UNIONDALE, NY - With only 12 games scheduled in the regular season, a rough start can severely debilitate a team’s playoff chances early in Major League Lacrosse.

When the Lizards started 1-4 with four straight defeats, it looked like head coach Jim Mulé would not get his team to the post-season for only the second time in franchise history.

While injuries and inconsistency have made it a long shot for Long Island to make it back to the MLL championship for the fifth time in seven years, the post-season might still be a possibility after a 19-7 victory over the Rochester Rattlers at Mitchell Field.

Though 2004 MVP Jay Jalbert has not suited up this season because of the ramifications of a concussion, the Lizards have won three in a row to get their record back to .500. The 12-goal advantage was the largest margin of victory for the team this season.

Hicksville native Keith Cromwell scored three goals, including a two-goal shot, and Austin Garrison led all scorers with four goals to compliment the 11 saves made by goalie Greg Cattrano.

"I just wanted to get a strong start against these guys," the net-minder said after the game. "It was so important for our team. This team is more important to me than anything else."

After nearly two weeks off, the Lizards will travel to Philadelphia before welcoming the first-place Denver Outlaws the following week. A home-and-home with the New Jersey Pride will conclude the schedule, in which Long Island may need to go 4-0 in order to be one the top four teams in the league that qualifies for the playoffs.

"Every game is a must-win from here on out," Cromwell said. "That’s how we’re approaching it. This was a really good win."

Standing on the side-line after the game, the former Rutgers star said he could not explain the losing streak, but felt the team is playing more cohesively now.

"We were doing a little too much individual stuff," he said on a roster filled with former All-Stars and college standouts. "We finally got together and said ‘lets give the ball up more.’ You saw tonight: we controlled the tempo of the game by not doing a lot of one-on-ones and really getting everyone involved, and that’s how we’re going to win."

Much like their previous home game, a 13-12 collapse to Philadelphia, the Lizards came out aggressively on offense while playing tight defense in front of Cattrano, opening up a 5-1 lead after the first quarter.

Wanting to avoid wasting another early advantage, the Lizards were able to maintain momentum, as Rochester was never able to get it closer than four.

"Our defense is really stepping up," Cattrano said about the effort to protect the crease. "We know we’re a great team, we have great players. It just took us a little long to start jelling, and we hope it’s not too late."

Mulé saw his team dominate through the first 30 minutes, with the last two goals indicitive of the type of efficiency the attackers operated with throughout the game.

Tim Byrnes connected with Tim Goettelmann on a slick pass from around the shoulder, and Chris Massey took a hard pass from Cromwell before blasting a shot past Mike Levin milliseconds before the clock expired, giving Long Island a commanding 10-2 edge heading into halftime.

Three straight goals by Rochester to open the second-half conjured up memories of the Barrage game, in which the Lizards blew an 8-0 lead thanks to a late break down.

Those uneasy feelings quickly dissipated, as Blake Miller scored his team-leading 20^{th goal and defenseman John Gagliardi added a tally of his own to get the crows back into it.}

Adam Borcz then took it one step further, firing a shot from outside the center of the two-goal line to restore an eight-goal lead and end any hopes of a comeback.

"The only thing that we changed is three games ago, we decided to go with two mid-field lines instead of offense-defense," said Mulé, who used to have four offensive players and three defensive players in the old setting. "We’re getting transition, and we’re not giving up as much transition. Guys are getting more familiar with each other."

In putting together one of the most complete efforts of the season, Cattrano suggested a reason why a team comprised of some of the best talent in the league struggled so early on, even with the absence of Jalbert.

"I think we thought we were a little better on paper, and thought we could just show up on the field and win," he said. "This is the way we imagined it. Every game, this is how we need to play."

Though the last three victories have been team efforts, Mulé singled out certain players for stepping up the level of play during the winning streak, especially on the defensive side of the field.

"I always say faceoffs and goaltending are the most important things in this league," he stated. "Greg Cattrano has played the best three games of the season the last three, and I think Nicky Polanco, Pat McCabe, and John Gagliardi are playing the best they’ve played as a unit since they’ve been together."

The coach said the work of those three defensemen have been instrumental in forcing turnovers and blocked shots while helping to generate momentum for the offense.

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