MLL Stock Report is a week by week look at several of the stand out units, players, and moments in Major League Lacrosse, as well as a few things that stood out in the negative.
Grades are given like stocks are traded, with ratings on a scale of +/- 10.
Photo Credits: Craig Chase
I’m putting the spotlight on the things that stood out throughout the weekend’s match ups as well as giving you some bets for the upcoming weekend. It’s all for fun. I like betting, I’m just not a big gambler. There’s a difference!
MLL Stock Report – Week 2
+8.9 – a Shot of JD: That’s Jeremy Sieverts and Drew Snider. These two have gotten better and better the more they play together. Denver looked and played like a veteran team on the offensive end this week. They got a goal whenever they needed one, and finished Ohio off with a monster 2 point shot by Snider (set up by Sieverts!). Oh yeah, they will only get better when you add in all the NLL guys and rookies they have coming in shortly.
+7.6 – Old Man Strength: Brendan Mundorf was once the best attackman on the planet. He has had some time off and a few operations since then, but his presence in the Bayhawks’ offense is showing new life. He just doesn’t make mistakes. He is not going to score 60+ points this season (I’d be ok with it if he did) but he is also going to make the Bayhawks’ offense far more consistent… and efficient.
+7.4 – to the 1st Born: Michael Bocklet dropped what might have been the goal of the season so far when he went behind the back and scored. He was a camp addition last year who lead the team in points, this offseason they didn’t protect him and he has come back to them, and now it will be hard to take his place even when “the others” come back. Denver has an embarrassment of offensive riches.
+6.9 – Mad Max: When Max Seibald scores and dominates a game offensively it just looks so dang natural. It looks like he should always do that. He did that this week to the tune of 4 goals (1 was a 2 pointer) and an assist for 6 total points. It’s nice to see his hard work show up on the scoreboard.
+6.2 – Predictions: I said Charlotte would struggle, I said Chesapeake didn’t do enough to impress me this offseason. I figured Denver would have to win in shootouts. I called that Rochester would struggle without its full roster.
So I’m 2-for-2 in this department as Charlotte looks like a different team than ever before, Chesapeake is healthy and angry. The Hounds’ and Bayhawks’ defenses both really stood out this past week. The Outlaws have only played 1 game but the defense doesn’t scare me and Rochester… Oh, Rochester. If Joey Sankey isn’t top 3 in goals at the end of the season I’ll be shocked.
Dang, I just made another prediction.
+5.0 – Personal Bias: My good friend Craig Bunker went 18 of 23 at the faceoff X, that’s downright Beastly. He won a ton of draws in the 2nd half when he needed to, and Kevin Cunningham shows everyone he can shoot the ball and not just pass. Throw in Steve Ianzito making Charlotte fans more comfortable without Kevin Drew, and it was a great weekend.
+2.5 – Lone Ranger: Kyle Denhoff is the only currently playing returning member of the Rattlers midfield and he has played very well. He was one of the few bright spots west of GLE for the Rattlers.
+.5 – Charlotte Fans: I give so much credit to the ones who stayed and stuck out 2 hours of rain to come back and watch the end of the game. They were rewarded big time. True diehard fans there.
-2.2 – A Deep Bench: Rochester used its #3 goalie this week as John Galloway was unavailable and Jason LaShomb was nowhere to be seen. He struggled behind a defense that was also missing at least 2 or 3 starters. It was a tough situation for any goalie.
-4.5 – Repair Shop: I am not sure what all went wrong in the last 4 minutes for Ohio against Denver. They slowed things down, had some ugly turnovers, didn’t get a shot off on the last possession, gave up a 2-pointer and took a time out to break up a fast break. The defense played really well and did everything it could have to stop that last shot, so credit goes to them. I myself would have called the exact same time out as a coach and so would 95% of other coaches. It’s still early in the season but this felt like a big moment.
-9.7 – Cheap Shots: I saw far too many of these in games this weekend. The competitive nature is hard to hold back but these guys are playing for the love of the game. That crap shouldn’t happen.
MLL Stock Report Week 3 Locks
Turnover Time, Roster Style: NLL and NCAA seasons are coming to an end so we will see some turnover this week. A player will play his first game of the season and record a hat trick and at least 4 total points.
Fool Me Once: Kieran McArdle had a tough game against Michael Evans, now he has to face Joe Fletcher. He will do better than the 2 points he scored against Evans. He will at least double that.
Revenge!: Ohio and Denver have a quick back to back. Denver took game 1 in Denver. They won’t be so lucky in Ohio.
