Rob Pannell (2G, 3A) passed Casey Powell for fourth all-time in career points (525) on Friday night.

Pannell is the ideal X attackman. He can score (281 career goals) or feed (243 assists). He’s as well known for question mark goals as he is lever passes at the island.

“I told Nat when he traded for me last year, ‘I don’t want to score goals. I want to be a quarterback,’” said Pannell. “When I started playing this game at 9 years old, I was an X attackman and I loved passing the ball. My dad told me that an assist counts as much as a goal and I took that to heart.”

Pannell is averaging 3 assists per game since the calendar hit July. Matt Kavanagh and Ryder Garnsey have always worked together, but they’re not the type of linemates Pannell is used to. At his best in New York, Pannell was flanked by a righty finisher (Tommy Palasek) and a lefty finisher (Matt Gibson or Will Manny). It’s taken some time – and TD Ierlan providing extra possessions has helped – but Pannell, Kavanagh, and Garnsey are learning to play together.

“Professional lacrosse kind of makes you a goal scorer because teams are slow to slide. But I still love passing the ball and I wanted to be that quarterback back there. I just tell the guys – I keep telling them – keep moving, keep moving, I’ll find you if you’re open.”