1972 Major Lacrosse Association Draft
1. St. Louis Otters - Barrell Hampton | Midfield | Houston, TX | Kent College | ZO82
Hampton seemed to be the obvious pick for the Otters. Hampton can also play Attack so he will be a duel threat for any team that the Otters face. 

2. Golden Horseshoe - Max Powers | Attack | Fon Du Lac, WI | Milwaukee State | Dan O'MacThe Wisconsin-born player led the Great Lakes College Lacrosse League in goals scored. With Hampton off the board, he was the next best option to improve the offense. 

3. Colorado Jackals - Malachi Kallenberger | Attack | Atlanta, GA | McHenry | Kingsfan11
Kallenberger was 2nd place in goals scored in the Seaboard College Lacrosse League, behind Barrell Hampton. Cliff has a relatively young Attack core and chose Kallenberger because he says "the kid has gumption". 

4. Philadelphia Rattlesnakes - Collin Jones-Bakersfield | Defense | Erie, PA | Amateur | WallflowerThe first Defensemen and amateur player off the board. Collin is known as a "top-tier" Defensemen and led his team and league in caused-turnovers and ground balls.  

5. Boston Seawolves - Christian Talara | Defense | Chicago, IL | Amateur | idm
Depending on who you ask, Talara is a better Defensemen than Jones-Bakersfield. The two have similar builds and play styles. Talara was just short of tying Jones-Bakersfield in caused-turnovers. Either way, Talara was a steal at the 5th pick. 

6. DC Eagles - Noah Zark | Goalie | Bethlehem, PA | Saint Botolph | idm
This was the selection everyone was waiting for, the top Goalie in the draft. Zark had an incredible senior season, leading every college in saves as well as career saves. He started at Saint Botolph as a sophomore and led the team to two titles. DC looks to develop him for a few years behind their current 30 year old veteran in goal. 

7. Manhattan - Mike Smith | Midfield | Poughkeepsie, NY | University of the Hudson | Jayhawk
Keeping to the theme of having the majority of players from New York, the Blue Jays selected Smith. Smith is more of a defensive-minded Midfielder and that is what Manhattan was looking for. He is very quick in transition. 

8. Racing Louisville - Nick Farak | Midfield | Louisville, KY | Amateur | idm
Keeping it in Louisville with this pick, Farak is a fantastic lacrosse player. He may be a little older, but he still has the toughness of an ox. 

9. Cleveland Thunderbirds - Lucas DeGrom | Attack | Windham, OH | Amateur
Coming from small town Ohio, Cleveland may have found a diamond in the rough. Another slightly older player, DeGrom is looking to make an impact and show these youngins how its done. 

10. Chicago Cardinals - Cooper Houstin | Midfield | Muncie, IN | Indianapolis State | Wallflower
Another great player from the Great Lakes College Lacrosse Conference, Houstin is a speedy player. He grew up running track but was convinced to play lacrosse.  

11. Toronto Falcons - Jeremiah Vandersbrook | Attack | Mississauga, ON | Upper Canada | Wallflower
Surprisingly, the first Canadian taken was with the 11th pick. The Falcons found an amazing Attackman. Vandersbrook led Upper Canada, as well as the Can-Am College Lacrosse League in goals scored and assists. 

12. Omaha Union - Sho Isogai | Midfield | Nagano, Japan | Brooklyn | Dan O’Mac
Originally from Japan, Sho immigrated to the United States. He first picked up a stick as a freshman at the University of Brooklyn, he then excelled at the sport. His senior year he led the team in assists. 

2nd Round
1. St. Louis Otters - Wolfgang Sebastian | Defense | Chicago, IL | Chicago City College | Jayhawk 
2. Golden Horseshoe - Jacob Bailey | Defense | Hamilton, ON | Amateur | ZO82 
3. Colorado Jackals - Gustavo Manzanares | Attack | Denver, CO | Chicago City College | ZO82 
4. Philadelphia Rattlesnakes - Alec Pryor | Attack | Hamilton, ON | Golden Horseshoe | idm 
5. Boston Seawolves - Spencer Olson | Attack | Boston, MA | Boston Cathedral | idm 
6. DC Eagles - Jacob Temple | Midfield | Providence, RI | Perry | Jayhawk 
7. Manhattan - Evan Durrant | Attack | Manhattan, NY | New Amsterdam | idm 
8. Racing Louisville - Noah Guy | Goalie | Guyton, MO | Cardinal Mooney | Dan O’Mac 
9. Cleveland Thunderbirds - Billy Fire | Goalie | Findlay, OH | Cleveland | Wallflower 
10. Chicago Cardinals - Nicolas St. Jean | Attack | Montreal, QC | Montreal | Wallflower 
11. Toronto Falcons - David Rolph | Midfield | Windsor, ON | Southwest Ontario | Jayhawk 
12. Omaha Union - Martin Blank | Goalie | Brandon, MB | Amateur | a ghost

Despite it being a good draft, a few of the owners realized that they did not like the draft and would rather just sign players. Simon gathered the owners and said that they would vote on keeping the draft at the end of the season.

Afterwards the new divisional alignment was also announced:
The East with Boston, DC, Manhattan and Philadelphia
The Central with Cleveland, Golden Horseshoe, Louisville and Toronto
The West with Chicago, Colorado, Omaha and St. Louis


What do you think about the draft and the new alignment? Do you think the draft will continue? 

Last edited by Jayhawk (5/21/2023 10:01 pm)

1972 Midseason


The East
The Seawolves had a lot of ups and downs last season and just missed out on the playoffs. The Seawolves look to be a contender with a solid 5-2 record.

Being one of the two new expansion teams, DC had low expectations. However, with a 3-4 record at midseason is much more than they expected. Rookie goalie, Noah Zark has been promoted to the starting goalie spot. Zark looks to have been quite the good investment for DC.

Manhattan's owner Simon took last years 7-7 record personally, as well as his team. The Blue Jays have their eyes set on the title this year and look to (hopefully) beat Chicago in the championship.

Philadelphia is certainly disappointed with their record. Their best player, Attackman Eddie York, has expressed his want to get out of the Rattlesnakes organization. York has said that the culture with the team needs to improve, the team morale is very low.

The West
Chicago was more than happy to have been placed in the West, as they would have zero competition for the division and would essentially get a free division title. The dynamic duo of Chase Wildgoose and Cole Tirkee is still the best duo in the league. The cousins lead the league in assists.

Colorado looks to have taken some control while gathering three wins. Owner, Cliff Sorbert is more than happy with his team's record. Their three wins may have came from beating worse teams but team morale is at an all time high. Attendance in Denver is increasing as well despite the team's record.

Omaha is a train wreck. The Union have lost their first seven games by a combined score of 70-13. It does not help that rookie Sho Isogai wants to take his talents elsewhere and Crate has dug himself into financial trouble. Omaha looks to be pulling a 1970 Detroit Jackals.

St. Louis is still very mediocre. However, 1st round pick Barrell Hampton has shown promise. Unlike some of the other rookies, he doesn't mind the team's performance. The Otters look to be a team that is planning for the future.

The Central
Cleveland started the season at an 0-3 record in which they lost to Boston, Chicago and Toronto. They have since improved in the season winning four straight.

Louisville did the opposite of Cleveland and started out 3-0. Rookie goalie Noah Guy has been getting some playing time. Louisville's older goalie Colby Jack, tends to get tired quicker and Noah Guy is always there for the reps.

Golden Horseshoe seems to have given up on playoff hopes and instead look to make this season a development year for rookie Max Powers. Similar to St. Louis, they are planning for the future.

Toronto's performance is pretty much what was expected. Midfielder Newt Johnny is having a great season while leading the division in goals. With Toronto's success they also have two fresh out of college rookies that are developing under great talent.


Do you think there will be any surprises in the second half?
Who do you think will make the playoffs?

 

Last edited by Jayhawk (6/21/2023 3:57 pm)

1972 End season


The East
It was no surprise that Manhattan had one the division, however, nobody could've predicted Boston only being one game behind first place. The Seawolves are a hot squad right now and they want that title more than anyone right now, they have something to prove. DC finishing at .500 was better than what was expected of them, definitely satisfying for their first season in the league. Philadelphia on the other hand is just in the rebuild, things just didn't go the Rattlesnakes' way. 

The West
As expected, Chicago finished with an undefeated record (the first in league history). Many want another division realignment so Chicago doesn't have such an easy schedule, many fans think it was rigged. It looks like Chicago might have a dynasty in the coming years. Colorado was probably the biggest shocker this year for anybody. A 7-7 record isn't great but for their two previous seasons it takes the cake. The Jackals got more wins this season than they did in their first two seasons in the MLA. As for the St. Louis Otters, there isn't much to say other than a rebuild is in progress. Last in the division we have Omaha, another disaster. Crate has been quiet the whole season, probably due to his team's performance and the awful attendance. Similarly to the 1970 Detroit Jackals, the team is in jeopardy.

The Central
Depending on who you ask, the Central is the most competitive division in the league. Toronto might've won the division by four games, but the scores would likely say otherwise. Cleveland, Louisville and Toronto play very tightly with each other and anybody can beat anybody in that division. Cleveland in second with an 8-6 record is not what they expected, it definitely is not making the playoffs. But they look to be back. Louisville with a 6-8 record might not seem the best but again, is very competitive. Golden Horseshoe on the other hand just cannot get their pieces together. Team chemistry is not the best in Brampton.

The Playoffs
1. Chicago will play host to 4. Boston
2. Toronto will host 3. Manhattan

Who do you think will make it to the championship?
What do you think will happen to Omaha?

A thriller of a game was an understatement. This was the first MLA playoff game to go into overtime, let alone a double overtime. It should be known that the MLA didn't have set overtime rules, they just treated it as an extra quarter and if nobody scored it would end in a tie. This game brought up another quirk that needed to be discussed with the owners. It will be discussed at the end of the season.

Q1
MAN: Goal scored by Attackman Evan Flow
TOR: Goal scored by Midfielder Newt Johnny

Q2
Scoreless with Manhattan only taking 3 shots on net and Toronto taking 4. A very defensive quarter.

Q3
TOR: Goal scored by Midfielder David Rolph

Q4
MAN: Goal scored by Attackman Flynn Lamar
MAN: Goal scored by Attackman Flynn Lamar
TOR: Goal scored by Midfielder Newt Johnny

OT1
Scoreless with Manhattan and Toronto each taking 4 shots with each goalie getting 4 saves.

OT2
MAN: Goal scored by Midfielder Lenny Lee
With 10 seconds left in the overtime period, Newt Johnny attempted a game-tying shot from 25 yards out and was saved by Manhattan goalie, Derek Donny. Donny was hoisted up by his teammates and was dubbed "Player of the Game".  Manhattan attackman, Flynn Lamar was also recognized for his two goals as he was subbed into the game to give Evan Flow a breather. Flynn showed that he deserves a starting spot on the team.

An absolute gem of a lacrosse game was played in Toronto. Despite Toronto's loss, their goalie received all the praise for keeping them in the game. The Falcons look to be back next year and look to take another chip.

Manhattan will travel to Chicago to take on the Cardinals in the third MLA Championship Game! This game will be one of the biggest in the rivalry of the two teams. They couldn't be more excided.

Who do you think will win the MLA Championship?

The Chicago Cardinals hosted Manhattan for the MLA Championship. The third championship in league history. You couldn't have asked for a better match, two historic rivals playing for the league championship, two blue bloods. The Cardinal Grounds packed its 5,000 capacity as well as plenty more onlookers standing.

Q1
CHI: Goal scored by Attackman Chase Wildgoose
MAN: Goal scored by Attackman Evan Flow

Q2
MAN: Goal scored by Attackman Flynn Lamar
CHI: Goal scored by Attackman Cole Tirkee
CHI: Goal scored by Attackman Chase Wildgoose
MAN: Goal scored by Midfielder Mike Smith

Q3
MAN: Goal scored by Midfielder Niklas Niek
CHI: Goal scored by Midfielder Austin Dingle
CHI: Goal scored by Midfielder Cooper Houstin

Q4
CHI: Goal scored by Attackman Nicolas St Jean
MAN: Goal scored by Attackman Evan Flow

In the final seconds of the 4th quarter, Manhattan goalie, Derek Donny makes an amazing save and launches the ball down the field. It rolls toward attackman, Flynn Lamar as he rips the ball towards the net. The ball absolutely domes Chicago goalie, Lyle Cross. Luckily, Cross took this like a champ as the time ran out. The Cardinals stormed the field as they hoisted up the MLA Trophy. The trophy was indeed going to leave Toronto and once again head to Chicago. The Cardinals became the first team in MLA history to win two championships!

The owners will soon have more to discuss in the offseason meetings. Like the overtime rules, a name for the MLA Trophy, the draft, as well as discussing... the Omaha Union...

What do you think will happen over the offseason?