Hounds Drop Second in a Row to Outlaws
July 30, 2016 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Charlotte Hounds News Release
DENVER, CO - The Charlotte Hounds on Saturday evening fell 15-12 to the Denver Outlaws at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The first half of action saw five ties and three lead changes. The Outlaws then outscored the Hounds 5-2 in the second half to seal their victory. It was the sixth-straight win for Denver and second-straight loss for the Hounds, who fell 12-11 to the Outlaws last Saturday.
Outlaws goalkeeper Jack Kelly was named Coca-Cola Player of the Game following a 17-save performance, while the Hounds were lead by Mike Chanenchuk with six goals.
Pierce Bassett got his first start of the season in net for the Hounds, as Charlie Cipriano sat out with injury. Denver opened the game with two quick strikes from Drew Snider and Matt Bocklet. The teams traded goals over the next 10 minutes before the Outlaws rattled off three straight from Nick Ossello, Mike Bocklet and Eric Law to close out the first quarter with a 7-4 advantage.
Chanenchuk started a four-goal run for the Hounds just 1:22 into the second quarter. He scored twice, as did Joe McCallion, to give Charlotte their first lead, 8-7, with 6:28 to play in the half. The Outlaws briefly regained the advantage with back-to-back goals from Law and Mike Bocklet, but Chanenchuk countered with two more of his own to put the Hounds in front 10-9 at the half.
The Outlaws came out of the break strong and controlled the third quarter. Kelly made a save on the Hounds first possession and the Outlaws quickly moved the ball down the field to set up Greg Downing with an equalizer. Mike Bocklet then scored his third of the night and Jeremy Sieverts hit a 2-pointer as the shot clocked expired to give the Outlaws a 13-10 advantage with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. Hounds rookie Ryan Brown finally stopped the run with his second of the night off a feed from Joey Sankey to pull back within two, 13-11. He had a chance to cut the lead to one but his shot rocketed off the pipe.
Bailey Tills extended the Outlaws advantage to 14-11 just 2:37 into the final quarter. The next nine minutes went scoreless, as Bassett and Kelly both made spectacular saves on their respective ends of the field. Chanenchuk ending the drought with his sixth of the night, shaking off a defender and cutting the lead to 14-12 with 3:44 left in the game. The Outlaws notched one more goal off a clearing play in which Bassett had been pulled from the Hounds net. Snider made a long pass to Matt Kavanagh, who buried and empty-netter on the doorstep to seal the 15-12 victory.
With the loss, the Hounds (7-6) fall into fifth place in the Major League Lacrosse standings. The top four teams qualify for the postseason. This makes next weekend's regular-season finale versus the Chesapeake Outlaws a must-win game for the Hounds. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:30pm ET at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from July 30, 2016
- Cannons Defeat the Rochester Rattlers - Boston Cannons
- Blaze Victorious over Machine 14-10 - Atlanta Blaze
- Hounds Drop Second in a Row to Outlaws - Charlotte Hounds
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