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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.
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).
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 including a 1–7 start in 2013.
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 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 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.
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 Florida Launch in Florida's first ever postseason game. The Machine prevailed 18–13, advancing to the championship game for the second year in a row. The Ohio Machine defeat the Florida Launch 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. Five Ohio Machine players and head coach selected for 2017 post season awards 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 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. MLL Championship Boxscore After coming up short in 2014, 2015, and 2016, 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.
Before the 2019 season, the league 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.
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 is less than half of the size of Selby Field.
| Ohio Machine | |||||
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| Lost semifinal vs. Rochester Rattlers 15–11 | |||||
| Lost semifinal vs. Rochester Rattlers 12–8 | |||||
| Won semifinal vs. Charlotte Hounds 16-10 Lost championship vs. Denver Outlaws 19–18 | |||||
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| Total Playoff Record 3–3 Playoff Win % = .500 | |||||
| 2018 Ohio Machine | ||||||
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| 58 | Brandon Mangan | A | 6 ft 2 in | 185 lb | Yale | |
| 79 | Mark Matthews | A | 6 ft 5 in | 235 lb | Denver | |
| Ohio State | ||||||
| Robert Morris | ||||||
| 83 | Frank Brown | A/M | 6 ft 3 in | 215 lb | Hobart | |
| 92 | Greg Puskuldjian | M | 5 ft 11 in | 205 lb | Adelphi | |
| North Carolina | ||||||
Most Improved Player
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| .500 |
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