League MLL Head coach Bear Davis Founded 2011 Based in Columbus | Home stadium Fortress Obetz Website theohiomachine.com Arena/Stadium Panther Stadium | |
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The Ohio Machine is a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Columbus, Ohio. They began play in the 2012 MLL season along with the Charlotte Hounds as part of the league's plan to have 16 teams by 2020.
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Franchise history
In January 2011 MLL voted to grant expansion franchises to Columbus and Charlotte, North Carolina for the 2012 MLL Season. The league announced on April 12, 2011, the team name will be the Ohio Machine, continuing the team previously located in Chicago. The Chicago Machine played the 2010 season as a traveling team, playing their home games at neutral sites where the MLL did not have franchises. The Chicago Machine franchise that existed from 2006 to 2010 was moved to Rochester, New York and was re-branded as a continuation of the Rochester Rattlers franchise that moved to Toronto, Ontario in 2009. This franchise brought back the light blue and black colors of the Chicago franchise. On May 19, 2012 the Ohio Machine got their first win and first home win in their franchise history against the Rochester Rattlers.
On June 24, 2013, two days after a 19–5 loss to the Denver Outlaws, Ted Garber was fired as head coach and replaced by Bear Davis. Garber had led the expansion franchise to a 3–19 record through its first 22 games and a 1–7 record in 2013.
2014-present: First playoff berth and rise to contention
After putting up only four victories combined in their first two seasons and getting off to a 3–6 start in 2014, the Machine rattled off five straight victories to end the regular season and clinched their first playoff berth. Their streak included wins over the top-seeded Rochester Rattlers and the eventual champion Denver Outlaws. On the road in their first playoff game, the Machine took an early 4–0 lead over Rochester. But the Machine would run out of magic as the Rattlers came back to end Ohio's Cinderella run, 15–11.
In 2015, the Machine improved upon their previous record with a 9–5 campaign, earning them the second seed. However, they couldn't figure out the Rattlers again, falling 12-8.
Before the start of the 2016 season, the Machine moved to Panther Stadium after four seasons at Selby Field. Panther Stadium is less than half of the size of Selby Field. Ohio got off to their best eight-game start in 2016 at 6–2. The Machine would stumble and go 1–3 over their next four games, but clinch their third straight playoff berth with a dominant 22–13 win over the defending champion New York Lizards. In the game, John Grant. Jr. scored ten goals, a single-game MLL record. The Machine had also defeated the Lizards 22–10 earlier in the season at home. The 2016 Major League Lacrosse season saw seven teams finish at 8–6, but due to tiebreaker procedures, the Machine were rewarded with the #1 seed in the postseason.
The Machine defeated the Hounds, 16–10 on August 13 for the franchise's first playoff victory ever. The next week, they faced Grant Jr.'s former team in the Denver Outlaws, who including the semifinals entered the game on a seven-game winning streak. The Machine took a 9–3 lead before a 97-minute weather delay and a 14–7 lead into halftime but could not hold on, losing 19–18 on a goal by Eric Law with 12.9 seconds left. It was Grant Jr.'s first loss in a Steinfeld Cup game in six trips.
On November 16, 2016, the village of Obetz, a community just south of Columbus, announced they would be constructing a 6,500-seat multipurpose stadium, Fortress Obetz at the site of the closed Columbus Motor Speedway. It will be ready in time for the Machine's first home game of the 2017 season on May 6.
Roster
MLL Award Winners
Most Valuable Player