Halfway through the MLL season, we aren’t really far off in the standings from the way the first day shook out.
The defending champs got the day off. Denver proved everyone can work a little magic. Boston is a step behind and Philly is on their heels. The other two, well, they’re around.
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MLL Standings after Day 4
|
Team |
W |
L |
PF |
PA |
|
Chesapeake* |
3 |
0 |
49 |
37 |
|
Denver |
3 |
0 |
45 |
27 |
|
Boston |
2 |
1 |
41 |
39 |
|
Philadelphia |
1 |
3 |
45 |
53 |
|
Connecticut |
0 |
2 |
16 |
32 |
|
New York |
0 |
3 |
28 |
48 |
Big Stat Guys
- Shayne Jackson (PHI) 3G, 1A
- Eddie Bouhall (PHI) 3GB, 3CT
- Tyson Gibson (PHI) 3G
- Matt Gilray (BOS) 6GB, 1CT
- Bryan Cole (BOS) 3G
- Bryce Wasserman (BOS) 2G, 3A, 3GB
- Ryan Lee (DEN) 5G
- Andrew Newbold (DEN) 5GB, 1CT
- Brian Begley (DEN) 4GB, 2CT
- Ben Randall (NY) 1A, 6GB, 1CT
Boston Cannons 12, Philadelphia Barrage 10
Both teams were coming off emotional games, but for different reasons.
The Cannons had a day of res followed by their chance to knock off the defending MLL Champion Bayhawks. The Barrage were in a battle of the winless, coming away with their first victory. It was also especially interesting given Philadelphia shipping Randy Staats and Bryan Cole up to Boston in a trade this offseason. There was plenty of familiarity, and these are both playoff teams from a season ago (remember, Philly was Atlanta).
For most of the game, this was a low scoring battle of artillery units.
Philly’s biggest issue seemed to be just defending behind the cage. In both 1:1 and pick setups, their communication, or lack thereof, just created issue which gave the Cannons an immediate advantage. This has emerged as the best spot for Bryce Wasserman, who made a living there today. He just seems to have another gear running to the side of the crease that’s incredible. He doesn’t bully his way into a question mark dodge and usually has the defender in a full sprint trying to match speed. This was translating into goals against the Barrage.
The damage could have been a lot worse on the scoreboard, but Boston found themselves stepping into the crease one too many times.
The Cannons had are starting to diversify their scoring a little bit. Challen Rogers and Kyle Jackson were both blanked, but that was made up for by the Bryan Cole hat trick, which was sorely needed. We now are at the point with the Cannons where pretty much every player on that newly retooled offense has had a good game, but it hasn’t all happened at once.
Pulling it together is clearly the next step they need to take to keep evolving. Boston’s close defense is still showing that they are a physical group, and were able to silence both Mark Matthews and Tommy Palasek, which is quite a feat.
Denver Outlaws 11, New York Lizards 10
More than anything, this game really showed that New York belongs.
Maybe not at the top, but they deserve to be in the overall conversation. The Lizards had so many questions marks coming into the year, so the fact that they were actually leading the loaded Denver squad for as long as they did (all of the second and three minutes into the third quarter). Before it was all said and done, New York eventually pulled within a single goal with a chance to win and that speaks volumes about what this team is able to do.
Exciting as that seems, Denver was still able to get this win. 3-0 means they’ve clinched a playoff spot. Half of the MLL postseason field is now known, but the seedings are not.
Also of note: nobody is eliminated yet.
The finalizer really came down to Ryan Lee. The two teams were close, with New York up by two, 6-4, at halftime following a scoreless second quarter for Denver. After trading goals to open the half, at just under the 10 minute, Lee rolled off four-straight goals. Three of the four were assisted, as this team really came together to claw this game back into control. Brian Kormondy added one more before the quarter was over, giving the Outlaws a commanding lead.
Even though New York came back and made things very interesting following the rain delay after the third, they ultimately fell short. Ending in a very controversial way according to the actions of coach B.J. O’Hara after a moving pick was called against New York late in the game.
The pick call became an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with 23 seconds left. Nicky Galasso was called for a moving screen behind the crease against Charlie Hayes as Dylan Molloy was bringing Michael Rexrode to X to setup their potential game winning/tying play. Galasso and Hayes were definitely shoving back and forth, but Galasso never made contact with Rexrode as he went around the two of them. The refs called a moving pick, and Galasso voiced his disagreement in a way that earned the flag.
Due to that one call and the ripple effect, rather then getting a chance to tie or win the game, New York lost the ball and were man-down when they had the chance to regain possession. Game over.
Wednesday’s Games
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In normal circumstances, the Hammerheads and Lizards would be a budding rivalry given their geographic proximity, so this is the first opportunity to sow those seeds. New York looked great against Denver, so Connecticut has an uphill climb to get that first win.
The second game is definitely the headliner. The MLL Championship rematch from last season, under the lights, and Chesapeake coming off a rest day. Denver is, of course, rebounding from their weather delayed close game that ran a total clock time of about four hours from warmups through final whistle.
MLL Gallery – Day 4
