MLL's top players to gather at 2007 MLL All-Star Game

[Sonny]

Boston, MA - Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, announced Friday the MLL players who have been selected to play in the sixth annual Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game, which will be held on Sunday, July 8 at Harvard Stadium at 12:30 p.m., according to MLL Commissioner David Gross. The All-Stars were selected by the League’s head coaches, general managers and players.

For the first time in the MLL’s seven-year history, the game will match up all stars from the Eastern Conference against their Western Conference counterparts. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 with Joe Beninati and Quint Kessenich calling the action. Tickets are available by calling 888-847-9700 or by visiting www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.

“This game will feature one of the most talented groups of players in MLL history. It is an exciting mix of veterans and emerging young stars,” said Gross. “We want to especially thank the players for their input in the voting process. Very few leagues afford the opportunity of letting players vote for their peers. This year we decided to include them in the process and they did an outstanding job with it.”

In addition to the game, the All-Star festivities will include the Bud Light MLL All-Star Skills Competition, which will take place at half-time. The events will consist of the Fastest Shot, Accuracy and Freestyle contests.

The Fastest Shot competition is the first event and six players will each get two attempts to shoot as hard as possible from thirty feet away. The speed of each shot will be determined by a radar gun on the field. Last year former Boston Cannons midfielder Chris Fiore won the contest with a shot of 108 miles per hour. Fiore will not be back to defend his championship but competition will be close amongst Roy Colsey, Matt Poskay, Josh Sims, Jeff Sonke and first time contestants Kyle Dixon and Graham Gill.

Where the Fastest Shot recognizes power, the Accuracy event focuses on precision and skill. Last year Philadelphia attackman Ryan Boyle earned the Accuracy Shot championship. The event features four targets at distances of five yards (one point), eight yards (six points), 12 yards (12 points), 15 yards (24 points) with the players earning the corresponding points for successfully hitting each target.

Without question, though, the most exciting contest is the Freestyle. Not only is it the most creative event, but the winner is also determined by fan reaction (as long as the player scores on the shot). Six of the league’s top talents will have two breakaway attempts to show their best finishing move. This contest has seen some of the MLL’s most memorable—and most talked about—plays. 2006 was no different as current Boston Cannon Mikey Powell brought down the house with his array of signature moves, including doing a flip and shooting with the stick behind his back. The Chicago Machines’ Sean Morris headed the ball in soccer style while San Francisco Dragon Chris Rotelli turned in a no look shot.

After reaching the New Balance MLL Championship Game last year in their inaugural season, the Denver Outlaws had eight players chosen to appear in the game, which is the most of any MLL team. The defending MLL champion Philadelphia Barrage will have five representatives in the game, including last year’s Warrior Goalie of the Year Brian Dougherty, who will be making his fourth All-Star appearance.

Each team has at least one representative on its respective conference all-star squad.

[Sonny]

2007 All-Star Roster: Eastern Conference

No. Name Pos. Team
0 Mikey Powell A Boston
1 Dan Cocchi M Long Island
3 Roy Colsey M Philadelphia
4 Chris Passavia D Boston
6 Brian Dougherty G Philadelphia
7 Kyle Sweeney D Philadelphia
8 Peter Vlahakis M Long Island
9 Matt Striebel M Philadelphia
11 Kyle Dixon M Washington
12 Matt Ward A Washington
13 Stephen Berger M Long Island
14 Ryan Boyle A Philadelphia
15 Chris Garrity G Washington
17 Brodie Merrill D Rochester
18 Kyle Harrison M New Jersey
22 Casey Powell A Rochester
23 Matt Poskay M Boston
24 John Grant, Jr. A Rochester
41 Nicky Polanco D Long Island

Head Coach: Tony Resch, Philadelphia
Assistant Coach: Bill Daye, Boston

2007 All-Star Roster: Western Conference

No. Name Pos. Team
2 Brendan Mundorf A Denver
5 Eric Martin D San Francisco
6 Brian Langtry M Denver
7 Geoff Snider M Denver
9 Josh Sims M Denver
12 Graham Gill M Los Angeles
15 Jeff Sonke M Denver
19 Kevin Leveille A Chicago
21 Sean Lindsay M Los Angeles
22 Ryan Powell A San Francisco
25 Chris Rotelli M San Francisco
26 Pat Heim N Chicago
29 Lee Zink D Denver
30 Mickey Jarboe G Los Angeles
36 Mike Culver D Chicago
37 Benson Erwin M Denver
40 Trevor Tierney G Denver
44 Greg Bice D Los Angeles
77 Spencer Ford A Los Angeles

Head Coach: John Tucker, Los Angeles
Assistant Coach: TBA