Niko Amato has provided a brick wall in goal for the Chesapeake Bayhawks. With only one loss, he is leading the charge for a playoff return.

In 2017, Niko Amato and the Chesapeake Bayhawks suffered a down year. The Bayhawks were .500 on the year and Amato suffered a .100 percentage decrease in save percentage from 2016. Without being able to stop the goal and Amato allowing 13.33 GAA, they both came into 2018 wanting to have a different result.

Niko Amato has stepped up in big time. With his 5-8 frame, Amato is second in the MLL with an 11.63 GAA. Then, he is tied for first in wins with five. The five wins are tied for a career-best for Amato. He won five games in 2017, but in double the appearances.

The Chesapeake Bayhawks are pushing for their first playoff appearance since 2013. If they want to reach playoff weekend, Niko Amato will need to stay sterling.

The MLL is different than the college game. There is a 60-second shot clock in the MLL, while the college game puts on a shot clock when stalling is called. With a 60-second shot clock, professional goalies see a sharp increase in shot volume faced compared to the college game. That leads to goalie platoons, two splitting the season starts.

The Chesapeake Bayhawks are no different. With Niko Amato and Brian Phipps platooning the crease, the Bayhawks defense is stifling MLL offenses. Phipps is 1-1 but is third in the league behind Amato in GAA. So when Amato needs a night off, Phipps is providing quality play.

MLL teams need two goalies to be successful. The Chesapeake Bayhawks has one of the best duos in the league.

The duo of Amato-Phipps has held teams under 10 goals twice in nine games. If a goalie can hold an MLL offense under 10 goals, they are giving their team a great chance to win. Especially, when their offense has Myles Jones, Josh Byrne, Steele Stanwick, and Colin Heacock.

The four games that Amato has to play in are against the New York Lizards (twice), Charlotte, and Denver. Those four games will determine if the Bayhawks will make the playoffs. Those three teams have lethal attack units that cause headaches for goalies. But I think Nick Amato is up for the gauntlet leading up for the playoffs. You can catch those games on Laxsportsnetwork.com.

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