It will continue to get hotter for the New York Lizards as they face former Lizard Casey Powell in a trip down south to Boca Raton for the first time to take on the Florida Launch.
New York (3-2) is on a two-game win streak earning the second and most recent in thrilling fashion against the Boston Cannons at Hofstra University. In a come from behind victory, Ned Crotty, found the back of the cage with 4:06 left to go in regulation to earn his team the 11-10 win and himself Coca-Cola Player of the Game.
Florida (3-2) is in its inaugural season and will be introduced to the Lizards when the team plays host on Saturday. Powell leads the league in scoring with 25 points (11 G, 14 A) and will challenge his old team’s defense in his first matchup as a Lizard foe. The Launch fell 18-11 this past week to the Rochester Rattlers (4-2) who managed to limit Powell to only two assists.
The Lizards lead the league with the best penalty kill at 90 percent, only allowing one PPG in 10 chances. Florida allowed three man-up goals against the Rattlers this past week to bring its PK average to 58 percent, the third lowest in the league.
Both teams were unable to capitalize on power play opportunities this past week when the Lizards went 0-2 and the Launch were given no chances, as the Rattlers took no penalties. However, when on the power play, the teams are close with New York completing 33 percent and Florida 35 percent of its chances.
The Lizards faceoff specialist, Greg Gurenlian has been spectacular at the “X” leading all teams with a .616 (85-138) faceoff percentage. His ability to limit possessions and pick up 37 ground balls in five games this season will be a huge factor for the Lizards against Florida’s Christopher Mattes (60-131) aiding to the Launch’s .448 percentage at the “X.”
Rob Pannell continues to be New York’s leading scorer as he sits in fourth in the league with 19 points (11 G, 8 A). According to the Lizards website (www.nylizards.com), head coach Joe Spallina is looking for his team to increase its scoring depth. They have a great triple threat of Pannell, Ned Crotty and Tommy Palasek but will need to get contributions from other players as well if the team is to stay over its .500 mark.
Make sure to see if the Lizards can find a hat trick in consecutive wins at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida with first faceoff at 5:30 pm. The game can also be watched live on CBS Sports Network.
