Axcess Sports (AS): How do you look back on being a part of the first pro sports league to begin and complete its season during the COVID-19 pandemic, even if it was only five games long?
Coach BJ O’Hara (BJ): Certainly having the opportunity to play is a plus. Leading up to that time we were not even sure we were going to play. It gave us a good opportunity to get back on the field and compete, albeit in a shortened season.
AS: What were the interactions with your team and opposing teams like during your ten days in the ‘bubble’ at Annapolis, M.D.?
BJ: It was difficult given the circumstances. We were not quarantined but we were isolated in many ways, in terms of sticking by the hotel and stadium. We were washing hands and social distancing except for when were out on the field. We weren’t able to go out and enjoy what a wonderful city Annapolis was in the summertime. While we were there, we really weren’t there.
AS: New York battled in a lot of one and two-goal contests this year, but were unable to come out on top. What was your team’s biggest issue in terms of mounting a comeback?
BJ: I think it was the matter of making big plays in key times. For example, we couldn’t win a faceoff [or] kick the ball past the goalie when we needed to. We certainly matched every team up and down the field, in terms of talent and scoring power. It was more of a mental block in terms of getting that extra stop that we needed. We played at a very high level and I felt we belonged there. But it was frustrating being so close, yet conceding victories every game.
AS:The Lizards never trailed at the end of the first quarter, but were unable to hold the lead to the end. Why do you believe the team struggled with remaining ahead of its opponents by the final whistle?
BJ: Consistency was our biggest issue, particularly late in the game. Most of our games came down to late in the fourth quarter and we didn’t consistently execute late in the game and that hurt us.
AS: One loss followed a ‘controversial call’ on Nicky Galasso after he set a screen against Denver. Take us through that play again and do you believe the referee made the right call?
BJ: Part of the play was just a dummy screen on the ball– we weren’t trying to trick them. As [Dylan] Molloy crossed the screen set by [Nicky] Galasso, the defender shoved [Galasso] into the guy covering Molloy.
It should have been an interference penalty on Denver, but the referee was on the other side of the field and not in front of it. He called him for a moving pick which is just a violation and loss of ball. It was a call that never should have been made. That was a heart breaker.
AS: The Lizards offense was led by Connor O’Hara, your son, this season. He led the team in goals and points– scoring all but one of his 15 points off goals. How proud are you of his performance this season?
BJ: I was really happy for him. I knew the kind of player he was at Boston and that is why we traded for him. I thought he fit in with our group well and he did. There was a lot of pressure on him being the coach’s son and I thought he handled it real well. I am happy he is a New York Lizard, for lots of reasons.
AS: Another key figure on the attack would be Dylan Molloy, who followed Connor by tallying nine points (eight off goals). How do you feel he performed in the shortened season?
BJ: Dylan is one of the top players in the league. He plays a real physical style [by] initiating contact to draw the defense in, and he got a lot of defensive attention. I don’t think we did a great job getting out into open spaces when he was getting double and triple-teamed every game. With the offensive success we are going to have, he is going to be a big part of it.
AS: How well do you think your team’s defense played this season?
BJ: Overall I thought we were solid on the defensive end. Once we resolved the issues of giving up 2-point goals in the first two games. Those are back breakers. I thought Alex Spring on the ground was outstanding, Ben [Randall] faced the toughest matchup every game and did a great job and Tommy [Wright] showed as a young player, he has a lot of potential to stand out in the league.
AS: New York only used two goalkeepers this season despite being the only team carrying three (Austin Kaut, Brian Corrigan, Danny Dolan) on its 25-man squad. Do you believe that was the right decision?
BJ: We finished the season with those three guys on the roster last year. Fast-forward [almost] a year later and we didn’t have a real training camp so I wasn’t sure what kind of condition any of them were in or how much they were able to prepare. A big part of the time previous to the announcement of the season was self-isolating and staying at home.
I felt like if one the goalies wasn’t ready to play or got hurt, we would only have one. We had plenty of people at every position so I wouldn’t second-guess that.
AS: What is next for you and the New York Lizards this offseson?
BJ: Now that things have loosened up, I have to meet with [Chief Executive Officer] Jeff Rudnick and map out a plan to grow the Lizards brand around metro New York and run our clinic program. Going into the fall and winter, we[want to] have our presence in the greater New York lacrosse community.
