It was not a good week for the New York Lizards.

The Lizards were impressive in their Week 1 game against the Denver Outlaws, earning a 19-15 victory at home over a team that reached two consecutive championship games. The Lizards would complete their two-game series against the winless Outlaws in Week 3, hoping to bounce back after a tough 25-13 loss to the Ohio Machine. They would not get what they wished for.

Denver used a 6-2 third quarter to open the game up and take a 12-7 lead heading into the final quarter. Not helping the team’s cause were two third-quarter penalties, including an unnecessary roughness foul on Kevin Unterstein.

New York staged a fierce comeback attempt, scoring four goals to start the final frame and pull within one goal, but the hole was too deep, and they couldn’t finish off the comeback, losing 16-12. Frustration was on full display when, with seconds seconds remaining, the Outlaws pushed up the field and Matt Bocklet found Eric Law open on the crease. As Eric Law swept from the right to the left, goaltender Drew Adams threw his stick out at Law, resulting in a penalty and plenty of ire on social media.

Things continued to go poorly for the Lizards in the week, when they gave up an 8-3 halftime lead to lose to the Atlanta Blaze, 16-14. Once again, penalties and the third quarter hurt the Lizards. New York was called for seven penalties in the game, six of which came in the second half. New York was also outscored 7-2 in the third quarter. Adding insult to injury, Matt Gibson — who played six seasons as a member of the Lizards — scored four goals for Atlanta, including their final two, which proved to be the difference makers.

The Lizards have now lost three consecutive games.

Charlotte continues to roll

Two games in one weekend, including one on a Thursday night, still could not stop the Charlotte Hounds from winning games.

The Hounds took on the Chesapeake Bayhawks on Thursday, and they were without core stars Mike Chanenchuk and Ryan Brown. Matt Rambo and Dylan Maltz put the team on their backs, however, with Rambo scoring three goals and adding two assists, while Maltz scored three goals and added one assist as the Hounds beat the Bayhawks, 14-13. Michael Erhardt scored the game-winning 2-point goal.

“We found a way to win,” coach Jim Stagnitta said on team’s website. “We found a way to win with a lineup that is probably half of what our lineup would be. It wasn’st pretty but when people needed to make plays they did. When we needed to make a play, Rambo made a play, Big Mike [Ehrhardt] made a play. We played really good defense in the second half. It was much better.”

On Saturday, the Hounds took on the defending MLL champion Ohio Machine. Rambo and Maltz continued their strong play, combining for five goals; this time, however, they were joined by Chanenchuk and Brown, who combined to add four goals of their own as Charlotte toppled the Machine 14-10.

Players begin returning from NLL commitments

In Week 2, defending MLL MVP Tom Schreiber played for his NLL team, the Toronto Rock, on Saturday and, after failing to reach the NLL playoffs, Schreiber played for the Machine on Sunday and tallied six assists in the Machine’s win.

With the NLL playoffs underway, three of the league’s nine teams are no longer in action, meaning more NLL players could make their season debuts.

Former NLL MVP Shawn Evans gave MLL fans a taste of his abilities in 2017, scoring nine goals and adding five assists in four games. With the Buffalo Bandits not in the playoffs, Evans was able to play in both Denver Outlaws games, and he made an immediate impact. In the victory over New York, Evans scored two goals and added three assists. Then, against the Launch, he provided another goal.

On the opposite side of the field, Kieran McArdle was making his season debut for the Launch. He scored four goals and added one assist, helping the Launch to a huge 16-7 victory.

Launch head coach Tom Mariano was happy to have McArdle back on the field.

“He’ll tell you, he was a little rusty tonight. But it’s what he did for the other guys,” Mariano said on the team’s website. “Dylan Molloy hasn’t had open lanes once yet this year the way he had tonight, and I think it’s because [McArdle] is back.” 

Other NLL returns included Brodie Merrill and Challen Rogers for the Boston Cannons.

Noteworthy

Despite the two losses, Rob Pannell was successful in putting points on the board. He led the Lizards in points in both games, scoring three goals and adding two assists in the loss to Denver and tallying four goals and four assists against Atlanta. … Eric Law and Matt Kavanagh combined for nine goals in the win against New York, but neither player scored a goal in the loss to Florida. … Matt Mackrides scored a season-high six points (two goals and four assists) against the Lizards. … Chris Madalon earned his second consecutive start between the pipes for Atlanta, making 19 saves on 33 shots on goal. … Austin Kaut made 21 saves on 28 shots on goal in Florida’s victory over Denver. … Tyler Fiorito and Joe Nardella made their 2018 season debuts for the Boston Cannons. Fiorito made 14 saves on 27 shots on goal; Nardella won 17 out of 26 faceoffs. Still, neither player’s return changed the results for the Cannons, who have now lost nine consecutive games. … James Pannell scored six goals for the Cannons. … Jordan Wolf scored three goals and added three assists for the Rattlers. He has scored at least three goals in six consecutive regular season games. … Adam Osika scored two goals and added one assist in Charlotte’s victory over Chesapeake. … Myles Jones had one goal and five assists against Charlotte. … Tom Schreiber scored three goals and added one assist for Ohio in the team’s loss to Charlotte.

Player of the Week

Deemer Class, M, Atlanta

The third-year pro had a huge impact in Atlanta’s 16-14 victory over New York. Class scored six goals — three of which were 2-point goals, giving him a total of nine points — in the second half as Atlanta came from behind to beat the Lizards. His three 2-pointers tied a league record for 2-point goals in a game, previously set by Chesapeake’s Kyle Dixon on April 27, 2013.

If I was a kid I would probably go to @22classy next clinic #2bombs

— Kevin Rice (@kevinrice_2) May 7, 2018

“If I was a kid I would probably go to @22classy next clinic #2bombs,” tweeted Class’s teammate, Kevin Rice, who had an assist on Class’s final goal of the game.