Overtime Heartbreak in Denver
October 4, 2019 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Atlanta Blaze News Release
DENVER, CO - Playing in their first ever playoff appearance, the Blaze gave Chesapeake all it could handle, fighting back from a late fourth-quarter deficit to send the game to Overtime. Unfortunately for Atlanta, a Steele Stanwick goal in overtime extinguished the hopes of the 2019 Blaze season.
On Atlanta's first possession of the second half, attackman Brendan Sunday pushed the ball to teammate Mark Matthews with less than two seconds on the shot clock. Matthews used a swim move to his right hand and unleashed a one-handed shot that snuck past Goaltender Brian Phipps for an improbable highlight goal and a 10-5 Blaze lead.Â
In this play, Matthews embodied the poise and awareness that Atlanta continued to show throughout the game as they fell 13-14 in an overtime heartbreaker to the Bayhawks.
After Mark Matthews scored the first Atlanta goal with 5:49 left in the first quarter, the Blaze were firing on all cylinders, beating the Bayhawks in every phase of the game. Alex Woodall started the game on a furious tear, winning six out of eight faceoffs in the first quarter.
The Blaze defense contained Lyle Thompson and Steele Stanwick as Chesapeake was docked for four shot clock violations in the first half. Atlanta forced seven Chesapeake turnovers and limited the Bayhawks offense to two shots and one goal during the second quarter. Chris Madalon had five saves in the first half, including this one early.Â
Offensively, the Blaze made the MLL-best Chesapeake defense look mediocre, "We got a couple of good looks on the goal and our players buried them," Head Coach Liam Banks said at halftime.
Atlanta outscored Chesapeake 5-1 in the second quarter, using goals from Tommy Palasek, Brendan Sunday, and Bryan Cole to push them to a 9-4 Blaze lead at halftime.
The Bayhawks used halftime to make key defensive adjustments as they limited the Blaze offense to just one goal in the third quarter. Chesapeake would go on to score seven straight goals, overtaking the Blaze lead and pushing to a 10-12 lead into the fourth quarter.
Atlanta battled back, using this diving goal from Bryan Cole to push the score to 11-12.
A Chesapeake goal would push the lead back to two. With 2:40 left in the fourth quarter, a man-up opportunity led to a goal from Randy Staats to cut the lead back to one.
With less than a minute left in the game, Christian Mazzone caused a turnover on Matt Abbott, resulting in a wild sequence that would lead to a game-tying goal from TJ Comizio. Comizio's goal sent the game to Overtime at 13 apiece.
In sudden death, Atlanta got first possession but could not find the net with their opportunity. Chesapeake took advantage and used a Steele Stanwick goal to end Atlanta's season and advance to the 2019 Finals.
This season will serve as a milestone for the Blaze who have continued to improve year after year. This year they reached their first-ever playoff game and performed admirably, going toe-to-toe with the first seed in the playoffs while also breaking countless franchise records. Even with this defeat, the continued improvement of the franchise shows that the future shines brightly for this young Blaze team.
HEAT CHECK: IMPACT PERFORMERS
TJ Comizio: 1 Goal, 6 Ground Balls, 1 Caused Turnover
Chris Madalon: 14 Saves, 50% Save Percentage
Christian Mazzone: 1 Assist, 6 Ground Balls, 2 Caused Turnovers
Randy Staats: 2 Goals, 2 Assists
Leo Stouros: 1 Goal, 2 Ground Balls, 2 Caused Turnovers
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from October 4, 2019
- Overtime Heartbreak in Denver - Atlanta Blaze
- Steele Stanwick's Golden Goal Advances BayHawks to Eighth MLL Championship Appearance - Chesapeake Bayhawks
- 2019 MLL Semi-Finals Preview: Denver vs. Boston - MLL
- 2019 MLL Semi-Finals Preview: Chesapeake vs. Atlanta - MLL
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