Bayhawks give home crowd a good show
Chesapeake has 11 players in game between Fire, Ice
Chesapeake Bayhawks midfielder Nick Manis, who has yet to score a goal as a professional lacrosse player, had one primary mission on Saturday night: score one off of his own goaltender, Nick Amato.
It would be his only chance this year. Even his own Bayhawks teammates, though they wore a different jersey on Saturday, were pulling for him.
“I hope he does,” midfielder Isaiah Davis-Allen had said before the game. “Nick hasn’t scored since high school. I hope Nick can finally put one away.”
Manis, a Severn School graduate, was one of 11 Bayhawks to take part in the 2019 Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game, held for the first time in league history at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
It was fitting that the Bayhawks amassed such a high representation on their own home turf.
No other team had nearly as many, with the Denver Outlaws coming in second with seven players.
However, though some local stars like Team Ice captain Lyle Thompson (three goals) made significant contributions, New York Lizards attack Dylan Molloy captured the spotlight, netting five goals and an assist.
While Manis didn’t get to live out his goal (at least not before the fourth quarter), his teammate, Steele Stanwick, snuck past Amato with five minutes left in the third to give Team Fire the lead.
Amato had been expecting his own to be gunning to get a goal on him. Even so, his main objective went beyond standing up to some fellow Bayhawks.
“I just want to give the fans a good show, hopefully demonstrate some of my abilities in terms of making saves or throwing the ball and getting the ball to my teammates or creating space and being athletic,” Amato said. “For any goalies watching out there, I hope I’m a good example to them. Hopefully they can learn how to pick up a thing or two.”
Manis had been a late addition to the All-Star roster after Outlaws’ Mike Schlosser was scratched. He’d been with his brother-in-law when he got the very unexpected call.
From his perspective, a chance to play on Saturday was more than a night to brush shoulders with the upper echelon of pro men’s lacrosse.
“It means a lot for all the people who invested in me,” Manis said. “It’s pretty cool to see all the hard work pay off. A lot of people put a lot of time and effort into my success. That’s the coolest part for me, being able to reflect on that and thank all of those people.”
One of those people drove to the stadium to see his son play.
“This was a goal of his to make the All-Star team, and he accomplished that. As a father, I couldn’t be more proud,” Nick Manis, Sr., said. “(I hope he has the chance to) build more relationships with people he used to be competitors with and has the sense of knowing what it’s like to be part of the community. Annapolis has embraced the All-Star Game. Hopefully he gets the thrill of playing before a large crowd and to play with other individuals who have gotten the recognition that they’re the best within the league.”
The Manis family wasn’t the only local family to make the excursion to see one of their own play under the lights. The Chick family, there to see South River alum and Dallas Rattlers defender Craig Chick, amassed a flock of 200 at a tailgate in the stadium’s parking lot.
It was important to Davis-Allen to see 6,685 people fill seats, especially given the popularity of lacrosse in Anne Arundel County.
“It’s huge for the overall league, right?” the two-time All-Star said. “We talk about grassroots a lot. We talked about trying to grow the game, but at the end of the day you want good roots and hotbeds — and Maryland’s definitely a hotbed.”