Lizards send seven to Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game

The Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game may be in Houston, but it will have a New York flavor to it.

Seven members of the 8-0 Lizards will appear in the game, which will take place on Saturday at 7 p.m. at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Attack Rob Pannell, from Smithtown, headlines the group. The the third-year player is tied for the league lead in points with 42. Pannell has 24 goals and 18 assists.

Midfielders JoJo Marasco and Paul Rabil, defensemen Joe Fletcher and Kyle Hartzell, goalie Drew Adams, and faceoff specialist Greg Gurenlian are the Lizards' other all-stars.

Rabil, who joined the Lizards in the offseason after seven seasons with the Boston Cannons, has paired with Pannell to help give the Lizards the league's highest scoring offense. Rabil is third in the league in points (36), with 19 goals (including a pair of two-pointers) and 15 assists.

Marasco has been one the league's best offensive midfielders, ranking sixth at the position in points with 19 (11 goals, eight assists).

Fletcher and Hartzell have helped anchor a Lizards defense which has allowed the fewest goals in MLL (86). Fletcher also is fourth at the position in groundballs (33) and Hartzell has added 10 of his own.

Adams has also done his part to keep opponents off the scoreboard, ranking second with a .580 save percentage .

Gurenlian will round out the team's contingent in Houston, and for the fifth straight season, "The Beast" leads MLL in faceoff percentage. His .784 success rate this year is more than 16 percent better than the league's next best specialist, fellow all-star Anthony Kelly of the Denver Outlaws.

After the all-star break, these seven players and their teammates will look to lead the Lizards (who have a three-game lead over second-place Ohio) to their first title since 2003. The Lizards host the 1-7 Charlotte Hounds on June 20 at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium at 7 p.m.