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August 6, 2008 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release


THIS LOOKS FAMILIAR: The four teams for NB ZIP MLL Championship Weekend have been determined after last week's action and the same four teams will play for the MLL title for the second straight year. The Denver Outlaws and Rochester Rattlers have won their respective conference titles while the Los Angeles Riptide and the two-time defending MLL champion Philadelphia Barrage will hold the wild-card berths. The seeds will be determined following this week's games.

BEASTS OF THE EAST: For the second time in team history, the Rochester Rattlers secured a division/conference title by winning the Eastern Conference championship. The Rattlers also earned the National Division title during the 2004 season when they finished tied for first with the Baltimore Bayhawks, but earned the championship due to a 5-1 division record.

UNLUCKY SEVEN: The Washington Bayhawks will be looking to snap a franchise-record seven-game losing streak when they face the Long Island Lizards on Saturday night. The seven-game skid is the sixth-longest losing streak in MLL history. The longest losing streak in league history is 13 games, which was set by Chicago during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

UN-CONNECT FOUR: The Long Island Lizards will be trying to snap a four-game losing streak when they host Washington on Saturday night. It is the Lizards' longest losing streak since a six-game skid from June 30 to August 2 last year. With a 5-6 record, the Lizards will miss the postseason for the third straight season.

GOOSE EGGS: For the second time in league history, two teams failed to score in a completed single quarter as the Los Angeles Riptide and San Francisco Dragons held each other scoreless during the second quarter last Saturday in the Riptide's 15-9 victory. During the 2006 season, the Long Island Lizards and Baltimore Bayhawks failed to score in the third quarter of a 9-6 Lizards victory. The Boston Cannons and Philadelphia Barrage were held scoreless in the fourth quarter on June 29, 2006, but that game was stopped just two minutes into the period.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE: The Chicago Machine will be searching for their fourth win of the season when they face Rochester on Sunday afternoon. All four of the Machine's wins in team history have come at home. They are 0-18 all-time on the road in three MLL seasons.

NO CLIPBOARD FOR KEENAN: Philadelphia Barrage goalkeeper Kevin Keenan had the best game of his three-year Major League Lacrosse career against Boston on Saturday night. He made a career-high 27 saves en route to earning Bud Light MVP honors as the Barrage defeated Boston, 16-11. Keenan, who played in place of Brian Dougherty, has stopped 61.4 per cent of the shots he has faced in nearly 90 minutes.

7-UP: Los Angeles Riptide rookie attackman Kevin Huntley tied a team record by scoring seven goals in the Riptide's 15-9 victory over San Francisco on Saturday night. He matched the record set by Terry Riordan against the Dragons on June 30, 2007. It is the fourth time in the team's three-year history that a player has scored at least six goals.

ROOKIE RAMPAGE: With his seven-goal effort against San Francisco last week, Los Angeles Riptide rookie attackman Kevin Huntley has set the MLL record for goals by a rookie and now has 28 goals in 8 games. He broke the record of 26 goals set by Rochester rookie Adam Doneger during the 2003 season. With 33 points, he is tied for fifth on the league's single-season rookie points list.

RACE TO THE 'X': Rochester Rattlers midfielder Alex Smith and Long Island Lizards midfielder Peter Vlahakis have a chance to set the MLL single-season face-off win and face-off percentage records this weekend. Entering the regular season finale, Smith needs 12 face-offs to tie the single-season wins record set by Paul Cantabene in 2004 with Baltimore. He has also won 62.6 per cent of his face-offs this year, which is nearing the single-season record of 63.3 per cent set by Cantabene. Meanwhile, Vlahakis is just 21 face-off wins shy of matching Cantabene's single-season mark.

MIDFIELD MADNESS: With 32 goals, Boston Cannons midfielder Matt Poskay is tied for second on the MLL single-season list for goals scored by a midfielder. Meanwhile, Rochester Rattlers midfielder Joe Walters has tallied 30 goals this year, which is tied for seventh place on the single-season midfielder goals list. Blake Miller set the midfielder record with 46 goals during the 2004 season with Philadelphia.

OVER THE HILL AGAIN?: Rochester Rattlers attackman John Grant, Jr. will be looking to become the third player in MLL history to record back-to-back 40-goal campaigns when Rochester travels to Chicago on Sunday afternoon. Jesse Hubbard and Mark Millon each scored 40 or more goals in three straight years from 2001 to 2003. If Grant reaches 40 goals, it would be the 12th time in MLL history that a player has scored at least 40 goals.

60 AND OVER: Entering the regular season finale against Philadelphia, New Jersey Pride goalkeeper Rob Scherr has a chance to become the fourth goalkeeper in league history to record a save percentage of 60 per cent or higher. He has stopped 60.4 per cent of the shots he has faced this year. The league record was set by Los Angeles Riptide goalkeeper Tillman Johnson, who recorded a .640 save percentage during the 2004 season while playing for Rochester.

HERE'S YOUR HELP: The Rochester Rattlers lead the MLL with 118 assists in 11 games this year. The 118 assists rank third on the MLL single-season list. Rochester tied the MLL record with 129 assists last year in 12 games, matching the mark set by Baltimore during the 2005 season.

SHORTHANDED SUCCESS: The Rochester Rattlers have led the MLL in penalty killing percentage during most of this season and enter the regular season finale with an .825 success rate. The Rattlers can break the record for the penalty killing percentage of 81.1 per cent, which was set by the Philadelphia Barrage during the 2006 season.

STAYING INSIDE: The New Jersey Pride have allowed just two goals from beyond the two-point arc this season, which is tied for the fewest allowed by a team in a season in MLL history. The Boston Cannons hold the record by allowing just a pair of two-point markers during the 2001 and 2007 seasons.

YOU JUST CAN'T STOP HIM: Chicago Machine attackman Kevin Leveille tied the MLL record for consecutive games with a goal by scoring in his 47th straight game on July 26 at Denver. He scored four goals to match the record set by Rochester attackman John Grant, Jr. During his current streak, Leveille has scored 141 goals with 36 assists.

TRIPLE THREAT: Entering the regular season finale, Rochester Rattlers attackman John Grant, Jr. leads the MLL in three statistical categories. He has scored a league-high 39 goals in 11 games while his four two-point goals are tied for the league lead. Grant, who is the reigning Warrior Offensive Player of the Year and Bud Light MVP, also leads the MLL with 55 points. He set a league record with 71 points last year for the Rattlers.

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