Rattlers game notes
Published on July 29, 2004 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Dallas Rattlers News Release
(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Rattlers (5-4) travel to Long Island to meet the defending Major League Lacrosse champion Lizards (5-4) at 8:00 p.m. Friday, July 30th at Mitchel Athletic Complex. The contest will be broadcast on News Talk 950 WROC and SportsJuice.com. The game will also be televised tape delayed on ESPN2 on Tuesday, August 3rd at 4:00 p.m.
Rochester has an 0-6 all-time record against the Lizards and is 0-1 in the postseason. The game is the first of two between Rochester and Long Island. The Rattlers host Long Island on August 14th to conclude the regular season. Currently, the teams are in a three-way tie with Baltimore for the second playoff spot in the MLL.
The Rattlers moved into a first-place tie with Baltimore after the Bayhawks split two games last weekend with Long Island and Rochester defeated the New Jersey Pride 17-10.
Against the Pride, the Rattlers were led by seven points (5+2) from Casey Powell and four goals from rookie Sean Lindsay. Ryan Powell also chipped in one goal and three assists. Rochester won on the strength of a 10-0 run and 32:09 of scoreless lacrosse from goalie Tillman Johnson.
The Lizards are coming off a 17-16 overtime win at Unitas Stadium over the Bayhawks on July 24th. Conor Denihan scored the game-winner 3:16 into overtime. Ken Garcia scored a career-high four goals and one assist, and Jay Jalbert added three goals and two assists.
The game is a showcase of two of the game's top goalies: Long Island's Brian Dougherty and Rochester's Tillman Johnson. Both goalies are tied for the first in the league with four wins apiece. Johnson leads the MLL with a 12.7 goals-against average and Dougherty is third at 15.4. Johnson also leads the MLL with a .636 save percentage and Dougherty is third with a .607 mark. Johnson has backstopped the Rattlers to a league-low 130 goals against. Long Island is second with 139 goals yielded this season.
Dougherty played for the Rattlers from 2001 to 2002 and registered a 13-14 record and led the team to its only playoff berth in 2001. He still holds team records for wins (13) and saves (415). In his career he has 25 wins, which is the second most in league history.
Dougherty was acquired from Rochester on January 15, 2003, in a five-player deal that sent Casey Powell from the Lizards to the Rattlers. Last season, Powell set the MLL single-season record for points with 70. The trade also sent Chris Cercy and Conor Denihan to Long Island and goalie Brian Carcaterra to Rochester. The Rattlers also received Long Island's third-round pick (17th overall) in the 2003 MLL Collegiate Draft. Rochester selected defenseman Billy Glading out of Virginia.
Rochester is led on offense by Casey and Ryan Powell. Ryan has a team-high 45 points (24+21) this season and Casey is second with 43 points (24+1+18). The duo rank third and fourth in the league in points, respectively. Casey is riding a franchise record assist streak of 16 games (7/06/03 to 7/24/04). Josh Coffman has also been on target, recording 12 goals in his last four games. Rochester has notched 17 points in its last three games, going 2-1 over that stretch.
The Rattlers return to action on Saturday, August 7th at 4:00 p.m. at New Jersey against the Pride. Rochester ends its regular season schedule on Saturday, August 14th at home against Long Island at 7:30 p.m.
SNAKE BITES
MLL Honors: Rochester Rattler John Glatzel was named the Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week. He was one of the keys this weekend's 17-10 win over the New Jersey Pride on July 24th. The Rattlers held New Jersey to an MLL season-low 10 points in Week Nine, and Glatzel was a big part of that defensive effort. He limited Pride sniper Jesse Hubbard, who entered the weekend leading the league in goals, to three goals. Glatzel also helped hold New Jersey to just nine goals, only the 10th time in MLL history a team has scored less than 10 goals in a game. He will miss the game on Friday because he is attending a wedding in Baltimore.
Powell fights for first overall: Casey Powell trails Baltimore's Mark Millon (235) by one point for first overall on the MLL's all-time points list. Casey has 234 points with Long Island and Rochester.
Defense! Defense!: The Rattlers boast five former Defenseman of the Year: Eric Martin (2004) Michael Howley (2003), John Glatzel (2002), Ryan Mollett (2001) and Marshall Abrams (2000). Four of the five were Division I honorees, with Martin winning the Division III equivalent in 2004. Martin was selected by Rochester in the fourth round (20th overall) of the 2004 MLL Collegiate Draft. Abrams is the only member not on the active roster. He will miss the entire season because of an injury he sustained for the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League.
All-Rookie Team: The Rochester Rattlers have two players on their roster that were honored as members of the 2004 National Lacrosse League All-Rookie Team. A.J. Shannon (Buffalo Bandits) and Ryan Ward (Philadelphia Wings) were among the indoor league's best young players. Shannon was acquired in an offseason trade with the New Jersey Pride and Ward was selected in the 2004 MLL Supplemental Draft. Shannon played his college lacrosse at the University of Virginia and Ward spent his collegiate career at Butler University.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from July 29, 2004
- Rattlers game notes - Dallas Rattlers
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