The New York Lizards’ season may have ended in a loss at the hands of the eventual MLL Champion Denver Outlaws but it was my no means a failure of a season. After missing the playoffs in 2013, the Lizards locked up the No. 3 seed in this year’s playoffs. Considering the vast amount of player movement the team saw and some of the rookies that played, the Lizards had a really nice season.
Now that we look back at their year, what exactly led to them making the playoffs a year after not being in contention at all?
First, they scored 177 goals in 2014, thanks in large part to First Team All-Pro attackman Rob Pannell. Pannell had 56 points this season to carry the team offensively. The Lizards offense was also helped by balance around Pannell as well. They had four 20-point scorers in Tommy Palasek, JoJo Marasco, Ned Crotty and Max Seibald and four 10-point scorers in Michael Kimmel, Kyle Hartzell, Albert Maione and Steve DeNapoli. While their goal scoring ranked them fifth in the league, it was much improved from the 144 they scored in 2013.
While the offense improved, the biggest difference was on defense. This year they ranked seocnd in the entire league in goals allowed behind the Rochester Rattlers as they allowed 155 goals. The man-down defense was also spectacular as they led the MLL in man-down defense having killed 79.5 percent of the opponents penalties. It also helps that they committed the second fewest penalties in the league behind Boston this season. Still, it is impressive to only allow eight man-up goals in an eitre 14-game schedule when you are one man down with the best players in the world on the field.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that if you don’t put guys in the penalty box and can limit opponents to one possession on the defensive end, your team is going to have a great shot at winning.
Of course, it also helps when you have the best faceoff man in the game in Greg Gurenlian. Gurenlian was named a First Team All-Pro player this year as he led the league by going 201-of-329 on faceoffs for a sparkling 61 percent faceoff percentage. Not only could the Lizards keep offensive runs going by knowing that they got the ball back but they also were able to halt their opponent’s ability to start a scoring run as well.
Lastly, Drew Adams may not have been the absolute best goalie in terms of raw statistics but he was huge in erasing some mistakes on the defensive end. Adams made some sensational 1-on-1 saves throughout the year and others that made your jaw drop. In fact, there were games where he was the deciding factor for why they won a game, i.e. the regular season finale against Denver when he 22 saves.
Moving forward, the Lizards have a bright future with a nice mix of youth and experience. They may look to address the offense in the draft, specifically at midfield. They could also use a real No. 1 down low defender instead of the hodgepodge of LSM-turned-low-defensemen that is their defense.
