1997 Major Indoor Lacrosse League season

Last updated
1997 MILL season
League Major Indoor Lacrosse League
Sport Indoor lacrosse
DurationJanuary 4, 1997 - April 12, 1997
Number of games10
Number of teams6
TV partner(s) ESPN and ESPN2
Regular season
League champions Philadelphia Wings
  Runners-up New York Saints
Season MVP Gary Gait (Baltimore Thunder)
Top scorer Gary Gait (Baltimore Thunder)
Champion's Cup
Champions Rochester Knighthawks
  Runners-up Buffalo Bandits
Finals MVP Steve Dietrich (Rochester)
MILL/NLL seasons

The 1997 season is the 11th season of the league and, is the last as the MILL, began on January 4, 1997, and concluded with the championship game on April 12. The league was renamed to the National Lacrosse League after this season.

Contents

Team movement

The Charlotte Cobras, who debuted in the 1996 Major Indoor Lacrosse League season, folded after only a single winless season.

Teams

Black pog.svg Major Indoor Lacrosse League Teams
1997 Major Indoor Lacrosse League
TeamCityArenaCapacity
Baltimore Thunder Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena 10,582
Boston Blazers Boston, Massachusetts FleetCenter 17,850
Buffalo Bandits Buffalo, New York Marine Midland Arena 18,595
New York Saints Uniondale, New York Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 16,297
Philadelphia Wings Philadelphia, Pennsylvania CoreStates Center 19,463
Rochester Knighthawks Rochester, New York Rochester Community War Memorial 10,662

Regular season

Reference: [1]

PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1 Philadelphia Wings –xyz1073.7000.03–24–1137115+2213.7011.50
2 New York Saints –x1064.6001.04–12–3134127+713.4012.70
3 Buffalo Bandits –x1064.6001.03–23–2158153+515.8015.30
4 Rochester Knighthawks –x1055.5002.02–33–2156135+2115.6013.50
5 Boston Blazers 1046.4003.03–21–4120135−1512.0013.50
6 Baltimore Thunder 1028.2005.01–41–4125165−4012.5016.50

x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played
W: Wins; L: Losses; GB:  Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed
Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game

All Star Game

No All-Star Game was played in 1997.

Playoffs

Semifinals Championship
      
2 New York 10
3 Buffalo19
4 Rochester15
3 Buffalo 12
4 Rochester15
1 Philadelphia 13

Awards

AwardWinnerTeam
MVP Award Gary Gait Philadelphia
Rookie of the Year Award Jeff WilfongBoston
Championship Game MVP Steve Dietrich Rochester

Weekly awards

Each week, a player is awarded "Player of the Week" honours.

WeekPlayer of the Week
1 Paul Gait
2 Roy Colsey
3Sal LoCascio
4Paul Gait
5Paul Gait
6 John Tavares
7Derek Collins
8 Thomas Carmean
9Matt Panetta
10 Tom Marechek
11Ted Dowling
12 Dallas Eliuk

Monthly awards

An award is also given out monthly for the best overall player.

MonthPlayer of the Month
JanPaul Gait
FebDerek Collins
MarTom Marechek

All-Pro Teams

First Team:

Second Team:

Statistics leaders

Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.

StatPlayerTeamNumber
GoalsGary GaitPhiladelphia40
AssistsGary GaitPhiladelphia32
PointsGary GaitPhiladelphia72
Penalty MinutesTom PhairBuffalo58
Shots on GoalPaul GaitRochester131
Loose BallsJohn TavaresBuffalo104

Attendance

Regular Season

Home TeamHome GamesAverage AttendanceTotal Attendance [2]
Buffalo Bandits517,53387,665
Philadelphia Wings513,87569,336
New York Saints57,26836,338
Rochester Knighthawks56,57032,852
Boston Blazers56,14930,743
Baltimore Thunder55,01825,091
League309,401282,025

Playoffs

Home TeamHome GamesAverage AttendanceTotal Attendance [2]
Buffalo Bandits215,08530,170
Philadelphia Wings19,3729,372
League313,18139,542

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "National Lacrosse League - 1997 Regular Season - Standings". NLL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "1997 Season". nllstats.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.


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