New York Lizards
 | |
| Founded | 2001 |
|---|---|
| League | MLL |
| Based in | Hempstead, New York |
| Stadium | Shuart Stadium |
| Colors | Green, White, Black |
| Owner | Medallion Sports Group |
| Chairman | Jeffrey Rudnick |
| Head coach | BJ O'Hara |
| General manager | Joe Spallina |
| Division titles | 3 (2001, 2002, 2003) |
| Local media | New York Newsday |
| Formerly | Long Island Lizards 2001–2012 |
| Website | nylizards.com |
The New York Lizards, originally the Long Island Lizards, are a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) team based in Hempstead, New York, located on Long Island. They are original members of the MLL. They lost the league's inaugural game on June 7, 2001 to the Baltimore Bayhawks (now Chesapeake Bayhawks), 16–13.
History
In the MLL's inaugural season in 2001, the Long Island Lizards split their home games between Hofstra Stadium, now James M. Shuart Stadium, and EAB Park (now Bethpage Ballpark). For the 2002 season, they used Hofstra Stadium as their home field. As of 2003, the Lizards played all home contests at Mitchel Athletic Complex, in Uniondale, New York until 2008. The team will return to James M. Shuart Stadium for their home games in 2009.[1] The Lizards have won American Division championships in 2001, 2002, and 2003, and Major League Lacrosse titles in 2001, 2003 and 2015. The team made the playoffs in 2005 as a wildcard despite a losing record. The team's name and logo are based on the Italian wall lizard, a small reptile that was imported to Long Island (which has no native lizards) in the 1960s and which populate areas of the team's hometown of Hempstead in Nassau County.
On December 14, 2012 the Lizards changed their name to the New York Lizards.[2]
Prior to the 2015 season, the Lizards made a trade with the Boston Cannons for Paul Rabil. In exchange for Paul Rabil and Mike Stone, the Cannons received Max Seibald, Brian Karalunas and three draft picks. In 2015, the Lizards won their third Steinfeld Cup by defeating the Rochester Rattlers 15-12.
Rivalry
Chesapeake Bayhawks
The Lizards' main rival is the Chesapeake Bayhawks. Between them they hold 8 of the 15 MLL league championships awarded through the 2015 season. The two teams have played in the championship game five times, with Chesapeake winning 3 of those 5.
Boston Cannons
The Lizards have found a new rival in the Boston Cannons after they traded their All Star Mid Fielder Paul Rabil to New York in January 2015. That season the Lizards faced the Cannons in the MLL semi-finals and the game resulted in a dramatic overtime victory for the Lizards(16-15). The tension of that game continued into the 2016 MLL season when the Cannons came to James M. Shuart Stadium, which resulted in another intense over-time victory for the Lizards(13-12).
General managers
- Joe Spallina is the former head coach and current general manager of the New York Lizards.
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff
- Head coach – BJ O'Hara
- Assistant coach – Ted Garber
- Assistant coach – Mike Gongas
All-time head coaches
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | W% | GC | W | L | W% | |||
| 1 | John Detommaso | 2001–2004 | 51 | 33 | 18 | .647 | 6 | 5 | 1 | .833 |
| 2 | Jim Mule | 2005–2011 | 84 | 37 | 47 | .440 | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 |
| 3 | Joe Spallina | 2012–2018 | 98 | 54 | 44 | .551 | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 |
| 4 | B.J. O'Hara | 2019– | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Current roster
| 2018 New York Lizards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Name | Nationality | Position | Height | Weight | College |
| 0 | Justin Reh |  |
M | 5 ft 11 in | 190 lbs | Stony Brook |
| 0 | Jake Bernhardt |
|
M | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lbs | Maryland |
| 1 | Joe Walters | |
A | 6 ft 0 in | 192 lbs | Maryland |
| 3 | Rob Pannell | |
A | 5 ft 10 in | 195 lbs | Cornell |
| 4 | Will Manny | |
A | 5 ft 9 in | 160 lbs | Massachusetts |
| 5 | Joe LoCascio | |
M | 5 ft 9 in | 195 lbs | Maryland |
| 6 | Brian Carcaterra | |
G | 5 ft 8 in | 180 lbs | Johns Hopkins |
| 7 | Mike Bocklet | |
A | 6 ft 0 in | 180 lbs | Fairfield |
| 8 | Dan Morris |  |
G | 6 ft 1 in | 215 lbs | Maryland |
| 9 | Dan Groot | |
M | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lbs | Maryland |
| 13 | Brendan Fowler | |
FO | 6 ft 0 in | 210 lbs | Duke |
| 14 | Drew Adams | |
G | 6 ft 0 in | 205 lbs | Penn State |
| 15 | Nicholas Galasso | |
M | 6 ft 0 in | 200 lbs | Syracuse |
| 17 | Joe Fletcher | |
D | 6 ft 2 in | 185 lbs | Loyola |
| 18 | Troy Reh | |
LSM | 5 ft 11 in | 185 lbs | Albany |
| 21 | Thomas Zenker | |
M | 6 ft 3 in | 215 lbs | Duke |
| 22 | Jojo Marasco | |
M | 5 ft 10 in | 186 lbs | Valencia College |
| 24 | Ryan Flanagan | |
D | 6 ft 6 in | 220 lbs | North Carolina |
| 25 | Pat Corcoran | |
M | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lbs | Quinnipiac |
| 26 | Thomas Kelly |
|
FO | 6 ft 0 in | 185 lbs | Virginia |
| 30 | Pat Frazier | |
D | 6 ft 1 in | 185 lbs | Loyola |
| 33 | Austin Pifani | |
D | 6 ft 2 in | 215 lbs | North Carolina |
| 34 | Pat Laconi | |
M | 5 ft 9 in | 200 lbs | Loyola |
| 36 | Kevin Unterstein | |
M | 5 ft 11 in | 190 lbs | Hofstra |
| 37 | Jerry Ragonese | |
FO | 5 ft 8 in | 204 lbs | RIT |
| 43 | Matt Landis | |
D | 6 ft 2 in | 195 lbs | Notre Dame |
| 55 | Joel Tinney |  |
M | 5 ft 10 in | 175 lbs | Johns Hopkins |
| 70 | Steve DeNapoli | |
M | 5 ft 9 in | 165 lbs | Hofstra |
| 72 | Kevin McNally |  |
M | 6 ft 0 in | 200 lbs | Albany |
| 77 | Andrew Hodgson | |
M | 5 ft 9 in | 165 lbs | Towson |
| 81 | Kyle Hartzell | |
D | 6 ft 2 in | 180 lbs | Salisbury |
| 90 | Jack Carrigan | |
D | 6 ft 3 in | 205 lbs | Loyola |
| 92 | Alex Spring |
|
D | 5 ft 11 in | 185 lbs | Bucknell |
| 99 | Paul Rabil | |
M | 6 ft 3 in | 220 lbs | Johns Hopkins |
- updated 2018-07-16
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