Uniondale, NY (November 17, 2020) – The New York Riptide today announced that the team will return to MSG Networks for the upcoming 2021 National Lacrosse League (NLL) season, which is targeted to begin the weekend of April 9th – 11th with the team’s home opener at Nassau Coliseum. MSG Networks will televise nine games throughout the season, while the remainder of the Riptide’s games will be available on B/R Live. The broadcast team from the Riptide’s inaugural season will all return. Dave Leno will serve as play-by-play announcer, Mitch Belisle will be the color analyst and Dani Wexelman will report from the sidelines. The team’s schedule will be released at a later date.
“We are proud to continue our partnership with MSG Networks, and bring back our stellar broadcast team of Dave, Mitch and Dani, to give lacrosse fans throughout the tri-state area some exciting Riptide games this season,” said Rich Lisk, Executive Vice President, GF Sports & Entertainment. “MSG is the perfect partner for the Riptide and we are excited to return for our second season.”
“MSG Networks is proud to serve New York area lacrosse fans with exclusive coverage of the New York Riptide,” said Armando Polanco, Vice President, Content Distribution & Affiliate Partnerships, MSG Networks. “Long Island is a hotbed for lacrosse, and young players will benefit from the opportunity to see professional lacrosse on Long Island and on MSG Networks.”
The Riptide will be led by General Manager Jim Veltman and Head Coach Dan Ladouceur with returning players Dan MacRae, Connor Kelly and Tyson Gibson, who was named NLL Rookie of the Year for the 2019-20 season. The team most recently made several key additions through free agency, including reigning NLL scoring champion Callum Crawford and in the 2020 NLL Entry Draft, with forward Jeff Teat being selected first overall.
Leno is a versatile play-by-play announcer and host with extensive national and local broadcasting experience. For the past five seasons, he’s been announcing Philadelphia Union (MLS) games, co-hosting pregame, halftime and postgame shows and calling select matches on play-by-play. Throughout the college hoops season, Leno announces several nationally televised games with ESPN, and has called college football and soccer with the network. He is coming off working the US OPEN Tennis Championships handling radio play by play and announced all 66 matches during the 2020 World Team Tennis season at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. Leno got his start on National TV at 21-years-old on the Big Ten Network. Soon after, he called TV games with Comcast Sports Southeast, One World Sports and USA Field Hockey, in addition to being the Voice of several minor league teams.
Belisle is a former professional lacrosse player who spent nine seasons in the NLL (2008-2017), where he played for the New York Titans (drafted 13th overall), Boston Blazers, and the Minnesota/Georgia Swarm, where he won an NLL Championship in 2017. Following his playing days, he worked as a play-by-play analyst for the Swarm during the 2017-18 season. Belisle also played 12 seasons in Major League Lacrosse (2007-2018) and was a lacrosse standout at Cornell University before playing professionally. Currently, Belisle is a partner at Trilogy Lacrosse, one of the premier lacrosse programs in the US.
Wexelman has spent time in front of and behind the camera with Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League and fill-in roles on SiriusXM Radio. Over the past six years she has served as an on-air reporter and producer for MLBN, providing extensive coverage on youth/amateur baseball for MLBN’s broadcast and digital platforms. In addition to her sideline reporter role, Wexelman hosts the Riptide’s weekly podcast “The Current.”
Season memberships are available now at NewYorkRiptide.com or by speaking to a customer service representative at 516-402-3006. For more information please visit the website or social media at @NewYorkRiptide.