The second semifinal this Saturday pits two teams with similar statistics all the way down the stat sheet. Both teams are 9 wins, 5 losses. Each has six wins, one loss at home, while they are both 3 wins, 4 losses on the road. They are eleven goals in the plus column against their opponents. The season series is even tied at one a piece.
Denver –
Denver is the home team, so they will have the advantage of playing in the altitude and warm confines of home. The Outlaws are more attack dominated in terms of point production with all three in the top five in scoring. The combination of John Grant Jr. and Eric Law really exploded this summer.
Law will look to continue is semifinal success after being a one man machine in the semifinal last season, scoring nine goals in a loss to Charlotte. Junior leads the team in scoring with fifty-four points, while Law is only two behind at fifty-two. Grant has been a force in this league, but his point totals show that he just isn’t finishing the plays. He has the team lead in assists with twenty-six.
The midfield does not have the depth that will enable them to run time and time again at an opposition, but their top line can score. Jeremy Sieverts has really made a name for himself as one of the better midfielders in the league. His seven two-point goals this season make him a significant long-range threat. Drew Snider has opened the door this summer, getting twenty-seven goals for his team.
The players that need to play well to get to the Championship Game are Zack Greer, Justin Pennington, and Mike Simon. Greer scores timely goals in his limited action returning from injury. Pennington needs to produce for the second midfield line to be effective. Simon has to limit what could be a dominant midfield in New York compared to that of Denver.
The defense has Lee Zink as its anchor. He is a candidate, if not winner, of the Defensive Player of the Year annually. He takes up a lot of space, is physical inside, and won’t lose position out in the field. Zink is an all-round great defenseman. Dillon Roy is another up and coming defenseman that is playing well for the team. Like Zink, he is tenacious on his opposition.
Jesse Schwartzman is the best goalie in the league. He wants to avenge the World Games loss with bringing home the championship trophy for his Outlaws. With the defense in front of him, he sees the shots that he wants and challenges shooters to take only the best shots. Bad shots turn into goals the other way.
New York Lizards –
The Lizards are also an attack dominant team with the three starting attackman in the top four point producers. Rob Pannell gets the majority of the workload, scoring fifty-six points. In second place, Tommy Palasek has only twenty-eight. Ned Crotty can move between midfield and attack when the timing is right to produce match up problems, still fourth in scoring. Matt Gibson can provide relief, scoring just over a goal per game this summer.
Midfield might be the advantage New York needs over Denver. Jojo Marasco is third on the team in points with twenty-two goals, six assists. Max Seibald wants a championship and leads the unit. He has twenty-one points. Mike Kimmel has revitalized his summer after being traded away from Chesapeake. He was a welcome addition to add depth to the midfield.
Defensively, the Lizards are stocked with Brian Karalunas, Kyle Hartzell, Steve Holmes, and Joe Fletcher. While none of these players are flashy, they are great defensemen. They will grind out wins, as evident by last weekend’s one goal win against Denver. Hartzell is a threat in transition, scoring nine goals this season.
With a stable, effective defense in front of him, Drew Adams has been able to keep his team in any game. The game will feature both Team USA goalies, which will make for excitement of its own. Each goalie has the ability to be the difference maker in this tilt of perennial titans in the league.
In the first game, a Denver win, the scoring was spread around between four players. New York had Rob Pannell dominating the stat sheet with six points, when no other player had more than two. In last week’s New York win, Pannell still was the focus, but the goal scoring was evenly spread throughout the contest.
Prediction: Denver 12, New York 11.
