The New York Lizards have been extremely busy since their name from Long Island to New York, announcing MLK Weekend Clinics, along with their Blizzard charity event.
New York also added eight players thanks to the 2013 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft.
First order of business is the camps that the Lizards will be holding during Martin Luther King weekend. Parents can chose from the Lizards Skills Clinic at the Sports Underdome in Mt. Vernon, NY on January 20 from 5-8 p.m.
There is also the Lizards Skills Clinic at Superdome Sports in Waldwick, New Jersey on January 21 from 9 am – noon.
Anyone who wishes to obtain more information can do so by clicking on the link below:
http://www.nylizards.com/clinics/
The Lizards will also be hosting the NY Lizards Blizzards on January 29th 2013, which is a benefit for Monster’s Kids, which benefits the Steven and Alexandra Children’s Medical Center of New York.
Featuring a ping-pong tournament, food and refreshments, fans that purchase tickets will also have a chance to meet the New York Lizards.
Individual tickets cost $100, while junior tickets run $50 there are also options for Sponsor Levels which run $500-$1500.
To find out more information or to purchase tickets fans can do so by clicking on the link below:
http://www.nylizards.com/blizzard
Finally, back to the 2013 MLL Collegiate Draft; as the Lizards were able to pick-up some great names, as these new acquisitions are set to make an impact on the field in New York-as David Earl and Steven Waldeck came from the Hamilton Nationals and Mark Matthews from the Denver Outlaws.
Earl and Waldeck were picked-up in exchange for the Lizards fifth overall pick of the night. Last season with the Nationals, Earl tallied 27 points (18 goals, one two-point goal, and eight assists) and 15 ground balls in 11 games.
Waldeck, meanwhile, had spent two seasons with the Nationals picking-up 39 and 36 ground balls in the last two seasons. Waldeck, who is a graduate of Stony Brook University was able to record 313 ground balls, 112 in his senior year, which is third most in school history.
New York was set to pick in the fourth round, but instead decided to make a trade with the Denver Outlaws to obtain Mark Matthews. The attackman made a splash with the Outlaws, scoring 28 points with 19 goals and 9 assists in nine games.
With their first pick of the draft, New York selected Syracuse midfielder JoJo Marasco, who led the Orange midfield with 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 2012. New York was also able to pick-up Hofstra face-off specialist John Antoniades in the sixth round of the draft.
Antoniades, who was drafted in the sixth round of the draft ranked fifth in the nation in face-offs in 2011 with a .642 win percentage.
New York felt the luck of the Irish in the seven round selecting Notre Dame midfielder Steve Murphy. In his three years with the Irish thus far, Murphy has tallied 20 points in 15 goals and five assists in the 31 games he’s played in.
The Lizards were not finished making moves, making a trade with the Chesapeake Bayhawks for the 56th pick and proceeded to select Hofstra defenseman Mark Mullen. As a sophomore in 2011, Mullen played in all 16 games for the Pride, recording seven caused turnovers, including two against Johns Hopkins and Colgate.
With the final pick of the night, New York continued a trend of selecting players from local area schools by calling on Stony Brook’s midfielder Jeff Tundo. Tundo, who was the seventh Seawolf in the last three years to be drafted to the MLL, scored four goals and added an assist in the conference championships to lead Stony Brook to its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years.