Phil Shore, our resident Major League Lacrosse writer, previews all nine MLL teams, in reverse order of projected finish, leading up to opening day Saturday.
Check uslaxmagazine.com/mll before and throughout the season for more analysis and stories from the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league.
New York Lizards
Projected finish: 2nd
2016 record: 8-6
MLL playoff finish: Lost in semifinals
Coach: Joe Spallina, 6th season
Power Rankings (Scale of 1-5)
Offense: 5
Defense: 3
Faceoffs: 5
Goalie: 4
Key losses: James Pannell, A; JoJo Marasco, M; Jake Tripucka, M
Top returners: Rob Pannell, A; Paul Rabil, M; Greg Gurenlian, FO
New arrivals: Tyler German, M; Joe Walters, M; Ryan Flanagan, D
MVP Watch
Paul Rabil, M
Pannell may have beaten his single-season scoring record, but Rabil tied his previous career-high of 72 points behind 43 goals (a career-best), six two-point goals and 23 assists. He tied for a league-high four first place votes in MVP voting, finishing second with 30 points (eight behind winner Tom Schreiber), and 22 points ahead of Pannell.
Under-the-Radar Star
Ryan Walsh, A
After a 10-goal rookie season, Walsh scored only seven goals in nine games in the 2016 regular season. He did see a significant increase in playing time in the playoffs, however, and scored three goals. It wasn’t enough to help the team advance, but Spallina said he should get an extended look at the left-side attack position.
Scouting Report
Three things you need to know about the Lizards:
1. They're hungry.
The 2015 champions stumbled at the end of the 2016 season and could not repeat as champions. With a roster stockpiled with veterans, Spallina said the players recognize their championship window is closing. “Reality hit us all in the face,” he said. “There’s a lot of clarity. It’s not, ‘I’ll be around next year.’ It’s go time because it’s their last shot at it. For me, at my other job (as women’s head coach at Stony Brook), it’s like having a bunch of high character seniors. They have a different approach than underclassmen because they’ll never get another chance. The stakes are higher because it could be the last time they step on the field.”
2. No faceoff contingency plan is in place.
Greg Gurenlian, the first face-off specialist to win the MLL MVP award, announced that 2017 will be his final season. While Jerry Ragonese was brought back, and the team selected former all-star John Ortolani in the supplemental draft, Spallina said there were no immediate plans to groom a successor to Gurenlian. “One thing I’ve learned is its year to year,” he said. “For me, I need to keep my eyes on putting the best team around Greg and take a shot at this. Who knows how long you’re going to do it. When you look at Walters, Rabil, Westervelt, Hartzel, it’s built to win now. If a deal makes sense to pick up a successor, whether its draft or trade, I’ll look at it. I always do. But if it makes us immediately better, then that’s a little more important.”
3. Joe Walters makes an already scary offense even more dangerous.
New York acquired Walters through the player movement policy, and by doing so, they added one of the most dynamic playmakers in the game. He’s tallied at least 20 assists in five of the past six seasons. In the past he missed a number of games due to his box commitments, but he isn’t playing in the NLL this year, so he is fully available to the Lizards and Spallina is excited. “It helps to make us even a better team as far as having another person that moves the ball and having good decisions and has good chemistry with Paul, having them played in the midfield for Team USA,” he said. “Because we’re more dangerous offensively, at times that could be a weakness. We try to make such perfect plays we create offense the other way. Being more responsible is going to be big.”
Biggest Question Mark
Will the defense improve?
When the Lizards won the championship in 2015, they had a league-best 167 goals against. In 2016, they allowed a league-worst 226 goals. The team struggled after injuries to Brian Spallina and Steven Holmes. Brian Karalunas played out of position in an effort to help fill the gaps. Drew Adams had a career-worst 15.90 goals against average. Spallina believes the unit will come back more prepared and healthier in 2017, and the team brought in legendary goalie Brian Dougherty to be the defensive coordinator. Will it be enough to right the ship?
Enemy Lines
What the opposition has to say about New York:
“Defensively, I don’t know if they’re getting any younger. Drew Adams is one of the top three or four goalies in the world. They’ve ridden that pony for a while. Beast isn’t getting any younger and taking fewer draws. If he’s got an injury, they’re a different team. But they still have the best players in the world on their team. You have Paul Rabil on your team, you’re in the game. … Gurenlian’s last year, he’s going to want to go out on top. He’s going to prepare. … Most talented team in the league.”
Number of Significance
74
Rob Pannell broke the league record for points in a season, with 74, previously set by Rabil (72 in 2012). He set career-highs in goals (42), assists (32), points, and ground balls (28).
Bottom Line
With only nine teams in the league, every roster has talent on it. The Lizards, however, have some of the best – if not the best – players at each position. The 2016 team faced injury concerns as well as issues on defense, and those problems linger, but the roster is too talented to imagine falling out of playoff contention just yet.