The Connecticut Hammerheads were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Fairfield, Connecticut. The team played for one season during the 2020 season. The team's home field was Rafferty Stadium located on the campus of Fairfield University.[1][2]
 | |
| Sport | Lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Folded | 2020 |
| League | Major League Lacrosse |
| Based in | Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Stadium | Rafferty Stadium |
| President | Ian Frenette |
| Head coach | Bill Warder |
| Website | cthammerheads.com/ |
History edit
On February 11, 2020, MLL announced that it had granted an expansion franchise to the Fairfield, Connecticut, one day after the league folded the Dallas Rattlers. The team will be the league's first team to play in the state of Connecticut since the Bridgeport Barrage, which played from 2001 to 2003 before relocating to Philadelphia. The league named Rattlers' head coach Bill Warder to the same position with the Connecticut Hammerheads.[1]
Less than a week later, the Hammerheads announced they were trading Bryce Wasserman, a Dallas native, to the Boston Cannons in exchange for Will Sands.[3]
The Hammerheads had seven picks in the collegiate draft, including the second overall pick. They used that option on Michael Kraus, an attack from the defending NCAA champion Virginia Cavaliers. Kraus was also a selection with the competing Premier Lacrosse League, but on May 14 he officially signed a two-year deal to join the Hammerheads.[4]
On July 18, the Hammerheads played their first game, in quarantined fashion at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, against the Denver Outlaws. The Outlaws controlled the game from the start, defeating Connecticut, 18-6. Ryan McNamara had the first goal in franchise history and Bradley Voigt led the team with three goals on the night.[5]
Four days later, the team got its first victory in franchise history against the New York Lizards, 10-8. Kraus picked up his first two career goals and Voigt again led the way with four scores. Defending Goalie of the Year Sean Sconone stopped 65% of the shots he faced.[6] The team picked up its second win the next day against the Boston Cannons by a score of 11-8. Sconone dazzled with a new franchise record 73.3 save percentage.[7] With their 14-9 win over the Chesapeake Bayhawks on July 24 in the regular season finale, the Hammerheads would clinch the second overall playoff seed in their first season.
Season-by-season edit
| Connecticut Hammerheads | |||||
| Year | W | L | % | Regular season finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2nd in league | Semifinal vs. Bayhawks canceled |
| Totals | 3 | 2 | .600 | Total Playoff Record 0-0 Playoff Win % = .000 | |
Head Coaching History edit
| # | Name | Term | Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | W% | GC | W | L | W% | |||
| 1 | Bill Warder | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | - | - | - | - |
Roster edit
| # | Name | Nationality | Position | Height | Weight | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bradley Voigt | 
|
A | 6 ft 0 in | 202 lbs | Syracuse |
| 2 | Michael Kraus |
|
A | 5 ft 11 in | 195 lbs | Virginia |
| 3 | Christian Carson-Banister |
|
G | 6 ft 1 in | 205 lbs | Boston University |
| 4 | Kris Alleyne |
|
G | 5 ft 11 in | 190 lbs | Rutgers |
| 5 | Michael Brown |
|
D | 6 ft 1 in | 200 lbs | Brown |
| 6 | Ben Martin |
|
A | 6 ft 0 in | 177 lbs | Dartmouth |
| 7 | Luke Wittenberg |
|
M | 6 ft 4 in | 187 lbs | Georgetown |
| 8 | Ryan Beville (A) |
|
M | 6 ft 2 in | 180 lbs | Jacksonville |
| 10 | Tom Moore |
|
M | 6 ft 3 in | 190 lbs | Binghamton |
| 11 | Michael Bender |
|
LSM | 5 ft 11 in | 180 lbs | Maryland |
| 12 | Gunnar Schimoler |
|
D | 6 ft 3 in | 205 lbs | UMBC |
| 14 | Jake Seau |
|
M | 6 ft 2 in | 205 lbs | Duke |
| 15 | Dan Lomas | 
|
A | 5 ft 11 in | 186 lbs | High Point |
| 16 | Will Renz |
|
SSDM | 6 ft 0 in | 200 lbs | Yale |
| 17 | Adam Osika |
|
M | 6 ft 3 in | 205 lbs | Albany |
| 18 | Matt Farrell |
|
D | 5 ft 10 in | 175 lbs | Holy Cross |
| 19 | Jack Curran |
|
M | 6 ft 0 in | 185 lbs | Villanova |
| 20 | Drew Schantz |
|
M | 6 ft 0 in | 200 lbs | Notre Dame |
| 21 | Trevor Smyth |
|
LSM | 6 ft 2 in | 195 lbs | RIT |
| 22 | Will Sands |
|
A | 5 ft 10 in | 183 lbs | Bucknell |
| 23 | Cody Radziewicz |
|
M | 5 ft 11 in | 185 lbs | Johns Hopkins |
| 28 | Robert Mooney |
|
D | 6 ft 4 in | 215 lbs | Yale |
| 29 | Noah Rak |
|
FO | N/A | N/A | UMass |
| 31 | Sean Sconone (C) |
|
G | 5 ft 11 | 270 lbs | UMass |
| 33 | Landon Kramer |
|
D | 6 ft 3 in | 225 lbs | Sacred Heart |
| 41 | Justin Schwenk |
|
FO | 6 ft 0 in | 185 lbs | Virginia |
| 47 | Joe Gillis |
|
M | 6 ft 0 in | 195 lbs | Syracuse |
| 50 | Hayden La Vangie |
|
LSM | 6 ft 1 in | 195 lbs | Jacksonville |
| 51 | Brendan Collins |
|
M | 6 ft 2 in | 201 lbs | Notre Dame |
| 57 | Greg Weyl |
|
D | 6 ft 2 in | 205 lbs | Mercyhurst |
| 81 | Ryan McNamara (A) |
|
A | 5 ft 8 in | 185 lbs | Marquette |
| 88 | Andrew Helmer |
|
LSM | 6 ft 1 in | 201 lbs | Syracuse |
| 90 | Kyle Buchanan |
|
M | 5 ft 8 in | 165 lbs | Robert Morris |
| 91 | Ryan Fournier |
|
LSM | 5 ft 9 in | 190 lbs | Loyola |
(C)- captain
(A)- alternate captain
Source:[8]
References edit
- ^ a b "Major League Lacrosse Announces New Franchise: the Connecticut Hammerheads". OurSports Central. February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Major League Lacrosse Team Coming To Fairfield University". Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ Hammerheads trade Wasserman for Sands
- ^ Hammerheads sign Michael Kraus to two-year deal
- ^ Hammerheads fall 18-6 to Denver
- ^ Hammerheads get first franchise win vs. Lizards
- ^ Hammerheads rally to beat Boston
- ^ "The Hammerheads 25-man Roster is Here". Connecticut Hammerheads MLL Team. Retrieved 2020-07-07.