2019 New York Lizards season
The 2019 New York Lizards season is the nineteenth season for the Lizards franchise of Major League Lacrosse. The Lizards are coming off an 8-6 season in which they finished fourth place in the league standings and grabbed the last playoff spot. The team ultimately lost to their former in-state rival and now Dallas Rattlers, 15-12 in the semifinals.[1]
| 2019 New York Lizards | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Lacrosse |
| 2019 record | 5-11 |
| General Manager | Joe Spallina |
| Coach | B.J. O'Hara |
| Arena | James M. Shuart Stadium |
← 2018 2020 → | |
The Lizards, like most teams in the league, would have to rebuild from a max exodus of players to the new Premier Lacrosse League, a new professional league founded by former Lizard and MLL star Paul Rabil.[2] The Lizards would end up finishing last place in the league standings at 5-11, their worst record since going 4-10 in 2013. It was the first season for the Lizards under the reigns of B.J. O'Hara, four-time Steinfeld Cup-winning coach. O'Hara replaced Joe Spallina officially on December 19, 2018 after Spallina decided to step back into a front office role.[3]
Transactions
Offseason
- April 24, 2019 - Midfielder Kevin Crowley and goalie Austin Kaut headline a group of nine players selected by the Lizards in the relocation draft, which was held due to the suspension of the Charlotte Hounds, and folding of the Florida Launch and Ohio Machine.[4]
- May 7 - Top overall draft pick (2017) and Long Island native Dylan Molloy signs with the Lizards after two years with the Florida Launch and being cut by the Redwoods Lacrosse Club of the PLL.[5]
In-season
- July 11 - The Lizards trade faceoff specialist Noah Rak to the Chesapeake Bayhawks in exchange for defenseman Matt Borges and a fifth round pick in the 2020 Collegiate Draft.[6]
Collegiate Draft
The 2019 Collegiate Draft was held on March 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Inside Lacrosse gave the Lizards an "B−" in their team-by-team draft grades, despite being limited to only six picks.[7]
| Round | Overall Pick | Player | School | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 24 | Jack Tigh | Yale | Midfielder |
| 4 | 33 | John Daniggelis | Yale | Midfielder |
| 5 | 42 | Connor Farrell | LIU Post | Faceoff |
| 6 | 51 | Dan Dolan | Maryland | Goalie |
| 7 | 57 | Decker Curran | Michigan | Midfielder |
| 7 | 60 | Brendan Kearns | Providence Friars | Attack |
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Stadium | Result | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31 | Denver Outlaws | James M. Shuart Stadium | L 9-11 | 5,592 | 0-1 |
| June 1 | at Boston Cannons | Veterans Memorial Stadium | L 12-13 | 5,025 | 0-2 |
| June 15 | Chesapeake Bayhawks | James M. Shuart Stadium | L 14-16 | 2,723 | 0-3 |
| June 22 | at Boston Cannons | Veterans Memorial Stadium | L 11-18 | 3,621 | 0-4 |
| June 29 | Dallas Rattlers | James M. Shuart Stadium | W 13-9 | 4,237 | 1-4 |
| July 7 | at Atlanta Blaze | Grady Stadium | L 11-12 | 1,927 | 1-5 |
| July 11 | Boston Cannons | James M. Shuart Stadium | W 15-12 | 4,716 | 2-5 |
| July 20 | at Chesapeake Bayhawks | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | W 14-10 | 5,422 | 3-5 |
| August 3 | at Chesapeake Bayhawks | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | L 9-11 | 4,234 | 3-6 |
| August 4 | Chesapeake Bayhawks | James M. Shuart Stadium | L 7-24 | 5,012 | 3-7 |
| August 10 | at Dallas Rattlers | Ford Center at The Star | L 11-15 | 4,011 | 3-8 |
| August 17 | Atlanta Blaze | James M. Shuart Stadium | L 13-14 (OT) | 4,119 | 3-9 |
| August 24 | at Denver Outlaws | Sports Authority Field at Mile High | L 13-16 | 3,034 | 3-10 |
| August 31 | at Dallas Rattlers | Ford Center at The Star | W 12-11 | 4,217 | 4-10 |
| September 7 | Denver Outlaws | James M. Shuart Stadium | L 12-15 | 4,278 | 4-11 |
| September 21 | Atlanta Blaze | James M. Shuart Stadium | W 21-15 | 5,747 | 5-11 |
Standings
| 2019 Major League Lacrosse Standings | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | PCT | GB | GF | 2ptGF | GA | 2ptGA | |||||||||||
| Chesapeake Bayhawks | 10 | 6 | .625 | - | 211 | 3 | 186 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Denver Outlaws | 9 | 7 | .563 | 1 | 206 | 15 | 205 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Boston Cannons | 9 | 7 | .563 | 1 | 217 | 8 | 211 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Atlanta Blaze | 8 | 8 | .500 | 2 | 227 | 2 | 228 | 9 | ||||||||||
| Dallas Rattlers | 7 | 9 | .438 | 3 | 192 | 7 | 202 | 7 | ||||||||||
| New York Lizards | 5 | 11 | .313 | 5 | 195 | 2 | 216 | 11 | ||||||||||
| Playoff Seed |
References
- Dallas beats New York 15-12
- Paul Rabil's Premier Lacrosse League launches
- "BJ O'Hara named head coach of the New York Lizards". Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
- Relocation draft nets Crowley, Kaut, others for New York
- Dylan Molloy comes home
- Lizards give up Rak
- 2019 MLL draft team-by-team draft grades