UNIONDALE, NY - Two geographical rivals battling each other in the last game of the season was thought to be a compelling story when Major League Lacrosse released the schedule. But most of the intrigue accompanying last night’s game against the Lizards and New Jersey Pride quickly dissipated before the opening face off.

Behind the theatrics of Keith Cromwell and a great performance from goalie Greg Cattrano, the missing energy soon returned as the Lizards nearly blew a big lead before escaping with a 15-14 overtime victory at the Mitchel Athletic Complex.

After wasting a four-goal fourth quarter lead, Long Island saw the Pride go up 14-12 in the final minute of regulation. With a fourth straight defeat and a long off-season staring them in the face, Cromwell fired a long shot from beyond the two-goal line, incredibly tying the game with 11.9 seconds remaining.

He finished the job nearly four minutes later; scoring the game-winner in sudden death OT on a point blank shot that went over the shoulder of Matt Hunter and improved the Lizards record to 5-7.

Though the come-back win was momentarily exhilarating, both teams saw their seasons come to a disappointing end. Neither are among the four teams that qualified for MLL’s impending post-season.

In the finale of a 12-game regular season, the Lizards were just playing to end a difficult campaign with some positive momentum. After entering opening day with high expectations, injuries and ineffectiveness lead to a sub-par record. They will miss the post-season for only the second time in their history with a roster that many expected could contend for the franchise’s third championship in five years.

New Jersey fared somewhat better, staying in contention until the final week. They had a chance to make the playoffs if they won against the Lizards and both the San Francisco Dragons and the Los Angeles Riptide each lost their respective games.

That scenario was nullified when the Dragons defeated the winless Chicago Machine earlier in the afternoon. With that victory over an expansion team, the Pride were eliminated before even taking the field.

With nothing tangible to play for, the fans were still treated to some great individual performances on a cool summer night. Tim Goettelmann ended his season on a high note, scoring five goals to finish the year with 24 -one behind Blake Miller for first on the team.

The Manhasset native notched the hat-trick early in second-half, with his third goal an acrobatic shot that bounced past Hunter, who took over at the half for starting goalie Robb Scherr. The attacker took the ball from just outside the crease, and in one motion jumped in the air and released the ball towards the ground, giving the Lizards a three-goal lead.

Head coach Jim Mulé saw the effort of Goettelmann supported by a strong game in net by Greg Cattrano. The veteran-net minder tied a season- high with 28 saves, though he struggled a little in the fourth.

With the Lizards nursing a 12-8 lead, Conor Ford fired a long shot from the two-goal line that Cattrano could not pick up before it rolled in. Jesse Hubbard, Ben Grinnell, Kevin Boland and A.J. Haugen scored the next four unanswered goals to give New Jersey the lead with time winding down before Cromwell’s heroics.

Before the game, team announced that captain and veteran defenseman #29 Pat McCabe will be the first Lizards player to have his number retired. The 37-year-old former Syracuse star joined Long Island in the league’s inaugural season in 2001.

McCabe, a native of Elmont, has been in fixture on the state lacrosse scene for two decades. He played for the New York Saints from 1992-2002 in the indoor league after winning three NCAA championships in college. He also had an impact during the game, assisting on Goettelmann’s fifth goal near the end of the third quarter.

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