The Penfield native and St.John Fisher graduate enters his 5th season with Rochester.
By Doug McSorley
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — We caught up with midfielder Kyle Denhoff over the weekend. We asked Kyle his thoughts on playing for Coach Tim Soudan and playing for the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Rochester Rattlers this coming season:
1. What three things do you enjoy most about playing for the Rattlers?
Spending time with the guys on and off the field.
Playing in front of the lacrosse community in my hometown.
Competing for a championship for the city of Rochester.
2. What are your thoughts about the upcoming 2017 season?
I could not be more excited for the upcoming season. We have a talented roster and the best locker room in the league. We feel that we have the pieces to compete for a championship again this season. The core of the team is coming back and a lot of guys will be in the line up week 1. It’ll be exciting to have our core early in the season. We miss the NLL guys and wish them the best, but they provide a boost come mid-season.
3. Talk about playing for Head Coach Tim Soudan?
I’ve learned a lot from the man. Being a former player in this league he has a real understanding of when to come down on guys and when to just let them play. He sets us up in a position to win, but trusts the players to make the plays when needed. We always talk about the locker room, but Coach Soudan really prides himself and the team on our culture. In a professional league, he has been able to lead a group of men to come together each and every weekend to perform no matter what else is going on in life.
4. Talk about playing together with the rest of the offensive unit – Crotty, Wolf, Mac, Jeremy, Ty, etc? What do you enjoy most about playing with those guys?
I believe we have one of the most talented units in the game. Each one of the guys on offense brings a unique skill set to the team. We have diverse talent that allows us to attack teams in different ways. It’s no secret that Wolf is the most dangerous player dodging from X in the league, but if a team overcompensates to try and stop the attack we have a two-man game and middies that can run.
It’s awesome playing with these guys. I truly believe we make each other better. We are able to get creative on how we are going to put the ball in the back of the net.
5. Talk about the addition of JoJo Marasco and having another key player on the midfield line?
JoJo is a talented player and offers our team another dodging option from up top. The guy can take it to the cage!