Boston, MA (June 10, 2004) -- Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premiere professional outdoor lacrosse league, will see a trio of familiar match-ups in Week Four, with all three games rematches of Opening Weekend’s high scoring, fast moving, hard-hitting action. Headlining this weekend is the nationally televised battle on Saturday night between the undefeated Boston Cannons and the defending MLL champions, the Long Island Lizards. As the third installment of the Major League Lacrosse “Game of the Week” on ESPN2, the game will air nationally on Tuesday, June 15 at 4:00 p.m.

Also on Saturday night, the Philadelphia Barrage will try to break into the win column when they visit the New Jersey Pride. Sunday afternoon, the National Division-leading Baltimore Bayhawks take on the rival Rochester Rattlers, whom they defeated in the Wild West Tour opener at Seahawks Stadium in Seattle, Wash.

Boston Cannons (3-0) at Long Island Lizards (2-1)
June 12 at 7:30 p.m.

The undefeated Cannons take to the road for this weekend’s match-up against the defending champs, who can tie Boston for the American Division lead with a win on Saturday. The game is a rematch of an Opening Weekend battle that has typified Boston’s season thus far, a tight contest won by the Cannons with late heroics. Week One saw Boston beat the Lizards, 17-16, on a dramatic Tim Byrnes goal with only eight seconds left. Peter Inge earned MLL Defensive Player of the Week honors for tying a league record at the time with 28 face-off wins and scooping 11 ground balls.

Last week against Rochester, Boston’s Conor Gill was named Bud Light MVP for the second consecutive game and second-year pro Kevin Leveille added three goals and three assists. At 15 points, Leveille is the Cannons second leading scorer behind Gill (18 points). But Boston coach Scott Hiller was quick to praise the early-season achievements of another Cannon.

“Tim Byrnes has been our MVP,” said Hiller about the veteran middie. “He won the Long Island game with a late goal, and won the Baltimore game with a tremendous defensive play late. He does everything well.”

Hiller is also pleased with goalie Chris Garrity, who tied a career high with 24 saves against Rochester.

“Garrity is so much more confident now and comfortable with the volume of shots goalies get in the MLL,” Hiller observed. “From the mental side of it, he’s prepared better now to see 50 shots a game.”

But a recent addition to the Cannons lineup might lighten Garrity’s workload. With their first pick in the Collegiate Draft on June 3, the Cannons selected defenseman Chris Passavia from the University of Maryland. He debuted two days later, earning Cascade MLL Rookie of the Week honors for his strong performance against Rochester’s Casey Powell. After one week of play, Hiller is confident in his young defenseman.

“Passavia is a fast, quick, athletic defenseman who is going to do some damage in this league.”

The Lizards will counter with a strong defense of their own, led by goalie Brian Dougherty. Dougherty earned MLL Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week Three for his 21 saves and MLL season-low 12 goals against versus the Barrage. On the season, “Doc” leads the MLL with a save percentage of 60.4%, and Long Island has allowed a league-low 46 points. Dougherty’s importance isn’t lost on first-year head coach Vinnie Sombrotto.

“Doc has won the last two games for us,” said Sombrotto, who was elevated from assistant coach to head coach during the off-season. “He is playing at a sensational level.”

The Lizards boast an offense that runs through midfielders Jay Jalbert and A.J. Haugen and attackman Tim Goettelmann. Goettelmann, the MLL’s Offensive Player of the Week in Week Two, and Jalbert, whose lone goal last week was the 100th of his career, lead the team with eight goals apiece, with Haugen close behind at seven. But when defensive pressure closes in on the Lizards’ three weapons, Sombrotto says the team has other options. Midfielder Andrew Wasik, who played at Division II Pace, has scored five goals this year, and Kevin Finneran was named the Bud Light MVP of last weekend’s game after a four goal and two assist performance.

Nevertheless, Long Island’s future success, both this weekend and in the long run, still depends on the returning veterans who know how to win—which leaves Sombrotto confident.

“The nucleus of our group is intact and very strong,” he said.

Philadelphia Barrage (0-3) at New Jersey Pride (1-2)
June 12 at 4:00 p.m.

The Barrage are still after their first win of the season, which they hope to garner with a combination of solid defense and timely scoring. Last week, Philadelphia suffered a disappointing 14-12 defeat at the hands of the Lizards. The low-scoring affair was marked by excellent goaltending in which Barrage goalie Greg Cattrano, the MLL’s all-time wins leader, made 21 saves. The offense was led by attackman Michael Springer, who notched four goals and two assists. Midfielder Mike Mollot also made an immediate impact in his first game with the Barrage. After being acquired in a trade with the Rattlers, Mollot scored Philadelphia’s first goal of the game and added two more points in the second half. Blake Miller added a hat trick from the midfield, his second of the season, to take the team lead in scoring.

Miller’s first hat trick came in a five-point outburst in the Opening Weekend tilt against the Pride. Despite losing the game, Philadelphia enjoyed promising outings from several offensive players. On the attack, Liam Banks turned in a productive performance, registering an MLL single-game season-high six assists. Keith Cromwell shined against the Pride as well, scoring three goals in Week One. Dan Denihan had seven points in two games in last season’s battles with the Pride, but was held scoreless in this year’s first meeting.

After playing their first three games on the road, the Pride open their home schedule when they host the Barrage at Sprague Field. New Jersey is looking to snap a two-game losing streak after last weekend’s disappointing 22-19 loss to the Baltimore Bayhawks in Denver, Colo., and the Barrage are an ideal opponent to bounce back against. The Pride’s last win came against the Barrage in Week One at Villanova. Midfielder Adam Doneger dominated that game, scoring five goals and adding an assist in New Jersey’s 17-13 win. The Pride have never lost to the Barrage in seven all-time meetings.

Last week, attackman Jesse Hubbard earned MLL Offensive Player of the Week honors by scoring six goals, including two two-pointers, and tallying an assist to lead all scorers with nine points. Hubbard now leads the MLL with three two-point goals on the season and is one of four players in the league who have scored a hat trick in every game this year. In the midfield, Scott Urick scored a hat trick and notched an assist and David Curry scored once and assisted on four goals. At the other end of the field, Trevor Tierney continued his strong play in goal, making a season-high 23 saves. He now leads the league with 62 saves in three games.

The loss was a costly one for the Pride, who saw face-off man Joe Ghedina and starting middie Austin Garrison go down with injuries. Ghedina’s severe ankle sprain and Garrison’s knee injury will keep both of them out of this weekend’s game. Curry and attackman Scott Dooley also suffered minor injuries in Denver; their status is uncertain for Week Four. The Pride midfield will be bolstered, though, by the arrivals of two new faces. Walid Hajj will join the team after being selected in the first round of the Collegiate Draft out of Georgetown University. Eric Wedin, an all-star face-off specialist acquired in a trade with Boston, will step in to fill the void at the face-off X.

Rochester Rattlers (1-2) at Baltimore Bayhawks (2-1)
June 13 at 4:00 p.m.

The Rattlers travel to Baltimore this weekend to battle the Bayhawks in a National Division showdown. Rochester is looking to even the score with Baltimore after losing to the Bayhawks, 24-18, in the Wild West Tour season opener in Seattle. When the Rattlers take the field on Sunday there will be some new faces donning their black and gold. In a blockbuster deal following last week’s draft, the Rattlers acquired goaltender Tillman Johnson (third pick overall in 2004 Collegiate Draft) and midfielder Steve Vallone (13th pick overall) from Philadelphia for first round pick Ryan Boyle and midfielder Mike Mollot. Rochester followed with another trade early this week, acquiring midfielder Brent Rothfuss and the rights to attackman Gavin Prout from Boston for midfielder Pat Myers and a fourth round selection in the 2005 Collegiate Draft. The Rattlers hope the mix of old and new faces can spur them to a victory over the Bayhawks and even their record at 2-2.

Rochester lost a close game to Boston last week, 21-19, despite standout performances from Ryan Powell (3G, 4A), Kevin Cassese (4G, 1A) and Josh Coffman (4G). The Rattlers fought back from an early 6-2 deficit to take the lead, 7-6, in the second quarter. They led only once more in the game, 13-12, midway through the third period, but saw that lead evaporate on the strength of a 7-0 Cannons run. First round pick Sean Lindsey made his MLL debut at midfield against Boston, just six days after winning the 2004 NCAA Championship with Syracuse.

The Bayhawks took the National Division lead with their victory over New Jersey in Denver. With the win, Baltimore swept the inaugural MLL Wild West Tour, which began with a Week One 24-18 victory over the Rattlers in Seattle. The win was Baltimore’s eighth straight against Rochester, bringing the franchise’s all-time record against the Rattlers to 10-1. While the Bayhawks try to keep their streak against Rochester alive, they’ll try to reverse an alarming recent trend. Baltimore, one of the league’s strongest teams every season, has seen its home-field advantage diminish every year. In the 2001 inaugural campaign, the Bayhawks went 6-1 at home; that record dropped to 5-2 in 2002, then a pedestrian 3-3 last year. The Bayhawks 2004 home opener didn’t bode well either, as the Cannons stole a 22-21 nailbiter in Week Two.

Baltimore is led offensively by Mark Millon, who leads the MLL with 14 goals and 23 points. Last week against New Jersey, Millon registered seven points on five goals, one of which was a two-pointer, and an assist. Player-coach Gary Gait had yet another successful outing, scoring five goals and earning Bud Light MVP honors. Gait’s 16 points rank him second on the MLL’s highest scoring team. At the face-off X, the Bayhawks proved to have a dangerous player in Paul Cantabene, who won a league record 29 face-offs against the Pride. Baltimore also started two rookies in Denver—Brown goalie Mike Levin and defenseman Lee Zink from Maryland. Just two days and nearly 2,000 miles removed from the Collegiate Draft, the pair helped stifle New Jersey’s attack and hold the Pride to a season low 48.