via MLL press release   MAJOR LEAGUE LACROSSE ANNOUNCE WEEK 13 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS MLL release their Week 13 accolades: “Coca-Cola Players of the Game”, “Warrior Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week” and “FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy” and “Cascade Lacrosse Rookie of the Week”   BOSTON (July 14th, 2015) – Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league completed Week 13 of its 2015 season this past weekend.  The New York Lizards clinched the first seed in the playoffs and two other teams managed to secure their spots in post-season play as well. The Rochester Rattlers and the Ohio Machine will continue on in their post-season hopes to hoist the Steinfeld Cup. The New York Lizards defeated the reigning 2014 MLL Champions 18-15 on a rain-soaked Thursday night. As New York managed to secure the number one seed for the Playoffs, they also dashed Denver’s hopes of returning to the Championship Game this year and defending their title. New York’s Rob Pannell notched seven points (5G, 2A) as he led his team to victory. Greg Gurenlian broke records as he won 30 of 35 face-off attempts earning him the title of most face-off wins in an individual season at 254 as well as most groundballs in an individual season as he scooped up 18 to give him a total of 164 on the season. The Denver Outlaws made a run in the fourth quarter as they out-scored New York, 7-3, but their efforts proved to come too late. Denver moves into sixth place in the League after the loss to New York.  

  The Florida Launch won in exciting fashion as they beat the Charlotte Hounds in overtime this past Saturday, 17-16. Lyle Thompson has found his groove at the professional level as he netted six goals for the Launch, including the overtime-winner. Miles Thompson contributed five goals to his brothers’ six for a combined 11 goals of the Launch’s 17. Despite the Launch victory, it was Charlotte face-off specialist, Brendan Fowler, who controlled play at the “X”, winning 21 of 37 face-offs on the night.  Brett Queener was out again this week, leaving Florida’s goaltending in the hands of Austin Kaut. Kaut stopped 13 shots for Florida in the win.  

  The Ohio Machine clinched their playoff berth with a solid 19-12 win over the Boston Cannons on Saturday. The Cannons managed to come out of the first quarter ahead, 4-1 but experienced a second quarter drought as Ohio kept the Cannons scoreless while racking up eight points of their own, to take a 9-4 lead at the half.  Peter Baum led the scoring efforts of the Machine with three goals, a two-point goal, and an assist for a total of six points. Steele Stanwick contributed an additional six points in the form of two goals and four assists. Brian Phipps had an impressive 21 saves against the Cannons offense. Ohio face-off specialist, Michael Puskuldjian won 21 of 29 face-offs against Craig Bunker. On the Boston side, Davey Emala led scoring efforts with four goals while Will Manny and Brent Adams added three goals each as well.  

  The Rochester Rattlers were able to clinch their playoff spot as well this weekend on Sunday as they defeated the Chesapeake Bayhawks, 14-13. Rochester took the lead, 4-3, in the first quarter of the game. The remaining three quarters went goal-for-goal but Chesapeake was essentially never quite able to catch up to Rochester’s early one goal lead. Rookie for the Rattlers, Kevin Rice, scored the game-winning goal with just under two minutes left to play. Dave Lawson had four goals and one assist while Kevin Rice and Mark Matthews each contributed three goals to the Rochester score. Mike Poppleton came away with 19 wins on 31 face-off attempts and John Galloway had 17 saves on the night. On the Bayhawks side, Joe Walters had four goals while Matt Danowski had four goals of his own alongside three assists. Goalkeeper for the Bayhawks, Tyler Fiorito, made 16 stops in the loss.  

    Coca-Cola Players of the Game Coca-Cola, as a multi-year and proud sponsor of MLL, will feature a weekly honor titled the “Coca-Cola Players of the Game”, where one player from each match-up will be deemed the most valuable player of the game. Here are the Week 13 MLL “Coca-Cola Players of the Game”: Rob Pannell of the New York Lizards     Lyle Thompson of the Florida Launch     Peter Baum of the Ohio Machine     Kevin Rice of the Rochester Rattlers   Warrior Lacrosse Offensive & Defensive Player of the Week Warrior Lacrosse, a leading lacrosse brand for equipment, footwear and apparel, will continue to sponsor both an offensive player of the week and defensive player of the week. These awards are two separate awards that honor the best offensive and defensive MLL performances from the week. Here are the Week 13 MLL “Warrior Offensive Player of the Week” and “Warrior Defensive Player of the Week”: Warrior Offensive Player of the Week: Lyle Thompson of the Florida Launch Warrior Defensive Player of the Week: Greg Gurenlian of New York Lizards FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy The Faceoff Academy specializes in the most elite level face-off coaching in the world. In showcasing the huge role face-off men play in lacrosse, The Faceoff Academy will present a weekly award titled the “FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy”. The award will feature the best face-off performance of the week based on winning percentage at the “X”. Here is our Week 13 MLL “FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy”: Greg Gurenlian, Midfielder of the New York Lizards 30-for-35 at the “X” With a 86% Face-off Win Percentage, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 18 Groundballs against the Denver Outlaws Rookie of the Week, Presented by Cascade Cascade Lacrosse has established itself as the leader in the lacrosse helmet and eye mask category. The relationship of Cascade Lacrosse and Major League Lacrosse is one that dates back to the league’s inception. Cascade Lacrosse is the proud sponsor of a weekly recognition of the week’s best rookie performance. Here is our Week 13 MLL “Cascade Rookie of the Week”: Kevin Rice, Attackman for the Rochester Rattlers 3 Goals vs. Chesapeake Bayhawks (Scored the Game-Winning Goal)   Week 14 Preview The Boston Cannons (7-5) will hit the road to meet the Chesapeake Bayhawks (5-7) Thursdaynight, July 16th, at 7:30pm EST. Boston and Chesapeake are the two remaining teams vying for a spot in the MLL Playoffs. On Friday, July 17th, the Rochester Rattlers (7-5) will host the Charlotte Hounds (3-9) at 7:30pm EST. The New York Lizards (10-2) will square off against the Ohio Machine (7-5) on Saturday, July 18th in Ohio at 7:00pm EST. The final game of the weekend will take the Florida Launch (4-8) out west to the Denver Outlaws (5-7) for a Sunday afternoon game on July 19th, at 3:00pm EST. About Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded by Jake Steinfeld and is headquartered in Boston. Major League Lacrosse commenced play in June 2001 and has embarked on its fifteenth season. MLL has continued to lead the sport of lacrosse into the mainstream of competitive team sports. The league is made up of eight teams: The Boston Cannons, Charlotte Hounds, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Denver Outlaws, Florida Launch, New York Lizards, Ohio Machine and Rochester Rattlers.   Follow us on… Twitter: @MLL_Lacrosse Instagram: @MajorLeagueLax Facebook: Facebook.com/MajorLeagueLacrosse Snapchat: MajorLeagueLax Youtube: Youtube.com/MajorLeagueLax   Click HERE for more information about Major League Lacrosse Click HERE for tickets to the 2015 MLL Championship Game at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, GA on August 8th.