August 20, 2009
Rabil named MLL MVP
by PR Wire Report/
When Paul Rabil was named Major League Lacrosse's Offensive Player of the Year Wednesday, Cannons fans had good reason to expect it wouldn't be the last award he'd pick up this season. After all, the past three winners of the offensive player honor went on to be named the league's most valuable player.
Rabil made it four straight Thursday when the league announced that he had been selected as the 2009 Most Valuable Player. The award was based on the votes submitted by the head coaches and general managers of each of the league’s six teams.
Coming off a 34-point rookie season, Rabil totaled 53 points, leading the league in scoring. Rabil, who graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2008 as the school’s all-time leader in goals and assists for a midfielder, finished this season second in MLL with eight two-point goals, demonstrating that he is a threat from anywhere on the field.
This season, Rabil was named Game MVP twice. The first honor came for his performance in Week 3 against the Chicago Machine, when he opened up the game with a two-point goal. In Week 6, he punished the Washington Bayhawks with a nine-point game, helping the Cannons win by a 10-goal margin. He has also earned MLL Offensive Player of the Week honors twice this season.
Rabil scored in each of the 12 regular-season games this year, averaging more than 4 points per game. This key contributor is a critical element to the Cannons’ lineup, not only putting points on the board but stepping up his game in transition as well.
The 2009 MLL scoring leader will be in the spotlight for the fourth-seeded Cannons when they take on the top-seeded Denver Outlaws in a semifinal Saturday.
MLL MVPs
| 2001 | Ryan Powell | Rochester Rattlers |
| 2002 | Greg Cattrano | Baltimore Bayhawks |
| 2003 | Jay Jalbert | Long Island Lizards |
| 2004 | Conor Gill | Boston Cannons |
| 2005 | Gary Gait | Baltimore Bayhawks |
| Mark Millon | Boston Cannons | |
| 2006 | Ryan Powell | San Francisco Dragons |
| 2007 | John Grant Jr. | Rochester Rattlers |
| 2008 | John Grant Jr. | Rochester Rattlers |
| 2009 | Paul Rabil | Boston Cannons |
Rabil earned seven first-place votes, adding up to 44 points. Merrick Thomson of the Toronto Nationals finished second in the voting, with three first-place votes and 27 points.
Rabil and Thomson will be in Annapolis, Md., this weekend. Rabil and the Cannons will face the Outlaws in the first playoff game Saturday at noon. Thomson and the Nationals play the Long Island Lizards in the second semifinal at 3 p.m.
The winner of Saturday’s semifinals will advance to the championship game, which will be played Sunday.
