Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, today announced the 38 players selected for the 2013 All-Star Game presented by Moe’s Southwest Grill July 13 at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Players were selected through balloting process by MLL coaches and general managers.
The 38 players will be divided into two teams as selected by the winners of the MLL Ultimate Fan Fantasy contest. Cameron MacKenzie and Frank Ranfone will pick their teams playground-style to form their very own All-Star squads to compete in the game. Several All-Stars will also participate in the Half-Time Skills Competition which will include Fastest Shot, Accuracy and Freestyle contests. The All-Stars will be wearing specially designed jerseys that will be auctioned off following the game to benefit JDRF, the 2013 All-Star Game’s charity.
The Chesapeake Bayhawks led the selection with eight players chosen. Denver was a close second with seven players selected for the All-Star Game. Five Hamilton Nationals will play, while four players were selected from the Cannons, Hounds, Lizards and Rattlers. Ohio will have two representatives in the All-Star Game.
Rochester’s Matt Striebel will make his ninth consecutive All-Star Game appearance. Striebel has 17 points on the season, including four two-point goals, tied for the most two-point goals in the League.
Six-time Warrior Defensive Player of the Year Brodie Merrill, of the Hamilton Nationals, will participate in his eighth All-Star Game. Merrill leads the Nationals in ground balls with 45, good enough for sixth in the League.
Denver’s Lee Zink will be making his seventh consecutive All-Star Game appearance. The reigning Warrior Defensive Player of the Year is the anchor of the Outlaws’ defense.
Joining Zink will be his goalie, Jesse Schwartzman. Schwartzman is making his sixth appearance, the most of any goalie in MLL history. Schwartzman ranks first in the League for goals against average and has led the Outlaws to an undefeated record. Perennial All-Star and reigning League MVP, Brendan Mundorf was voted in as well but will be unavailable for the game and is not on the list of 38.
Hamilton’s Brett Queener will make his fourth appearance and second consecutive appearance, Reigning Warrior Goalie of the Year New York’s Drew Adams will make his third consecutive appearance, and Chesapeake’s Kip Turner will participate in his first All-Star Game. Turner is second in the League in both goals against average and save percentage.
At the faceoff X, New York’s Greg Gurenlian will make his first All-Star Game appearance, he will be joined by Denver’s Anthony Kelly who will be making his fourth. Gurenlian and Kelly rank first and second, respectively, in faceoff percentage for players taking at least 100 face-offs.
Other League leaders playing in the All-Star Game are Nationals Kevin Crowley and reigning Warrior Offensive Player of the Year Cannons Paul Rabil. Crowley leads the League with 35 points and 26 goals. His 23-game point streak is a franchise record for the Nationals, earning his first selection to the All-Star Game.
Rabil is second in the League for points with 34 points. He ranks fourth in the League for goals with 20, fifth for assists with 12 and has two two-point goals on the season. This is his sixth consecutive All-Star Game appearance.
Fourteen different players will be making their All-Star Game debuts this year, including Turner, Gurenlian and rookie Rob Pannell of New York, who will represent the class of 2013 in the All-Star Game. Pannell finished his Cornell career at the NCAA Semifinals, won the Tewaaraton Award, and scored a hat trick in his first MLL game with the Lizards all within a week.
Also appearing in their first All-Star Games are Chris Bocklet, Kevin Cunningham, Barney Ehrman, Zack Greer, Jordan MacIntosh, Mike Manley, Ben Rubeor, Brett Schmidt, Drew Snider, Steele Stanwick, and Ryan Young.
The MLL All-Star Game, presented by Moe’s Southwest Grill, takes place on Saturday, July 13, at 7:00 pm in Charlotte, N.C., at American Legion Memorial Stadium, and will be broadcast live on ESPN2. If you don’t have your tickets for the event yet, be sure to check out the MajorLeagueLacrosse.com All-Star page for information.
Here is the full list of All-Star Players:
Position: Player (Team, Appearances in All-Star Game)
Attack: Chris Bocklet (Denver, 1), Ned Crotty (Rochester, 3), Kevin Cunningham (Hamilton, 1), Rob Pannell (New York, 1), Ben Rubeor (Chesapeake, 1), Steele Stanwick (Ohio, 1), Drew Westervelt (Chesapeake, 5), Ryan Young (Charlotte, 1)
Midfield: Matt Abbott (Chesapeake, 3), Steven Brooks (Chesapeake, 3), Kevin Buchanan (Boston, 3), Kevin Crowley (Hamilton, 1), Kyle Dixon (Chesapeake, 5), Zack Greer (Denver, 1), Jordan MacIntosh (Rochester, 1), Peet Poillon (Charlotte, 4), Paul Rabil (Boston, 6), Jeremy Sieverts (Denver, 2), Drew Snider (Denver, 1), Mike Stone (Boston, 2), Matt Striebel (Rochester, 9), Joe Walters (Hamilton, 6)
Defense: Barney Ehrman (Chesapeake, 1), Michael Evans (Chesapeake, 4), Ryan Flanagan (Charlotte, 2), Kyle Hartzell (Ohio, 3), Brian Karalunas (New York, 2), Mike Manley (Rochester, 1), Brodie Merrill (Hamilton, 8), Brett Schmidt (Charlotte, 1), Kyle Sweeney (Boston, 6), Lee Zink (Denver, 7)
Faceoff: Greg Gurenlian (New York, 1), Anthony Kelly (Denver, 4)
Goalie: Drew Adams (New York, 3), Brett Queener (Hamilton, 4), Jesse Schwartzman (Denver, 6), Kip Turner (Chesapeake, 1)
Team: Player (Position, Appearances in All-Star Game)
Boston: Kevin Buchanan (Midfield, 3), Paul Rabil (Midfield, 6), Mike Stone (Midfield, 2), Kyle Sweeney (Defense, 6)
Charlotte: Ryan Flanagan (Defense, 2), Peet Poillon (Midfield, 4), Brett Schmidt (Defense, 1), Ryan Young (Attack, 1)
Chesapeake: Matt Abbott (Midfield, 3), Steven Brooks (Midfield, 3), Kyle Dixon (Midfield, 5), Barney Ehrman (Defense, 1), Michael Evans (Defense, 4), Ben Rubeor (Attack, 1), Kip Turner (Goalie, 1), Drew Westervelt (Attack, 5)
Denver: Chris Bocklet (Attack, 1), Zack Greer (Midfield, 1), Anthony Kelly (Faceoff, 1), Jesse Schwartzman (Goalie, 6), Jeremy Sieverts (Midfield, 2), Drew Snider (Midfield, 1), Lee Zink (Defense, 7)
Hamilton: Kevin Crowley (Midfield, 1), Kevin Cunningham (Attack, 1), Brodie Merrill (Defense, 8), Brett Queener (Goalie, 4), Joe Walters (Midfield, 6)
New York: Drew Adams (Goalie, 3), Greg Gurenlian (Faceoff, 1), Brian Karalunas (Defense, 2), Rob Pannell (Attack, 1)
Ohio: Kyle Hartzell (Defense, 3), Steele Stanwick (Attack, 1)
Rochester: Ned Crotty (Attack, 3), Jordan MacIntosh (Midfield, 1), Mike Manley (Defense, 1), Matt Striebel (Midfield, 9)
