Major League Lacrosse is coming off a weekend to remember with four one-goal games, including two ending in overtime. Here are three stars from the weekend that was.
3) Joey Sankey (Charlotte) – 2 goals, 2 assists
Joey Sankey is getting the edge as the #3 star due to the magnitude of his team’s win, a thrilling 13-12 victory at the previously undefeated New York Lizards. There were several great candidates for this #3 spot, including Boston’s Max Seibald who had five points in the Cannons’ 19-18 win at Florida. In the end, the Hounds’ victory was just too meaningful. Sankey played a key role, tallying two goals and two assists. One of his goals was in the fourth quarter which tied the score at 11, 1:33 before Kevin Cunningham scored his third goal of the game for the 12-11 lead, which stood as the final. Sankey is one of the (if not the top) rookie in the league as the UNC product owns 22 points in just four games this season. The win helped Charlotte improve to 2-7 while the Lizards fell to 8-1.
2) Tyler Fiorito (Chesapeake) – 23 saves, 11 goals allowed
Princeton alum Tyler Fiorito continued his tremendous season between the pipes, finishing with 23 saves in the Bayhawks’ slim 12-11 victory. Second in the MLL in save percentage, eight of Fiorito’s saves came in the fourth quarter as he allowed just two Ohio Machine goals to help force overtime. Ohio held a commanding 10-5 fourth-quarter edge in shots on goal, but Fiorito came up big. He had five saves in the first quarter, six in the second and fourth in the third. For the season, Fiorito owns a 12.10 GAA and .586 save percentage. Both Chesapeake and Ohio are now 5-4.
1) John Grant Jr. (Denver) – 7 goals, 1 assist
The Denver Outlaws beat Rochester in overtime as part of high-scoring, exciting 22-21 victory. You could make the argument for several players as the star of the game. Jeremy Sieverts tallied eight points and Michael Bocklet had six, but it was John Grant Jr. who scored a game-high seven goals including the winner in overtime. Grant Jr. tallied two points in each of the first three quarters, then had one in the fourth quarter while his eighth point (seventh goal) was 1:23 into overtime. Grant Jr. is up to 25 points which is good for 10th in Major League Lacrosse. Keep in mind, it’s in just five games. The win helped create a logjam in the MLL standings as Denver and Rochester are two of five teams tied for second place with identical 5-4 records.
