In the final part of our MLL preview trilogy, we examine the Charlotte Hounds, Atlanta Blaze and Boston Cannons. Charlotte and Atlanta finished last season at 6-8 while Boston found itself in sole possession of last place. Charlotte and Atlanta are true expansion teams, not relocations, while Boston is a founding member of the league and a former champion. One thing to keep in mind is that the number of…
The next two teams in our 2018 preview are both founding members of Major League Lacrosse and rivals that found themselves not making the playoffs last season: of course, the New York Lizards and the Chesapeake Bayhawks, two teams that no one seems to want to leave once they make the roster. These proud franchises eerily mirror each other in more than just their history and win/loss record from last…
April means that Major League Lacrosse has arrived and everyone’s home team has a clean slate for a chance at a championship! Now it is time to look at what we can expect from the nine teams as they vie for the Steinfeld Cup. Today we preview four teams, including the defending champion Ohio Machine. Ohio Machine The Machine finally hoisted their first championship trophy in 2017 and it won’t…
This past Wednesday, Major League Lacrosse held its annual supplemental draft with former Florida Launch goaltender Benny Pugh going first overall to the Boston Cannons. Teams can only protect 19 players prior to the start of the season, so the supplemental draft helps teams re-stock their rosters to the allowed 35 players. At this point, it’s safe to say that the MLL talent pool more resembles a waterpark in size…
US Lacrosse held its Spring Premiere this past Saturday at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida as 44 players competed for 23 roster spots on the Men’s National Team. Coaches divided players into Blue and White squads and scrimmaged under international rules, with Team Blue edging Team White 9-7 in double overtime. The level of lacrosse on display reflected the fact that some of the best players in the world want…
At 11 a.m. EST on Thursday, November 16, outgoing Major League Lacrosse commissioner David Gross took the podium at a press conference and announced the relocation of the Rochester Rattlers franchise to Dallas, Texas. The announcement took place at The Star in Frisco, the practice facility of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and host of the 2017 MLL championship. The 12,000 seat practice facility will be the only indoor venue in…
For most, a 5 a.m. alarm signifies the beginning of another typical workday greeted with dread. When it’s your wake-up call for the Casey Powell World Lacrosse Foundation’s third annual Beach Festival, however, you beat the alarm and have your coffee to go! I received an email from Heather Chase O’Neil asking for volunteers for the August 25-27th event and jumped at the chance to be a part of an…
On August 19, Major League Lacrosse capped off another closely contested season with a rematch of their 2016 championship. The Ohio Machine and Denver Outlaws proved themselves to be the top two teams throughout the regular season and the final in Dallas at The Star in Frisco, Texas lived up to the regular season hype both squads generated. In 2016, Denver rallied behind their veterans and rookies to reel off…
Sadly, Major League Lacrosse’s regular season ended last weekend as Rochester claimed the last playoff spot. The Denver and Ohio games determined that Florida would travel to face the Machine and Rochester would face the Outlaws in Denver. Despite three of the four spots filled the previous week, the action in the games proved dramatic and there was even an emotional farewell as Greg Gurenlian played his last MLL game. The…
That time we look forward to with anticipation and dread arrived this past weekend as the playoff picture cleared somewhat as Denver, Ohio and Florida all punched their tickets to the post-season. New York, Rochester and Charlotte each have a chance at the last spot. As the playoffs take shape, the regular season is ending. There has been some incredible lacrosse played this season. The league produced some great sports…