UAlbany Alum Thomson Scores 7 goals as New Jersey upsets Long Island in high-scoring showdown

If there is one thing that is guaranteed about Major League Lacrosse, it is the fact that fans can be sure they will see plenty of scoring. The game between New Jersey and Long Island was no exception as the teams combined for a season-high 46 points in the Pride's 26-20 victory over the Lizards at Mitchel Athletic Complex, snapping Long Island's five-game win streak.

It was the highest-scoring game in the MLL this season and tied for the third-highest scoring game in the league's eight-year history. The 46 points are also the most since Rochester and Denver combined to score a league-record 53 points last year at INVESCO Field at Mile High.

Merrick Thomson led the offensive explosion with a career-high nine points, matching the most by a player in the league this year. He scored a career-high seven goals and had two assists, barely missing the New Jersey single-game points record set by former Pride attackman Jesse Hubbard. Thomson, who was named as the Bud Light MVP, tied a team record with the fourth seven-goal effort in the Pride's eight-year history. Hubbard had recorded the other three seven-goal efforts.

Rookie attackman Matt Danowski also had the best night of his brief professional career. He recorded a season-high nine points, scoring four goals with three assists. Of his four goals, two of them were from two-point range.

While New Jersey was busy setting team records, Long Island midfielder Peter Vlahakis was busy chasing the MLL record book. The three-time MLL Defensive Player of the Week honoree set a league record by winning 35 of 48 face-offs while adding 17 ground balls with a goal.

Keith Cromwell and Chris Fiore took advantage of Vlahakis' success at the face-off "x" by each scoring four goals with three assists. Meanwhile, Spencer Ford scored twice and also had three assists, upping his MLL-leading total to 23 on the season.

The Pride, who have won two of their last three games, snapped a two-game losing streak against the Lizards. Long Island still leads the series by a 12-7 margin.

UAlbany Alum Met in Major League Lacrosse MLL Action Saturday

With 3 goals and 1 assist, University of Albany Alum Merrick Thomson of the New Jersey Pride is tied for 3rd on the goals scored league leaders list.

With heavy rain pounding Yurcak Field on Saturday afternoon, the New Jersey Pride entered their game against the Long Island Lizards hoping that the soggy surface would prove to be a neutralizer. However, the Lizards came out firing on all cylinders and jumped out to a 10-1 lead en route to a 16-9 victory over the Pride on Saturday night.

Stephen Berger was named as the Bud Light MVP for the second straight game after leading the Lizards with four goals and an assist.

Led by three Berger markers, the Lizards jumped out to a commanding 10-1 advantage in the first half. They held New Jersey scoreless for the final 16:33 of the first half and scored six straight goals following a 4-0 start.

After Chris Unterstein opened the scoring for New Jersey in the third quarter, Berger and Tim Goettelmann scored back-to-back goals less than a minute apart. But, the Pride held tough and ignited a six-goal run, including a pair of goals from Scott Urick and Conor Ford, to close within 12-8 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter.

The teams traded goals after the Pride’s run before Long Island ended the game with three straight goals to secure their fifth straight win.

While Berger led the Lizards with five points, University of Albany Alum Frank Resetarits added a four-goal effort. Midfielder Peter Vlahakis won 20 of 29 face-offs and had eight ground balls.

Unterstein added two goals with two assists for the Pride.

The Lizards outshot New Jersey by a 40-37 margin.

Courtesy: Inside Lacrosse

University of Albany Alum Frank Resetarits Leads Lizards Past Boston

During their first two games, the Long Island Lizards combined to score just 22 points and dropped both of their opening games. However, they erupted for a season-high 20 points and earned their first win of the season, a 20-19 overtime victory over the Boston Cannons at Mitchel Athletic Complex on Saturday evening.

Frank Resetarits scored the game-winning goal off a feed from newly acquired attackman Spencer Ford at the 4:01 mark of the overtime period to hand the Cannons their second straight loss.

The Lizards jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the first five minutes of the opening period before the Cannons stormed back to tie the game at 5-5 by scoring four of the next five goals, including a pair of markers from Matt Poskay.

Just over two minutes into the second quarter, Tom Zummo gave the Cannons a 6-5 edge with an unassisted marker before the Lizards exploded for six straight goals, including two from Resetarits, for a 12-6 advantage with 4:53 left in the firs thalf. Boston cut the margin to 13-9 by scoring three points in the final four minutes, including a two-point marker from Joe Kostolansky.

Led by two goals from Blake Miller, the Lizards opened the third quarter with three consecutive goals before the Cannons answered with three goals in a five-minute span. Keith Cromwell snapped the Boston spurt with 37 seconds left in the stanza when he converted a pass from Tim Goettelmann.

A pair of two-point goals by the Cannons in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter tied the game at 16-16. After the teams traded goals twice, the Cannons took a one-point lead when Poskay took a feed from Sean Morris and scored his third goal of the game. But, Glenn Adams scored an unassisted goal with just three seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime.

Resetarits was one of four Long Island players who recorded a "hat trick" in the victory while Peter Vlahakis won 28 of 40 face-offs and recorded 13 ground balls en route to being named the Bud Light MVP.

Morris led the Cannons with two goals and six assists while Zummo had two goals, including a two-point marker, and two assists.

Courtesy: Inside Lacrosse

Frank Resetarits Chosen in Third Round of the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft

Stony Brook, N.Y. – University at Albany’s Frank Resetarits became the first Great Dane to be chosen in the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft when he was selected with the second pick in the third round by the Washington Bayhawks on Thursday, May 31. Resetarits, the 22nd player taken overall, was then traded following the draft to the Long Island Lizards for Ryan Moran and a 2008 second-round draft choice.

Resetarits, a senior attackman from Hamburg, N.Y., was named to the USILA Division I All-America first team last weekend. He finished second in goals (3.17 per game) and third in scoring (4.44 points/game) among the national leaders. Resetarits, the 2007 America East Conference Player of the Year, accounted for 57 goals and 23 assists for 80 points, the third-highest single-season total in the program’s history. He led UAlbany to the NCAA quarterfinal round for the first time and a school-record 15-3 mark.

The MLL’s Long Island Lizards play their home games at Mitchel Athletic Complex, a 9,969-seat facility near Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. Don Casadonte, the Lizards’ owner, played at UAlbany from 1981-84 where he ranks as one of the school’s top-10 career scorers.