During the first six weeks of the Major League Lacrosse season, the Boston Cannons' offense played a major role in the team's success. However, it was the defense's turn on Saturday night as the Cannons limited Charlotte to just six goals en route to a 16-8 victory over the Hounds in front of 7,034 fans at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
Goalkeeper Jordan Burke earned Bud Light MLL Player of the Game honors after making 16 saves and holding the Hounds to just six goals on 43 shots.
After attackman Billy Bitter gave the Hounds a 1-0 lead just 2:19 into the first quarter, the Cannons answered with a pair of goals from midfielder Kevin Buchanan to take a 2-1 advantage with 6:21 remaining in the stanza.
The teams traded goals before Charlotte defenseman Ricky Pages tied the game at 3-3 by scoring an unassisted goal with 6:39 remaining in the first half.
But, the Cannons took control by scoring the next six goals to gain a 9-3 advantage with 11:08 remaining in the third quarter. Attackman Matt Poskay scored three of his game-high five goals during the run while attackman Ryan Boyle tallied a goal with an assist.
Attackman Jeremy Boltus ended the Cannons' run by scoring with one second remaining in the quarter off an assist from attackman Matt Danowski.
Led by two goals from Poskay, the Cannons put together a six-point run over the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter to take a 15-4 lead. With 4:41 remaining in regulation, midfielder Stephen Berger scored a two-point goal to end the Cannons' run and close the margin to 15-6.
With 3:03 remaining, Boyle scored off an assist from midfielder Paul Rabil to give Boston a 16-6 advantage before Danowski answered with a two-point goal with 54 seconds remaining. But, the Hounds were unable to get any closer.
While Burke led the Cannons to the victory, Poskay tallied five goals against the Hounds for the second time this season. Boyle, who had been held without a point against Long Island last week, scored twice with three assists in the victory.
Boltus scored two goals for the Hounds while Berger and Danowski each added a two-point goal with an assist.
The Hounds outshot Boston by a 43-37 margin and had a 33-30 advantage in ground balls.
Outlaws Outlast Rochester for 16-12 Win
DENVER, Colo. - Led by six goals and two assists from attackman Brendan Mundorf, the Denver Outlaws earned their second straight win with a 16-12 victory over the Rochester Rattlers in front of a season-high 8,044 fans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday night.
Mundorf, who was named as the Bud Light MLL Player of the Game, scored three of his goals in the first half as Denver built a 9-6 lead en route to the victory.
The Outlaws took a quick 2-0 lead in the opening two minutes of the game on back-to-back goals from Mundorf and defenseman Matt Bocklet. But, the Rattlers answered with a pair of goals from Tom Montelli and Joel White to tie the game at 2-2 with 5:57 left in the first quarter.
After the teams traded goals, the Outlaws scored four of the next five goals, including a pair of markers from midfielder Jordan McBride, to take a 7-4 lead with 12:26 left in the first half.
The Rattlers closed the deficit to 7-6 on goals from midfielder Brad Ross and attackman Kevin Leveille before the Outlaws responded with a pair of goals in the final minute of the first half from Mundorf and midfielder Drew Snider.
After the teams exchanged markers to open the third quarter, the Outlaws scored five straight goals, including a pair from Mundorf, to break open the lead at 15-7 with 1:58 remaining in the period. With three seconds left in the third quarter, Ross fired a two-point goal on a man advantage to narrow the margin to 15-9.
Just 57 seconds into the fourth quarter, midfielder Peet Poillon scored off a Mundorf feed to give Denver a seven-point advantage before Rochester put together a three-goal spurt, including a goal and an assist from Leveille, to close the gap to 16-12. But, the Rattlers were unable to get any closer.
While Mundorf led the Outlaws to the victory with his eight-point performance, McBride added three goals with an assist while Poillon had a goal with three assists.
Ross, who was acquired from the Boston Cannons earlier this week, recorded a "hat trick" in his Rochester debut with three goals, including a two-point marker. Leveille added two goals with an assist for the Rattlers, who outshot Denver by a 45-41 margin.
Palasek Leads Lizards Past Machine, 16-12
ELAWARE, Ohio - Attackman Tommy Palasek scored a season-high four goals, including three in the second half, as the Long Island Lizards used a strong second half to earn a 16-12 Major League Lacrosse victory over the Ohio Machine at Selby Stadium on Saturday night.
After opening the season with back-to-back losses, the Lizards have now won four straight games to improve to 4-2. Meanwhile, the Machine has lost three games in a row.
After the teams traded goals twice in the first quarter, the Machine took a 4-2 lead in the first two minutes of the second quarter on back-to-back goals by rookie attackman Steele Stanwick and midfielder Jim Connolly.
But, the Lizards answered by scoring five goals in a row to take a 7-4 lead with 6:23 remaining in the first half.
Led by a two-point goal from defenseman Kyle Hartzell, the Machine answered by scoring the final four points of the first half to take an 8-7 lead into the intermission.
Midfielder Stephen Peyser opened the second half by giving the Lizards a 9-8 advantage just 32 seconds into the third quarter with a two-point goal before the Machine answered with back-to-back goals from midfielder Dan Groot and attackman Connor Martin to regain a one-point edge.
But, the Lizards responded by scoring the next five goals to take a 14-10 lead with 1:02 remaining in the third quarter. Palasek scored twice during the run while three other players scored a goal.
The Machine closed the margin to 14-12 after midfielders Matt Casey and Ray Megill tallied consecutive goals just 15 seconds apart. But, the Lizards sealed the victory later in the fourth quarter as Palasek and midfielder Ryan Young scored back-to-back goals in a 51-second span.
While Palasek led the Lizards with the first "hat trick" of his Major League Lacrosse career, Young contributed two goals with two assists. Goalkeeper Drew Adams made 15 saves for the Lizards, who were outshot by a 44-32 margin.
Making his MLL debut, Stanwick scored two goals with an assist for the Machine while Connolly also added two goals with an assist.
Bayhawks Escape With 16-15 Win Over Hamilton
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After the first three quarters of Saturday night's Major League Lacrosse game between the Chesapeake Bayhawks and Hamilton Nationals, it appeared that the MLL-leading Bayhawks were well on their way to a fourth straight win.
However, the Nationals made things difficult for the Bayhawks in the final 15 minutes by going on an 8-0 run before Chesapeake emerged victorious with an exciting 16-15 win over Hamilton in front of 9,832 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
The win improved the Bayhawks to 6-1 this season and kept Chesapeake in first place in the MLL standings while Hamilton had its two-game win streak snapped.
Led by a goal and an assist from attackman John Grant, Jr., the Bayhawks exploded for a 5-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game. After attackman Kevin Crowley and midfielder David Earl scored back-to-back goals in a 35-second span to end the Bayhawks' run, rookie midfielder Matthew Mackrides extended the Bayhawks' advantage to 6-2 with 3:18 left in the period.
Grant and attackman Danny Glading upped the Chesapeake lead to 8-2 by scoring back-to-back goals midway through the second quarter before midfielder Stephen Keogh answered with an unassisted marker for the Nationals.
After the teams exchanged goals twice later in the second quarter, Glading gave Chesapeake a 12-5 lead at the intermission when he fired a shot from 20 yards that slipped past goalkeeper Brett Queener as the first half ended.
The teams traded goals twice in the third quarter before attackman Drew Westervelt scored off a feed from midfielder Kyle Dixon with nine second left in the stanza to give the Bayhawks a 16-7 advantage.
However, it was the last goal the Bayhawks scored as Chesapeake was held scoreless in the fourth quarter as Hamilton scored six straight goals, including a pair of two-point markers, for a 16-15 margin. Midfielder Joe Walters tallied three assists during the run while midfielder Donny Moss and defenseman Brodie Merrill each scored a two-point goal.
Glading was named as the Bud Light MLL Player of the Game after scoring three goals with an assist while Grant and midfielder Steven Brooks each scored two goals with an assist. Dixon contributed a two-point goal with two assists for the Bayhawks, who outshot Hamilton by a 48-36 margin.
Keogh led the Nationals with a game-high four goals in a losing effort while Walters contributed four points, including the 200th of his MLL career, by scoring a goal with three assists.