2019 Atlanta Blaze season
The 2019 Atlanta Blaze season will be the fourth season for the Atlanta Blaze of Major League Lacrosse. Liam Banks enters his second season as head coach, after leading the Blaze to their best record in franchise history (7–7) in 2018. It will be the team's first year at Grady Stadium in downtown Atlanta, after spending its first three years at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw.[1]
| 2019 Atlanta Blaze | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Lacrosse |
| 2019 record | 8-8 |
| General Manager | Spencer Ford |
| Coach | Liam Banks |
| Stadium | Grady Stadium Atlanta Silverbacks Park |
← 2018 2020 → | |
On July 28, due to maintenance at Grady Stadium, the Blaze announced they would be playing their last three home games at Atlanta Silverbacks Park[2]
On September 7, the Blaze clinched their first playoff berth with a 15-14 win over the Dallas Rattlers. It also gave them a franchise-best eighth win of the season.[3]
Transactions
Offseason
- September 21, 2018 - The Blaze announce the signing of a core group of players: Tommy Palasek, Liam Byrnes, Justin Pennington, and Chris Madalon.[4]
- January 21, 2019 - Attackman Randy Staats is reacquired in a deal with the Dallas Rattlers. In exchange, the Blaze will send their third and fourth round picks in the 2019 Collegiate Draft to the Rattlers.[5]
Collegiate Draft
The 2019 Collegiate Draft was held on March 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Inside Lacrosse gave the Blaze a "C" in their team-by-team draft grades.[6]
The Blaze began their rookie signings with a bang on May 15 with the announcement that #1 overall draft pick (who they acquired when the Ohio Machine folded in April) Alex Woodall, face-off specialist from Towson had chosen the Blaze over Whipsnakes Lacrosse Club and the Premier Lacrosse League.[7]
The next day, the Blaze announced four of their top six draft picks, Brendan Sunday, Dylan Gaines, Colton Jackson, and Eddie Bouhall had agreed to contracts. This group joined other rookies TJ Comizio, Brett Craig, and Jack Mangan.[8]
| Round | Overall Pick | Player | School | Position | Signed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 13 | Brendan Sunday | Towson | Attack | Yes |
| 2 | 14 | Dylan Gaines | Denver | Defense | Yes |
| 3 | 26 | Colton Jackson | Denver | Midfielder | Yes |
| 5 | 39 | Brett Craig | Seton Hill | LSM | Yes |
| 5 | 41 | Tyson Gibson | Robert Morris | Midfielder | |
| 6 | 49 | Eddie Bouhall | Lehigh | Defense | Yes |
| 7 | 58 | Jake McCulloch | Cornell | Midfielder | |
Schedule
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Stadium | Result | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2 | Denver Outlaws | Grady Stadium | W 14-12 | 1,523 | 1-0 |
| June 8 | Denver Outlaws | Grady Stadium | L 16-18 | 1,607 | 1-1 |
| June 21 | Dallas Rattlers | Grady Stadium | W 13-11 | 2,078 | 2-1 |
| June 29 | at Chesapeake Bayhawks | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | W 19-10 | 7,128 | 3-1 |
| July 6 | at Chesapeake Bayhawks | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | L 13-16 | 5,200 | 3-2 |
| July 7 | New York Lizards | Grady Stadium | W 12-11 | 1,927 | 4-2 |
| July 11 | at Denver Outlaws | Sports Authority Field at Mile High | L 17-18 | 5,126 | 4-3 |
| July 13 | Boston Cannons | Grady Stadium | L 16-17 | 1,333 | 4-4 |
| July 20 | at Boston Cannons | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W 15-12 | 4,083 | 5-4 |
| August 3 | Dallas Rattlers | Atlanta Silverbacks Park | L 14-16 | 2,163 | 5-5 |
| August 10 | at Boston Cannons | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W 14-13 | 3,726 | 6-5 |
| August 17 | at New York Lizards | James M. Shuart Stadium | W 14-13 (OT) | 4,119 | 7-5 |
| August 24 | Chesapeake Bayhawks | Atlanta Silverbacks Park | L 13-16 | 1,548 | 7-6 |
| September 7 | at Dallas Rattlers | Ford Center at The Star | W 15-14 | 5,146 | 8-6 |
| September 14 | Boston Cannons | Atlanta Silverbacks Park | L 9-19 | 1,737 | 8-7 |
| September 21 | at New York Lizards | James M. Shuart Stadium | L 15-21 | 5,747 | 8-8 |
Standings
| 2019 Major League Lacrosse Standings | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | PCT | GB | GF | 2ptGF | GA | 2ptGA | |||||||||||
| Chesapeake Bayhawks | 10 | 6 | .625 | - | 211 | 3 | 186 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Denver Outlaws | 9 | 7 | .563 | 1 | 206 | 15 | 205 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Boston Cannons | 9 | 7 | .563 | 1 | 217 | 8 | 211 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Atlanta Blaze | 8 | 8 | .500 | 2 | 227 | 2 | 228 | 9 | ||||||||||
| Dallas Rattlers | 7 | 9 | .438 | 3 | 192 | 7 | 202 | 7 | ||||||||||
| New York Lizards | 5 | 11 | .313 | 5 | 195 | 2 | 216 | 11 | ||||||||||
| Playoff Seed |
References
- Blaze move to Grady Stadium
- Atlanta's pro lacrosse team may not last long in Midtown
- Atlanta Blaze playoff bound for first time in team history
- Blaze, Atlanta. "Atlanta Blaze Re-Sign Core Group". Atlanta Blaze.
- Randy Staats returns to Atlanta
- 2019 MLL draft team-by-team draft grades
- Alex Woodall signs with Atlanta
- Four rookies sign with Blaze