With three Major League Lacrosse games, here are the three stars from the weekend that was.
3) John Grant Jr. (Denver) – 3 goals, 4 assists
The only offensive player among our three stars, John Grant Jr. tallied seven points in a 17-10 win over Chesapeake. All three of his goals came in the second half. He had two goals and an assist in the third quarter as Denver held off a hard charging Bayhawks’ squad. Chesapeake scored six goals in the third to try and get back into the game, but the Outlaws answered with six goals of their own to erase much doubt and take a 15-9 lead into the fourth quarter. Grant Jr. has tallied 11 points behind five goals and six assists this season.
2) Greg Puskuldjian (Ohio) – 23-32 faceoffs, 16 groundballs
Kyle Harrison finished with six points while James Dailey scored four goals, but they wouldn’t have had as many offensive opportunities as they did without faceoff man Greg Puskuldjian. Puskuldjian won 23-of-32 faceoffs and scooped 16 groundballs to help the Machine to a 20-12 win over Florida. Ohio finished with a 53-40 edge in total shots and 34-16 advantage in groundballs as Puskuldjian had as many GBs as the entire Florida team. In each quarter, Ohio either outscored Florida, or was tied, due in large part to the consistent possessions from Puskuldjian’s faceoff play. For the season, he has played four games and won 55-of-91 faceoffs. There were so many other great performances from Ohio with honorable mention efforts from Brian Phipps (18 saves), Marcus Holman (six points, including a pair of two-point goals) and James Dailey (four points). In total, eight different Ohio players recorded multiple points.
1) Jordan Burke (Boston) – 29 saves
Will Manny continued his hot play, posting a game-high six points. Kevin Buchanan had four goals. But the player of the game for Boston was goalie Jordan Burke. He made an incredible 29 saves, allowing just 13 goals as the Cannons beat Charlotte 19-13. Burke tallied eight saves in the first, second and fourth quarters, adding five saves in the third. The Hounds recorded 10 of the 14 first-quarter shots on goal, but Boston still ended the first quarter with a 3-2 lead, due to Burke’s play. Burke made sure the Hounds couldn’t get anything going as Boston took a 10-4 lead at the half and 15-7 edge after three quarters of play. For the season, Burke owns a 13.89 GAA and .568 save percentage.
