Charlotte 16 @ New York 20
The Charlotte Hounds suffered a loss to the New York Lizards that dropped the Hounds into a tie for second place with the Chesapeake Bayhawks. New York had lost the previous week to Florida in a high-scoring game and jumped on the Hounds early taking a 7-4 lead at the end of the first. The Hounds could not narrow New York’s three-goal lead as both teams scored four goals each in the second quarter for a 11-8 score at halftime. New York doubled up the Hounds by three goals in the third quarter to extend their lead 17-11. Charlotte went on a four-goal run in the fourth quarter, but New York held on for the victory and now find themselves two games behind first place Dallas and within striking distance of the playoffs.
Drew Adams made 18 saves as he got the win while Charlie Cipriano finished close behind with 17 saves for Charlotte. Paul Rabil led New York with eight points (5G/2ptG/2A). Charlotte had six players with three points. Matt Rambo (3G), Tim Rotanz (3G), Mike Chanenchuk (2G/1A), Ryan Brown (1G/2A), John Haus (1G/2A) and Mike Ehrhardt (1G/2A) all found their way into the scoring column for the Hounds. New York got with best of the faceoff battle with Thomas Kelly going 26-37 from the X and paying immediate dividends for his new team.
Up Next: New York travels to Boston looking to capitalize on the momentum of the win to land a playoff spot while Charlotte hosts a Florida team hungry to get back in the playoff picture.
Florida 15 @ Denver 26
Florida faced off against Denver as the Launch looked to get back in the thick of the playoff race. They battled to a 5-5 tie at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw an eye popping 15 goals between the teams for a 14-11 Denver lead at halftime. Denver’s offense stayed hot and continued pouring on the points as the Launch’s offense cooled. Denver led 20-13 at the end of the third quarter and scored another six goals in the fourth quarter to seal the victory, their highest scoring game of the season.
Jack Kelly made 14 saves for the win while Austin Kaut Made seven saves before being relieved by Jack Concannon. Eric Law led Denver with 11 points (7G/4A) on his way to setting the team single-game points record and winning offensive player of the week honours. Jules Heningburg led Florida with seven points (4G/3A). Max Adler gave the Outlaws the advantage at the X as he went 23-41.
Up Next: Denver travels to Ohio while Florida faces the Hounds in Charlotte.
Atlanta 6 @ Chesapeake 9
In a remarkably low-scoring defensive struggle, Chesapeake defeated Atlanta, overtaking Charlotte and moving into second place. The first quarter ended in a 1-1 tie that illustrated the closeness of the game. In the second quarter, the Bayhawks eked out a 4-3 lead. Atlanta fought back in the third to tie the game 5-5. It took a four-goal run by the Bayhawks in the fourth quarter to break the game open and seal a Chesapeake win.
Niko Amato made 20 saves in the win while Adam Ghitelman turned in an impressive 12 saves. Matt Danowski led Chesapeake with five points (1G/4A). Deemer Class (3G) and Christian Cuccinello (1G/2A) led Atlanta with three points each. Joe Nardella tilted the faceoff battle towards the Blaze going 10-19.
Up Next: Chesapeake gets a bye while Atlanta hosts Dallas.
Ohio 16 @ Dallas 17
In yet another close game, Dallas held on for the win over Ohio and sole possession of first place as Charlotte lost. Coping with the loss of their MVP and captain Tom Schreiber, and the legendary Kyle Harrison, the Machine kept the first quarter exceptionally tight as they only trailed 7-5. Dallas forged the slim lead in part thank to a Matt Dunn two-point goal off a Joel White assist. Ohio roared back in the second quarter to take a 12-10 lead at halftime after a five-goal run to end the quarter. The Machine extended the lead in the third quarter to 16-13, but Dallas avoided an upset at home by scoring four goals in the final quarter while holding Ohio scoreless. Yale graduate Ben Reeves scored his second goal of the game to tie it at 7:15 in his much-vaunted MLL debut. Ty Thompson scored the winning goal at 11:38. Jordan Wolf assisted on both important goals.
John Galloway made nine saves for the win while Kyle Bernlohr had 12 stops. Wolf led Dallas with five points (2G/3A). Marcus Holman scored an eye-popping nine points (6G/3A) as he led the Machine in scoring. Drew Simoneau gained a slight advantage at the X going 19-36 on faceoffs.
Up Next: Dallas travels to Atlanta while Ohio hosts a Denver squad that is on a roll.
