LAX is Life and Rob Pannell is LAX!

(Full disclosure ... 'til this day, all the "Pannell Kids" still call me Uncle Terry ... the highest of compliments for a close friend of the family).

(NEWPORT, RI), April 13, 2013  -- The saying that LAX is LIFE is emblazoned on T-shirts from Baltimore to Bethpage and it is amongst the coolest of slogans any sport has ever conjured up in a marketing meeting. For legions of lacrosse fans, the sport is a HUGE part of their lives.  The loyalty shown to the sport by its players, fans and LAX-Moms and Dads is impressive.

I am one.

I am a LAX Dad and I love it as I just returned back from my daughter's Winsor Wildcats game at Portsmouth Abbey (near Newport, RI). -  an 11-8 W and she had a goal.

I am also a LAX uncle.

My Long Island born and bred niece and nephews played the sport at very high levels in both high school and college. The niece, Kian, is the ONLY NCAA champion in the family, as her CW POST Pioneers took the Div II title among several trips to the LAX Final 4. The rest of the crew were all-county and went on to play some serious lacrosse in college.

As an extended "Uncle," I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with my HS buddy, Bobby, and watch his son perform at a level of the sport very few ever achieve.  Not only is it amazing to watch as a fan, it's truly inspirational to see the dozens and dozens of family members pile into cars and make the trek to see their kids play, up and down the East Coast.

Increasingly, the sport is being played at high levels by thousands of kids in Colorado, Texas, California and throughout the midwest, where schools like Notre Dame sit high in the Top 10 rankings ... at least until they played my alma mater, St. John's... but that's a BLOG POST for another day.

I really enjoy watching lacrosse.

It's hard to switch back-and-forth between the (outdoor) men's and women's games and its even HARDER to switch from the indoor version to the outdoor.  The outdoor is strategy and spacing, control and passing.  The outdoor game is all about patience, working the ball and getting very good shots.

The indoor game is... MAYHEM!

The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is as physical and game that exists on earth.  The NHL? UFC, Rugby? Forget it.  Pansies.

The NLL is tough.

Most lacrosse aficionados prefer the outdoor game as it is pure, as in 5-on-5 basketball to 3-on-3, as is the NFL to the Arena Football League... you get my drift.  I find both the outdoor and indoor versions of lacrosse equally fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable to a fan. I hope to get/stay involved in LAX, as our local Major League Lacrosse franchise, the Boston Cannons, face it off at Harvard very soon.

Until then, I'll be making the short ride over to Providence to see the Cornell Big Red play vs. Brown with hopes of seeing some amazing play, just as Bobby and I did when we stood together at Harvard Stadium a week ago and saw this...

Rob Pannell Nominated for ESPY

Rob Pannell, the NCAA, Ivy League and Cornell lacrosse player of the year, has been nominated for an ESPY award.  You can vote for him by visiting Cornell's news page - click HERE.

Rob Pannell (3) in the 2009 NCAA Championship game

The ESPYs, an award show hosted by ESPN, is a celebration of the best sports moments and athletes of the year. The 2011 ESPYs will be held on Wednesday, July 13th at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, Calif.  Fans can vote to select the winners online or by mobile device by July 9 at espn.com/espys or on the ESPN Facebook page: facebook.com/espn. Additionally, fans can follow the official ESPYs Twitter page: @ESPYs. 

Joining Pannell in the Best Male College Athlete category is: Jimmer Fredette (BYU Basketball), Andy Miele (Miami-Ohio Hockey), Cam Newton (Auburn Football), and Kemba Walker (Connecticut Basketball). 

In addition to being named the USILA Player of the Year, Pannell also repeated as the Jack Turnbull Award winner as the Division I national attackman of the year. He is a three-time All-American and is the reigning two-time Ivy League Player of the Year. He led the nation in points per game (5.24), while ranking second overall in assists per game (2.76), and 10th overall in goals per game (2.47). He was also the first Big Red player since 2001 to lead Cornell in points, goals and assists in the same season. Pannell owns the longest point-scoring streak in the nation, having registered at least one point in each of his 52 career games, and he has the most career assists (140) and career points (236) of any active player in Division I men's lacrosse. 

The ESPYs and related events benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research in memory of the late Jim Valvano.

Dear Boston Globe ....

I enjoyed the note today on the NCAA Lacrosse Championship and the Bay State flavor of the tournament rightfully recognized by your column in the great Boston Globe. 

See:

NCAA lacrosse finals have Bay State flavor

Several area lacrosse players are on teams playing in the NCAA men's lacrosse championships this weekend at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

Danno Lynch of Medfield netted 19 goals as a sophomore midfielder for Division 3 finalist Gettysburg College, whose roster includes freshman goalkeeper Jim LeClerc of Acton.

The Division 2 final features two former Tri-Valley League rivals, with C.W. Post senior midfielder Chris Fraser of Ashland on one side and LeMoyne sophomore midfielder Jikado Hanna of Hopkinton on the other.

Division 1 players include Duke sophomore defender Jason Orlando of Sudbury, a Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High grad, and Cornell freshman defender T.J. Weyl of Medfield and the Noble & Greenough School.

TL NOTE:   I am thrilled to see the high level of lacrosse being played throughout Massachusetts, and I pay tribute to Coaches Tom Ryan and Randy Fraser of the Boston Blazers, along with top pro indoor players like Dan Dawson, Mitch Belisle and the rest of the Blazers team for helping the sport grow.  Now, as spring comes along, I look forward to watching the Boston Cannons play at Harvard. Let's get behind the Cannons, people.

As I've very recently relocated from NYC to Boston, I have to pay tribute to my former State, the Empire State of New York and make note of this fact so my new neighbors in Mass welcome the NY State of Mind to the Commonwealth and the great and growing sport of Massachusetts lacrosse:

NY State of LAX: FACT:

Div I title will go to either Cornell (Ithaca, NY) or Syracuse (Syracuse, NY)

Div II title went to CW Post (Brookville, NY/Long Island)

Div III title went to Cortland State (Cortland, NY).

The tourney will switch to Baltimore for a few years, but let's be sure the LAX spirit remains alive and well by supporting the Cannons and the Blazers.  

Here's to Harvard, the NCAA, Gillette Stadium and the rest of Massachusetts for a great job of hosting the NCAA tourney.

Sincerely,

Terry Lyons

Newton Centre, Mass

proud uncle of an NCAA champion CW Post women's team player, Kian Lyons.

15-6 ...so, "See You Monday."

Rob Pannell was named top star of the game with three goals and three assists. He's made his immediate and extended family very proud. The NCAA Championship game is Monday at 1pm at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. It will be telecast on ESPN.

See game story:

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- With more than a little magic in the air, underdog Cornell controlled top-seeded Virginia from start to finish, advancing to the program's first NCAA title contest in 21 years with a 15-6 victory over the Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stradium. The Big Red's NCAA semifinal triumph sets up a Central New York showdown for the Division I title, as Cornell will face No. 2 Syracuse, a 17-7 winner over No. 3 Duke, on Monday at 1 p.m. in a game that will be televised by ESPN. The Big Red improved to 13-3 overall, while Virginia's season ended with a 15-3 record.

Cornell held the high-powered Cavalier offense to two goals in the first half while running out to an 8-2 edge and never trailed after opening the game with a 3-0 lead. The Big Red avenged an early-season loss at Virginia and will attempt to do the same against the Orange to claim the program's fourth NCAA title on Memorial Day.

Freshman Rob Pannell was again fearless in the face of pressure, putting up his second six-point day of the season against Virginia with three goals and three assists to lead the offense. Junior Ryan Hurley broke out of a slump in a big way with three goals and an assist, while both Chris Finn (three goals) and Rocco Romero (two goals, one assist) also had three-point days. Tewaaraton Trophy candidate Max Seibald had a goal and an assist, as did David Lau, whose father scored a goal for the Big Red in the 1977 national championship game.

Defensively, Jake Myers had eight saves and was steady throughout in front of a defense that has limited its opponents to last opponents (No. 4 seed Princeton and No. 1 seed Virginia) to a combined 10 goals. Pierce Derkac and Matt Moyer combined for five ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Max Feely and Michael Howe were among the defenders who made a difference in limiting the Hoos throughout.

Virginia All-American attackman Danny Glading was held relatively in check by the Big Red defense, posting two goals and an assist. That total was matched by Steele Stanwick, while Garrett Billings chipped in a goal and an assist. Goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman made five saves and allowed all 15 goals, while Ken Clausen record three of the team’s 13 caused turnovers. Former Dartmouth player Chad Gaudet won nine face-offs and scooped up a game-high five groundballs.

The Big Red held a 37-27 advantage in shots and a 32-30 edge in ground balls. The Cavaliers held a slight edge in face-offs (13-12) and turned Cornell more (20-18).

The championship game matchup will be the third time in the teams have met in the NCAA tournament and the second time Cornell and Syracuse will meet for the title. The two squads squared off for the 1988 title, with the Orange taking a 13-8 victory. A crowd of 36,594, the seventh-highest NCAA semifinal attendance, watched the upset.

The teams traded possessions to open the game with a Myers’ save thwarted by a Cornell turnover, but the Big Red got the ball back thanks to an unforced miscue by the Cavaliers. After several Cornell shots missed the mark, Hurley took the ball from the left corner, dodged past his man to the center of the field and fed Finn, who converted up high from five yards out. Less than a minute later a loose ball in front of the Virginia goal led to a Cornell score as Jon Thomson beat Adam Ghitelman to the ball and scored on the empty net to make it a 2-0 game at the 10:38 mark.

After another Virginia turnover, the Big Red earned a 30-second man-up opportunity and Pannell fed Hurley right in front of the crease. The junior attackman spun to his left and beat Ghitelman up high to make it a 3-0 Cornell advantage with 9:27 to play in the quarter.

The Cavaliers backed up an errant shot to get possession and All-American Danny Glading got the top-seed on the board as he drove to the cage and scored from point-blank range to make it a 3-1 contest. An unassisted goal by Pannell, who rolled around the right side of the cage and beat Ghitelman over his right shoulder, gave the three-goal advantage back to the Big Red.

After winning the restart, the Big Red saw an extended possession ended by a moving pick call, which gave Virginia the ball with 2:40 to play in the quarter. The Cavaliers advanced the ball into their offensive zone and Coach Dom Starsia called a timeout, but the Big Red forced a turnover in front of the crease and the offense went back to work with 1:30 remaining in the quarter. Outstanding defensive pressure by the Cavaliers shut down Cornell’s last second attempt, but the Big Red took the 4-1 lead into the first intermission.

Just 37 seconds into the second quarter, Romero pushed the lead to four goals as he streaked down the right alley and beat Ghitelman down low.

It took nearly 10 minutes for the Big Red to score again, but Romero found Hurley cutting to the crease and the All-American turned and shot in one motion to make it a 6-1 game with 4:58 remaining in the opening half. Just over one minute later, Shamel Bratton ended the Cavaliers’ 17:32 scoring drought and cut the deficit to four goals.

Virginia won the en suing face-off, but turned the ball over in front of the crease and Cornell’s transition offense made them pay as Austin Boykin registered the first tournament point of his career when he found Pannell, who scored from 10 yards out. Pannell set up the Big Red’s next goal, as Finn registered a man-up goal to make it an 8-2 game with 2:21 to play in the second quarter. A save by Myers gave Cornell the ball back with one minute to play in the half, but the Big Red could not convert and took an 8-2 lead into half time.



Myers opened the third quarter with back-to-back saves and the offense rewarded its goalie when Finn scored a goal off a pass from Glynn to make it a 9-2 game at the 13:31 mark. After flying out of the gates in the first two minutes, the two saves seemed to take some steam out of the Cavaliers, and the goal deflated them even more.

Virginia won the restart, but Derkac caused a turnover at the sideline and the offense went back to work. Cornell ran several minutes of the clock, but a turnover gave the ball back to the Cavaliers and a Big Red penalty gave Virginia its first man-up opportunity of the day. The Big Red killed the penalty, but Glading found Stanwick on the crease to make it a six-goal game at the 9:29 mark.

Just over one minute later, some defensive confusion by the Cavaliers left Hurley wide open behind the crease. Pannell quickly found his favorite target and Hurley rolled around the crease, faked high and beat Ghitelman low to make it a 10-3 contest.

Cornell won the restart, but a turnover led to another Stanwick goal on the other end, making it a 10-4 game with 6:34 to go in the quarter.

After the teams traded possessions off turnovers on each end, Romero found Seibald sprinting into the box. The senior midfielder took two steps, drew the double-team and fed the ball back to Romero, who beat Ghitelman up high from 10 yards out to push Cornell’s lead back to seven goals.

Cornell managed to get the ball back with just over two minutes to play in the quarter. The Big Red managed several shots in the waning seconds, but couldn’t find the cage, as it took the 11-4 lead into the final intermission.

Virginia wasted no time scoring in the fourth quarter, as Garrett Billings scored from close range just 44 seconds in, off a pass by Stanwick. A brilliant Ghitleman save thwarted the Big Red’s first offensive possession, but after a Virginia crease violation gave the ball back to Cornell, David Lau found the back of the net for his first goal of the tournament.

A failed clear by the Big Red gave the ball to Virginia and Glading tallied his second of the day, to make it a 12-6 game, but the Big Red answered just 11 seconds later when Lang picked up the ground ball off the face off, streaked unabated to the crease and bounced a shot past Ghitelman to make it a 13-6 game with 9:42 to play. Cornell pushed the lead back to eight when Seibald ripped a corner with 8:37 left to end his scoring on the day.

Pannell added to the lead at the 6:09 mark of the fourth quarter when he took a pass from Lau on the edge of the crease and bounced the goal into the net. On the play, Virginia’s Matt Kelly was whistled for an unnecessary roughness penalty by sending Lau to the turf. On the ensuing man-advantage, the Big Red was content to work the ball around the offensive zone, eating away precious seconds as the one-minute penalty expired. As Kelly was released, a pair of penalty flags were thrown to the side of the cage, but the Big Red maintained possession for another 2:45 before play was stopped. When the flags were finally sorted out, Chris Conlan was called for slashing and cross-checking and Ryan Nizolek was called for a slash as well.

The Big Red wasn’t threatened late despite each team turning it over twice in the final two minutes. Cornell controlled the ball in the final seconds, running the clock down to zero before a rather subdued celebration prior to the handshake line.

Lax is Life ... Growing up ... Baseball to Lacrosse on LI

As I write this, I am on the northbound Amtrak Regional 88, travelling a few hours later than I had hoped. Original plans called for an 8am Acela, with a connection via Rt. 128 out to Gillette Stadium to watch the men's NCAA Lacrosse Final Four semifinals where Cornell is facing Virginia in the 'nightcap" after Syracuse drilled Duke 17-7 in this afternoon's opener. In the past year or so, since a Memorial Weekend drive to Gillette/Foxborough last year, to the day, I became very interested in the sport. It was a sport that I enjoyed with friends in high school but played only on a rare few days when hockey wasn't king.

Since that time, the Lyons family has enjoyed quite a run with the younger generation of the family all playing lacrosse competitively and quite successfully. Most recently, my niece, K, participated in her third straight women's Div II Final Four for C.W. Post. They have won a national title while playing runner-up in the last two.

Then, our affiliation with the Boston Blazers indoor lacrosse league (NLL) and the Boston Cannons outdoor lax (MLL) further increased my admiration for the game and appreciation for the talented players who compete, especially Dan Dawson and Mitch Belisle of the Blazers - two huge players who also happen to be fans of Johnnie's on the Side restaurant in Boston, 138 Portland Street... just a block from the TD Garden and a few doors down from the Blazers' 200 Portland St offices.

Well, as I write, the Cornell Big Red are hammering the University of Virginia, 15-6, with a little less than four minutes in their semifinal. Looks like a Syracuse vs. Cornell national championship game coming this Monday at Gillette where we'll be doing some tail-gating along with my good high school buddy, Bob and his charming wife Susan and the family. Their son, an All-American attackman for Cornell as a freshman is among the top crop of Long Island-based lacrosse plyers who make up a huge part of the big-time LAX programs from the likes of Balimore to the northeast to a growing portion of the athletes in the Denver/Colo Springs area to a legion of players from Ontario and Western Canada.

Here is a cool "ESPN Sports Nation" chat with Rob held prior to the semi-final today and check out ESPN's terrific coverage of the sport tat makes NHL hockey look like a day at the ballet.

Tim Pelham NY: Rob, What's it like as a freshman quarterbacking an offense that is midfield dominated? Your play reminds many of the late great Eamon Mac, did you ever see him play?

Rob Pannell: Unfortunately for me I have never seen Eamon play but have heard many great things about the player and teammate he was. That is quite the compliment. As for quarterbacking an offense with such a dominate midfield, it just makes my job that much easier. Max, Johnny, and Rocco are all great players who know the game very well and have helped in my transition to the college game. They are also great to have on the other side of your passes because they are all great scorers.

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Ivyman, Litigious, NY: Cornell is a whole lot different from Quinnipiac where you were heavily recruited. What attracted you to each school, and were you recruited by any other Ivies??

Rob Pannell: What attracted me to Quinnipiac was that it was a beautiful campus and it was very close to home so that my parents could make the trip to all my games. Cornell however, is a longer trip. Cornells reputation as an ivy league school and the great education I would receive while here along with the tradition and success of the program is what attracted me. Coach Tambroni is also an incredible coach who I have had the opportunity to play for. I was also recruited by Brown and Harvard, but Cornell seemed like the right choice for me.

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Will: Sachem, New York: Rob, You played for Smithtown West and played in a number of rivalry games on Long Island against Smithtown East and others, did you gain experience from high school that helped you against a rival like Princeton?

Rob Pannell: Playing in those games aginst against rival opponents in high school such as West Islip, Ward Melville, Smithtown East and both Sachem schools along with others definitely helped in playing against a rival like Princeton. Being able to come out confident and compete in the big games at the high level necessary and this started in high school. Also losing some of those games in high school makes you want to win them that much more in the next opportunities you get which have come for me here at Cornell.

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Zach (Lexington SC): Rob, with the fresh young talent that the Ivy League has (with you leading the way), how excited are you that your League is on the way back up as one of elite conferences in the nation?

Rob Pannell: It's great knowing that you are able to compete against the best and having the Ivy League increasing in talent year after year just makes it that more fun to compete and prepare harder for each opponent. With players like Weidmaier and Fiorito on Princeton and other freshmen in the league the talent is increasing each year and continuing to be competitive which is great.

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Lorrie: How's does it feel to be the Ivy League Rookie of the Year?

Rob Pannell: Its an incredible honor to be named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, knowing the people who have one it in the past such as Max Seibald. Knowing that I was awarded the honor over other freshmen such as Weidmaier and Fiorito on Princeton is quite the honor being that they both had unbelievable seasons as well.

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Dustin(Edina, MN): Rob - How is your team planning on slowing down Virginia's transition game?

Rob Pannell: On offense we are hoping to control the ball and take best shot available as much as possible and at times we think we can run with them. They are a incredibly athletic team thought and is tough for any team to run and gun with them for 60 minutes.

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Laxfan: Rob, Who would you say your biggest and craziest fan is?

Rob Pannell: I would have to say my biggest fan is my mom who is at every game and always there cheering me on, although my sister and uncle are probably going to be mad I didnt say them. Unfortunately I am not as lucky as Rocco Romero on Cornell to have a crazy fan in the pep band, so I would have to say my craziest fan is my sister who although doesnt make it to all my games, is always watching them on the computer and telling everyone she knows about me.

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James (CT): Rob, was lacrossse your favorite sport growing up? Did you play in your town or elite travel teams?

Rob Pannell: Growing up I was always a big baseball player and had never considered playing lacrosse till 5th grade which is old compared to the age kids start now. The decision to make the transition from baseball to lacrosse was definitely one of the best ones I have ever made though. When I was young I always played on my town teams and during high school I played on Team Long Island during the summer which was a blast.

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Jim Franklin Lakes, NJ: Rob what has the coaching staff done recently to get the team prepared for success? You've been playing great team lacrosee recently.

Rob Pannell: Our coaching staff has just been stressing our senior leadership and allowing our seniors to lead the way for us with all the experience they have had in their 4 years here. Coach Tambroni is an incredible motivator and gets the best out of our team in practice everyday. Our preperation in practice has been the key to our success.

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Jason (Ithaca, NY): Hey Rob, can you talk a little about the leadership of this year's senior class, and what they've done to help prepare some of the underclassmen in getting ready for these huge games.

Rob Pannell: With the 4 years our seniors have experienced here at Cornell having won 4 Ivy League championships and having been to 1 final four already they know what it takes to compete at the highest level and win at that level as well. Our underclassmen look for them to lead our team and show us the way to victory and thus far they have done that.

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Jared, NY: Rob, I hope you are happy with your Cornell decision. How have you enjoyed campus life high above Cayugas waters? Good luck Saturday!

Rob Pannell: The campus has been great. Your always discovering something new to do. It has everything someone would need while away at college and the gorges are unique compared to other college campuses. Thank you for your support.

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Brent (Wayne, PA): Who do you think the best defenseman in the NCAA is now?

Rob Pannell: The NCAA is full of great defensemen and I am going to be facing a few of them this Saturday. Chad Weidameir on Princeton is one of the better defensemen I have faced this year. Syracuse and Duke also have great players on defense who will be showcasing their talents this weekend. As for saying who is the best, I havent faced all of them, but there are a bunch of great defensemen who do particular things well that other do not.
One of them happens to be on my team as well in Matt Moyer.

Good night

Half of the crowd is gonzo. Half empty is answer.

Good night and Good luck. Go Cornell at the NCAAs Final 4 Lax and best wishes on a great season for the CW Post Pioneers. K Lyons made her third NCAA Div II Final 4 with one championship ring to boast. Not bad.