Great Season Ends, Lizards Fall Short

By Brad Zak |  8/27/10 12:07 PM

A day after the Lizards defense propelled them to the championship, it was the Bayhawks defense that stole the show and shut down the streaking Long Island attack to claim the 10th Steinfeld Cup with a 13-9 victory.  In a rematch of the 2005 MLL championship, the result was just the same as Long Island fell just short after being tied going into the final quarter.  Despite strong defensive efforts from Nicky Polanco, Brian Spallina and John Orsen, the Bayhawks found a way to score 13 goals and outscore the Lizards 5-1 in the final quarter. 

The final game for the Lizards started exactly the same as the semifinal as Keith Cromwell came around from behind the net and beat Chesapeake goalie Chris Garrity with a left-handed shot.  Shortly after, Cromwell and Zack Greer would perfect their two man game once again as the Rutgers graduate left a pass off for Greer who ripped an underhanded rising shot into the top corner.  Ben Hunt would then get the Bayhawks on the board after a nice inside move got him by Mike Ward and into open space in front of goal.  Bayhawk Danny Glading followed that with a goal of his own off a nice cross field pass from Ben Rubeor to tie the game up at two.  Coming out of a TV timeout, Stephen Peyser would get his first goal by curling around the Chesapeake defense and switching to a smooth left-handed shot. 

Garrity was able to keep the deficit close early on as he stopped a couple of point blank Long Island attempts.  In one such frantic sequence, Greer scooped up a loose ball in front of net but sent a falling, behind the back shot begging just off the pipe.  Once again Cromwell would set up another Lizards goal as he passed to Chris Fiore for a blazing shot into the corner of the net from just inside the two point line.  On the other end, some miscommunication would free up Glading again on the right side as he would proceed to beat Drew Adams five hole for his second goal of the game.  Peet Poillon would cap the first half scoring after cutting through the zone and using his patented behind the back shot to beat Adams before the end of the half.  A sure-handed save by Drew Adams on a two point shot by Kyle Dixon during a two man advantage for the Bayhawks helped keep the 4-4 intact going into halftime. 

After a couple of crisp, highly skilled games the day before, the hotly contested championship game resembled more of a street fight than a lacrosse game.  Polanco and Spallina continued their bash brother routine and patrolled the crease area for Long Island punishing any misguided Bayhawks that wandered too close.  The Lizards won the groundball battle 18-9 in the first half and were able to kill off both Chesapeake power plays.  Along with Polanco and Spallina, D-Poles Orsen and Parker McKee were very effective in cutting off shooting lanes and deflecting a large amount of deep shots.

The pace of play would change in the second half as the game opened up in favor of the Bayhawks.  Alex Smith made his presence felt after missing the last meeting between the two teams as he took a face off win toward goal and scored just six seconds into the half.  The Lizards would battle right back as a big windup by Matt Danowski froze the defense and allowed him to send a pass inside to Zack Greer for an easy goal.  Following a heated exchange between Brian Carroll and Spallina, Carroll would score fresh out of the box to regain the lead for the Bayhawks.  Greg Gurenlian would win the ensuing face off and barrel uncontested toward goal for his first of the weekend. 

Kyle Dixon would then finally introduce himself to championship weekend by firing an aggressive left-handed shot past Adams.  Orsen would then scoop up a mess from the faceoff circle and put the long poles on the board to tie the game back up late in the third quarter.  Peyser would then beat his man from behind the net and score, giving the Lizards their final lead of the game. 

A five goal streak by the Bayhawks would prove to be the deciding factor in the 2010 MLL Championship as the Lizards could never overcome the onslaught.  Brian Caroll added two more goals and Poillon, Dixon and Kimmel all had a goal during the decisive run.  Keith Cromwell tried his best to pull the Lizards back into the game as he scored with only his toes touching the two point line.  The goal pulled the Lizards to within three, but they would come no closer as Poillon capped the scoring with his third goal of the game. 

The Lizards finish the season at 8-6 and fall just a game short of their third ever MLL Championship.  The team enjoyed an exciting six game winning streak leading up to the championship but couldn’t grab that last elusive victory.  The team would like to thank all the fans who supported the Lizards throughout the season and hope to have your continued support as the team attempts to get some revenge and reclaim the title in 2011. 

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