BOSTON (May 27th, 2015) - Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league completed Week 7 of its 2015 season this past weekend. Six of the eight MLL teams matched up against one another this past weekend, with one game reaching the highest winning score of any team this season at 20 goals.
On Friday evening, the Boston Cannons travelled to Charlotte to take on the Hounds, and finished the night six goals ahead as they beat the Hounds 19-13. The Cannons were heavily protected in the cage, with goalkeeper Jordan Burke boasting 29 saves in the game. Boston attackman, Will Manny was a key contributor in this week's win with five goals and one assist and now leads his team on the season with twenty points. Kevin Buchanan had an outstanding game as well, scoring four goals to help propel his team to their third win of the season. Joey Sankey, rookie for the Charlotte Hounds, was fired up in his MLL debut, scoring eight points (5 goals, 3 assits), but his powerful individual effort was not enough to change the outcome. Six other Hounds players put points on the board for their team in the loss, Mike Sawyer and Kevin Cunningham each had three points on the night.
The Ohio Machine earned their third win of the season at home against Florida on Saturday, winning 20-12. Marcus Holman, attack for the Machine, scored two goals in the game, which pushed him atop the Machine's all-time leaderboard, with 57 goals. Midfielder Kyle Harrison, scored three goals and one assist for Ohio; two of the goals were two-pointers so Harrison ended the night with six points against Florida. Many Ohio players had a hand in the win, with four additional players scoring three points or more on the evening, Tom Schreiber, James Dailey, Kevin Cooper and Zach Palmer. Steven Brooks reached a personal milestone as well, scoring his 100th goal as a Florida Launch player. Kieran McArdle scored four goals for the Launch on Saturday, which was his second hat trick of the year; he has now scored three-plus points in every game of the 2015 season. Lyle Thompson, who was the number one pick in the 2015 Draft, made his MLL debut with three assists and one goal. Miles Thompson made his Florida Lunch debut with two goals and one assist.
In the last match-up of the Memorial Day weekend, the Denver Outlaws prevailed over the Chesapeake Bayhawks at home, 17-10. Nine players scored goals for the Outlaws and three of those players had hat tricks, Cam Holding, Chris Bocklet and John Grant Jr. John Grant Jr. had an especially productive game, notching a hat trick and four assists, giving him seven points on the evening. Grant Jr. now sits among the top five leading scorers on his team; he is in fifth place with eleven points. Drew Snider, who leads the Outlaws in points this season, also scored two goals in the win over the Bayhawks. Although the Bayhawks fell short in their quest for second place on Saturday, many of the Bayhawks players had strong individual performances. Tyler Fiorito, who has been outstanding in goal for his team this year, had a strong game, making 18 saves on 35 shots. Chesapeake attack, Matt Danowski, was the team's leading scorer against Denver, with two goals and two assists. Dillon Roy, defenseman for the Outlaws, played a major role in holding Chesapeake at bay, with strong defensive play against Ben Rubeor, one of Chesapeake's main goal scorers.
Coca-Cola Players of the Game
Coca-Cola, as a multi-year and proud sponsor of MLL, will feature a weekly honor titled the "Coca-Cola Players of the Game", where one player from each match-up will be deemed the most valuable player of the game. Here are the Week 7 MLL "Coca-Cola Players of the Game":
Kevin Buchanan of the Boston Cannons
Greg Puskuldjian of the Ohio Machine
John Grant Jr of the Denver Outlaws
Warrior Lacrosse Offensive & Defensive Player of the Week
Warrior Lacrosse, a leading lacrosse brand for equipment, footwear and apparel, will continue to sponsor both an offensive player of the week and defensive player of the week. These awards are two separate awards that honor the best offensive and defensive MLL performances from the week. Here are the Week 7 MLL "Warrior Offensive Player of the Week" and "Warrior Defensive Player of the Week":
Warrior Offensive Player of the Week: Kyle Harrison of the Ohio Machine
Warrior Defensive Player of the Week: Dillon Roy of the Denver Outlaws
FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy
The Faceoff Academy specializes in the most elite level face-off coaching in the world. In showcasing the huge role face-off men play in lacrosse, The Faceoff Academy will present a weekly award titled the "FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy". The award will feature the best face-off performance of the week based on winning percentage at the "X". Here is our Week 7 MLL "FOAthlete of the Week, Presented by The Faceoff Academy":
Anthony Kelly, Midfielder of the Denver Outlaws
24-for-31 at the "X" (77% Face-off Win Percentage, 1 Goal & 9 Groundballs versus Bayhawks)
Cascade Lacrosse Rookie of the Week
Cascade Lacrosse has established itself as the leader in the lacrosse helmet and eyemask category. The relationship of Cascade Lacrosse and Major League Lacrosse is one that dates back to the league's inception. In continuation with the weekly recognitions from Coca-Cola, Warrior Lacrosse and The Faceoff Academy, we will be recognizing one rookie player each week that demonstrates outstanding play during the game and in their position on the team. This award will be the "Cascade Rookie of the Week". Here is our Week 7 MLL "Cascade Rookie of the Week":
Joey Sankey, Attack for the Charlotte Hounds
8 points vs. Boston (5 goals, 3 assists)
Week 8 Preview
With last week being the last week of the season in which any of the eight teams in the league will have a bye-week; all eight MLL teams will compete every weekend for the remainder of the season. This coming week, the Ohio Machine will travel to Denver Friday night to take on the Outlaws, who are currently ranked as the second best team in the league. The Florida Launch will ship up to Boston to play the Cannons on Sunday night in hopes of getting back on the win column. The undefeated New York Lizards will travel to Charlotte to take on the Hounds to continue in the pursuit of a perfect season. Lastly, on Sunday evening, the Chesapeake Bayhawks will take on the rested Rochester Rattlers at home in an even-keeled battle of the .500's.
About Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded by Jake Steinfeld and is headquartered in Boston. Major League Lacrosse commenced play in June 2001 and has embarked on its fifteenth season. MLL has continued to lead the sport of lacrosse into the mainstream of competitive team sports. The league is made up of eight teams: The Boston Cannons, Charlotte Hounds, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Denver Outlaws, Florida Launch, New York Lizards, Ohio Machine and Rochester Rattlers.
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