The Long Island Lizards have been one of the biggest surprises in the league this year.
The off-season saw them deal established players in order to stockpile draft picks and young assets.
Then, Max Quinzani, a player they acquired, did not sign his contract to return to the league. The number one pick in the draft, Rob Pannell, was injured in the beginning of the collegiate season and has since applied for a medical redshirt in order to return to school another year. Nicky Polanco asked to be traded. Sam Bradman, the team’s third round collegiate draft selection, chose to play in the LXM Tour. And Zack Greer once again hasn’t shown up.
Recipe for disaster? Not in Long Island.
The Lizards are second in the MLL standings at 5-2. The defense, led by 2011 Goalie of the Year Drew Adams and fellow All-Star defender Brian Karalunas has been stingy as always. Greg Gurenlian, returning from a torn ACL, leads the league in face-off percentage. Max Seibald is a leader on the offensive side of the ball. In seven games, Brian Langtry has 16 goals—his highest total since 2008—and his 24 points are tied for eighth in the league. The team has gotten a surprise performance from Matt Gibson, the only rookie selected to the All-Star game this season.
Things are clicking for them as they ride a five-game winning streak, but can they keep it up? Or will their inexperience hurt them?
The majority of the Lizards players, save for Seibald and Adams, are relatively new to the league. While many may not have MLL postseason experience, the Lizards do have winners on the team. Several players, including Seibald, Grant Catalino, Ryan Young and C.J. Costabile have won or played in the NCAA Championship.
They may hit some bumps in the road, but they have guys on the roster that have won before at an extremely high level and on a very big stage.
The schedule isn’t a favorable one, but it could be much worse. The Lizards will play four games at home, including one against the Boston Cannons, whom they’ve already beaten once this season. They will play the league-leading Chesapeake Bayhawks on the road looking for revenge after an opening-game loss that featured a very different and less confident Lizards team.
They play two games each against the Rochester Rattlers and Hamilton Nationals still. Both teams have had their struggles, but they aren’t too far off the push for the playoffs and will test the Lizards.
The team has excelled on defense and in transition. On offense they have been successful moving the ball around and spreading the scoring around. The team has gotten so many contributions from a number of different players. Different rookies, like Tommy Palasek and Will Managan, have come in and added a spark to the team.
Stephen Peyser, however, is one player that will have to increase his performance. He is sixth on the team in points (11), but he’s scored in only two of the six games he’s played. He’s on pace to score around 10 goals which would be the lowest total of his career, four fewer than his 2010 tally. To his credit, he is tied with a career-high four assists. Still, more is to be expected from Peyser.
As the games go on and the rookies settle in, expect to see more contributions from Costabile as he will further display his versatility and ability to score in transition as a long-pole that made him a well-known player while at Duke.
