Last week, we talked about the rookies we thought would make an impact in their Major League Lacrosse debuts. It was an impressive showing for the Class of 2015 so far. Joey Sankey dropped five goals and three assists for the Hounds. This was one of the most impressive debuts in league history albeit in a losing effort. The Hounds other young guns Josh Hawkins and Mike Sawyer will help ease the transition for Sankey, but what will he do for an encore?
The much hyped debut of Lyle Thompson probably did not go as fans expected, but something short of a 10-point performance would have been the only acceptable outcome. Thompson did finish with a goal and three assists which was a realistic outcome. None of Lyle’s assists were to his brother Miles who also made his debut with Florida. Miles finished with two goals and an assist. Casey Powell did not play in this game so it will be interesting to see how the Thompson’s, Powell, and McArdle all fit together on the offense.
The rich will get richer this weekend when the Outlaws welcome Wesley Berg to the team. Berg was a stud leading the University to Denver to an historic NCAA championship on Monday. Berg won the national semifinal with an overtime laser to knock out top seed Notre Dame. In the title game, he scored the first three goals of the game, finishing with five. He also has the opportunity to come right in to a veteran team and contribute while learning from a legend like John Grant, Junior. Can life get any better for Wesley?
The Rattlers will add some firepower this weekend with the additions of Kevin Rice and Jesse King. Both will have to prove they are worthy of cracking this stacked young offense in Rochester. Head Coach Tim Soudan has been excited to see what both can do and will get to show off his new toys on Sunday.
Week 7 Game Balls
Jordan Burke, Boston: Burke made 29 saves against Charlotte. Yes, that is correct, 29! This is four short of the MLL single-game record of 33 held by Brian Dougherty and former Cannon Kevin O’Brien.
Greg Puskuldjian, Ohio: A free agent from Adelphia picked up from the MLL Player Pool on April 23 was 23-32 at the X against Florida. The Machine are 3-1 since he came into the lineup and has converted 55 of 91 (60%) face-offs in those games.
John Grant, Jr., Denver: Junior has been playing 10 years younger than he actually is racking up four goals and three assists as Denver beat up on Chesapeake.
Week 7 MLL Top 8
1- New York (6-0). Still the best, but have a feeling a loss is coming.
2- Denver (4-2). An already stacked team added NCAA championship stud Wesley Berg now.
3- Chesapeake (3-3). Can Joe Walters spark the offense?
4- Rochester (3-3). Should be fun to see how Kevin Rice and Jesse King work into the rotation.
5- Boston (3-3). Young team is starting to gel.
6- Ohio (3-3). Are the Machine finally ready to be a Top 4 team?
7- Charlotte (1-5). Can Sankey carry the offense the second half of the year?
8- Florida (1-5). Can the Thompson play defense too?
Brendan McDaniels is a color analyst for the MLL Television broadcasts and can be seen June 7th at 1 p.m. as the Rattlers host the Cannons on ESPN3. Follow Brendan on Twitter @BMcDTWCSports.
