The return of Paul Rabil was exactly what the New York Lizards needed to get back on track. Rabil’s 4 goals led the Lizards to their 15-13 victory over rival Chesapeake Bayhawks, ending their two-game losing streak, getting the franchise their 100th win, and clinching a spot in the playoffs.
The last time these two teams met, the Lizards took the win 15-14 at Shuart M. Stadium. Rob Pannell led the way in scoring with four goals while Mike Stone and Matt Gibson each contributed three goals. Rabil only had one goal and one assist.
The first quarter was, for the most part, a back-and-forth contest. The Bayhawks got out to an early two-goal lead, thanks to Matt Danowski and Ben Rubeor, to which the Lizards responded with two goals by JoJo Marasco and Steve DeNapoli. It didn’t take long for Rabil to make his presence known as he scored after a goal by Matt Donovan. After that, it was all Bayhawks as they scored four straight goals to end the first quarter in front 7-3.
In the second quarter, it was the Lizards turn to go on the offensive. DeNapoli added another goal to his stat line to open the second stanza. Even though the Bayhawks scored two goals, Rabil neutralized those goals with a two-point goal of his own, his second goal of the night. Gibson then scored before Donovan once again scorched the ball past Drew Adams. Pannell and Kevin Unterstein put points on the scoreboard, despite the Lizards being short-handed, and finish the first half at 11-10.
Not much scoring happened during the second half as Joe Walters opened the third stanza to extend the Bayhawks lead to two, but Ned Crotty and Pannell scored to knot the game at 12. The fourth period began with Tommy Palasek shooting the ball into the net to give the Lizards their first lead. The Bayhawks tried to stay in the game with a goal by Kevin Crowley, but Marasco’s second goal of the night and Rabil’s fourth officially sealed the win for New York.
With this win, the Lizards improve to 9-2. They still hold a firm place in first in the standings, two and a half games ahead of Boston and Ohio. This victory also allowed the Lizards to secure their place in the MLL playoffs. For Chesapeake, they drop to 5-6 and are in danger of missing the playoffs. The Lizards will play their final home game of the season against the Denver Outlaws next Thursday, July 9th at 7:30 pm. Paul Rabil, it’s good to have you back.
