The Ohio Machine is last in the MLL standings with only one win, but it faces its best opportunity to improve on that this weekend.
The Machine (1-7) will play a home-and-home series on back-to-back nights this weekend with the Hamilton Nationals (2-6).
One more game means one more chance to win, and it comes against the team closest in the standings. It could also mean one last chance for the Nationals to make a push for the playoffs.
“We’re excited,†Hamilton head coach Regy Thorpe said on the MLL coaches’ conference call. “Ohio’s a desperate team like we’re a desperate team so we can expect some exciting games.â€
While Ohio all season has been considered more of a defensive team than an offensive one this year, the team has scored more goals than Hamilton (93-92) while being second-worst in the league in goals against (123).
Hamilton has Joe Walters and Stephen Keogh, two players that score in bunches, but is last in the entire league in goals for; although to be fair they are sixth in goals per game (11.5).
But just because it is the two teams with the worst records in the league going at it doesn’t mean it won’t be fun to watch. The young talent on display will be exciting.
For the Machine, All-Star and third-year pro Jimmy Connolly leads the team in goals (22) and is tied for the team lead in points (22) while rookie Steele Stanwick has really shown off his lauded passing skills sitting first on the team in assists (10) in just three games, including tallying nine in his past two games. Stanwick is finding his teammates and really forming some chemistry.
For the Nationals, second-year pro Matt Dolente is establishing himself as one of the premier face-off middies in the league, enough so that the team was willing to deal long-time face-off guy Geoff Snider to Charlotte at the trading deadline. Keogh is a scoring machine—leading the team in goals—and David Earl and Cody Jamieson also do a good job finishing.
Throw in proven veterans like Walters and Casey Powell for Hamilton and Chazz Woodson and Kyle Hartzell—with six two-point goals—for Ohio and this could be the coming out party both offenses needed.
The key here is how well will the goalies play.
Brett Queener is an All-Star, but he’s allowed 14.66 goals per game between the pipes for the Nationals.
Stefan Schroder is last amongst all eligible goalies in goals against on the league website, allowing 15.43 goals per game.
Despite the low overall totals, these two games should be high scoring affairs, especially in the second game which should open up more because of fatigue like we saw last week between the Long Island Lizards and Rochester Rattlers.
The difference could be which goalie makes the key, timely saves.
