Come and gone is the 2020 MLL regular season. The top four teams are now heading to the playoffs for a set of rematches.
The semifinals tomorrow are only on ESPN+, and with as crazy as the games have been $5.99 is worth every penny.
MLL Standings after Day 7
|
Team |
W |
L |
PF |
PA |
|
Denver-1 |
4 |
1 |
66 |
49 |
|
Chesapeake-2 |
3 |
2 |
61 |
50 |
|
Connecticut-3 |
3 |
2 |
37 |
48 |
|
Boston-4 |
3 |
2 |
59 |
58 |
|
Philadelphia |
2 |
3 |
57 |
64 |
|
New York |
0 |
5 |
47 |
70 |
Big Stats Guys
- Warren Jeffery (Che) 3GB, 2CT
- Bradley Voigt (CT) 4G, 1A, 1GB, 0TO, 1CT
- Ben Martin (CT) 5G, 4GB
- Adam Osika (CT) 1G, 3A
- Sean Sconone (CT) 5GB, 2CT
- Dom Madonna (BOS) 16/24 Saves, 66.7%
- Bryce Wasserman (BOS) 3G, 1A
- Frank Brown (BOS) 3G, 2GB
- Scott Corcoran (BOS) 3GB, 2CT
- Casey Dowd (DEN) 8/12 FO, 5GB
- Jack Jasinski (DEN) 2G, 1A, 2GB
MLL Playoffs
The top four teams make the playoffs. Standard 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3 format as a semifinal.
Saturday’s Games
- No. 1 Denver Outlaws vs No. 4 Boston Cannons – 4 p.m. ET, ESPN+
- No. 3 Connecticut Hammerheads vs No. 2 Chesapeake Bayhawks – 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Connecticut Hammerheads 14, Chesapeake Bayhawks 9
Let’s cover one of the wildest topics no one is talking about to get started.
Connecticut and Chesapeake had to dip into their reserves, real deep for Connecticut, all the way to practically a man off the street. Human pile of muscle Luther Fleming was pulled off the emergency list of specialists available for any team in the event and straight into a Hammerheads jersey. In the one rep he took, he won, making him the most flawless face-off man in the league this year. Ahead of him fought the regular back-up Justin Schwenk (16-25), who turned a so-so first half into an exciting spree in the second.
On the other side of the scrum, Jon Paige (6-14) and Zach Melilo (3-12) split the duties and neither could break even for the Bayhawks. A mostly back-and-forth contest, extra possession could have helped the Bayhawks come out with another win. Either way, the result was going to mean they were claiming a No. 2 or No. 3 seed, which in this event doesn’t make a difference.
The 7-to-7 score at halftime was brow-raising enough. Connecticut has really come into their own and if you would have bet on this game a few days ago, it was easy money on the Bayhawks.
Rookie Michael Kraus got involved early on a hard cut down the middle with a perfect connection from Will Sands. Nearly silent to start 2020, Kraus is now becoming the all-star the world expected him to be. The increase in confidence couldn’t have come at a better time, looking at Chesapeake again tomorrow.
Also with a jolt of electricity this week, Ben Martin went off again with 5 goals on 6 shots. Martin looked to be throwing beach balls into the ocean with the poise he was playing with. While the box influence is overwhelmingly apparent, Martin is going old school, ripping with both hands and still dodging at full speed.
Adam Osika finally found confidence too. Calling his own pick, Osika initiated a dodge from X, hit a beautiful inside roll and sealed easy bury with no slide coming. Just in time for the postseason.
I hope we don’t have to watch that version of the Bayhawks ever again. Guys got tired, things got sloppy and the game plan was broken at times. The breakdown was on full display when long stick C.J. Costabile snapped and jumped on Ryan McNamara after a dive into the crease. Costabile wasn’t even the covering defender and no contact with the goalie was made, but Costabile jumped on the downed body and gave multiple crosschecks and extra jabs to earn a trip to the sin bin. The resulting two minute unnecessary roughness didn’t cost Chesapeake, nor did the three other extra-man opportunities they handed out.
A double flag situation came not too much longer with a hold being reenforced by playing without the stick, showing more discipline problems for a Bayhawks squad that was soaring high above the legs just days ago
Another trouble in the Chesapeake camp was the exit of veteran goaltender Brian Phipps from the crease. Showing to be playing through pain the past few days, Phipps was given a seat before the game to give rookie Sam Lucchesi his first start.
Denver Outlaws 11, Boston Cannons 8
Even though the day started with this game likely being part of the equation for determining playoffs, the previous upset by Connecticut over Chesapeake changed those dynamics a little. The Hammerheads win gave the Cannons their playoff spot again these same Outlaws tomorrow. So with literally nothing on the line and all teams feeling the wear and tear, the question became would either teams opt to rest certain players?
The answer was yes, and it had a big impact.
For the Outlaws, they were already splitting time in net each game, so there was no change for them in that spot. They had Casey Dowd and Max Adler split time for face-offs, John Grant Jr. did not dress, opting to just coach for this game. On the other sideline, the Cannons used Ethan Farrell for the majority of their faceoffs, especially after Kevin Reismann was playing injured yesterday. The Cannons also opted to rest Nick Marrocco, giving Dom Madonna his first professional playing time and EBUG (Emergency Back Up Goalie) Ronnie Fernando a chance to dress for a game. This last change had by far the biggest impact on the game.
The first half was really all Dom Madonna. When the Cannons brought their 6-3 lead into halftime, Madonna was boasting a gaudy save percentage that was pushing 80%. This was against a full Denver offense that has been giving goalie nightmares all week long. It has to be reassuring for the Cannons to know they have an excellent option if Marrocco winds up struggling tomorrow.
The other players with a large impact on the game were John Uppgren for the Cannons, who just had a pair of goals, but he was pushing the tempo the entire time and was demanding the attention of the Outlaws defense. Bryce Wasserman also did Bryce Wasserman things (3G, 1A) while Ryan Lee scored just one goal, but made it as ridiculous as possible because… why not?
Realistically, it was a pretty muted performance from the Outlaws as a whole. Only Jack Jasinski scored multiple goals, striking twice, leaving six others to each chip in a score.
Once the first whistle blows tomorrow, expect a much different intensity from both of the teams. They’re going to have a rematch for keeps.
Friday’s Games
- Connecticut Hammerheads vs Chesapeake Bayhawks – 4 p.m. ET, ESPN+
- Denver Outlaws vs Boston Cannons – 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
[lasso rel=”espn” id=”210268″ link_id=”57614″ ref=”espn”]
It’s the playoffs, baby! The games are the same as today’s just a reversal of time slots. Should you expect the same outcomes? Heck no. Anything can happen.
MLL Gallery – Day 7
