By CRAIG POTTER
Rochester must beat the Ohio Machine to qualify for the MLL postseason.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Rattlers can gain the Major League Lacrosse playoffs with a victory over the Ohio Machine at 7 pm Saturday at Capelli Sport Stadium.
The Rattlers (7-6) would gain the fourth and final playoff berth with a victory.
According to the MLL website, if Ohio and Denver finish with identical records, Denver will be the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.
A Rochester defeat, however, will put the winner of the New York Lizards-Charlotte Hounds game Saturday into the playoffs with a 7-7 record. Both teams own the tie-breaker over the Rattlers.
In the semifinals, set for Aug. 12, Denver and Ohio have secured home field for the semifinal games.
The Rattlers have been without leading scorer Jordan Wolf (40 points) the last two games. Conor Gately, Ty Thompson, Ryan McNamra and others have stepped up to fill the void.
The defense, with goalie John Galloway solid in net, have helped key the last two must-win games so that now the Rattlers control their own destiny going into Saturday’s regular season finale.
Galloway made 17 saves in the Rattlers 11-7 win over the Atlanta Blaze last Saturday night. The defense, led by Matt Dunn, was able to lock down the high-powered Blaze offense as Atlanta only scored two goals in the second half.
Ryan McNamara and Ty Thompson each scored two goals and Thompson also had an assist. Seven other Rattlers scored one goal including: Donny Moss, Dunn, Joel White, Connor Gately, Kip Orban, Jack Curran, and Jordan MacIntosh.
With veterans Wolf, Ned Crotty, and Dhane Smith not available for the game against the Blaze, it truly was a team effort on both sides of the field.
If Wolf is unable to play Saturday, Gately will take his place in the lineup.