The third week of Major League Lacrosse action saw the Charlotte Hounds take first place in the league.
Chesapeake 13 @ Charlotte 14
The Charlotte Hounds continued proving to all of us that they are a team to beat this year as they downed the Chesapeake Bayhawks in a Thursday night battle on May 3rd. The Bayhawks came ready to play as they went on a three-goal run in the first quarter that earned them a 4-2 lead. The Hounds tied the game at seven at the half after scoring back-to-back goals twice in the second frame. The offenses slowed down in the third, but even with the low scoring, Charlotte eked out a one-goal lead going into the final quarter. The fourth quarter proved a back-and-forth affair of offense, but the Bayhawks failed to take the lead back from the Hounds.
Charlie Cipriano made seven saves for Charlotte while Chesapeake went with the duo of Brian Phipps and Niko Amato who tallied 14 saves between them. Matt Rambo led the Hounds with five points (3G/2A). Myles Jones led the Bayhawks with 6 points (1G/5A). Stephen Kelly got the best of the face off battle by going 18-30 from the X. Michael Ehrhardt left his beast mode engaged from last week as he scored three points, one of them a 2-point goal in the fourth that helped secure Charlotte’s win and sole possession of first place as of Friday morning.
Up Next: Keep reading to see how Charlotte fared against Ohio. The Bayhawks travel to Denver in an effort to get back to .500.
New York 12 @ Denver 16
The New York Lizards traveled to Denver looking to get a win against the Outlaws. They looked primed to do so as they jumped out to an early 4-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Denver stormed back taking advantage of New York’s lack of offense in the second to take a 6-5 lead at the half. The Outlaws’ offense continued to run roughshod as they increased the lead to 12-7 in part to Romar Dennis’ 2-point goal. The Lizards offense came to life in the third scoring five goals, but it proved too little too late as the Outlaws held on for the win.
Jack Kelly made 13 saves for Denver while Drew Adams recorded 15 saves in the loss. Eric Law (4G/2A) and Matt Kavanagh led Denver (5G/1A) with six points each. Rob Pannell led New York with five points (3G/2A). Thomas Kelly got the best of the face off battle as he went 19-31 from the X.
Charlotte 14 @ Ohio 10
Charlotte clashed with the last undefeated team in the league as they travelled to Ohio on May 5th. At stake was first place, which the Hounds claimed as their own. Ohio, as defending champions was favored, but Charlotte has made serious improvements from last season. The Hounds showed they came to play as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first quarter. Ohio answered back in the second as they narrowed the deficit to 6-5 at halftime. Charlotte roared back in the fourth with four goals to take the win.
Pierce Bassett stopped 10 shots for the win while Kyle Bernlohr and Scott Rodgers combined for eight saves. Mike Chanenchuk (2G/1A), Matt Rambo (3G), Dylan Maltz (2G/1A) and John Haus (2G/1A) each tallied three points for a balanced offense. Tom Schreiber led Ohio with four points (3G/1A). Kevin Massa and Graham Savio won the battle at the X going a combined 18-26. The win places Charlotte in sole possession of the number one spot with a record of 4-0 at the crucial first quarter of the MLL season. In the next phase, indoor players and collegiate draftees whose season is over begin to join the rosters and teams focus on fine tuning what is working and addressing what is not.
Up Next: Charlotte gets a week off while Ohio hosts Dallas.
Dallas 13 @ Boston 12
The Boston Cannons looked to get their first win of the season against the Dallas Rattlers, but failed to achieve the result they wanted despite a strong second-half effort. Dallas rolled into Boston and established an early 6-2 lead in the first quarter. Boston battled back in the second quarter, but could only get as close as 9-4 at halftime. The Cannons fired back in the third as the Rattlers offense only scored two goals. Boston narrowed the gap to 11-8, but couldn’t seize the lead from Dallas despite a fourth quarter 2-point goal by Max Seibald as they fell short in their quest for the first win of the season.
Blaze Riordan made 14 saves in the win, which his Boston counterpart Tyler Fiorito matched in his return as the starter. Jordan Wolf led Dallas in scoring with six points (3G/3A). James Pannell led Boston with six goals. Joe Nardella got the best of the face off battle in his return from injury, going 17-26. Dallas sits in second place behind Charlotte while Boston looks to right the ship and get their first win.
Up Next: Dallas travels to Ohio while Boston looks to regroup against Florida.
Denver 7 @ Florida 16
Florida has quietly put together a solid team, currently tied for third place with Atlanta and a game and a half behind Charlotte. The Launch accomplished this by defeating Denver, a team with which they struggled in the past. The Launch rocketed out to an early 4-1 lead in the first and extended it to 7-3 at halftime. Denver attempted a comeback in the third as their offense scored four goals and they went into the fourth quarter down 11-7. The fourth belonged to the Launch as they scored five goals, including a 2-point tally by Nick Mariano to seal the win for Florida.
Austin Kaut made 21 saves during the game and earned defensive player of the week honors as Jack Kelly made an equally impressive 25 stops in the Denver loss. Ryan Drenner led Florida in scoring with five points (1G/4A). Kieran McArdle scored three goals and one assist in his return game to the Launch. Jeremy Sieverts led Denver with two goals and two assists. Thomas Kelly won the face off battle as he went 17-27.
Up Next: Florida hosts a winless Boston while hosts Chesapeake.
Atlanta 16 @ New York 14
New York looked to go 2-2 when they hosted Atlanta in the final game of the weekend and it appeared the Lizards were in a fight as the Blaze led 3-2 at the end of the first. New York showed their offensive potential as they ripped off six goals in the second to lead 8-3 at halftime. Atlanta stormed back in the third with some offense of its own as the Blaze scored seven goals, including two 2-point goals by Deemer Class. New York proved unable to keep up with Atlanta in the fourth as Class scored a THIRD 2-goal and the Blaze won.
Chris Madalon made 19 saves in the Atlanta victory while Drew Adams made 12 stops in the loss. In addition to his three 2-point goals, Class led Atlanta with three more goals and won player of the week honors. Rob Pannell led New York with eight points (4G/4A). Brendan Fowler tilted possession to the Lizards as he went 21-31 on face offs in one of his best performances of the season.
Up Next: Atlanta travels to Boston while New York gets the week off to regroup.
