The Lizards end the season by taking on the Denver Outlaws at home on Saturday. Depending on the result of the game, the Lizards could get homefield advantage for the first of two semifinal games in the quest for the MLL Championship game or they could be on the road. Here is a full slate of all the latest news and notes for the Lizards heading into the season finale.
-I alluded to the fact that the Lizards can get a home playoff game next week. In order for that to happen, the Lizards must win against the top seeded Outlaws, by five or more points on Saturday.
-In New York’s last meeting with Denver on June 14, New York lost 16-11 on the road. In that game, Rob Pannell led the way with six points while Jo-Jo Marasco and Max Seibald both chipped in with two points each.
-With two of the best facoff men going against each other, Greg Gurenlian won Round 1 of his matchup against Anthony Kelly as he went 14-of-25 on faceoffs.
-In the first matchup, Eric Law and Curtis Dickson torched the Lizards defense for six and seven points respectively. The Lizards will have to shut both these lethal scorers down if they hope to win on Saturday.
-The first game was much more of a blowout than the final score indicated. At the end of three quarters, the Outlaws were up 14-5 before pulling Jesse Schwarztman and some starters. Schwarztman had 15 saves while allowing only six goals before being pulled.
-Rob Pannell leads the team with 51 points and is tied for third in the league as he trails Cannons midfielder Paul Rabil (54 points) and league leader Casey Powell (62 points).
-After posting 12 points in three games, Jo-Jo Marasco has cooled off as he has only posted three points in the last two games.
-Greg Gurenlian leads the league in faceoffs with 91 while Kyle Hartzell ranks 10th in ground balls with 45. However, Hartzell ranks fifth amongst defensemen in ground balls.
-Tommy Palasek ranks tenth in shooting percentage at .441. Meanwhile, Denver boast one of the games most accurate shooters in Eric Law (.508).
-The Lizards have scored 165 goals this summer, which is a 21-goal improvement from the 144 they scored last season. Meanwhile, the Lizards have allowed 155 goals this season which is a 18 goal improvement from the 173 goals allowed in 2013. Those numbers rank them fifth and second in the league respectively.
