By:Tom Jordan
The best defense is a good offense, Casey Powell and the Long Island Lizards have learned in their first season in the newly-formed Major League Lacrosse.
The Lizards, with a 9-3 record after beating the Bridgeport Barrage 18-17 on Aug. 11, have already clinched a No. 1 seed in the Americans Division playoffs with two games to play. They've lit up the scoreboard, scoring 191 goals so far, more than anyone else in the six-team league and 28 more than the second-ranked Baltimore Bayhawks.
Powell, a Baldwin native, has led the way. Through twelve games, Powell has 29 goals and a team-high 22 assists. His 51 points lead the league, and he would likely lead the league in goals scored as well, except for his unselfish team play and a move from the attack to the midfield in mid-season. His all-around play has enabled teammate and fellow Baldwinite Terry Riordan to net a league-high 33 goals.
Powell returned to Long island this season after a stellar career at Syracuse University. His resume included 1997 and '98 Division I Player of the Year honors and four All-American designations. He wasted no time in establishing himself as one of the most feared players in the league. Following the Lizards 16-13 loss in their inaugural game against Baltimore in June, a no-no for a team expected to be the crown jewel of the brand-new professional league, Powell heaved the team across his broad shoulders at Hofstra Stadium on June 14.
Powell played possessed that first home game, before 5,243 lacrosse-hungry fans. When the team needed a big play that night, Powell invariably gave it to them. He scored seven goals, including a two-pointer, while matched up against his brother Ryan, who scored four times. The Lizards claimed their first-ever victory, 18-13, and a star was born.
The Lizards haven't looked back since.
"He led the way for us," said John DeTomasso, the Lizards coach who lives in Rockville Centre. "He's done everything we've asked, including moving to midfield. He's the most versatile guy in the league. Where he was essentially asked to score before, he now picks up ground balls, defends and brings incredible energy as well."
Against Bridgeport on August 11, Powell scored twice and recorded five assists. But it was the ground balls Powell scooped up late in the game that iced the victory, DeTomasso said.
Powell's move from attack has freed Riordan to get more involved in the scoring.
"Riordan has fit in well with the new lineup," DeTomasso said. "He's played well with Powell. He's a finisher and he's becoming the player that we thought he could be. He's had a bunch of great games in a row now."
With the Lizards cruising towards the playoffs, and with Powell and Riordan firing on all cylinders, the sputtering start is a distant memory. But when his team outlasted the Rochester Rattlers, 18-13, for their first taste of success on June 14, DeTomasso could only shake his head at the point-a-minute pace of the new league.
"Sixteen-13 and 18-13," DeTomasso said, looking toward the heavens, as if he might need divine intervention to endure the season. He shouldn't have fretted, not with Powell and Riordan working their magic.
With only games at the New Jersey Pride and Rochester remaining in the regular season, the Lizards can start peeking ahead to the playoffs.
However the post season plays out, they'll always be able to look back at how brilliantly Powell led the Lizards to the top of the standings.
