One spot to the MLL playoffs has already been claimed by the Chesapeake Bayhawks. That leaves three spots left and four teams to compete for them; including the Rochester Rattlers. The Rattlers (6-5) are tied with the Boston Cannons for the final playoff spot heading into this week’s game against the Ohio Machine. With a 2-9 record the Machine have already been eliminated from the playoffs, but still have pride and draft positioning to play for.
Attack:
Rochester’s Ned Crotty is one of the best attackman in the MLL; he has a playing style that is unlike anybody else’s. Crotty makes his opponents defense pay close attention to him, which opens up other Rattlers such as Steven Boyle and Kevin Leveille. In the league since 2004, Leveille has been one of the top scorers in the league every year since his rookie season, but is seeing some lowered statistics this year. However, given how big of a threat that he is, Ohio will have to play close attention to him or else they will pay.
One of the most favored players to win this year’s Rookie of the Year Award is Ohio’s Steele Stanwick. So far on the year he has 20 points and has been surprising defenses all year. He’s played five less games than the scorers ahead of him on the roster, and yet is only nine points behind the Machine’s leading scorer, Chazz Woodson. Woodson and Stanwick make a scary combination for any defense. With Woodson’s athleticism and Stanwick’s vision, they’re a tandem to watch out for. Also on attack for Ohio, Jim Connolly and Connor Martin both have over 20 points this year.
Midfield:
Highlighting the Rattlers’ midfield line is Matt Striebel, who last week played his 133rd MLL game putting him on top of the list. Striebel has been consistently dangerous since joining the league in 2004. Striebel is second place on the Rattlers’ roster with 23, just four points behind Ned Crotty. Jordan MacIntosh has been one of the biggest surprises for Rochester this year. In his second year in the league, MacIntosh has 19 points going into the game against Ohio this week and hopes to continue scoring. Brad Ross and Roy Lang have both also contributed to the Rattlers playing good both offensively and defensively.
Ohio’s midfield line isn’t one of the loudest, highest scoring lines in the league but they still get the job done. Matt Casey leads all Machine midfielders with 12 points on the season, just two points ahead of Brett Garber. In the two games he’s played this year, rookie Joe Cummings has been a huge addition for the midfield group. Cummings scored two points in his opener and had a hat-trick last week in their loss to the Chesapeake Bayhawks. If these three can get on the board and get help from Kiel Matisz, Dan Groot and Matt Messina, it could be a very close game.
Face-Off:
Rochester uses a two player face-off plan. Tim Fallon and Craig Bunker split face-offs for the Rattlers, and combined they have won 120 of 286 this year. Combined, their percentage is .419 which is just slightly below the league average. Craig Bunker is 40 of 104 on his own, giving him a .384 winning percentage. Tim Fallon by himself has won 80 of 182 which gives him a .439 percentage. Rochester needs these two guys to step up this week because if they can’t win possession, the Machine will and they will take advantage of it.
Since trading Anthony Kelly to the Outlaws, the Machine have used Eric O’Brien. Since taking over for the Machine, O’Brien has won 77 of 149 face-offs which puts his percentage at .516 which has Ohio sitting in the middle of league for face-off percentages.
Defense:
Rochester has at least six defenders who could start anywhere in the league. This defense has helped goalie John Galloway to only allow 12.5 goals per game. Joel White and Steve DeNapoli are arguably the leaders of this defense, but there are so many other guys that contribute. Will Koshansky and John Lade are both having great seasons for the Rattlers. Combined with rookies Tom Montelli and Mike Manley, this defense can be scary at times.
Ohio boasts one of the most popular defenders in the league in Kyle Hartzell. Hartzell is known for his tenacious defense and two-point scoring ability. At the 2012 All-Star Game he tied Paul Rabil’s record for fastest shot at 111 mph.  Assisting him on defense is another great in Greg Bice who is also known for playing very physical, tough defense. Max Schmidt and Brett Hughes have also contributed to this defense.
Goalie:
John Galloway is one of the top goalies in the league this year. Galloway burst onto the scene and is being talked about as a potential goalie for Team USA in the 2014 World Games. Galloway has a .536 save percentage on the year good for fifth in the league out of 10 goalies. With the Machine this week, he will have his hands full with all of the Machine’s scoring power.
Brian Phipps has been starting in goal for Ohio since the second half of the season. During his time in goal this season he has stopped 60 of 118 shots for a .508 save percentage. If Ohio wants to win this game and hurt Rochester’s playoff hopes, Phipps is going to need to have a great game in the goal.
