The Major League Lacrosse All-Star break is here so what better time to see who are the contenders and pretenders in the league.
Pretenders
Florida- The Launch have some great offensive firepower, but they don’t seem to have much chemistry at this point. It is something that needs to be developed and they have six more games to figure out how to best use the Thompson’s with McArdle and Powell. They never addressed the defense in the offseason and they are getting exposed weekly.
Charlotte- Joey Sankey has been better than they could have expected. But, no one has stepped into the role as a solid #2 option on offense. The goaltending tandem is not strong and Ryan Flanagan needs some help on defense.
Boston- I really like what John Tucker is doing in Boston. They knew exactly what they were doing when they traded Paul Rabil. Max Seibald has been solid as has Will Manny and Davey Emala. The Cannons are loaded with draft picks so the future is bright, just not yet.
Denver- Most may question the position of the defending champs here, but the warts are starting to show. Jesse Schwartzman is really struggling and it is a head scratcher that in his worst season he somehow scored an All-Star nod. He is sixth in goals allowed and dead last in save percentage. Offensively, they have the second lowest amount of shots due to the high turnover rate. On the other side, they have surrendered the third most goals in the league. Opposing offenses are having a fairly easy time finding openings for high percentage shots.
Contenders
Chesapeake- Tyler Fiorito is having an outstanding season in cage and has a good defense in front of him. The offense is starting to get in sync with the return of Joe Walters. The other veteran middies Ben Rubeor and Matt Abbott have been solid. Jack Rice has emerged as a solid scoring threat at attack working well with Matt Danowski. The big question mark remains at the X. Nine different players have taken a face-off and all have been awful.
Ohio- Bear Davis has done an outstanding job with this group. Brian Phipps is playing out of his mind so far. The Machine have great balance on offense and the most productive middie unit in the league. The addition of Greg Puskuldjian has been key to their improvement at the X. They also have the veteran leadership in Kyle Harrison to remain a threat for Championship Weekend. Can their defense continue to be strong as the games get harder?
Rochester- Jordan Wolf is the most dynamic offensive player in the league. He packs a lot of punch in his small frame. Speaking of small frames, rookie Kevin Rice has added another element to their offense with his ability to play all three attack positions. Rochester has the best defense and transition game in the MLL. John Galloway is having another All-star season. The Rattlers need their young middies to step up offensively and hope John Ortolani can stay near 50% on the X.
New York- It is so hard to find a flaw in this team. They can go 7-8 deep with scorers. The offense is balanced. The Beast has been lights out at the X. The defense is hard to figure out and Drew Adams may be the best goalie in the league. I do think they will lose a regular season game at some point which will only make them more hungry when it comes postseason. Joe Spallina has done an excellent job of having everyone buy into being an elite team by sacrificing a little for the betterment of the team.
Championship Weekend Prediction
1- New York over 4- Chesapeake
2- Rochester over 3-Ohio
1- New York over 2- Rochester in the championship game.
Week 9 Game Balls
Joe Walters, Chesapeake: Walters had four goals and four assists in a pivotal win over Denver. In two games since his return, Walters has 11 points and brings much needed leadership to a team looking to contend.
John Galloway, Rochester: The netminder was angry at his performance last month in Foxboro against the Cannons. Sunday, he was brilliant picking up the midrange shot as he turned away 15 of the 21 Boston shot attempts.
Jake Bernhardt, Ohio: With the Machine and Hounds tied at 10 heading into the fourth quarter, Bernhardt tallied a hat trick in the final frame outscoring the Hounds himself 3-2 as Ohio stayed hot winning 14-12.
Week 9 MLL Top 8
1- New York (8-0). Seems like only arrogance and over confidence can take this team down.
2- Rochester (5-3). Galloway and defense may be the best in the MLL.
3- Ohio (5-3). Have won 5 of their last 6 and are a team no one wants to face.
4- Chesapeake (4-4). With Joe Walters back in the mix, this offense is hard to stop.
5-Denver (4-4). Strange to say, but goaltending has been a huge problem.
6- Boston (4-4). They are young and talented, but still having some growing pains.
7- Charlotte (1-7). Can’t score and struggle to defend, not a good combo.
8- Florida (1-7). All that talent yet they are the lowest scoring offense in the league.
Brendan McDaniels is a color analyst for the MLL Television broadcasts and can be seen Sunday, June 28th at 1 p.m. as the Rattlers host the Machine on ESPN3 and various Regional Sports Networks throughout the country. Follow Brendan on Twitter @BMcDTWCSports.
