FINAL ROAD TRIP KEY FOR NATIONALS

Playoff Race: Hamilton (3-7) needs to win its final four games to guarantee it makes the playoffs for the second straight season and third time in the franchise’s four-year history.
 

Scouting the Nationals: The Nationals edged the Ohio Machine 14-12 on July 14th to stay alive in the Major League Lacrosse Playoff race. With the victory, the Nationals split the home-and-home series with the Machine.  The win at Selby Stadium in Delaware, Ohio was the first for the Nationals since defeating the Rochester Rattlers back on June 9th. Hamilton was led by a balanced attack that included a five-point effort from Garrett Billings, who tied his career high (3+2) set on July 31, 2010. Joe Walters (1+3) and Cody Jamieson (3+1) contributed with four points each, and Kevin Crowley notched three goals. Jeremy Thompson scored his first goal since May 12th and tied his career high with two goals. Scott Rodgers went the distance in goal, making 17 saves. Jamieson now has a six-game goal-scoring streak, and has notched 12 points (9+3) in his last two games. Crowley leads the team with a nine-game goal-scoring streak. Defensemen Dana Wilber made his professional debut last Saturday and earned his first pro point/assist.
 

Billings “Paid Off” Last Weekend: Billings, who was named as the Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his MLL career, registered six goals and three assists in the pair of games last week. After scoring three goals with an assist in the Nationals’ 13-12 loss against the Machine on Friday night, he led Hamilton to a 14-12 victory over the Machine by scoring three goals with two assists. After scoring just 12 goals in his first two MLL seasons, Billings has now tallied 13 goals in eight games this year while contributing 10 assists. With 23 points, he ranks third on the Nationals’ scoring list.
 

Johnson and Brown at the Worlds: Nationals Assistant Coach Jason Johnson and Director of Marketing/Sponsorship Stu Brown are both in Finland for the 2012 U-19 World Lacrosse Championships. Johnson is working as an assistant coach with the Iroquois Nationals, while Brown is the head scout for the Canadians.

Lizards Notes: Long Island (6-4) enters the week in a third-place tie with the Boston Cannons. The Lizards are coming off a 14-11 victory over the Cannons last Saturday. Long Island used a 6-2 third quarter to beat the Cannons and sweep the season series. CJ Costabile was named the MLL Defensive Player of the Week after limiting midfielder Paul Rabil to a season-low two points. Greg Gurenlian also had a big game, earning Bud Light MVP honors after winning 19 of 28 faceoffs against MLL All Star Chris Eck. Goalie Drew Adams made 14 saves to give him 134 this season, which is second best in the MLL. He also owns the fourth best goals-against average at 11.79. On offense, the Lizards are led in points by Brian Langtry (29) and Max Seibald (28).

Next Game: Following this weekend, Hamilton will play its final three regular season games at home. The Nationals begin the three-game stretch on Saturday, July 28th against the Denver Outlaws.