2018 Atlanta Blaze season
The 2018 Atlanta Blaze season was the third season for the Atlanta Blaze of Major League Lacrosse. The Blaze created a lot of noise in the preceding offseason period. On September 12, 2017, the Blaze signed former Lizard Tommy Palasek.[1] Later in the month, the Blaze also signed Matt Gibson from the Lizards and acquired Eddy Glazener from the Denver Outlaws for Christian Burgdorf.[2][3]
| 2018 Atlanta Blaze | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Lacrosse |
| 2018 record | 7-7 |
| Home record | 2-5 |
| Road record | 5-2 |
| Goals for | 187 (10 2-point goals) |
| Goals against | 184 (7 2-point goal) |
| General Manager | Spencer Ford |
| Coach | Liam Banks |
| Stadium | Fifth Third Bank Stadium |
← 2017 2019 → | |
On December 18, 2017, Blaze head coach Dave Huntley died unexpectedly at the age of 60.[4] Former MLL player Liam Banks was named his replacement on January 15, 2018, becoming the third head coach in the young team's history.
For the second straight year, the Blaze improved their record, finishing .500 for the first time in franchise history at 7-7. The team entered the final week of the season just needing a win to clinch a playoff spot. However, the Blaze lost a close one to the Denver Outlaws, 15-14.
Milestones and events
Offseason
- December 18, 2017 - Head coach Dave Huntley died unexpectedly at the age of 60.
- January 9, 2018 - Jim Pfeifer was renamed President of the Blaze. He served the same role for the team from December 2016 to May 2017.[5]
- January 15 - Former MLL player Liam Banks was named the third head coach in Blaze history.[6]
- April 18 - Commissioner Sandy Brown announces the sale of the Blaze to Andre Gudger, founder and CEO of technology investment company Eccalon.[7]
Regular season
- May 31 - The Blaze make a flurry of trades and acquire faceoff specialist Joe Nardella from the Boston Cannons, and send Jake Withers to the Charlotte Hounds in exchange for a 2019 second round draft pick.[8]
- July 25 - Major League Lacrosse announces the site of the All Star Games for 2019, 2020, and 2021. After hosting the championship games from 2014 to 2016, Atlanta will host its first All Star Game in 2020.[9]
Schedule
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Stadium | Result | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 22 | Florida Launch | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | L 10-13 | 1,043 | 0-1 |
| April 28 | Boston Cannons | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | W 19-12 | 1,967 | 1-1 |
| May 6 | at New York Lizards | James M. Shuart Stadium | W 16-14 | 3,219 | 2-1 |
| May 12 | at Boston Cannons | Harvard Stadium | W 17-14 | 4,210 | 3-1 |
| May 19 | at Dallas Rattlers | The Ford Center at The Star | L 14-15 (OT) | 4,732 | 3-2 |
| June 2 | New York Lizards | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | L 17-20 | 2,326 | 3-3 |
| June 9 | Charlotte Hounds | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | L 13-19 | 1,481 | 3-4 |
| June 16 | at Chesapeake Bayhawks | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | L 6-9 | 4,734 | 3-5 |
| June 23 | Dallas Rattlers | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | L 14-16 | 1,233 | 3-6 |
| June 30 | at Charlotte Hounds | MUSC Health Stadium (Charleston, SC) | W 16-10 | 1,145 | 4-6 |
| July 21 | at Ohio Machine | Fortress Obetz | W 13-10 | 3,288 | 5-6 |
| July 26 | Chesapeake Bayhawks | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | W 12-11 | 1,406 | 6-6 |
| July 28 | at Florida Launch | FAU Stadium | W 16-13 | 7-6 | |
| August 4 | Denver Outlaws | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | L 14-15 | 2,204 | 7-7 |
Standings
| 2018 Major League Lacrosse Standings | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | PCT | GB | GF | 2ptGF | GA | 2ptGA | |||||||||||
| Dallas Rattlers | 11 | 3 | .786 | - | 201 | 8 | 175 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Chesapeake Bayhawks | 9 | 5 | .643 | 2 | 176 | 11 | 174 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Denver Outlaws | 8 | 6 | .571 | 3 | 225 | 5 | 183 | 14 | ||||||||||
| New York Lizards | 8 | 6 | .571 | 3 | 211 | 5 | 214 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Charlotte Hounds | 7 | 7 | .500 | 4 | 196 | 8 | 191 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Atlanta Blaze | 7 | 7 | .500 | 4 | 187 | 10 | 184 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Boston Cannons | 5 | 9 | .357 | 6 | 173 | 9 | 213 | 9 | ||||||||||
| Florida Launch | 5 | 9 | .357 | 6 | 192 | 4 | 201 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Ohio Machine | 3 | 11 | .214 | 8 | 173 | 6 | 199 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Playoff Seed |
References
- Blaze sign Tommy Palasek in Player Movement
- Blaze acquire Matt Gibson
- Blaze acquire Glazener
- Blaze coach Dave Huntley passes away
- Jim Pfeifer named President of Atlanta Blaze
- Liam Banks named head coach of Blaze
- "MLL approves sale of Atlanta Blaze to Andre Gudger". Archived from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- Atlanta Blaze fortifies its already potent roster heading into the season's most important month
- MLL announces All Star Games for 2019-21