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MLL Major League Lacrosse

Week Six in the MLL: A Rematch, a Recovery and Record-Breakers

June 25, 2004 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release


Boston, MA (June 25, 2004) – Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premiere professional outdoor lacrosse league, presents three intriguing match-ups in Week Six of this season's high scoring, fast moving, hard-hitting action. On Friday night, the Baltimore Bayhawks, tied for first in the National Division, visit the defending champion Long Island Lizards in a rematch of the 2003 New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Game. In fact, the two teams have met for the title the last three years, with the Lizards coming away victorious in two of the contests.

In Boston, the hometown Cannons are coming off their first loss of the season following a record-tying 4-0 start. On Saturday night, they'll host the New Jersey Pride, who are trying to right the ship after four straight losses. As the fourth installment of the Major League Lacrosse "Game of the Week" on ESPN2, the game will air nationally on Tuesday, June 29 at 4:00 p.m.

Also on Saturday, the Rochester Rattlers visit the Philadelphia Barrage in a battle of record-setting goalies. In just his second professional game, Rattlers goalie Tillman Johnson set an MLL single-game record in Week Five with 31 saves. Not to be outdone, Cattrano, the 2002 Goalie of the Year and Bud Light MVP, tied the record the following night.

New Jersey Pride (1-4) at Boston Cannons (4-1), June 26 at 7:00 p.m.

After becoming just the second team in MLL history to open a season 4-0, the Cannons suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Lizards, 19-16. Long Island's Brian Dougherty tied a day-old MLL record with 31 saves, compared to just ten stops for Cannons goalie Chris Garrity. Boston fell behind 9-5 in the first quarter, a disturbing trend in the eyes of head coach Scott Hiller.

"We dug ourselves too deep a hole to get out from against Long Island," said Hiller. "Our guys have been great in the fourth quarter. But we can't get into a habit of thinking we can just turn it on whenever we want to come from behind and win."

Two players that can turn it on, according to the Boston coach, are attackman Conor Gill and midfielder Kevin Leveille. Gill, whose 30 points leads the league, is the man through which the entire offense runs. "Our guys know if they move the ball to Conor, they're going to get it back" in a position to score, said Hiller. Leveille, who garnered just seven points as a rookie last year, already has 13 goals and 21 points in 2004. "Conor loves feeding him the ball," said Hiller. "He's been willing to do the dirty work around the crease to get open for passes and his confidence is very high.

"This league was meant for him," Hiller added.

While the Cannons are looking to return to their winning ways, the Pride would be happy to simply find some momentum. After winning the season opener in Philadelphia, the Pride have struggled with inconsistency and frustration. But a beleaguered Ted Georgalas, the only head coach to have guided his team since the 2001 inaugural season, knows a turnaround could be just sixty minutes away.

"We're one win away from getting back on track," noted Georgalas.

In Week Five, New Jersey was frustrated by Rochester's Johnson, perhaps the hottest rookie goalie in MLL history. His 31 saves were spectacular at times, but the Pride also suffered from poor shot selection. The ten goals and eleven points New Jersey was able to muster were both MLL season lows.

The Pride are banking on contributions from newcomers Peter Vlahakis and Walid Hajj to help turn the season around. Vlahakis, a fourth round draft choice who won 22 of 31 face-offs last week, has caught the eye of his new coach. "He has a hard-nosed, blue-collar, get-his-nose-dirty mentality," said Georgalas, who noted that it will be a tough test for Vlahakis to go up against Boston's Peter Inge, one of the MLL's top face-off men. Hajj, who was New Jersey's first draft choice this year, in the second round out of Georgetown, has also impressed. "He can break down a defense and shoot on the run," observed Georgalas. "We definitely believe he will contribute for us in this league."

The Pride may not find a better opportunity to right their season than this week. New Jersey has taken six of seven all-time meetings from the Cannons, with their only loss coming in the 2003 season opener. The Pride's stars certainly shine against Boston. Jesse Hubbard, who failed to score a hat trick last week for the first time this year, yet remains tied for the league lead in goals with 18, has 14 points in his last three games against the Cannons. In the same three meetings, middie David Curry has registered 13 points and attackman Scott Urick has eight. Still, Georgalas knows it will take an entire roster to find continued success against Boston.

"The urgency is there," said Georgalas. "We need to respond as a team, not individually.

"We need a win Saturday night," he concluded.

Baltimore Bayhawks (3-2) at Long Island Lizards (3-2), June 25 at 7:30 p.m.

The Bayhawks won an exciting game over the Barrage last weekend, 19-18, in the MLL's first overtime game of 2004. Gary Gait, who scored four goals, including the overtime game-winner, and three assists, was named MLL Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. The victory allowed the Bayhawks, three-time defending division champions, to keep pace with the Rattlers atop the National Division.

Friday's game at Mitchel Field marks the first time the two teams have met since last year's thrilling New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Game. The Lizards, who won the MLL title in 2001, defeated the Bayhawks, league champs in 2002, on a Kevin Lowe goal in overtime. The two teams have split six regular season games, meaning the Lizards' 2-1 edge in title games is the difference in the all-time series.

Millon and Gait lead a Baltimore contingent that continues to depend on offensive firepower to win games. Millon is second in the league with 29 points and tied with Hubbard with a league-leading 18 goals. The two-time Warrior MLL Offensive Player of the Year appears to have added a new dimension to his game. After scoring 130 goals in three seasons without registered a two-pointer, Millon is tied for the league lead with three tallies from behind the arc this year. Gait is just two points behind Millon for third in the league scoring race, and he's the only Bayhawk to be named Bud Light Game MVP twice this season. The pair is supported by the likes of Jeff Sonke (sixth in the league with 22 points) and Paul Cantabene, who leads the league in both face-off percentage (67.8%) and ground balls (60).

The Lizards host the Bayhawks after climbing back into the American Division race with the Week Five win in Boston. Jay Jalbert led the Lizards last Saturday night scoring four goals, including two two-pointers, and registering an assist, earning Bud Light Game MVP honors in the process. The real star of the game, though, was goalie Brian Dougherty, who tied Johnson's single-game saves record and stifled the Cannons offense when Boston tried to claw back in the second half. For his efforts, Dougherty shared the Defensive Player of the Week award with Johnson.

Offensively, Jalbert and Tim Goettelmann share the team lead with 20 points and 14 goals. Even though he is better known for his championship-winning overtime goal last year, Lowe paces Long Island in assists with 13. The key to a victory may be in net, where the fiery Dougherty can win a game single-handedly—or lose control of both himself and the contest. In both of Long Island's losses, Dougherty lost his cool and was charged with momentum-changing penalties. But when he remains in the game, the 2003 MLL Goalie of the Year is capable of performances like his Week Five show-stopper.

Rochester Rattlers (3-2) at Philadelphia Barrage (1-4), June 26 at 7:00 p.m.

Two weeks ago, the Rattlers sported a mediocre 1-2 record and ranked near the bottom of the league in goals against. Since then, Rochester is 2-0 and has jumped into a tie for the National Division lead, and the turnaround is a result of just one player—Tillman Johnson. The third overall selection in the 2004 Collegiate Draft, Johnson followed up his Rookie of the Week debut with a record-setting 31 saves against the Pride last week. The Rattlers now complement their potent offense (tied for the league lead with 88 goals scored) with an equally stingy defense (league-low 74 goals against).

The Rattlers will not only have momentum on their side when they face Philadelphia at Villanova Stadium, but history as well. Rochester has never lost to the Barrage in nine all-time meetings, including a 24-17 victory over Philadelphia in Week Two. Three Rattlers registered six points in the drubbing, including Kevin Cassese and Ryan Ward, who each netted four goals. In the absence of his brother Ryan, Casey Powell scored a hat trick and added three assists. But Ryan Powell has been the offensive star of the team this season. Despite playing in only four games thus far, Ryan is fourth in the league with 26 points; in two of his four games, he earned MLL Offensive Player of the Week honors.

To match Rochester's firepower, Barrage goalie Greg Cattrano might have to duplicate last week's record-tying performance. Like Dougherty and Johnson, Cattrano made 31 saves, more than any MLL goalie had ever recorded before Week Five. But he was the only one of the three goalies to lose, dropping a heartbreaking decision to the Bayhawks on Gait's overtime goal. Blake Miller did all he could on the offensive end, tallying four goals in the second quarter and adding a pair of assists. Roy Colsey also registered a hat trick and an assist.

Like Rochester, Philadelphia will be leaning on a rookie to change the team's fortunes. Attackman Ryan Boyle was initially selected by the Rattlers with the second overall pick in the Collegiate Draft, but he was dealt that same evening for Johnson in a blockbuster deal. Like Johnson, Boyle earned the Cascade Rookie of the Week award in his debut, scoring three goals and two assists last week against the Bayhawks. Boyle will have a familiar target this Saturday when he faces Johnson; as a star for Princeton, Boyle faced the former Virginia Cavaliers netminder in four college games, notching three goals and two assists.

Major League Lacrosse, a six-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global L.L.C., and partners Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player and now CEO of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading global provider of innovative and high performance lacrosse equipment; and Timothy B. Robertson, former CEO of The Family Channel and the current chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, L.L.C., an investment holding company with activities in international media and Internet technology ventures. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001 and enters this season with teams in Baltimore, Boston, Long Island, (Montclair) New Jersey, Philadelphia and Rochester. The 2004 MLL season began on Saturday, May 22 and concludes with the New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend, Friday, August 20 and Sunday, August 22 at Nickerson Field in Boston, Mass. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.

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