2001 Major League Lacrosse season
The 2001 Major League Lacrosse season was the first season of the league. The season began on June 7 and concluded with the championship game on 3 September 2001.
General information
The league premiers with 6 teams Baltimore Bayhawks, Boston Cannons, Bridgeport Barrage, Long Island Lizards, New Jersey Pride and Rochester Rattlers. Each team played a 14-game schedule that ended with a championship game on September 3, 2001.
Major League Lacrosse played its first regular-season game on June 7 as Baltimore defeated Long Island by a 16-13 score at Homewood Field in Baltimore. Baltimore's Chris Turner scored the first goal in MLL regular season history.
Regular season
W = Wins, L = Losses, , PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
| Qualified for playoffs |
| American Division | ||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Island Lizards | 10 | 4 | .714 | 216 | 196 | |
| Boston Cannons | 3 | 11 | .214 | 183 | 221 | |
| Bridgeport Barrage | 3 | 11 | .214 | 190 | 216 | |
| National Division | ||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Bayhawks | 10 | 4 | .714 | 195 | 172 | |
| Rochester Rattlers | 8 | 6 | .571 | 185 | 159 | |
| New Jersey Pride | 8 | 6 | .571 | 197 | 199 | |
Boston beat Bridgeport in 3 of 4 regular season games, Rochester beat New Jersey in 3 of 4 regular season games.
LacrosseStar Game (All Star Game)
August 2, 2001
- National 23-18 American at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, Connecticut Mark Millon MVP.
Playoffs
The playoff format was set up that the top two team regardless of record from each division would qualify for the playoffs. The 1st place team from one division would play the 2nd place team from the other division. This resulted in Boston with a 3-11 record making the playoffs over New Jersey who had an 8-6 record. The format was changed the following season, so the two division winners and the two best non division winning records made the playoffs.
Semi finals September 1, 2001
- Long Island 13-12 Rochester @ Kennedy Stadium, Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Baltimore 12-11 Boston @ Kennedy Stadium, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Championship September 3, 2001
- Long Island 15-11 Baltimore @ Kennedy Stadium, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bracket
| Semifinal | Steinfeld Cup Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Long Island | 13 | |||||||
| 2 | Rochester | 12 | |||||||
| 1 | Long Island | 15 | |||||||
| 3 | Baltimore | 11 | |||||||
| 3 | Baltimore | 12 | |||||||
| 4 | Boston | 11 | |||||||
Awards
| Award | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| MVP Award | Ryan Powell | Rochester |
| Rookie of the Year Award | Keith Cromwell | Bridgeport |
| Coach of the Year Award | John DeTommaso | Long Island |
| Defensive player of the Year Award | Rob Doerr | Baltimore |
| Offensive player of the Year Award | John Grant, Jr. | Rochester |
| Goaltender of the Year Award | Greg Cattrano | Baltimore |
| Iron Lizard Award | Joe Ghedina | Long Island |
Weekly Awards
The MLL gave out awards weekly for the best offensive player and best defensive player.
| Week | Offensive | Defensive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Hubbard | Rob Doerr |
| 2 | Casey Powell | Jim Mule |
| 3 | Ryan Powell | Brian Dougherty |
| 4 | D'Arcy Sweet Terry Riordan | Steve Koudelka |
| 5 | D'Arcy Sweet | Greg Cattrano |
| 6 | Mark Millon | Greg Cattrano |
| 7 | Jay Jalbert | John Gagliardi |
| 8 | John Grant, Jr. | Brian Dougherty |
| 9 | David Curry | Bill Daye |
| 10 | John Grant, Jr. | Regy Thorpe |
| 11 | John Grant, Jr. | Rob Doerr |
| 12 | Greg Traynor | Sal LoCascio |
| 13 | Paul Gait | Pat McCabe |
Statistics Leaders
| Stat | Player | Team | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Jesse Hubbard | New Jersey | 44 |
| Two-Point Goals | David Evans | Boston | 6 |
| Assists | Jon Hess | New Jersey | 39 |
| Points | Ryan Powell | Rochester | 63 |
| Face-off Pct | Andy Towers | Boston | .580 |
| Save Pct | Greg Cattrano | Baltimore | .583 |
| GAA | Brian Dougherty | Rochester | 11.7 |