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June 3, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Ortolani faces off with a fight

by Andy Vogt/

It’s an all-out war, waged in a matter seconds.

When the whistle blows, the bodies crash like cymbals. And usually, the first one to show any sort of hesitation gets knocked backward, just in time to get a clear look at his opponent charging toward his goalie.

Simply put, being a faceoff specialist in lacrosse is not for the faint of heart.

“You need those guys that can roll their shoulder and stick their head into the other guy’s ear, push their legs and get the ball to one of their guys,” Boston Cannons general manager Mark Kastrud said.

It should come as no surprise, then, that John Ortolani has found success not only in this area of lacrosse, but in his other passion — mixed martial arts.

“He’s tough as nails,” Cannons coach Bill Daye said. “The kid is a competitor, he’s a fighter. Having a kid like that, he’s never going to give up.”

In the early part of the season, Ortolani was waiting for his chance to showcase his skills for Boston — the Billerica, Mass., native was one of the three players on the Cannons’ practice squad, eager to move up to one of the 23 coveted spots on the Cannons’ active roster. Ortolani lost the battle as faceoff specialist in training camp to Chris Eck, a Fairfield, Conn., native who made his Boston debut last season. The two waged continuous battles during the weekend camp sessions in May, and Ortolani doesn’t expect that to lessen throughout the year.

“I want to push him more, hopefully surpass him and take his spot,” Ortolani said bluntly.

One-on-one competition hardly is anything new for Ortolani, who began taking kung fu lessons at the age of 7 and earned his black belt when he was 14. Once in high school, he took on more traditional sports — football, wrestling and lacrosse — with a fair amount of success in each of them. On the lacrosse field, Ortolani began taking faceoffs immediately and was called up to Billerica’s varsity as a sophomore to fulfill the role.

He continued to be that guy during his career at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass. He got onto the scoresheet a bit, recording four goals and 21 assists over his final two years with the Gulls. But his faceoff numbers stand out tremendously. Daye said that a player who wins 58 percent of his draws is doing his job well. Ortolani successfully took almost 70 percent (498-of-715) over the final two years at Endicott.

Those numbers excited Boston’s front office, but the enthusiasm was understandably tempered.

“The first question is, who’s he playing?” Kastrud said. “He (wasn’t) playing Division 1 guys that are going at it 12 months a year.”

Still, with longtime Cannon Dave Jenkins retiring and last year’s faceoff man Ben DeFelice banged up, the team picked him up in December to give him a shot. Daye admitted that the Cannons were leaning toward Eck all along, as he shined in his debut against Denver in the final game last year, winning  23-of-37 battles against the Outlaws’ Geoff Snider. But Eck had to lock down the spot this spring.

“John’s been the best thing for Chris Eck,” Daye said. “We wanted competition in training camp, and those two beat the snot out of each other when they weren’t going against other guys.”

On the same subject, Ortolani has been rather adept at doing the same thing away from the lacrosse field, even though he only stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 185 pounds. He trains four days a week in mixed martial arts (MMA) disciplines, and recently had his first professional fight on May 11 after a pair of amateur bouts (1-1).

His pro debut ended in a no-contest, when the ring doctor stopped the fight after Ortolani opened up a cut under his opponent’s eye that quickly became a bloody mess. Later, it was ruled that the cut wasn’t as deep as originally feared, and the fight had been stopped prematurely.

Ortolani has a rematch scheduled after the Cannons’ season ends, but Kastrud and Daye can rest easy — he’s taking the summer off to focus on lacrosse.

“Obviously, you don’t want him to get hurt,” Daye said. “But at the end of the day, we’re not in a position to ask him not to do it.”

The battles in the ring, however, have helped him on the field. Ortolani harkens back to his wrestling days, saying the balance he learned in that sport can help him contain an opponent while he’s pushing against him. And the stamina and conditioning required in MMA has allowed him to take up to 30 draws a game and still have plenty left in the tank.

Truth is, there really isn’t one specific physical attribute that makes a good faceoff man.

“Everyone’s good for their own reason,” said Eck, who honed his skills at Colgate with fellow Cannons Colin Hulme and Matt Lalli. “It’s knowing what you have and trying to capitalize on it. If you’re straight-up stronger, it’s using your strength and size. If you’re quick, it’s trying to use your moves.”

The common bond between them, however, comes from their mental state.

“It takes someone who’s ultra-competitive,” Kastrud said. “It’s really the most measurable of contests within a lacrosse game. Two guys going at it, and 10 seconds later, you know who won and who lost. More so than any other position, it’s defined by heart and hustle.”

And certainly a love for that very specific skill. Faceoff specialists are often referred to as FOGOs (face off, get off), a phrase that can seem derogatory. But it’s more a badge of honor for players such as Ortolani and Eck.

“I love playing other parts of the game, but if I could face off every day, I’d be happy,” Ortolani said.

“It’s very demanding — more than you’d think,” Eck said. “You almost put yourself at a disadvantage if you’re running around the field. I’d love to do more than face off, but I do know what it takes to win.”

The reality, of course, is that no team can realistically carry two faceoff men. It’s too position-specific. That said, replacing one can be a tough exercise.

“You’re in a much worse spot if your faceoff guy gets hurt than if your attackman gets hurt,” Kastrud said. “You definitely want to have a Plan B.”

Entering the season, that plan was Ortolani, even though as a member of the practice squad he can be picked up by any other MLL franchise, as long as he is immediately placed on that team’s active roster. And to activate Ortolani, Boston would have to either release another player or place someone on injured reserve.

Whether Ortolani gets his chance remains to be seen. What seems certain is that he’ll continue to make his case.

Said Daye: “He’s a tenacious SOB that will fight for every possession.”