The Edmonton Rush have announced the signing of the NLL's first overall pick Mark Matthews to a one-year deal. The University of Denver product is considered the consensus best prospect in this year's draft class.

"It feels great to have the formalities completed and I look forward to training camp in November," said Matthews in a team press release.

The 6'4'', 230-pound forward has a stellar box lacrosse background, having won the Minto Cup with the Whitby Warriors in 2011 and with Coquitlam in 2010. Matthews also has a great field background after closing his Denver career on a 45-game point streak that left him with 216 points and 155 goals. 

He also played nine games for the MLL's Denver Outlaws, scoring 28 points on 19 goals and nine assists. 

College lacrosse took another big step this weekend. Denver and Maryland played the Seatown Classic in Tukwila, Washington. Yes, it was only fall ball, but still it was the first time a game was played in the state. That's another thing the sport can check off it's list.

The matchup had plenty going for it. First, it featured Maryland, who was the NCAA runner-up the past two seasons, against Denver, the staple for lax out west. Second, there were a ton of people on hand. 3,589 people took in the action at Starfire Sports Complex Stadium, located about ten miles south of Seattle. Finally, Maryland's Landon Carr scored a goal. He's the only Washington native on the field.

Once again, it's only a small step. The game still has a long way to go to have a strong presence in the west. At the same time, though, the fact that so many people came out to see a fall ball match is a promising sign.

The schedule for this year's Big City Classic has been announced with an Ivy League matchup between Cornell and Princeton kicking things off at 4 p.m. followed up by a Big East game between Notre Dame and Syracuse.

The Classic is scheduled for April 27 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. 

Derek Maltz didn't take all the glory during Syracuse's Alumni game this weekend. The uniforms the former stars were wearing were what really impressed. Don't believe me? Check them out for yourself.

The alumni held an early 1-0 lead in the game, but fell 14-9 thanks to four scores by Maltz. The scoreboard says they lost, but their uniforms say they lost in style. 

Duke lacrosse is just two years removed from a national championship. The team's made it to the last three final fours and has won 45 games since 2010. The Blue Devils lost stars like Rob Rotanz and C.J. Costibile, but they still have plenty of fire power returning in 2013. Here's a look at their star studded group.

The Attack

The unit had the teams two leading scorers on the team in 2012. Jordan Wolf and Christian Walsh combined for 114 points. Of course, it doesn't stop there. Duke welcomes freshman phenom Case Matheis in 2013. Matheis is the top freshman according to Inside Lacrosse's Power 100 freshman.

The Midfield

With this group, look no further than seniors Jake Tripucka and David Lawson. Tripucka was fantastic in 2012, he tallied at least one point in 14 games. Lawson was also pretty consistent. He managed five multi-point games and picked up 30 ground balls. 

The Defense

This is probably the weakest unit on the team but has a lot of potential. Henry Lobb and Luke Duprey are both primed to have break-out years in 2013. Keep an eye out for those two.

Goaltending

Dan Wigrizer returns for his senior season. He was great in 2012, stoping 129 shots in 14 games. The netminder finished allowing under nine goals-per-game and with how good this offense will be this season, that should be more than enough to win a lot of games.

Face-offs

The Blue Devils lost a lot when Costibile graduated. Just last season, he took 272 faceoffs and won 52.6% of them. Those are big shoes to fill, but the Blue Devils do bring back Brendan Fowler. The junior took 149 face-offs in 2012 and won 60.4%. Plus, he's had time to learn from Costabile. Duke should be just fine.

With all this fire power, the boys from Durham shouldn't miss a beat in 2013. Don't be surprised if they're right back in the Final Four.

The North American Lacrosse League released its 2013 schedule earlier today. Check it out below.

League Press Release

The Professional Lacrosse League (PLL) announced today that Reading Rockets' forward Travis Bland has been named the Player of the Week for the period ending October 7th, 2012.

The Georgetown, Ontario native had eleven points in last week's game, leading the Rockets within inches of the franchise's first win. Bland recorded two goals and nine assists on the night. 

The forward started his junior lacrosse career in the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League with Halton Hills from 2002-2006. He would then suit up Ajax-Pickering in Ontario Senior B Lacrosse in 2008, becoming the league's top scorer in his first year. Bland most recently finished his 2011 Major Series Lacrosse season with Ajax, recording 16 goals and 28 assists in 19 games.

Note: Some style and grammatical changes were made to the release.

When former ACC freshman of the year Nicky Galasso was given a release from his scholarship at North Carolina to explore transfer opportunities yesterday, early speculation was the Long Island native would stay close to home and pick Hofstra. He shot down those rumors quickly.

"Hofstra is a great program, but I think it might be too close to home," Galasso told LaxMagazine.com on Tuesday. "I'm thinking maybe elsewhere, try to get a little bit away and still have that college experience."

One school that's "a little bit away" is Syracuse University. Orange head coach John Desko was late to his media opp yesterday afternoon because he was reportedly dealing with a transfer situation. Now, the Syracuse Post-Standard has reported Desko is in fact talking to Galasso about making the switch.

Galasso was a third-team All-American in 2011, but saw limited action in 2012 after breaking his foot in the fall. He would have to sit out a season if he transferred to another ACC school, but not if he picks Syracuse or any other school outside of North Carolina's conference.

After the Washington Stealth became the first team to sign their entire draft class on Monday, the Colorado Mammoth announced they have joined them by inking all three selections.

"Now it's time for them to show that they can play alongside the world's best and contribute," said Mammoth President and General Manager Steve Govett in a team press release.

Colorado had picks in the first, fifth, and sixth rounds. It took two forwards, Colton Clark (9th overall) and Alex Demopoulos (53rd), and a transition player in Jaeden Gastaldo (44th overall).

Team Press Release

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Chesapeake Bayhawks announced today that general manager and assistant coach Brian Reese has retired citing a need for more time with his family.

Reese joined the Bayhawks in September of 2011 and spearheaded building the championship squad during the expansion year alongside head coach Dave Cottle. Together, they were able to revive a struggling team after a devastating loss in the 2011 semi-final game vs. Boston. Reese’s insightful player acquisitions in the off season and team oriented mentality during the season contributed to the squad ending the 2012 year with a fourth MLL crown and an 12-4 record.

“Brian did a phenomenal job as the general manager,” head coach Dave Cottle said. “He is a great person, a great coach, and great with the personnel coordination. He will be missed and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

Prior to joining the Bayhawks last year, Reese had been with the Outlaws since their year of inception into Major League Lacrosse (MLL) in 2006. He also performed a four year stint as head coach through 2010, boasting a record of 30-12. During his six year career with Denver, the Outlaws tallied a winning record and clinched a playoff berth each year. Before starting his career with the Outlaws, Reese was an MLL defenseman for the Bayhawks from 2001-2004, where he was a member of the 2002 championship team.

"I have been an MLL general manager for the past 8 years and have taken tremendous pride in building great teams and have been extremely fortunate to work with many great people,” Reese stated.  “Ending this season with the Bayhawks and winning the MLL Championship was truly special and will be something I will never forget. Right now it’s time for me to focus on my family and my life away from the MLL. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my four wonderful kids and wife and be there as they compete at their own respective sports. I would like to thank Brendan Kelly, Dave Cottle and the entire Bayhawks staff for the opportunity to work in a great organization.  I started my MLL career as a Bayhawk and it’s great to finish as one. I also want to thank all the players that I have had the chance to be around. It's been an honor to work with them and they truly make the sport great. I can now shift to being a fan and enjoy a little extra free time."