Ohio Machine

Ohio Machine

Team logo
League MLL
Founded 2011
Home stadium Fortress Field
Based in Columbus, Ohio
Colors               
Head coach Bear Davis
Website theohiomachine.com

The Ohio Machine[1] is a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Columbus, Ohio. They began play in the 2012 MLL season along with the Charlotte Hounds as part of the league's plan to have 16 teams by 2020.[2]

Franchise history

In January 2011 MLL voted to grant expansion franchise to Columbus and Charlotte, North Carolina for the 2012 MLL Season.[2][3] The league announced on April 12, 2011, the team name will be the Ohio Machine, continuing the team previously located in Chicago. The Chicago Machine played the 2010 season as a traveling team playing their home games at neutral sites where the MLL did not have franchises. The Chicago Machine franchise that existed from 2006 to 2010 was moved to Rochester, New York and was re-branded as a continuation of the Rochester Rattlers franchise that moved to Toronto, Ontario in 2009. This franchise brought back the light blue and black colors of the Chicago franchise.[4] On May 19, 2012 the Ohio Machine got their first win and first home win in their franchise history against the Rochester Rattlers.

On June 24, 2013, two days after a 19-5 loss to the Denver Outlaws, Ted Garber was fired as head coach and replaced by Bear Davis. Garber had led the expansion franchise to a 3-19 record through its first 22 games and a 1-7 record in 2013.[5]

2014-present: First playoff berth and rise to contention

After putting up only four victories combined in their first two seasons and getting off to a 3-6 start in 2014, the Machine rattled off five straight victories to end the regular season and clinched their first playoff berth.[6] Their streak included wins over the top-seeded Rochester Rattlers and the eventual champion Denver Outlaws. On the road in their first playoff game, the Machine took an early 4-0 lead over Rochester. But the Machine would run out of magic as the Rattlers came back to end Ohio's Cinderella run, 15-11.[7]

In 2015, the Machine improved upon their previous record with a 9-5 campaign, earning them the second seed. However, they couldn't figure out the Rattlers again, falling 12-8.

Before the start of the 2016 season, the Machine moved to Panther Stadium after four seasons at Selby Field. Panther Stadium is less than half of the size of Selby Field. Ohio got off to their best eight-game start in 2016 at 6-2. The Machine would stumble and go 1-3 over their next four games, but clinch their third straight playoff berth with a dominant 22-13 win over the defending champion New York Lizards. In the game, John Grant. Jr. scored ten goals, a single-game MLL record. The Machine had also defeated the Lizards 22-10 earlier in the season at home. The 2016 Major League Lacrosse season saw seven teams finish at 8-6, but due to tiebreaker procedures, the Machine were rewarded with the #1 seed in the postseason.

The Machine defeated the Hounds, 16-10 on August 13 for the franchise's first playoff victory ever. The next week, they faced Grant Jr.'s former team in the Denver Outlaws, who including the semifinals entered the game on a seven-game winning streak. The Machine took a 9-3 lead before a 97-minute weather delay and a 14-7 lead into halftime but could not hold on, losing 19-18 on a goal by Eric Law with 12.9 seconds left. It was Grant Jr.'s first loss in a Steinfeld Cup game in six trips.

On November 16, 2016, the village of Obetz, a community just south of Columbus, announced they would be constructing a 6,500-seat multipurpose stadium, Fortress Field at the site of the closed Columbus Motor Speedway. It would be ready in time for the Machine's first home game of the 2017 season on May 6.[8]

Season-by-Season

Ohio Machine
Year W L % Regular season finish Playoffs
2012 2 12 .143 8th in league ---
2013 2 12 .143 8th in league ---
2014 8 6 .571 4th in league Lost semifinal vs. Rochester Rattlers 15-11
2015 9 5 .643 2nd in league Lost semifinal vs. Rochester Rattlers 12-8
2016 8 6 .571 1st in league Won semifinal vs. Charlotte Hounds 16-10
Lost championship vs. Denver Outlaws 19-18
Totals 29 41 .414 Total Playoff Record 1-3
Playoff Win % = .250

Roster

2016 Ohio Machine
Number Player's Name Nationality Position Height Weight College
1 Marcus Holman United States A 5 ft 11 in 185 lb North Carolina
2 Dan Groot United States M 6 ft 1 in 188 lb Maryland
3 Jake Bernhardt United States M 6 ft 0 in 190 lb Maryland
6 Steele Stanwick United States A 5 ft 10 in 190 lb Virginia
7 Adam Fullerton United States G 6 ft 0 in 175 lb Army
8 Mike MacDonald Canada A 6 ft 1 in 190 lb Princeton
11 Matt McMahon United States D 6 ft 4 in 200 lb Pennsylvania
15 Peter Baum United States M 6 ft 1 in 197 lb Colgate
17 Jackson Place United States D 5 ft 11 in 185 lb Bucknell
18 Kyle Harrison United States M 6 ft 0 in 194 lb Johns Hopkins
22 Brandon Mangan United States A 6 ft 2 in 185 lb Yale
23 Dominique Alexander United States M 6 ft 2 in 215 lb Ohio State
24 Steven Waldeck United States D 6 ft 0 in 210 lb Stony Brook
25 Brian Karalunas United States D 6 ft 0 in 185 lb Villanova
26 Tom Schreiber United States M 6 ft 0 in 190 lb Princeton
30 Michael Noone United States D 6 ft 3 in 205 lb Lehigh
41 Mark Cockerton Canada M 5 ft 10 in 185 lb Virginia
42 Scott Rodgers United States G 6 ft 4 in 250 lb Notre Dame
46 Dylan Levings Canada M 5 ft 9 in 185 lb Yale
50 Steven Romano United States M 6 ft 1 in 190 lb Hofstra
51 Sean Meagher United States D 6 ft 4 in 195 lb Robert Morris
77 Remington Pope United States M 6 ft 1 in 190 lb Villanova
92 Greg Puskuldjian United States M 5 ft 11 in 205 lb Adelphi

MLL Award Winners

Most Valuable Player

Head Coaching History

# Name Term Regular Season Playoffs
GC W L W% GC W L W%
1 Ted Garber 2012-2013 22 3 19 .136
2 Bear Davis 2013 48 26 22 .542 4 1 3 .250

Draft History

MLL Collegiate Draft

First Round Selections

References

  1. Ingemi, Marisa. "Columbus MLL Team Named Ohio Machine". Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  2. 1 2 Babo, Zach (January 21, 2011). "MLL Expanding to Charlotte, Columbus for 2012 Season". Inside Lacrosse.
  3. McLean, Derek (January 21, 2011). "Major League Lacrosse To Add Two New Franchises in 2012". Major League Lacrosse. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  4. Smalley, Jerod (January 21, 2011). "Columbus Welcomes Major League Lacrosse Franchise". NBC 4. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  5. Ohio Machine Makes Coaching Change
  6. Machine Clinches Playoff Spot for First Time
  7. Rochester Advances to MLL Title Game with 15-11 Win over Ohio
  8. Obetz building 6,500-seat sports and concert venue
  9. MLL Statistics and Information (January 14, 2012). "2012 MLL Collegiate Draft Results" (Press release). Major League Lacrosse. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  10. MLL Statistics and Information (January 11, 2013). "2013 Collegiate Draft Results" (Press release). Major League Lacrosse. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  11. MLL Statistics and Information (January 10, 2014). "2014 Collegiate Draft Results" (Press release). Major League Lacrosse. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  12. MLL Statistics and Information (January 23, 2015). "2015 Collegiate Draft Results" (Press release). Major League Lacrosse. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  13. http://www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/press-release/12859/2016-mll-collegiate-draft-live-updates/
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