Top Individual Performances (Week 10 MLAX)

0 Comment April 19, 2021

Each week, we will look back at the games that were to see which players had the largest individual performances. I say largest because the contributions that we can measure (from play by play) tend to be things that are easy to count. This includes, goals, shots, assists, turnovers, penalties, etc. We can’t measure a defender who shuts down an opposing player so completely that he doesn’t even touch the ball. Still, it is interesting to be able to identify the players that really filled it up each weekend and give them a shout out here.
For a bit of background, in order to rank single game performances, we needed a way to condense box score stats to a single number for each player. In order to do this, we relied on our expected goal values methodology, which assigns a goal value to each type of play depending on how often it leads to a goal in the next 60 seconds. By adding up all the expected goals added for each player, we can get to that single number and these rankings.
We have also tagged each performance with the opponent’s ELO rating. The higher the number, the stronger the opponent. This should help to give some context for each performance. Did the player feast on the dregs of D1 or did they put up these numbers against a quality opponent?
A quick note: whenever you see the PRO logo () a click will take you directly to the player’s PRO page. In some cases, you’ll see the “unlocked” PRO logo () which tells you that the player’s team is unlocked and you’ll be able to see all the PRO content.
Top Single Game Scores of the week
#1 – Richie LaCalandra (LIU) – 9.04 goals added Apr 17 vs Mount St Marys Opp ELO: 1328 Safe to say that LaCalandra and LIU have fully adjusted to life in the NEC. Today was a cherry-on-top of an already much improved season. For a finisher, there are 2 primary metrics that we care about: shooting and turnovers. In 2020, his turnover rate was 0.74; this year it is down to 0.40. His 2021 shooting percentage is 39.5% which is up from 26.2% last year. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 87th Offensive EGA 91st Excess Goals 22nd eGoals/Shot 74th Shooting Percentage 77th Shot-on-Goal Rate 68th Play Shares 99th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 6 5 12 (7) GBs FO Won FO Pct 3 0 N/A Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 2 0 1 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 87th Offensive EGA 91st Excess Goals 22nd eGoals/Shot 74th Shooting Percentage 77th Shot-on-Goal Rate 68th Play Shares 99th PRO Definitions
#2 – Mike Sisselberger (Lehigh) – 8.93 goals added Apr 18 vs Lafayette Opp ELO: 1059 The Leopards will be glad to see the backside of Mikey Sisselberger. Over two games, they had 92 possessions against Lehigh. Unfortunately, the Mountain Hawks had 118. Lafayette actually out-efficiencied Lehigh in this one 36.7% to 30.4%. It was the closest margin of victory for Lehigh since their one-goal win over Army. But none of that matters if you are getting hung with that kind of possession deficit. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 47th Faceoff EGA 64th Excess Goals 64th Shooting Percentage 79th Faceoff Win% 93rd Faceoff Elo 92nd Play Shares 60th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 1 0 3 (3) GBs FO Won FO Pct 21 23 85% Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 1 0 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 47th Faceoff EGA 64th Excess Goals 64th Shooting Percentage 79th Faceoff Win% 93rd Faceoff Elo 92nd Play Shares 60th PRO Definitions
#3 – Mikey Sisselberger (Lehigh) – 7.37 goals added Apr 16 vs Lafayette Opp ELO: 1081 He’s the number 1 rated FOGO in the Elo ratings. Got a nice write-up in IL. Life is good for Mikey Sisselberger. More of the same for the Mountain Hawks in the first of 2 games against Lafayette. Big possession margin, solid offense, effective defense. Can’t wait to see these guys get a cracking at the MD/ACC tier. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 87th Faceoff EGA 91st Excess Goals 20th Shooting Percentage 49th Faceoff Win% 93rd Faceoff Elo 99th Play Shares 95th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 0 0 2 (0) GBs FO Won FO Pct 20 21 84% Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 1 1 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 87th Faceoff EGA 91st Excess Goals 20th Shooting Percentage 49th Faceoff Win% 93rd Faceoff Elo 99th Play Shares 95th PRO Definitions
#4 – Tommy Schelling (Lehigh) – 6.97 goals added Apr 16 vs Lafayette Opp ELO: 1081 Big day for Schelling against Lafayette as well. 5 goals on 10 shots for the 2nd time this year. The Lehigh offense currently has a 35.2% adjusted offensive efficiency rating. That is good for 8th nationally and way up from the 31.7% mark they had last year. Honestly though, every one of the 4 primary units is better than last year for Lehigh. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 95th Total EGA 92nd Offensive EGA 93rd Excess Goals 18th eGoals/Shot 75th Shooting Percentage 82nd Shot-on-Goal Rate 77th Play Shares 93rd PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 5 2 10 (8) GBs FO Won FO Pct 4 0 N/A Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 1 0 1 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 95th Total EGA 92nd Offensive EGA 93rd Excess Goals 18th eGoals/Shot 75th Shooting Percentage 82nd Shot-on-Goal Rate 77th Play Shares 93rd PRO Definitions
#5 – Petey LaSalla (Virginia) – 6.96 goals added Apr 15 vs Duke Opp ELO: 1897 Loving these Thursday Night ACC lacrosse games. Imagine a world where all the big conferences have a weekly night to highlight there best teams. If the ACC can manage it, there shouldn’t be any reason the Big Ten, Big East and Ivy couldn’t. This past Thursday Duke got the win, but LaSalla was the biggest reason it was so close. The Blue Devils had a ~7 point efficiency edge (34.2% vs 27.3%), but thanks to an 18-win night at the faceoff X, UVA managed an extra 6 possessions. It wouldn’t have been an OT game otherwise. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 98th Total EGA 97th Faceoff EGA 97th Excess Goals 10th Shooting Percentage 69th Faceoff Win% 90th Faceoff Elo 99th Play Shares 95th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 1 0 5 (2) GBs FO Won FO Pct 12 18 66% Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 0 0 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 98th Total EGA 97th Faceoff EGA 97th Excess Goals 10th Shooting Percentage 69th Faceoff Win% 90th Faceoff Elo 99th Play Shares 95th PRO Definitions
#6 – Charlie Kitchen (Delaware) – 6.79 goals added Apr 17 vs Hofstra Opp ELO: 1575 That was a wild game. Very on-brand for the CAA this year. But Kitchen showed up when the Hens needed it. For a guy who has been an assist machine this year (he has 24% of the Hens’ assists; 96th percentile this season), he shot exceptionally well in this one. His 67% shooting mark (6 goals on 9 shots) was a season-high. Not that he strayed too far from his distributor role; he did have 3 assists as well. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 98th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 0th eGoals/Shot 58th Shooting Percentage 56th Shot-on-Goal Rate 34th Play Shares 98th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 6 3 9 (7) GBs FO Won FO Pct 2 0 N/A Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 1 0 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 98th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 0th eGoals/Shot 58th Shooting Percentage 56th Shot-on-Goal Rate 34th Play Shares 98th PRO Definitions
#7 – Zack Hochman (UMass) – 6.52 goals added Apr 17 vs Towson Opp ELO: 1537 UMass was in a weird situation this year since they got started so late. They were a blank slate on which everyone, still remembering their win over Yale last year, could paint all their hopes and dreams. For the 3-4 Minutemen, it has not turned out as expected. Oddly though, it’s not as if there are obvious areas where they have been less effective than last year. This team is a great example of how season-long narratives can hinge on a play here and there. Of their 4 losses, this was the first one where they lost by more than a goal. Regardless, Zack Hochman showed a lot of bounceback in this one. After going 4-14 against Hofstra, he won 17 of 19 faceoffs in this one, gifting UMass with a +8 possession advantage. His 6.52 EGA mark was his highest total all year. Through in the goal he scored (4th on the year) and it was a nice game all-around. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 98th Total EGA 88th Faceoff EGA 91st Excess Goals 25th Shooting Percentage 60th Faceoff Win% 86th Faceoff Elo 96th Play Shares 98th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 1 0 3 (2) GBs FO Won FO Pct 13 17 89% Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 1 0 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 98th Total EGA 88th Faceoff EGA 91st Excess Goals 25th Shooting Percentage 60th Faceoff Win% 86th Faceoff Elo 96th Play Shares 98th PRO Definitions
#8 – Demitri George (Quinnipiac) – 6.35 goals added Apr 17 vs Canisius Opp ELO: 1321 It was always going to be hard to match a 90% win game, but George came close in this one, racking up 22 wins in a game and helping the Bobcats to their 3rd straight victory. It’s a weird team statistically. This is the 57th opp-adjusted offense and the 49th opp-adjusted defense. Not great. But then, led by George, their FO unit ranks 8th. Go figure. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 94th Total EGA 89th Faceoff EGA 92nd Excess Goals 43rd Shooting Percentage 79th Faceoff Win% 88th Faceoff Elo 98th Play Shares 96th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 0 0 2 (2) GBs FO Won FO Pct 12 22 70% Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 0 0 1 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 94th Total EGA 89th Faceoff EGA 92nd Excess Goals 43rd Shooting Percentage 79th Faceoff Win% 88th Faceoff Elo 98th Play Shares 96th PRO Definitions
#9 – Mac OKeefe (Penn State) – 6.27 goals added Apr 16 vs Michigan Opp ELO: 1425 Congrats to Mac O’Keefe, who became the all-time men’s lacrosse leader in goals in this one. I was glad to see that he showed up on this list this week. Obviously, this is not the season he was hoping for, but that shouldn’t take away from what has been an all-timer of a career. I was surprised to see that, in addition to all of his shooting prowess, he also has an 83rd percentile assist rate during his career too. The snipes were epic, but there is a lot of substance to this career as well. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 97th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 25th eGoals/Shot 87th Shooting Percentage 87th Shot-on-Goal Rate 60th Play Shares 97th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 6 2 13 (7) GBs FO Won FO Pct 3 0 N/A Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 1 0 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 97th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 25th eGoals/Shot 87th Shooting Percentage 87th Shot-on-Goal Rate 60th Play Shares 97th PRO Definitions
#10 – Tristan Dowd (Sacred Heart) – 6.14 goals added Apr 14 vs Mount St Marys Opp ELO: 1318 Tristan Dowd makes his first appearance on this list thanks to a season-high 20 wins at the face-off X. The Mount pulled out the win, but Dowd’s performance meant that Sacred Heart had their first possession-advantage of the season (+7). Put it all together and Dowd has put up his best season in his first year with SHU. That must feel good. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 57th Total EGA 63rd Faceoff EGA 78th Excess Goals 61st Shooting Percentage 31st Faceoff Win% 50th Faceoff Elo 74th Play Shares 42nd PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots (OG) 0 0 0 (0) GBs FO Won FO Pct 13 20 66% Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 0 0 1 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 57th Total EGA 63rd Faceoff EGA 78th Excess Goals 61st Shooting Percentage 31st Faceoff Win% 50th Faceoff Elo 74th Play Shares 42nd PRO Definitions