When you sit back and think about it MLL is more of an “any given Sunday” type of league than the NFL. If you’re a team that wants to get a runs for its money than the competition in MLL is for you. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Week 3 were two Week 2 rematches, completing two home-and-home series as Chesapeake took on Florida in Annapolis, and Rochester visited Long Island for a re-match with the Lizards. The final result was the same this week, but how the teams got there was vastly different. Charlotte also waltzed into Gilette Stadium and won a hard fought contest over the Boston Cannons. Denver and Ohio were idle in Week 3.
Rankings in a league like MLL are good for a knee-jerk reaction, but that’s about it because every team is a threat at all times. I mean a major threat. Not quite DEFCON 1, but you know at least on the scale somewhere. It’s still too early to prognosticate with any sort of accuracy, but we can ponder. With that in mind, here are some ponderings on where teams stand at this point.
- New York Lizards: Still undefeated and still on top. The Lizards continue to be the team to beat in the early goings this year. John Galloway was being John Galloway and kept Rochester in the game. New York had a few 5 goal leads throughout the game, but found themselves up only 1 with a few minutes remaining in the game. Paul Rabil tallied the final goal to preserve the 14-12 win, but this was the closest game of the year for the Lizards. Greg Gurenlian dominated the faceoffs again, but was playing on a squeaky wheel late in the game. If he misses time it will hurt the Lizards’ faceoff game and possession time.
- Chesapeake Bayhawks: Look, beating the same team back-to-back is hard. And yes, I know that the Launch aren’t the most consistent team in all aspects of the field but the Matt Mackrides show is in full-effect in Chesapeake. Mackrides seemed to have a bit of a slump last year, at least compared to 2013, but 7 points this week suggests that however Mackrides goes, so go the Bayhawks, at least at this point in the season.
- Charlotte Hounds: Charlotte has played two game. Charlotte has played 2 overtimes. Charlotte is at .500 on the year. Their offensive firepower is reminiscent of “shock and awe” and their defense was able to limit Boston for long stretches in Week 3. There are no sleeping dogs to let lie here, just a rapid, mouth-foaming, attack dog looking to ravage opposing goaltenders.
- Denver Outlaws: Being idle hurt the Outlaws a bit this week, but they open their home slate against Charlotte next week. Magic 8 ball predicts a bit more clarity on this issue then.
- Boston Cannons: Sitting at .500 it’s hard to knock a team lower than this. The Cannons didn’t look as sharp as they did in Week 1 against Denver. Jordan Burke got chased, and was replaced by Adam Ghitelman. A spark came off the practice squad this week as someone named Jim Connolly hasn’t performed this well since the Irish labor leader in the 1910s.
- Rochester Rattlers: In case anyone had doubts about his Week 2 performance, John Galloway demonstrated that it was a fluke in Week 3. The former Syracuse product played like the all-world goalie he is and gave his Rattlers a fighting chance. John Ranagan and Ty Thompson were bright spots for the Ratz as well. Thompson could be the inside finisher that replaces Kevin Leveille long-term in Rochester. Faceoffs continue to be an issue, but going against the “Beast” two weeks in a row doesn’t help either.
- Ohio Machine: Idle this week and so they stay here. They visit Chesapeake in Week 4. Expect an electric contest.
- Florida Launch: The Launch actually played a really solid game this week. They’re still a bit gooey between the lines, but this is clearly Kieran McArdle’s team now. It’s unclear how badly Brett Queener’s injury is, but Adam Fullerton stepped in and played very well in cage for the Launch. They play at Rochester next week in a game that features two teams on two-game losing streaks. Shoulder chips will likely abound.
