The Ohio Machine was a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Obetz, Ohio . They first played in the 2012 MLL season and continued through the 2018 season .
16-630: On August 19, 2017, the Machine won their first championship in franchise history by defeating the Denver Outlaws , 17–12. The Machine made the playoffs four times (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), appeared in the league championship game twice (2016, 2017), and won one title (2017). In January 2011, MLL voted to grant expansion franchises to Columbus and Charlotte, North Carolina for the 2012 MLL season . Both teams were owned by New Balance founder and MLL investor Jim Davis . The league announced on April 12, 2011,
32-581: A Steinfeld Cup game in six trips. The Machine finished the 2017 season with a 9–5 record and the second seed in the postseason. It was the fourth consecutive playoff berth for the Machine. With the New York Lizards not making the field, that became the longest active streak in the league. On August 12, the Machine hosted the Launch in Florida's first ever postseason game. The Machine prevailed 18–13, advancing to
48-548: A dominant 22–13 win over the defending champion New York Lizards . In that 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 MLL 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 Charlotte Hounds 16–10 on August 13 for
64-609: Is less than half of the size of Selby Field. Most Valuable Player Most Improved Player Denver Outlaws The Denver Outlaws are a professional men's field lacrosse team based in Denver , Colorado . They compete in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) as a member of the league's Western Conference. Founded as the Chrome Lacrosse Club , they began play as one of the league's six inaugural teams in
80-465: Is the third home of the Ohio Machine. 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 would be ready in time for the Machine's first home game of the 2017 season on May 6. The stadium opened on May 6, 2017, for the home opener of
96-524: The 2019 season alongside Archers , Atlas , Chaos , Redwoods , and Whipsnakes . Following the assignment of home markets for the 2024 season on November 14th, 2023 , they were rebranded with the identity of the former Denver Outlaws Major League Lacrosse team. The Denver Outlaws notched their first PLL win defeating the defending champion Utah Archers 18-17 in overtime on June 7th, 2024 in Charlotte, NC . Steinfeld Cup The Steinfeld Trophy
112-532: The Machine against the Rochester Rattlers , who beat the home team 12–11 in overtime. It would take three tries for the Machine to finally get a victory on their new home field. The Machine defeated the Florida Launch 19–7 on May 27. The Machine began play in 2012 on Selby Field at Ohio Wesleyan University and moved to Panther Stadium at Ohio Dominican University for the 2016 season. Panther Stadium
128-469: The Machine would finally break through to win the franchise's first Steinfeld Cup . They would be the first team since Denver in 2014 to win the team's first championship. Marcus Holman, who had four goals and two assists, was named the Most Valuable Player of the game. In 2018 , the team would finish 3-11 during the regular season for last place of the 9 teams. Before the 2019 season, the league
144-605: The championship game for the second year in a row. Again, they would face the Outlaws. On August 18, the league would host its first ever MLL Honors show. Goalie Kyle Bernlohr would win Most Improved Player, and Tom Schreiber would be named the league's Most Valuable Player for the second straight season. The next day, the Machine would compete for a title in Frisco, Texas , at The Ford Center at The Star . With three minutes left in
160-654: The eventual champion Denver Outlaws. On the road in their first playoff game, the Machine took an early 4–0 lead over Rochester, however 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 would lose to the Rattlers again in the playoffs, falling 12–8. 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
176-399: The expansion franchise to a 3–19 record through its first 22 games including a 1–7 start in 2013 . 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
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#1732855252330192-457: 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
208-449: The team name would be the Ohio Machine, borrowing the moniker and colors of the team previously located in Chicago . On May 19, 2012, the Ohio Machine got their first win in their franchise history in a home game 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
224-492: The third quarter, the Machine trailed 10–6. However, Ohio was able to get some offense going and scored three straight to bring it within one heading into the fourth. After Matt Kavanagh scored a goal to make it 12-10 Denver with 10:30 remaining in the game, the Machine would finish the game on a seven-goal run, courtesy of Jake Bernhardt, Greg Puskuldjian, three straight from Marcus Holman , Connor Cannizzaro, and another Bernhardt score. After coming up short in 2014, 2015, and 2016,
240-473: Was a trophy given annually to the winners of the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) championship. The trophy is contested in a 4-team playoff where the top teams (based on regular season record) compete in a single-elimination format. In 2002 and since 2014, the semifinals and the championship game are on separate weekends. The award is named after MLL co-founder Jake Steinfeld . Since the league's inception,
256-541: Was faced with competition from the Premier Lacrosse League as well as a desire to achieve a "one owner, one vote" structure. Therefore, Major League Lacrosse contracted from 9 teams to 6. Jim Davis was forced to choose to keep only one of the four teams he owned: the Machine, the Charlotte Hounds, the Florida Launch , or the Dallas Rattlers . Davis chose the Rattlers and folded the other three teams. Fortress Obetz
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