After three weeks, the one absolute in Major League Lacrosse is New York is by far the best team in the league. For the first time in the early season, they had to grind out a win against Rochester, but the balance on offense has been impressive. The Lizards are spreading the ball well and have 12 different players score at least a goal. They also have three players with five or more assists in the first three games. Goalie Drew Adams is also off to a hot start with the defense giving up just nine goals a game.
Rochester once again dug themselves a first half hole, but were able to make it a game in the second half. Even though the Rattlers don’t have their starting defense on the field yet, it is concerning that they are letting teams fire away on John Galloway. The reigning Goalie of the Year saw 38 shots on cage, stopping 24. Adam Rand had a rough day at the X last week against the Beast. James Carroll got the start this week and was just as bad. Rochester may be a solid FOGO away from being an elite team once all their guys get finished with the indoor season.
I really want to like this Bayhawks team. I also am going to reserve judgment until after this week seen as they have only played Florida. So far, Matt Striebel is a solid veteran presence and Jovan Miller looks like he has re-energized his career now that he has a change of scenery. As for Florida, Lyle Thompson and Connor Buczek can’t get to the Sunshine state fast enough. The Launch will need to put up 16-18 points a game to overcome their defense. To make matters worse, Brett Queener had an early exit after Striebel collided with Queener from behind after Striebel was pushed into the crease by Bobby Lawrence. Hopefully, the leg injury does not cause Queener to miss too much time.
The Hounds may be the scrappiest team in the MLL so far. They are very young and don’t have a star per se on this team. They look to be developing some good chemistry on offense and have some athletic two-way midfielders which should make them a much better transition team as they season goes on.
Week 3 Game Balls
Matt Mackrides, Chesapeake: The four year pro from Penn State had a career high seven points with four goals and three assists. Mackrides scored in a variety of ways. He dodged well and used his off-ball cuts to get in prime positions to score.
Nicky Polanco, Chesapeake: Very few defenders can shut down the league’s all-time leading scorer. Polanco held Casey Powell to one goal as he locked down Powell and the Launch offense.
Mike Sawyer, Charlotte: Sawyer scored the game winner off a feed from Thomas DeNapoli to give the young Hounds their first win of the season.
Paul Rabil, New York: The world’s best player tallied four goals and an assist as he helped anchor a balanced Lizards attack.
Week 3 MLL Top 8
1- New York (3-0). The Lizards sweep Rochester leaving no doubt they are above and beyond the best team in the MLL.
2- Rochester (1-2). They gave New York a game this week, falling by two. The defense is struggling without Mike Manley and Joel White.
3- Chesapeake (2-0). For a second week in a row, I wonder if this offense is that good or did they get fat off of a bad Launch defense?
4- Denver (1-1). Will need to have a strong 4th quarter this week when they host Charlotte.
5- Boston (1-1). The new look Cannons were impressive in their first game, but a disappointing loss to Charlotte drops them down.
6- Charlotte (1-1). The Hounds have an OT win and an OT loss. How will they handle the defending champs?
7- Ohio (0-2). The Machine need to be better at the X.
8- Florida (0-2). The Launch have scored a league low 19 goals and have given up a second worst 27. Ouch!
Brendan McDaniels is a color analyst for the MLL Television broadcasts and can be seen May 3rd at 1 p.m. as the Rattlers host the Launch on ESPN3. Follow Brendan on Twitter @BMcDTWCSports.
