Stanwick Posts Five Points to Lead BayHawks Rout of Lizards, 24-7
Published on August 4, 2019 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Chesapeake Bayhawks News Release
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Total domination - that is the only term that properly describes what happened Sunday evening at James M. Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University.
Veteran attackman Steele Stanwick spearheaded an overpowering offensive performance while backup goalie Brian Phipps anchored a suffocating defensive effort as the Chesapeake Bayhawks blew out the New York Lizards, 24-7.
Stanwick scored three goals and assisted two others to lead an attack that saw 11 different players record a point. Phipps made his first start of the season and recorded 12 saves as the Bayhawks limited the Lizards to just three goals over the final three quarters.
"I thought we were pretty doggone good today," Chesapeake Head Coach Dave Cottle declared. "We felt it was important to get off to a strong start and we did that. We shared the ball on offense and we worked really well together on defense."
Third-year professional Colin Heacock had another huge game with four goals for Chesapeake, leading the Bayhawks in their two-game weekend sweep of the Lizards. Heacock, who played attack on Saturday and midfield on Sunday, scored 10 goals in the home-and-home series.
Midfielder Nick Mariano also scored four goals for Chesapeake (6-3), who has moved into a three-way tie for first place in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) with the Denver Outlaws and Boston Cannons. Attackman Lyle Thompson totaled three goals and an assist in just over a half of action before sitting out most of the third and fourth quarters to rest a nagging injury.
Midfielder Matt Abbott contributed two goals and an assist. Second-year midfielder Ryan Keenan totaled two goals and two assists while rookie Andrew Kew, a left-handed attackman, notched two goals and an assist.
"We had great ball movement and got everyone involved," said Stanwick, who was sprayed with water by Colin Heacock and Nick Manis while doing a postgame television interview. "This was just a very complete effort by the entire team and it was great to see."
Midfielder Shane Simpson, who made his debut with the Bayhawks yesterday, had a goal and an assist for his first points in Major League Lacrosse. Rookie midfielder John Wagner had a goal and two assists to finish the weekend with six points (3G, 3A).
Kenny Massa dominated the draws for the second straight game, winning 20 of 32. Massa captured 36 of 53 faceoffs in the two games against New York, good for a .679 faceoff win percentage. Massa also scored a goal in his home state, setting a single-season personal best in goals (3) and points (4).
Cottle and defensive coordinator Bob Shillinglaw had decided ten weeks ago to start two different goalies in this situation. That is usually what happens in the National Hockey League whenever teams play a home-and-home series on back-to-back nights.
"It's hard to play goalie in this league and it made sense to put a fresh guy in there today," Cottle said. "Brian Phipps is a proven professional and we knew he would do the job. I thought Brian was very solid and got better as the game went along."
Close defenseman Warren Jeffrey did a superb job defending powerful attackman Dylan Molloy for the second straight day. Jeffrey limited Molloy to a goal and assist on Sunday after the 220-pounder managed only an assist on Saturday night.
"Warren Jeffrey did another outstanding job on Molloy, and I thought Chris Fennell also had a good game," Cottle said. "Jesse Bernhardt took over our defense about two weeks ago and has really set the tone. He's a tremendous leader who holds the unit together and hustles his tail off at all times."
"This was an interesting challenge and our guys proved up to it. I thought we had a lot of gas in the tank today, which is very impressive considering we had a long bus ride after playing last night," Cottle said.
Heacock had a hat trick in the first quarter for the second straight game to help the Bayhawks gain a 7-4 lead. The powerfully built left-hander got the Bayhawks on the board first with a strong dodge from behind the cage and later scored off an overhand shot from the right wing. Heacock's third goal marked the 50th of his MLL career.
Abbott dodged a short stick from goal-line extended and scored from the doorstep while Keenan did the same thing after beating a defender from the opposite side, finishing with a backhanded flip to give Chesapeake the lead for good.
Kenny Massa captured a faceoff and took the ball straight to the goal for a bounce shot that beat the goalie five-hole. Heacock closed out the first period scoring by powering his way to the front of the net for a shot into the top corner that capped a 6-2 run.
Kew opened the second period scoring with a lefty sidearm shot while Keenan delivered a beautiful no-look pass to Stanwick on the backside for a point-blank finish as the Bayhawks extended the lead to 9-4 at the 7:09 mark.
Thompson got his defender leaning right then rolled back left to get time and space for a short shot past the ear of goalkeeper Austin Kaut with 5:47 to go. Just 40 seconds later, Chesapeake scored again after winning the faceoff with Abbott firing a hard pass to Stanwick on the crease, who jumped to make the catch then finished with a quick stick.
Simpson, who made his MLL debut on Saturday night, scored his first goal as a Bayhawk off a speed dodge from goal-line extended. Thompson then found Abbott cutting to the crease as Chesapeake took a commanding 13-6 lead into intermission.
It marked the most goals in any half of a game this season for the Bayhawks, who outscored the Lizards 6-2 in the second stanza.
Chesapeake continued to pour it on after coming out of the locker room, outscoring New York 6-1 in the third quarter to break the game wide open. Stanwick had a goal and two assists as the Bayhawks' lead ballooned to 12 goals.
Midfielder Brendan Bomberry scored off a cannon blast of an overhand crank shot while Stanwick put back a rebound after shot faking Kaut. Thompson found himself all alone on the left wing and finished a 5-on-3 situation while Stanwick threaded the needle on an incredible feed to Mariano on the crease.
Kew was another beneficiary of Stanwick's tremendous vision and easily finished from out front while Mariano scooped up the loose ball after being stripped and beat the goalie from point-blank range.
Phipps stopped several high-percentage shots to backstop a defense that harassed the Lizards into numerous turnovers. Dominant defense was as much the reason why Chesapeake scored 10 unanswered goals during the second half as textbook offense. "For 11 different guys to score, it is really impressive," wrapped up Cottle.
Chesapeake wins the season series with New York, 3-1, while the weekend sweep creates a three-way tie atop the MLL standings.
The Chesapeake Bayhawks return to Annapolis on Saturday, August 10th to take on the Denver Outlaws at 8:00 PM EST for Native American Celebration Night. Leading up to the event, the Bayhawks will be celebrating Native American culture with their next episode of Chesapeake Bayhawks: Under the Helmet (to be released on Monday, August 5th) and the return of @TheX which will have its Season 2 launch on August 8th.
Tickets for the Native American Celebration game are available at thebayhawks.com/tickets or can be purchased through the Chesapeake Bayhawks Ticket Office by calling 866-99-HAWKS or emailing sales@thebayhawks.com. The Lexus Tailgate Zone will open at 5:30 PM and feature a live DJ, photo booth, games for kids and complimentary Bud Light for ticket holders 21 and older.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 4, 2019
- NY Lizards Lose to Chesapeake BayHawks, 24-7, in Fifth Home Game of the Season - New York Lizards
- Stanwick Posts Five Points to Lead BayHawks Rout of Lizards, 24-7 - Chesapeake Bayhawks
- Rattlers Power Past Blaze, 14-16 - Atlanta Blaze
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