2017 Major League Lacrosse season

Last updated
2017 MLL season
League Major League Lacrosse
Sport Field lacrosse
DurationApril 22 – August 19, 2017
Number of teams9
Season MVPTom Schreiber (Ohio)
Top scorerEric Law (Denver), Peter Baum (Ohio) – 52 pts
Steinfeld Cup
Champions Ohio Machine
  Runners-up Denver Outlaws
Finals MVP Marcus Holman
MLL seasons

The 2017 Major League Lacrosse season was the 17th season of Major League Lacrosse. Featuring the same nine teams as 2016, the season began on April 22. All four games played on opening weekend were won by the road team and decided by one goal, two in overtime. The season culminated in the championship game on August 19 in Frisco, Texas at The Ford Center at The Star. In a rematch of the 2016 championship game, the Ohio Machine defeated the Denver Outlaws 17–12, capturing their first Steinfeld Cup in franchise history. [1]

Contents

The 2017 season was the last one headed by commissioner David Gross. It was announced on December 23, 2016 that the league's commissioner since 2004 would be stepping down after the season.

Milestones and events

Coaching changes

Teams

Atlanta Blaze Boston Cannons Charlotte Hounds Chesapeake Bayhawks
Fifth Third Bank Stadium Harvard Stadium American Legion Memorial Stadium Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 8,318Capacity: 30,323Capacity: 21,000Capacity: 34,000
Denver Outlaws Florida Launch New York Lizards Ohio Machine Rochester Rattlers
Sports Authority Field at Mile High FAU Stadium James M. Shuart Stadium Fortress Obetz Rochester Rhinos Stadium
Capacity: 76,125Capacity: 29,419Capacity: 11,929Capacity: 6,500Capacity: 13,768

Standings

2017 Major League Lacrosse Standings
WLPCTGBGF2ptGFGA2ptGA
Denver Outlaws 95.643-19951746
Ohio Machine 95.643-19521636
Florida Launch 86.571117952029
Rochester Rattlers 86.571118221713
New York Lizards 77.500218371984
Chesapeake Bayhawks 77.500221192061
Charlotte Hounds 68.429318491895
Atlanta Blaze 68.429318261898
Boston Cannons 311.214618972129
Playoff Seed

Attendance

League attendance reached a record low in 2017, driven by one-third and one-fourth drops for Boston and Chesapeake, respectively. However, for the first time since the 2013 season, only one team, Charlotte, finished with an average of under 2,000 a game. [16]

TeamTotalAverageChange
Denver64,4909,212-2%
New York36,2035,171-2%
Boston33,9694,852-32%
Chesapeake33,5874,798-24%
Ohio17,1572,45129%
Florida16,0862,29836%
Rochester15,3432,19151%
Atlanta14,2592,037-39%
Charlotte11,1051,586-21%
League242,1993,844-10%

Playoffs

On February 15, the league announced the Steinfeld Cup would be held at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. After being held at neutral locations in 2016, the two semifinal games were held at the home stadiums of the two top-seeded teams, Denver and Ohio. Both teams cruised to home playoff wins over Rochester and Florida, respectively.

On August 19, the Outlaws and Machine played a rematch of the 2016 championship. This time, however, the Machine were victorious. Ohio came back from a four-goal third quarter deficit to win 17-12. [1] Ohio scored the last seven goals of the game; Marcus Holman had three straight within four minutes in the fourth quarter and 6 points overall to earn the MVP award. 7,543 fans attended the game. [17]

Semifinals
August 12
Championship
August 19
      
1 Denver15
4 Rochester 8
1 Denver 12
2 Ohio17
2 Ohio18
3 Florida 13

Season Awards

AwardWinnerTeam
Most Valuable PlayerTom Schreiber Ohio Machine
Rookie of the YearJosh Byrne Chesapeake Bayhawks
Offensive Player of the YearEric Law Denver Outlaws
Defensive Player of the Year Tucker Durkin Florida Launch
Coach of the YearTom MarianoFlorida Launch
Goalie of the YearJack KellyDenver Outlaws
Most Improved PlayerKyle BernlohrOhio Machine

All-MLL Team

GoalieTeam
Jack KellyDenver Outlaws
DefenseTeam
Tucker DurkinFlorida Launch
Brian KaralunasOhio Machine
Joel White Rochester Rattlers
Matt McMahonOhio Machine
MidfieldTeam
Paul Rabil New York Lizards
Tom SchreiberOhio Machine
Peter BaumOhio Machine
AttackTeam
Jordan WolfRochester Rattlers
Eric LawDenver Outlaws
Marcus Holman Ohio Machine

Source: [18]

Related Research Articles

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References

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