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Major League Lacrosse to Rochester for 2011 Season
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Championship Coach O'Hara Returns to Guide Team

ROCHESTER, NY - RocLax LLC Owner & CEO Robert Clark announced today that Major League Lacrosse will be returning to Rochester for the 2011 season. The team, nicknamed the Rattlers, will feature the best players in the world and will play its home games at Marina Auto Stadium.

The Rattlers were a charter member of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) beginning play in 2001. In eight seasons in Rochester, the Rattlers compiled a 55-45 record capturing the National Division championship in 2004. The club's greatest triumph came in 2008 when it won the MLL Championship, posting a 9-3 record en route to winning the Steinfeld Cup with a 16-6 win over the Denver Outlaws.

"The MLL is very excited to be returning to Rochester" said MLL Commissioner David Gross. The Rattlers had some of the most passionate and dedicated fans in the league and we're thrilled that they will have the opportunity to enjoy MLL action again. We had the opportunity to work with Rob Clark and his staff this past summer and believe that Rob and his crew will do an excellent job growing the fan base in the region and running a first class operation."

In addition, the club announced that B. J. O'Hara would be returning to lead the team as head coach. "B.J. O'Hara's resume made him the obvious choice to lead the Rattlers" said RocLax LLC Owner and CEO Robert Clark. "B.J. was a huge part of the success the Rattlers realized over the years, culminating with a championship in 2008. We feel very fortunate to have B.J."

O'Hara first joined the Rattlers after being named their second head coach in 2004. In five seasons at the helm O'Hara guided the team to a 38-24 mark and four playoff appearances. During that time the Rattlers finished first overall in their conference twice (2004, 2008) and won the 2008 MLL Championship. O'Hara spent the 2010 MLL season as the head coach of the Chicago Machine. Before the professional ranks, O'Hara's coaching career took him to a number of NCAA Division I and III institutions. As a head and assistant coach, O'Hara has been a member of nine NCAA Championship coaching staffs. He was the Head Lacrosse Coach at Hobart College, Dartmouth College and Alfred University. O'Hara was also an assistant coach at Syracuse, Hobart, RPI and North Carolina State.

As a player at Hobart College, O'Hara twice earned All-American honors at attack. In his senior season, he was named Co-Captain and a First-Team All American, and was selected to play in the North-South Game. As a junior, he was named to the USILA Third Team. O'Hara finished his Hobart career ranked second on the all time scoring list with 280 points (163-117) and he held the Hobart career record for goals until 1991. He was inducted into the Upstate New York Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame in 1995, the Hobart College Hall of Fame in 1998 and the US Lacrosse Greater Rochester Chapter Hall of Fame in November 2010.

"BJ's experience and understanding of the league has made him one of the top coaches in the MLL" said Rattlers President and COO Pat Ercoli. "He is highly respected by his peers and has earned the right to defend his 2008 championship as the head coach of the Ratters."

The Rochester Rattlers have retained 23 players from the Chicago Machine franchise for the 2011 season. A complete roster is available at www.rochesterrattlers.com. Three of the notable players are:

Ned Crotty - 2010 MLL Rookie of the Year, led all rookies in scoring with 24 points in seven games.
Casey Powell - MLL all-time leader with 388 points, second in assists 186 and seventh in goals 197.
Matt Streibel - Member of MLL Championship teams in 2004, 2006 & 2007, Named MVP in 2007.

Major League Lacrosse is comprised of six teams across the US and Canada. The Boston Cannons, Long Island Lizards, and Chesapeake (formerly Baltimore, Washington) Bayhawks have been members of the League since its inception in 2001. The Denver Outlaws began play in 2006 as part of the League's western expansion. The Toronto Nationals joined the MLL in 2009 as the League's first international team.

Major League Lacrosse games will once again be featured on ESPN2 in 2011. The network has been the national television home of Major League Lacrosse since 2003, when the two parties agreed on a two-year commitment. In 2007, Major League Lacrosse and ESPN reached an agreement that extended their relationship through the 2016 season, which is the longest commitment that any television outlet has given to a lacrosse entity.

The partnership between the MLL and ESPN continued to grow in 2007, when ESPN360.com, ESPN's signature broadband network, streamed its first MLL game live. MLL games continue to be streamed live on ESPN3 and are archived on the website for a period of one week.

In addition to ESPN, the 2008 season also marked the first time in League history that every regular season MLL game was broadcast live on regional sports networks throughout the country including Time Warner Cable.

For more information contact the Rattlers Communications Office at (585) 454-5425.

About Major League Lacrosse

Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was founded by Jake Steinfeld and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Major League Lacrosse commenced play in June of 2001. The MLL is comprised of six teams located in Boston, Chesapeake, Denver, Long Island, Rochester and Toronto.

Major League Lacrosse's 2011 All Star Game will take place on July 9 at Harvard Stadium in Boston. The 2011 MLL Championship Weekend, presented by Warrior, is scheduled for August 27 & 28 at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, MD.

For more information, please visit the Official League website at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.

Last edited by BoardLord; . Reason: Updated Press Release Issued
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Re: Major League Lacrosse to Rochester for 2011 Season
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Gary Gait to Join Rochester for 2011 Season

The storied career of lacrosse legend Gary Gait will continue for at least one more season as the forward agreed to a one-year deal with the Rochester Knighthawks.

"I stayed in shape and continued to work out," said Gait, who will enter his 18th season in the NLL in 2011. "I want to help them transition into a really young team and, with the injury situation, I want to help them out."

During the past two seasons, Gait played for the Knighthawks and collected 69 points (38+31) in 22 games. The Victoria, BC, native ranks second in league history in goals (634), fourth in assists (526) and second in points (1,160). His re-signing strengthens the right side of the Rochester offense.

"He looks better than he did last year," said Knighthawks Owner and GM Curt Styres. "He looks smooth out on the floor."

The 43 year old has achieved unprecedented success, winning three National Lacrosse League titles (1991, 1994-95), three Major League Lacrosse titles (2001-02, 2005), three Mann Cups (1991, 1997 and 1999), the Heritage Cup (2004) and the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) World Championship (2006). He also captured three NCAA championships with the Syracuse University Orange. He brings that winning mantra to a retooled Knighthawks team that includes 12 newcomers this season.

"We are a really young team. Providing experience to the younger guys is primarily what I will be doing to help the team," said Gait.

Gait has also won his share of individual awards, earning league MVP honors a record six times, including five in a row (1995-99) and receiving All-Pro status 15 straight seasons. In 2006, he was selected as one of five charter members of the league's Hall of Fame.

Gait returned to the game after retiring from the NLL in 2005 after playing 15 seasons in the NLL and made his second comeback in 2009 with the Knighthawks. He has had to balance his NLL schedule with his duties as the head coach for the Syracuse University women's lacrosse team. Having grown up in Western Canada, however, he has become accustomed to traveling every weekend to play lacrosse.

"I am certainly adept to it. Traveling will not adversely affect me because it is something I enjoy," said Gait, who enters his fourth season as the SU women's coach. "Staying busy is a good thing."

The Knighthawks will open the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, January 15th against the Toronto Rock at 7:35 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena.

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Rochester Knighthawks Owner and General Manager Curt Styres announced the signing of defenseman Pat McCready to a one-year deal. McCready is thus reunited with his former team and his nephew, Joel, who plays transition for the Knighthawks.

"I am lucky to be with such a great organization," said McCready. "It is one of the best teams to play for in the league."

Pat McCready enters his 16th season in the National Lacrosse League and sixth season with the Knighthawks. The 36 year old has won two NLL titles, 1997 with Rochester and 2008 with Buffalo, and played in six NLL Finals.

"It feels great ... it's a bonus to play with some of the guys I played with before and my nephew," he said. "Paul Day brought me here from Charlotte and we won it all the next year. I am glad to be back."

After spending last season with the Toronto Rock, he has 348 points (130+218) and 1,398 loose balls in 188 games. He is a welcome addition to the Rochester defense. "We were looking for lefty d-men and he is as good as they get," said Styres.

Another member of the Knighthawks is equally impressed with his career. Joel McCready grew up watching his uncle play in Rochester and now finally has a chance to play alongside one of his idols. Joel will give up his No. 10, which he wore out of respect for his uncle the past two seasons. Since Pat wore the number first with the Knighthawks, Joel is switching to No. 4 this season.

"It has been a dream of mine since Pee Wee lacrosse," said Joel McCready. "It's going to be a great season."

In league history, Pat McCready is fourth all-time in loose balls and third in penalty minutes (414). The St. Catharines, Ontario, native played five seasons in Rochester (1997-01), and recorded 42 goals, 66 assists, 253 loose balls and 115 penalty minutes in 51 games.

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Rochester, NY ... Gary Gait ends one career today to focus on another, as one of the greatest players in the history of professional lacrosse leaves to concentrate his coaching career. The 43-year-old Gait departs after playing 18 seasons in the National Lacrosse League and three with the Rochester Knighthawks.

"The franchise has been great to me. They asked me to play and I did, and now it's time to focus on coaching the Syracuse Women and the Hamilton Nationals."

The 43-year-old Gait enters his fourth season as the head coach of the Syracuse University women's lacrosse team. In the past three seasons, he has led the Orange to a 47-15 record and two trips to the national semifinals (2008 and 2010). Gait was named the second head coach in the history of the Syracuse women's lacrosse program in August 2007. In his first season at the helm, he was named the Northeast Region Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA).

This summer, he will team up with Regy Thorpe as an assistant coach with the Hamilton Nationals of Major League Lacrosse.

"I am excited to be coaching on the men's side again and being back in the MLL," said Gait, who will work alongside Thorpe who brought him out of retirement in 2005 to join the Rochester Knighthawks.

Gait was acquired on October 15, 2008 from the Colorado Mammoth for forward Andrew Potter and Rochester's first-round draft picks in 2009 and 2010. He signed with Rochester two weeks later and on January 11, 2009 he made his long anticipated return. It was worth the wait for Knighthawks fans, as Gait netted five goals, including the 600th of his career, on opening night.

"It was a very special moment to have Gary a part of the Knighthawks family for a couple of seasons," said Thorpe. "He touched the hearts of the Knighthawks fans. He was the best to ever play the game."

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