2017 NEW YORK LIZARDS
WEEK 9 NOTES
Watch: Lacrosse Sports Network & Twitter (MLL Game of the Week)
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Media Contact: Rick Rissetto 516-742-1180 Ext. 305 [email protected]
Venue: James M. Shuart Stadium (Hempstead, NY) Playing Surface: Fieldturf | Capacity: 13,000 2017 SCHEDULE All-Time Series: New York leads, 18-12 April Sat. 22 @Chesapeake W 15-14 (OT) Last Meeting: 7/23/16: Lizards 16, Rattlers 15 Sat. 29 v. Denver L, 7-13 Live Video: LSN/Twitter (MLL Game of the Week) Twitter: @LizardsLacrosse and @LaxSportsNet May
Sat. 13 @ Atlanta W, 14-12 Sat. 20 @ Boston L, 13-16
June Fri. 2 v. Florida L, 10-13
Sat. 10 @Florida L, 14-15 (OT) TEAM INFORMATION Sat. 17 v. Rochester 7:00 p.m. Sat. 24 @Denver 5:00 p.m. Website: NYLizards.com Thu. 29 v. Ohio 7:00 p.m. 2017 Record: 2-4 Head Coach: Joe Spallina (6th year) July Coach’s All-Time Record: 44-34 Thu. 13 v. Atlanta 7:00 p.m. MEDIA INFORMATION Sat. 15 @Charlotte 7:00 p.m. Thu. 20 v. Boston 7:00 p.m. PR Director: Rick Rissetto Sat. 29 @Ohio 7:00 p.m. Email: [email protected] Phone: 516-382-8460 August Sat. 5 v. Charlotte 7:00 p.m.
2017 QUICK FACTS
Name ………………..…..… New York Lizards Location ………………..…… Garden City, NY Founded …………………..………………… 2001 Home Field ….. James M. Shuart Stadium MLL Titles …………... 3 (2001, 2003, 2015) TEAM INFORMATION Website: RochesterRattlers.com ALL-TIME RECORDS 2017 Record: 4-3 Regular Season …………………………. 109-85 Head Coach: Tim Soudan Post Season …………………………..………. 9-7 Coach’s All-Time Record: 47-40 MEDIA INFORMATION LIZARDS COACHES Media Contact: Doug McSorley Head Coach …………………….… Joe Spallina Email: [email protected] Assistant Coach ……….…….. Tommy Susko
Offensive Coordinator……… Ryan Danehy Defensive Coordinator…Brian Dougherty
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Coaching Staff
JOE SPALLINA BRIAN DOUGHERTY Head Coach Defensive Coordinator - Entering his sixth season with the Lizards - Entering his first season with the Lizards - Previously served as Lizards assistant coach - Head coach of the Chestnut Hill College for two years lacrosse Men’s team - 2012 Brine Coach of the Year - Head coach of the Stony Brook Women’s DARRIN SCHIRTZER lacrosse team Team Operations Manager - Entering his sixth season with the Lizards TOMMY SUSKO - Coaches Team 91’s Crush with Joe Spallina Assistant Coach - Entering his fifth season with the Lizards ANDREW ALDERMAN - Assistant coach at Adelphi University Assistant Equipment Manager
th RYAN DANEHY - Entering his 16 season with the Lizards Offensive Coordinator - Played with the Israel Men’s Lacrosse Team - Entering his first season with the Lizards at the FIL World Lacrosse Championships in - Previously served as the assistant coach for 2014 the men’s lacrosse team at the University of Michigan and Dartmouth College Player News
Adams’ Poise in Net The Schedule
Veteran goalie Drew Adams has faced a barrage of After the Lizards face their in-state rivals Saturday, shots so far this season, but the gatekeeper has not the team takes on Denver next weekend in Colorado wavered. He currently ranks second in the league before facing Ohio at home on June 29th. Rochester, with 99 saves and fifth in save percentage (.553). Denver and Ohio are three of the top-four teams in With the addition of four-time MLL champion Brett the current MLL standings; meaning the ‘Zards will Queener as his new back-up, expect a dose of have their work cut out for them as the month of healthy competition in practice for Adams the rest of June comes to a close. New York currently sits three the season. games out of first place and 1.5 games back of fourth-place Florida.
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ROSTERS
New York Lizards 25-Man Roster (Alphabetical) New York Lizards 25-Man Roster (Numerical) # PLAYER POS HT WT COLLEGE # PLAYER POS HT WT COLLEGE 14 Adams, Drew G 6’0’’ 205 lbs. Penn State 1 Walters, Joe M 6’0” 192 lbs. Maryland 71 Dickson, Curtis A 6’2” 200 lbs. Delaware 5 LaPierre, Chris M 6’3’’ 210 lbs. Virginia 25 Firman, Scott D 5’11” 189 lbs. Syracuse 6 Sikora, Zack M 6’4” 175 lbs. Rutgers 24 Flanagan, Ryan D 6’6” 220 lbs. UNC 7 Sweeney, Kyle D 6’2” 195 lbs. Georgetown 17 Fletcher, Joe D 6’2’’ 185 lbs. Loyola 12 German, Tyler M 6’0’’ 200 lbs. UVA 12 German, Tyler M 6’0’’ 200 lbs. UVA 14 Adams, Drew G 6’0’’ 205 lbs. Penn State 66 Gibson, Matt A 5’10” 170 lbs. Yale 17 Fletcher, Joe D 6’2’’ 185 lbs. Loyola 32 Gurenlian, Greg FO 6’1’’ 225 lbs. Penn State 22 Marasco, JoJo M 5’10” 193 lbs. Syracuse 81 Hartzell, Kyle D 6’2” 180 lbs. Salisbury 23 Queener, Brett G 5’10” 180 lbs. Albany 55 James, Tucker A 6’10” 200 lbs. Bryant 24 Flanagan, Ryan D 6’6” 220 lbs. UNC 5 LaPierre, Chris M 6’3’’ 210 lbs. Virginia 25 Firman, Scott D 5’11” 189 lbs. Syracuse 31 Lawson, Dave M 6’1’’ 203 lbs. Duke 27 Richard, Jacob M 6’0’’ 180 lbs. Marquette 22 Marasco, JoJo M 5’10” 193 lbs. Syracuse 31 Lawson, Dave M 6’1’’ 203 lbs. Duke 35 Ortolani, John FO 5’7’’ 180 lbs. Endicott 32 Gurenlian, Greg FO 6’1’’ 225 lbs. Penn State 84 Palasek, Tommy A 5’11” 185 lbs. Syracuse 33 Pifani, Austin D 6’2” 215 lbs. UNC 33 Pifani, Austin D 6’2” 215 lbs. UNC 35 Ortolani, John FO 5’7’’ 180 lbs. Endicott 23 Queener, Brett G 5’10” 180 lbs. Albany 36 Unterstein, Kevin M 5’11” 190 lbs. Hofstra 99 Rabil, Paul M 6’4” 220 lbs. Hopkins 43 Walsh, Ryan A 6’4” 235 lbs. Colgate 27 Richard, Jacob M 6’0’’ 180 lbs. Marquette 55 James, Tucker A 6’0” 200 lbs. Bryant 6 Sikora, Zack M 6’4” 175 lbs. Rutgers 66 Gibson, Matt A 5’10” 170 lbs. Yale 91 Spallina, Brian D 6’1 200 lbs. Hofstra 71 Dickson, Curtis A 6’2” 200 lbs. Delaware 7 Sweeney, Kyle D 6’2” 195 lbs. Georgetown 81 Hartzell, Kyle D 6’2” 180 lbs. Salisbury 36 Unterstein, Kevin M 5’11” 190 lbs. Hofstra 84 Palasek, Tommy A 5’11” 185 lbs. Syracuse 43 Walsh, Ryan A 6’4” 235 lbs. Colgate 91 Spallina, Brian D 6’1 200 lbs. Hofstra 1 Walters, Joe M 6’0” 192 lbs. Maryland 99 Rabil, Paul M 6’4” 220 lbs. Hopkins
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Week 9 Game Preview
The Lizards look to get a point in the win column against the Rochester Rattlers after a tough 15- 14 OT loss to Florida on Saturday.
Who: Rochester Rattlers vs. New York Lizards
When: Saturday, June 17, 2017. 7:00pm
Where: James M. Shuart Stadium, Hempstead, NY
Watch: Lax Sports Network and Twitter (MLL Game of the Week)
Week 9 Pregame Notes
The Lizards head back home to Long Island and face off against the Rochester Rattlers (4-3) in a clash of New York MLL teams. New York (2-4) is currently on a three game skid and has been challenged with unpredictability on both offense and defense through six games. Matt Gibson has been one of the real bright spots this season for the Lizards, as he has scored 15 goals and totaled 19 points, which are both team bests. Paul Rabil doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon, as he has 13 goals this season, including 11 in his last four games. Joe Walters continues to shine in green and black since being acquired in the offseason, as the veteran leads the team with nine assists and is tied for second with Rabil in points with 18. Kyle Hartzell and Kevin Unterstein have also been dependable on both ends of the field throughout the season, as they both rank second and third on the team in ground balls.
Week 8 Recap
New York looked to come back after a tough 13-10 defeat to the Florida Launch at home.
This was the second consecutive game in a back-to-back home series, this time heading to Florida. The team got their momentum going at the start, as both Kevin Unterstein and Dave Lawson both scored nearly two minutes into the contest. Paul Rabil would score three consecutive goals in just the second quarter alone, guiding the Lizards to a 7-3 halftime lead.
The second half would be a completely different game, as the Launch would cut the deficit to two goals after three quarters, with New York leading 9-7. After four straight goals from Florida to begin the fourth, followed by three goals from the Lizards, New York led 12-11 with 4:15 remaining. With the scored tied at 13, Matt Gibson would net one with just 15 seconds left, giving the Lizards a one point advantage, and what looked to be the game winner. However, Florida would charge right back, and with three seconds left in regulation, Ryan Drenner would score his third of the night, sending the game into overtime. The fourth quarter alone featured five separate times in which the score was tied.
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After a slow start in overtime, the Launch would eventually score with 6:31 remaining on a game winning goal from Florida defenseman Alec Tulett, defeating the Lizards by a score of 15-14.
What to Look Out For
Welcome to the Big Leagues!
Rookie Tucker James made his MLL debut on Saturday, June 10th against the Florida Launch, attempting one shot in the contest. James was drafted out of Bryant University in the sixth round, 52nd overall after an incredible senior year for the Bulldogs. He had career highs in goals (43), assists (27), and points (70), not to mention his 70 points were the most in Bryant’s Division 1 history. James was a member of the 2017 All-NEC first team and a 2017 USILA All-American honorable mention.
A “Beast” at Faceoffs
Greg Gurenlian has been a “Beast” with faceoffs this season, as the veteran has won 102-of-170 on the year. In fact, in his last game against the Florida Launch on June 10th, Gurenlian won an astonishing 24-of-29 faceoffs.
Recent Signings
The New York Lizards recently signed two players to the team: undrafted free agent John Garino, Jr. and veteran goalie Brett Queener. Garino is a FOGO from the University of Maryland, having won the 2017 National Championship this past year. He won 62% of his faceoffs in his senior year, not to mention 10-of-14 faceoffs in the National Championship game against Ohio State.
Queener is a 10-year veteran in the league, having won the MLL Championship in 2008 with the Rochester Rattlers and 2009 with the Toronto Nationals. The goalie has a career save percentage of .564%, 872 total saves, and a GAA of 12.79.
Looking Ahead
The Lizards go out west on Saturday, June 24th, as they take on the Denver Outlaws, who currently own the best record in MLL at 5-1.
Tickets are still available for the Lizards next home match-up on Thursday, June 29th against the Ohio Machine. Call 1-855-NYLizards or go online to NYLizards.com/Tickets.
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HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON CHART 2017 STATISTICS
44.7...….….....….…....…… Average shots per game..………...……...………42.1 11.8.………..…..…….…...…. Average goals per game.….……….…….………12.0 13.33.…………...... …. Average goals allowed per game….……..….…………12.14 26.5% ………..……....….…….. Shot percentage ……..………...….……...… 28.5%
30.8………………….……… Average groundballs per game ………….……….…34.7 102-170..……….……….….....…..…. Face-offs won ………….……………..………103-199 60.0%...………………….….……… Face-off percentage …………………..… 51.8% 3.6.……..….....…….. Average penalty minutes per game ……….…..….2.4
Pronunciation Guide
Greg Gurenlian……………………………...Ger-EN-lee-EN Tommy Palasek ……………………………..PAL-uh-sek Austin Pifani …………………………………..Puh-FAH-knee Paul Rabil ………………………………………..RAY-bull Kevin Unterstein ……………………………..Un-ter-STINE Kyle Hartzell …………………………………….HEART-zull
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2016 Lizards Award Winners
Week One Week Eight Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Paul Rabil Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Dave Lawson Week Three Week Nine Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Steve Holmes Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Dave Lawson Defensive Player of the Week: Steve Holmes Offensive Player of the Week: Dave Lawson Week Four Week Thirteen Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Rob Pannell Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Paul Rabil Offensive Player of the Week: Rob Pannell Offensive Player of the Week: Paul Rabil Week Five Player of the Year: Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Rob Pannell Faceoff Athlete of the Year: Greg Gurenlian Offensive Player of the Week: Rob Pannell Offensive Player of the Year: Rob Pannell Week Seven
Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Rob Pannell
Offensive Player of the Week: Rob Pannell 2017 Lizards Awards Winners
Week One Week Three
Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Drew Adams Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Paul Rabil
Defensive Player of the Week: Drew Adams
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2017 Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown
Game Date 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT NY OPP NY OPP NY OPP NY OPP NY OP @ Chesapeake 22-Apr 6 6 1 3 4 4 3 1 1 --P 15-14 W v. Denver 29-Apr 1 3 4 6 0 3 2 1 -- -- 7-13 L @ Atlanta 13-May 6 2 3 1 3 4 2 5 -- -- 14-12 W @ Boston 20-May 3 6 6 5 1 2 3 3 -- -- 13-16 L v. Florida 2-June 1 3 3 1 5 7 1 2 -- -- 10-13 L @ Florida 10-June 4 1 3 2 2 4 5 7 -- 1 14-15 L v. Rochester 17-June ------@ Denver 24-June ------v. Ohio 29-June ------v. Atlanta 13-July ------@ Charlotte 15-July ------v. Boston 20 -July ------@ Ohio 29-July ------v. Charlotte 5-Aug ------
Total 21 21 20 18 15 24 16 19 73-83
2017 MLL Special Teams Statistics
TEAM GP PPGF ADV PPPCT SHGA PPGA TSH PKPCT SHGF
Atlanta 6 7 25 28.00 0 9 24 62.50 0
Boston 7 11 24 45.83 1 9 25 64.00 1
Charlotte 8 6 28 21.43 0 8 22 63.64 0
Chesapeake 6 8 27 29.63 1 7 24 70.83 0
Denver 6 3 12 25.00 1 6 25 76.00 0
Florida 7 0 23 0.00 0 7 24 70.83 0
New York 6 7 22 31.82 0 3 18 83.33 0
Ohio 7 10 23 43.48 0 4 21 80.95 1
Rochester 7 6 19 31.58 0 5 20 75.00 1
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2017 Lizards Team Statistics
# PLAYERS POS GP G 2ptG A PTS PIM PPG PPA SHG SHA GWG GB DC TO CTO S SPCT SOG FO
1 Walters, Joe M 6 9 0 9 18 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 32 .281 24 0-0
5 LaPierre, Chris M 4 0 0 0 0 .5 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 1 .000 0 0-0
7 Sweeney, Kyle M 6 0 0 0 0 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 2 4 1 .000 1 0-0
17 Fletcher, Joe D 6 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 3 1 1.000 1 0-0
22 Morasco, JoJo M 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 1 0-0
24 Flanagan, Ryan D 2 0 0 0 0 .5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 0 0-0
27 Richard, Jacob M 3 1 0 0 1 .5 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 1 1.000 1 0-0
31 Lawson, Dave M 6 7 0 2 9 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 4 1 32 .219 16 0-0
32 Gurenlian, Greg M 6 3 0 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 53 0 6 0 4 .750 3 103-174
33 Pifani, Austin D 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 0 0-0
36 Unterstein, Kevin M 6 1 0 0 1 10.5 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 1 3 4 .250 4 0-0
55 James, Tucker A 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 1 0-0
66 Gibson, Matt A 6 15 0 4 19 .5 3 1 0 0 0 9 0 1 0 45 .333 31 0-0
71 Dickson, Curtis A 4 5 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 0 21 .238 13 0-0
81 Hartzell, Kyle D 6 1 1 1 3 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 2 2 10 .100 6 0-0
84 Palasek, Tommy A 6 9 0 4 13 1 1 1 0 0 1 8 0 3 0 20 .450 15 0-0
99 Rabil, Paul M 6 13 1 6 20 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 0 4 2 62 .210 36 0-0
TOTALS: - 6 71 2 40 113 22 7 8 0 0 2 185 0 58 24 268 .265 174 103-174
# GOALIES GP MIN W L GA 2ptGA GAA SV SV%
14 Adams, Drew 6 368:57 2 4 80 3 13.01 99 .553
23 Queener, Brett 0 0:00 0 0 0 0 .00 0 .000
TOTALS: 6 - 2 4 80 3 13.33 99 .553
NEW YORK LIZARDS LACROSSE NYLIZARDS.COM | 516-742-1180 Lizards Player Profiles (Alphabetically Listed)
DREW ADAMS #14 GOALIE
- Member of 2014 US Men’s National Team, won silver - 2011 and 2012 Warrior Goalie of the Year - Three time member of the MLL All-Star Team (2011, 2012, 2013)
CURTIS DICKSON #71 ATTACK
- Played college lacrosse at Delaware University - Two-time All-American and 2010 Tewaaraton Award Finalist - All-time leading goal scorer in Delaware history (162 goals)
SCOTT FIRMAN #25 DEFENSE
- Played college lacrosse at Syracuse - USILA Second-Team All-American and Inside Lacrosse First-Team All-American
RYAN FLANAGAN #24 DEFENSE
- Played college lacrosse at UNC - Spent first five seasons as a member of the Charlotte Hounds - Picked up 59 ground balls in his rookie season in 2012
JOE FLETCHER #17 MIDFIELD
- Played college lacrosse at Loyola - 2014 Tewaaraton Award Finalist - Only college player named to the 2014 US Men’s National Team 30-man training roster - Two-time member of the MLL All-Star Team (2015, 2016)
TYLER GERMAN #12 ATTACK
- Played college lacrosse at the University of Virginia
MATT GIBSON #66 ATTACK
- Played college lacrosse at Yale - 2012 Cascade Rookie of the Year - Member of the 2012 MLL All-Star Team
Media Contact: Rick Rissetto 516-742-1180 Ext. 305 [email protected]
GREG GURENLIAN #32 FACEOFF
- Ranks second all-time in the MLL for ground balls in a single season (124 in 2012) - Finished 2013 season with the highest face-off win percentage in the history of the MLL (.641) - Member of 2014 US Men’s National Team, won silver - Winner of the inaugural MLL FOGO of the Year award in 2014 - 2013 Defensive Player of the Week: Weeks 1 and 7 - Team Captain in 2013 and 2014 - Two-time member of the MLL All-Star Team (2013, 2016) - Three time All MLL Team member (2012, 2013, 2014) - Currently holds MLL record for most face off wins
KYLE HARTZELL #81 MIDFIELD
- Played college lacrosse at Salisbury - Member of 2014 US Men’s National Team, won silver - Set record for most points in a season by a defenseman in 2012 with the Ohio Machine (21 points)
TUCKER JAMES #55 ATTACK
- Played college lacrosse at Bryant University - 2017 USILA All-American honorable mention - Three-time member of All-NEC first-team
CHRIS LAPIERRE #5 MIDFIELD
- Two-time member of the ALL-ACC team - First round pick in 2013 draft pick. - Collegiate captain
DAVE LAWSON #31 GOALIE
- Played college lacrosse at Duke University - Played 3 seasons for Rochester with 66 goals, 24 assists
JOJO MARASCO #22 MIDFIELD
- Played college lacrosse at Syracuse - Re-acquired by Lizards in trade with Rochester this week - Totaled 65 goals in his first four seasons with New York - Was a member of the 2015 MLL Championship team.
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TOMMY PALASEK #84 ATTACK
- Played college lacrosse at Syracuse - 2014 Coca-Cola Player of the Game: Weeks 4, 10 - Second leading scorer for New York in 2014 - Two-time Cascade Rookie of the Week in 2012 - Ranks 8th in the league for most goals scored by a rookie - Game MVP April 28, 2013 v. Boston Cannons; June 13, 2013 v. Hamilton Nationals - Member of the 2013 MLL All Star Team
AUSTIN PIFANI #33 DEFENSE
- Played college lacrosse at North Carolina - Two-time Tewaaraton Award Watch List nominee - 2017 ACC Defensive Player of the Year
BRETT QUEENER #23 GOALIE
- Played college lacrosse at the University of Albany - Has won two MLL championships (2008 with the Rochester Rattlers and 2009 with the Toronto Nationals) - 10-year MLL veteran
PAUL RABIL #99 DEFENSE
- Member of 2014 and 2010 US Men’s National Team, won silver and gold respectively - 2014 FIL All-World Team - Two-time FIL World’s Best Midfielder (2010, 2014) - 2010 FIL World’s MVP - Eight-time member of the MLL All-Star team (2008 – 2016) - Six-time member of the MLL First-Team All-Pro (2009 – 2014) - Holds MLL Single Season All-Time Points Record with 72 points in the 2012 season for Boston - Two-time MLL MVP (2009, 2011) - MLL Championship MVP (2015)
JAKE RICHARD #27 MIDFIELD
- Played college lacrosse at Marquette University
KYLE SWEENEY #7 DEFENSE
- Played college lacrosse at Georgetown - Has won four MLL Championships (2004, 2006 and 2007 with the Bridgeport Barrage and 2011 with the Boston Cannons) - 13-year MLL veteran
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KEVIN UNTERSTEIN #36 MIDFIELD
- Played college lacrosse at Hofstra - Team captain in 2013 - Scored career-high five points in 2013 - Member of 2014 US Men’s National Team 52-man training roster - Member of 2014 MLL All-Star Team
RYAN WALSH #43 ATTACK
- Played college lacrosse at Colgate - 2015 NCAA All-American - Finished at the top of the All-Patriot League with 31 goals and 45 points JOE WALTERS #28 DEFENSE
- Played college lacrosse at the University of Maryland - Played 3 seasons with Rochester with 73 goals - Played 4 seasons with the Hamilton Nationals with 80 goals
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