment came for Grant when he assisted on a Brendan Kavanagh goal. Grant Jr. said of the achievement, "I think the record is important for others. I like that it gave me the opportunity to come back."
Kurashima Scored For His Fans Halfway Across the World
September 21, 2019 Kohta Kurashima spent the first 15 weeks of the MLL season on the Denver Outlaws practice squad. The Seikei, Japan native joined the Outlaws following an open tryout earlier this year. As the season neared its close, it was clear that Outlaws head coach Tony Seaman wanted to reward Kurashima with a chance to get on the field. That chance came in Week 16 for Kurashima. Early in a game against the Chesapeake Bayhawks, Kurashima turned the corner and fired a shot past Chesapeake goalie Brian Phipps. With that effort, Kurashima became the first Japaneese player to score in an MLL game. As a matter of fact, Kurashima is only the second Japaneese player to ever play in MLL following Kai Iwamoto's debut in 2018.
When Alex Woodall was drafted first overall in the 2019 MLL Draft, expectations were extremely high for the faceoff specialist from Towson. Woodall won nearly 75% of his draws for the Tigers during his senior season. Woodall managed to live up to the hype in his rookie season winning the most faceoffs by a rookie in league history. Woodall won a total of 255 draws for a percentage of 50%. Woodall was named Cascade Rookie of the Year for his outstanding play in 2019.
Adler 23-24 at the X
Max Adler has another excellent season for the Denver Outlaws leading the league with a faceoff percentage of 58.31%. Adler's best performance this season was a performance for the ages. In an August road game against the Bayhawks, Adler was 23-24 at the faceoff X for a percentage of 95.8%. That percentage is the highest single-game percentage in MLL history.
Blaze Catch Fire on Offense:
The Atlanta Blaze had one of the most explosive team offenses in league history. The Blaze broke the MLL team goals record finding the back of the net 229 times. In addition, Atlanta also broke the all-time team assists record with 157. The Blaze had an incredible offensive season thanks to the likes of Shayne Jackson, Bryan Cole, Randy Staats, and Tommy Palasek.
With several records broken in 2019, there's no doubt players will be looking to break some more records in 2020. What records could be broken next season? Single season points, single season goals, faceoff percentage in a year? We will have to wait until next summer, when the 20th season of Major League Lacrosse kicks off!
Major League Lacrosse Stories from November 6, 2019
- MLL Records Broken in 2019 - MLL
- Randy Staats on Playing the Native's Game - Atlanta Blaze
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