The New York Lizards knew they had to turn their luck around with a win following a three-game losing streak. The win may have came closer then they would’ve liked, but the Lizards swept the season series against the Rochester Rattlers 16-15 in overtime.
New York saw several key players help contribute to the winning effort. Dave Lawson and JoJo Marasco each scored two goals, but what was key to their offensive game was how they were able to spread their offense out. Marasco and Lawson each scored a goal to open the game, and they continued with their second goals coming the second half, albeit Marasco scored in the third quarter and Lawson scored in the fourth quarter. Lawson also had an assist in his stat line, totaling his point total for the game to three.
Matt Gibson and Rob Pannell had better days, each earning a hat-trick with three goals. Gibson was instrumental in the beginning, scoring two of his three goals in the first quarter including the first goal of the game. Pannell was a little late to the party, scoring two of his three goals in the second quarter, but his final goal came a crucial time in the game, with just a minute and a half left in the game to send it into overtime. Pannell also added three assists to his stat line, ending the game at six points.
Of course, no Lizards’ player had a bigger game than Paul Rabil. Rabil led the Lizards in goals with five. One of his five goals was a two-point goal, although that shouldn’t come as a surprise since it’s well-known that Rabil can score two-point goals. However, of all his goals, the biggest one of the game came in overtime when he fired the ball past Rattlers’ goalie John Galloway to end the Lizards’ woes of the last three games and clinch the 16-15 overtime victory.
While the offense is firing on all cylinders, the defense seems to be faltering. The overtime could have been avoided if Drew Adams didn’t allow 15 goals to past him in net. The lizards’ defense is also at fault because they allowed Jeremy Boltus and Jesse King to score four goals each. If the defense prevents one of those goals by either King or Boltus, then the overtime isn’t necessary and the margin is a lot more comfortable. However, the Lizards got it done, so it can be forgiven, but not forgotten.
With the victory, the Lizards improve both in record, to 7-4, and in standings position, moving up to second behind the Chesapeake Bayhawks. In fact, the Bayhawks are the Lizards’ next opponent on the schedule, as the Lizards play host to them in hopes of overtaking them in the standings on Thursday, July 28th. If the Lizards want to get the first-seed in the playoffs, they’ll have to defeat Chesapeake.
