The Ohio Machine stormed back from a fourth-quarter hole to take a 17-15 victory against the Rochester Rattlers to continue its playoff push.
Working with a 15-13 deficit and just over six minutes on the clock, the Machine (7-6) checked off four straight goals to take a 17-15 lead. Machine attackman Steele Stanwick scored the 16th and 17th to give Ohio a lead it didn’t relinquish.
The win left the Machine in solo fourth in the Major League Lacrosse standings and in control of its own playoff destiny. The loss put Rochester (9-4) in a tie for first in the league with the Denver Outlaws.
The two teams traded a pair of goals each to start the game before the Machine had a goal ruled out for a crease violation. Machine attackman Marcus Holman made up for the call moments later with his second goal of the game to make it 3-2 in favor of Ohio. After Rochester equaled the score, Stanwick scored a buzzer-beater to give Ohio a 4-3 lead to end the quarter.
Holman completed his first-half hat trick to start the second quarter before midfielder Kyle Harrison made it 6-3 in favor of the Machine. Midfielder Peter Baum answered a Rochester goal with the first 2-point tally of his career, giving Ohio a four-goal lead. The Rattlers picked up two more goals before another Stanwick strike and Holman’s fourth put the Machine ahead, 10-7, going into the half.
Rochester kicked off the second half with a pair of goals before Holman tallied his fifth goal on a powerplay, making it 11-9 in favor of the Machine. The Rattlers answered with three goals in a row before Ohio face-off man Bobby Dattilo scored straight from the draw to tie the game. Mark Cockerton tallied a goal with less than a second in the quarter to give Rochester a 13-12 lead going into the fourth.
The Rattlers worked their way to a 15-13 lead to start the final quarter, but Holman picked up the Machine club-record for goals in a game with his sixth of the night. Midfielder Kevin Cooper added another 34 seconds later to tie the game. Stanwick finished off his second straight hat trick to give Ohio a 16-15 lead with 3:27 remaining on the clock.
Holman’s six goals led the game while Stanwick added four and Cooper finished with two. Stanwick, Holman, Baum and Cooper each had two assists in the game as Holman tied a club record with eight total points.
Goalie Brian Phipps picked up the win after making 18 saves on 33 shots against. Dattilo finished eight-of-17 on face-offs with six ground balls while Eric O’Brien went nine-of-16 at the midfield X.
Dave Lawson and Mark Cockerton each had four goals for the Rattlers and Jordan MacIntosh tallied two goals and two assists for four total points. Rochester goalie John Galloway finished with 14 saves as well as 14 goals against in the loss.
The Machine will conclude its regular season against the Florida Launch Saturday, August 9, at Selby Stadium in Delaware, Ohio. Face-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the MLL YouTube Network.
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