2018 Major League Lacrosse season

Last updated
2018 MLL season
League Major League Lacrosse
Sport Field lacrosse
DurationApril 21 – August 18, 2018
Number of teams9
Season MVP Rob Pannell
Top scorerRob Pannell
Steinfeld Cup
Champions Denver Outlaws (third title)
  Runners-up Dallas Rattlers (fourth appearance)
Finals MVPMatt Kavanagh
MLL seasons

The 2018 Major League Lacrosse season is the 18th season of Major League Lacrosse. The season began on Saturday, April 21 with three games. [1] For the third straight year, the league consists of nine teams playing 14 games each. However, the league announced on November 16, 2017 that the Rochester Rattlers, one of the league's four remaining charter franchises, would relocate to Frisco, Texas and become the Dallas Rattlers. [2] The reigning champions for the first time are the Ohio Machine, who would take a hard fall and finish 3-11 in 2018. The season culminated on Saturday, August 18 with the Denver Outlaws hoisting their third Steinfeld Trophy in Charleston, South Carolina at MUSC Health Stadium after defeating the Rattlers, 16-12.

Contents

Milestones and events

Team movement

On November 16, 2017, the league announced at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas that the Rochester Rattlers would be relocating to the Dallas market to become the Dallas Rattlers.

Coaching changes

Partnership with Women's Professional Lacrosse League

In June, the MLL and upstart Women's Professional Lacrosse League, the second pro women's lacrosse league in the United States, will play three doubleheaders. On June 2, the Baltimore Brave (WPLL) took the field in the afternoon before the Bayhawks hosted the Ohio Machine. On June 28, the New England Command hosted the Philadelphia Fire at Harvard Stadium in Boston before the MLL All Star Game. [16] On June 30, the New York Lizards will play a host a doubleheader with the New York Fight. [17]

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
Usa edcp location map.svg
Locations of teams for the 2017 MLL season
Dallas Rattlers Denver Outlaws Florida Launch New York Lizards Ohio Machine
The Ford Center at The Star Sports Authority Field at Mile High FAU Stadium James M. Shuart Stadium Fortress Obetz
Capacity: 12,000Capacity: 76,125Capacity: 29,419Capacity: 11,929Capacity: 6,500

Standings

2018 Major League Lacrosse Standings
WLPCTGBGF2ptGFGA2ptGA
Dallas Rattlers 113.786-20181752
Chesapeake Bayhawks 95.6432176111747
Denver Outlaws 86.5713225518314
New York Lizards 86.571321152145
Charlotte Hounds 77.500419681914
Atlanta Blaze 77.5004187101847
Boston Cannons 59.357617392139
Florida Launch 59.3576192420110
Ohio Machine 311.214817361998
Playoff Seed

Attendance

For the seventh straight year, league attendance dropped. Only the Rattlers (first season after relocating from Rochester) and Machine posted better attendances in 2018 than the year prior. The Outlaws' Fourth of July game was the only contest all season that drew a five-digit attendance figure.

TeamTotalAverageChange
Denver54,3087,758-16%
Dallas33,4564,779118%
New York32,9124,701-9%
Chesapeake29,1834,169-13%
Boston26,1763,739-23%
Ohio18,6592,6659%
Florida12,0992,016-12%
Atlanta11,6601,665-18%
Charlotte9,5481,364-14%
League228,0013,677-4%

Collegiate Draft

The 2018 MLL Collegiate Draft was held on Wednesday, April 18 at the U.S. Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland. [18] With the first overall pick, the Boston Cannons selected prolific faceoff specialist, Trevor Baptiste, from the University of Denver. [19]

All Star Game

On February 13, the league announced the 2018 All Star Game would be held in Boston at Harvard Stadium on Thursday, June 28. The game featured the MLL All-Stars facing Team USA in preparation of the 2018 FIL World Lacrosse Championship from July 12-21 in Netanya, Israel. [20] On June 27, the league announced that the ESPN family of networks would be airing the game. [21] The next day in front of 6,589 fans, the MLL All Stars defeated Team USA for the first time thanks to seven unanswered goals resulting in a 15-14 overtime victory.

Playoffs

Four teams will make the Major League Lacrosse playoffs. Two semifinal games were played on August 11 at Frisco, Texas and Annapolis, Maryland. The winners, the Dallas Rattlers and Denver Outlaws, advanced to the championship game on August 18 in Charleston, South Carolina at MUSC Health Stadium. The matchup resulted in the Outlaws claiming their third championship in five years after a 16-12 defeat of the Rattlers. [22]

Semifinals
August 11
Championship
August 18
      
1 Dallas15
4 New York 12
1 Dallas 12
3 Denver16
2 Chesapeake 12
3 Denver13

Related Research Articles

Major League Lacrosse Mens lacrosse league

Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001, making MLL the oldest professional field lacrosse league in North America. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This is followed by a four-team playoff for the championship trophy, the Steinfeld Trophy, named after founder Jake Steinfeld. League attendance peaked at 6,417 in 2011 and the 2019 average was 4,587.

Chesapeake Bayhawks

The Chesapeake Bayhawks were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Annapolis, Maryland since 2010. They played in the greater Baltimore metro area beginning with the MLL's inaugural 2001 season, as the Baltimore Bayhawks from 2001–2006 and as the Washington Bayhawks from 2007–2009.

Dallas Rattlers American lacrosse franchise

The Dallas Rattlers were a professional men's field lacrosse team as a member of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) based in Frisco, Texas starting in 2018. The franchise was a charter member of the MLL, operating as the Rochester Rattlers in Rochester, New York, from 2001 to 2008 and 2011 to 2017.

Cannons Lacrosse Club Field lacrosse team in the PLL

The Cannons Lacrosse Club are a Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) professional men's field lacrosse team. Formerly based in Boston, Massachusetts, they played in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) as the Boston Cannons from their inaugural 2001 season to 2020. The team's home field was Veterans Memorial Stadium in nearby Quincy. In the MLL, the team won two Steinfeld Cup championship games in 2011 and 2020, the latter being the MLL's final championship. The Cannons joined the PLL in 2020 following the MLL–PLL merger and were rebranded as the Cannons Lacrosse Club.

Denver Outlaws

The Denver Outlaws were a Major League Lacrosse professional men's field lacrosse team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They began playing in the MLL in 2006 as an expansion team.

The 2008 Major League Lacrosse season was the eighth season of the league. The season began on May 17, 2008, and concluded with the championship game on August 24, 2008.

Hamilton Nationals

The Hamilton Nationals were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They began play in the 2009 season in Toronto, Ontario as the Toronto Nationals, becoming the first-ever Canadian team in MLL history. In 2009, they played their home games at BMO Field, which is also home to Major League Soccer's Toronto FC but moved to the smaller Lamport Stadium for the 2010 season. On February 3, 2011, the Nationals announced that they were relocating to Hamilton, Ontario, and would play their home games at Ron Joyce Stadium on the campus of McMaster University. On 21 November 2013, MLL announced that the team would not participate in the 2014 season, with most of the players being transferred to the expansion Florida Launch.

Charlotte Hounds

The Charlotte Hounds were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) field lacrosse franchise on hiatus until 2021 that began play in the 2012 MLL season and played their home games at American Legion Memorial Stadium.

Florida Launch

The Florida Launch were a professional men's field lacrosse team based in Boca Raton, Florida. They joined Major League Lacrosse (MLL) as an expansion team for the 2014 season until 2019. The team played its home games at Florida Atlantic University Stadium. The team was owned by Jim Davis, founder and chairman of New Balance, an early investor in the MLL.

Atlanta Blaze

The Atlanta Blaze were a professional men's field lacrosse team in Major League Lacrosse (MLL). The Blaze became the ninth team in MLL as an expansion team for the 2016 season and played its home games at Atlanta Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 2016 Major League Lacrosse season was the 16th season of Major League Lacrosse. The season featured 9 teams after the addition of the Atlanta Blaze via expansion. It was the first season since 2008 that the league fielded more than eight teams. The defending champion New York Lizards are coming off their third Steinfeld Cup victory in franchise history and first since 2003 after defeating the Rochester Rattlers 15–12 August 8, 2015 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. On August 20, the Denver Outlaws won their second Steinfeld Cup trophy in three years, coming back to defeat the Ohio Machine, 19–18.

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.

The 2018 Dallas Rattlers season is the sixteenth season for the Rattlers franchise of Major League Lacrosse, and first season the team will play in Frisco, Texas after relocating from Rochester, New York. The league made the move official on November 16, 2017 and also announced that Tim Soudan would not be returning as head coach. Instead, longtime assistant coach Bill Warder would be named the team's fourth head coach.

The 2018 Chesapeake Bayhawks season was the eighteenth season for the Chesapeake Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse, and ninth using the Chesapeake moniker. The Bayhawks came into the year looking to improve upon their 7–7 finish in 2017 in which they finished sixth place in the league and missed out on the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. General manager Dave Cottle returned to the sidelines as head coach for the first time since 2015 after the Bayhawks and Brian Reese parted ways in September. In Cottle's first year back on the sidelines, the Bayhawks finished 9–5 and second place in the league. In their return to the postseason, the Bayhawks lost to the Denver Outlaws in the semifinal round, 13–12.

The 2019 Major League Lacrosse season was the 19th season of Major League Lacrosse. The regular season began on Friday, May 31 and ended on Sunday, September 22. It was the first time the league would ever begin its season after Memorial Day, allowing all players selected in the collegiate draft to play a full season. 2019 also marks the first time each team would play 16 games. The league has played a 14-game schedule since 2012. Additionally, the league returned to a Championship Weekend format instead of a two-week postseason for the first time since 2013. Championship Weekend was hosted in Denver with two semifinal games on Friday, October 4 and the 19th Steinfeld Cup was hosted at Dick's Sporting Goods Park October 6 on ESPN2.

The 2019 Dallas Rattlers season was the seventeenth season for the Rattlers franchise of Major League Lacrosse, and second season playing in Frisco, Texas since relocating from Rochester, New York.

The 2019 Chesapeake Bayhawks season is the nineteenth season for the Bayhawks franchise of Major League Lacrosse, and tenth season using the 'Chesapeake' Bayhawks moniker. It is Dave Cottle's second season of his second tenure as head coach of the team. In 2018, Cottle led the Bayhawks to their first playoff appearance in five years.

The 2019 Denver Outlaws season was the fourteenth season for the Outlaws franchise of Major League Lacrosse. It was also the first season under head coach Tony Seaman, who previously served as general manager before B.J. O'Hara took the head coaching job for the New York Lizards. The Denver Outlaws had a very strong team, having 7 players go to the All Star game.

Connecticut Hammerheads

The Connecticut Hammerheads were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Fairfield, Connecticut. The team played for one season during the 2020 season. The team's home field was Rafferty Stadium located on the campus of Fairfield University.

The 2020 Major League Lacrosse season was the 20th season of Major League Lacrosse. Each of the six teams were slated to play a ten-game regular season starting on May 30, until the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the season. On July 2, the league announced teams would play a five-game regular season over the course of a quarantined week in Annapolis, Maryland at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the home of the Chesapeake Bayhawks. The regular season was scheduled to begin play on Saturday, July 18 with a four-team postseason the next weekend on July 25–26.

References

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  2. "Rattlers to Relocate to Frisco, TX for 2018 season". Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  3. Blaze coach Dave Huntley passes away
  4. Alexander P Brown named commissioner of MLL
  5. "MLL approves sale of Atlanta Blaze to Andre Gudger". Archived from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  6. MLL Championship Game headed to Charleston
  7. "Holman sets goal record in 25-13 win". Archived from the original on 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  8. Rabil breaks points record
  9. Rabil makes history again in 20-16 win for New York
  10. LSN ESPN+ announcement
  11. Iwamoto to make Denver debut
  12. MLL announces next three ASG sites
  13. Liam Banks named Head Coach of the Blaze
  14. Bayhawks announce Cottle's return as head coach
  15. MLL announces Rattlers' relocation to Dallas
  16. WPLL/MLL All Star Game doubleheader
  17. Lizards team up with WPLL for doubleheader on June 30
  18. "2018 MLL Collegiate Draft to be hosted at US Lacrosse Headquarters". Archived from the original on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  19. Cannons select Trevor Baptiste first overall in the 2018 MLL Collegiate Draft
  20. "MLL All Star Game returns to Boston". Archived from the original on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  21. "ESPN to televise MLL's All Star Game". Archived from the original on 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  22. Outlaws win third Steinfeld Cup