Tonight was the first every professional lacrosse game ever played in one of the hotbed’s of lacrosse, North Carolina. The game was between the Rochester Rattlers(3-2) and the Philadelphia Barrage(3-2). The two time defending champs Barrage have been living on the road every game this season and are currently in the Eastern Conference race with the Rattlers. The Barrage, usually one of the best defensive team’s in the MLL went through a defensive drought allowing 22 goals twice in a row, but rebounded with an overtime victory to gain some confidence and help Brian Dougherty get back on track as one of the best goaltender’s in history and winning. Rochester has one of the most explosive offense in the league, anchored by last year’s MVP John Grant Jr. and all-time MLL point scorer Casey Powell. Rochester started with a 3-0 start to their season, but lost 2 consecutive games to hurt their stock.
The game between the two Eastern Conference teams is filled with superstar’s, and is a preview for the upcoming all-star game in Colorado. Brian Dougherty, Ryan Boyle, Mike Springer, Kyle Sweeney, Jeff Zywicki, Casey Powell, John Grant Jr are only a few of the stars on display tonight. The winner of the game will break the 4-way tie for first place in the Conference and give a slight edge in the race. The night originally looked shaky, with thunderstorm’s on the verge… But things cleared up quickly allowing the show to begin.
Philadelphia had a 4 point deficit at halftime, but was able to cut that quickly to take a 16-15 lead entering the 4th. In the 4th Jeff Zywicki, Joe Walters and Powell quickly retook an 18-16 advantage. The Rattler’s soon would replace goaltender Mike Levin with young freshly drafted rookie Brett Queener out of Albany University with about 9 minutes remaining in the game. Queener was an honorable mention all american at Albany, and has unbelievable stick control. Rochester Rattler’s defenseman Jack Reid, recieved 3 penalties in one play to allow the Barrage to attempt their comeback while down 20-17. Queener finished the game making a few important saves to help the Rattler’s to victory.
John Grant Jr. had one of the most unbelievable highlights of his career in this game, driving the cage hard and giving a behind the back bounce shot on the doorstep to beat “Doc”. Casey Powell finished with an unbelievable night, finishing with 8 points, while Joe Walters finished with 6 points on the night.
As a fellow lacrosse player, this is great for the sport having season games broadcasted on TV. The sport is growing rapidly and is only time before it takes over the country. If you have never had the opportunity to experienc lacrosse, below are a few listed games that will be televised on ESPN2 during the month of July.
7/4 San Francisco @ Denver
7/12 Denver @ Los Angeles
7/17 MLL ALL-STAR GAME
7/26 Chicago @ Denver
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