August 20, 2010
Poskay named MLL MVP
by PR Wire Report/
Matt Poskay of the Boston Cannons has been named Major League Lacrosse MVP. (photo: Boston Cannons)
Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, announced Thursday that Boston Cannons attackman Matt Poskay has been selected as the 2010 Bud Light MLL Most Valuable Player.
The award was based on the votes submitted by the head coaches and general manager of each of the league’s six teams.
This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Bud Light MVP winner is also the Warrior Offensive Player of the Year. It was announced Tuesday that Poskay earned the Warrior Offensive Player of the Year award.
Poskay, a 2006 graduate of the University of Virginia, was picked by the Boston Cannons with the 12th overall selection in the MLL Collegiate Draft. Poskay became an immediate star and scoring threat for the Cannons. Over his first three seasons, he averaged 27 goals per season.
Then in early 2009, Poskay had a major personal set-back when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Poskay would not allow the cancer treatments to stand in his way of playing lacrosse. He would receive his treatments and get just enough rest during the week to be able to play for the Cannons on the weekends. He finished the 2009 season with 15 goals in seven games played.
This season, Poskay moved from midfield to attack to give the Cannons more firepower. The move paid off immediately, as Poskay scored at least four goals in each of the Cannons' first five games.
His scoring prowess continued, allowing Poskay to score a league-leading 45 goals and 52 points in 12 games.
The attackman has now scored a team record 140 goals in 51 career games and set the Cannons’ single-season team record at 45 goals.
Poskay significantly impacted the Cannons’ score sheet, tallying four or more goals in seven games on the season while retaining a shooting percentage of 45.9 percent. He was named as the Bud Light Game MVP twice during the regular season and took home MLL Offensive Player of the Week honors following a four-goal performance in the season opener.
This marks the second time in Boston’s history that the Bud Light MVP award has been given to a Cannons player in back-to-back seasons. In 2004, Conor Gill became the first Cannon to receive the honor and Mark Millon was the second the following year. Last season Paul Rabil brought the award back to the Cannons.
Poskay earned five first-place votes for a total of 31 points. Long Island’s Matt Danowski finished second for the award with 24 points while Denver’s Max Seibald was third with 10 points.
The 2010 MLL scoring leader will be expected to be an impact player in Boston’s semifinal game as the top-seeded Cannons take on the No. 4 Chesapeake Bayhawks in the MLL semifinals on Saturday, Aug. 21 at noon. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2HD.
