San Francisco, CA – In the short history of Major League Lacrosse, no one had been named Bud Light MVP more than once. But today, Ryan Powell, the winner of the league's first Bud Light MVP award in 2001, became the first to be awarded the honor twice.
The award was based on votes submitted by the General Manager and the Head Coach of each of the 10 Major League Lacrosse teams. Powell, along with other MLL honorees, will be acknowledged Saturday, August 26th at the 2006 Major League Lacrosse Awards Luncheon.
Dragons Head Coach Brian Silcott thinks that the voters in the league got this one right.
"Most Valuable Player? How else would you describe Ryan? People can argue over who is the best lacrosse player in the world but there is no doubt about who was the most valuable to their team this summer." Silcott continued, "Personally, I think Ryan is the best player in the world, but his impact on our team far exceeds his individual talent."
Dragons General Manager Doug Locker also agrees with the way the votes came out in the end. "This honor could not have been given to a better person or lacrosse player, and is richly deserved," said Locker. "Ryan is simply the best of the best and this award is a testament to his dedication to the sport and to his teammates"
Powell finished the regular season with 34 goals, 24 assists, 58 points and averaging 5.8 points per game with a .486 shooting percentage. Despite playing in only 10 of 12 regular season games, his 58 points were second in the league only behind Conor Gill of Boston who tallied 62.
Powell's most impressive feat this season came in a five game span when he scored 45 points, an average of nine per game. The run started on June 10th when the Syracuse product tied a league record with nine goals, and added three assists for 12 points against the Denver Outlaws in a 25-20 Dragons' win.
His monster run ended in style against the Chicago Machine on July 8th when Powell notched 10 points on five goals and five assists. Perhaps his most clutch performance came a week earlier on July 1st when Powell scorched the New Jersey Pride for four goals, including the game winner in overtime, and four assists. He was named MLL Offensive Player of the Week twice this season.
Powell is the league's third leading all-time scorer with 292 career points. He has one of the most impressive resumes in the MLL as he was a member of the US National Team at this summer's Warrior World Lacrosse Championship, was named to the All-MLL team in 2003, and was named the 2006 Warrior Offensive Player of the Year last Tuesday. Along with being the only player in MLL history to be named the league's MVP twice, he is also the only player to be named Warrior Offensive Player of the Year and the Bud Light MVP in the same season.
San Francisco will count on leadership from their MVP this week when they take part in the New Balance Championship Weekend. The Dragons will play the Denver Outlaws in the first of two semifinal games on Friday, August 25th. The winners of the semifinal games will square off in the championship game on Sunday, August 27th at 2:00 PDT.
Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:55 am