New York Lizards
 | |
| Founded | 2001 |
|---|---|
| League | MLL |
| Based in | Hempstead, NY |
| Stadium | Shuart Stadium |
| Division titles | 3 (2001, 2002, 2003) |
| Website | www.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 and lost in the league's inaugural game on June 7, 2001 to the Baltimore Bayhawks (now Chesapeake Bayhawks), 16–13. From the league's inception in 2001 through 2005, they were in the American Division. From 2006 to 2008, they were in Eastern Conference
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
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff
- Head Coach – Joe Spallina
- Assistant Coach – Keith Cromwell
- Assistant Coach – Tommy Susko
- Assistant Coach – Steve Duffy
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– | 70 | 47 | 34 | .671 | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 |
Current roster
| 2016 New York Lizards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Name | Nationality | Position | Height | Weight | College |
| 1 | Jojo Marasco |  |
M | 5 ft 10 in | 193 lbs | Syracuse |
| 3 | Rob Pannell | |
A | 5 ft 10 in | 195 lbs | Cornell |
| 5 | Chris LaPierre | |
M | 6 ft 3 in | 210 lbs | Virginia |
| 7 | Jake Tripucka | |
M | 6 ft 0 in | 200 lbs | Duke |
| 14 | Drew Adams | |
G | 6 ft 0 in | 205 lbs | Penn State |
| 17 | Joe Fletcher | |
D | 6 ft 2 in | 185 lbs | Loyola |
| 27 | Jacob Richard | |
M | 6 ft 0 in | 180 lbs | Marquette University |
| 28 | Dylan O'Shaughnessy | |
D | 6 ft 5 in | 232 lbs | Lehigh |
| 30 | Matt Poillon | |
G | 5 ft 10 in | 185 lbs | Lehigh |
| 31 | Dave Lawson | |
M | 6 ft 1 in | 203 lbs | Duke |
| 32 | Greg Gurenlian | |
M | 6 ft 1 in | 225 lbs | Penn State |
| 36 | Kevin Unterstein | |
M | 5 ft 11 in | 190 lbs | Hofstra |
| 37 | Jerry Ragonese | |
M | 5 ft 8 in | 204 lbs | RIT |
| 43 | Ryan Walsh | |
A | 6 ft 4 in | 235 lbs | Colgate |
| 45 | James Pannell | |
A | 5 ft 10 in | 175 lbs | Virginia |
| 66 | Matt Gibson | |
A | 5 ft 10 in | 170 lbs | Yale |
| 70 | Steve DeNapoli | |
M | 5 ft 9 in | 165 lbs | Hofstra |
| 77 | Andrew Hodgson | |
M | 5 ft 9 in | 165 lbs | Towson |
| 80 | Steve Holmes | |
D | 6 ft 0 in | 200 lbs | Virginia |
| 81 | Kyle Hartzell | |
D | 6 ft 2 in | 180 lbs | Salisbury |
| 84 | Tommy Palasek | |
A | 5 ft 11 in | 175 lbs | Syracuse |
| 88 | Cody Jamieson | |
A | 5 ft 9 in | 213 lbs | Syracuse |
| 91 | Brian Spallina | |
D | 6 ft 1 in | 200 lbs | Hofstra |
| 92 | Chris Piccirilli | |
D | 6 ft 5 in | 220 lbs | Villanova |
| 99 | Paul Rabil | |
M | 6 ft 3 in | 220 lbs | Johns Hopkins |
|-
- updated 2016-05-21
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