Boston Cannons Look For Revenge Against Lizards on Saturday
Published on July 11, 2008 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Boston Cannons News Release
Cannons game will air live locally on CSN NE and Cox on at 7:00 PM
BOSTON, MA - Friday, July 11, 2008 - The Boston Cannons (4-3) of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) will face-off against the Long Island Lizards (5-3) in their second meeting of the 2008 season at Harvard Stadium on Saturday, July 12 at 7:00 PM.
CANNONS VS. LONG ISLAND IN 2008: In the first meeting between the two teams this season, the Cannons were defeated in a close battle, in overtime by a score of 20-19, at Mitchel Athletic Complex on May 31. The Cannons fought back to take a 19-18 lead with seconds left to play in the game after outscoring the opposition 7-3 in the fourth quarter, but the Lizards tied the score, 19-19, at 14:57 to send the game into overtime. After several chances for both teams, the Lizards ended the contest at 4:01 in the extra frame for a 20-19 victory. Newcomer attackman Sean Morris (UMass '06) collected eight points (2-6=8) in his Cannons debut and the team collected three two-point goals, which stands as a league-high for the season. Goalie Kip Turner (Virginia '07) made 16 saves for the Cannons on the 36 shots he faced in the loss. Goalie Nick Murtha (Johns Hopkins '02) made 19 saves on 33 shots for Long Island before being replaced by Matt McMonagle (Cornell '07) at 7:05 in the final frame. McMonagle stopped three of the five shots he faced.
CANNONS' LAST GAME (JULY 3 VS. PHILADELPHIA): The Cannons were defeated by a score of 16-14 in a close battle with the reigning MLL Champion Philadelphia Barrage at Harvard Stadium on July 3. After trailing by a score of 12-6 at halftime, the Cannons finally settled in and built up some momentum in the third frame, allowing the Barrage to score only once, while they battled back to within one goal. The Barrage struck early in the final quarter, scoring two goals to push their lead to 15-12, until the Cannons countered with a tally to stay within striking range of the Barrage. Each team scored once more, with the Cannons ultimately coming up short by a score of 16-14 against the visiting Barrage. Midfielder Paul Rabil (Johns Hopkins '08) led the Cannons with four goals, including one two-point goal. Cannons goalie Kip Turner (Virginia '07) took the loss with eight saves on the 23 shots he faced in the contest. Barrage goalie Brian Dougherty (Maryland '97) earned the Bud Light MVP award with the win, stopping 28 saves on 41 shots.
LONG ISLAND'S LAST GAME (JULY 3 VS. NEW JERSEY): The Lizards and New Jersey Pride combined for a season-high 46 points in the Pride's 26-20 victory over the Lizards at Mitchel Athletic Complex on July 3, snapping Long Island's five-game winning streak. It was the highest-scoring game in the MLL this season and tied for the third-highest scoring game in the league's eight-year history. The 46 points are also the most since Rochester and Denver combined to score a league-record 53 points last year at INVESCO Field at Mile High. Attackman Merrick Thomson (Albany '07) led the offensive explosion, scoring a career-high nine points to earn Bud Light MVP honors in the Pride's victory. For the Lizards, face-off specialist Peter Vlahakis (Fairfield '04) set a league record by winning 35 of 48 face-offs in the contest, while adding 17 groundballs and one goal. Attackman Keith Cromwell (Rutgers '01) and midfielder Chris Fiore (UMass '03) led the Lizards with four goals and three assists a piece.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Cannons made a move at trade deadline on July 8 to acquire midfielder Matt Casey from the Los Angeles in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2009 MLL Collegiate Draft...Attackman Matt Alrich (Delaware '04) regained the Cannons scoring lead with 27 overall points, and his 21 goals are tied for sixth in the league, after collecting three goals and three assists against Philadelphia on July 3...Despite having played only four games in his MLL career, midfielder Paul Rabil (Johns Hopkins '08) has averaged four points per game with 13 goals, including two from beyond the two-point arc...Heading into this weekend, the Cannons have allowed the fewest number of goals (92) of any team in the league...The Cannons currently have scored the most two-point goals of any team in the Eastern Conference this season with five two-point tallies...Goalie Kip Turner (Virginia '07) is ranked second in the league with a 12.93 goals-against average heading into this weekend's games and has posted a 3-1 record since being named as the team's starter on June 3...Heading into this weekend's action, midfielder Matt Poskay (Virginia '06) leads the league with three game-winning goals this season.
CANNONS 2008 MLL ALL-STARS: Four Cannons players - attackman Mikey Powell (Syracuse '04), midfielders Matt Poskay (Virginia '06) and Paul Rabil (Johns Hopkins '08) and defenseman Chris Passavia (Maryland '04) - were named to the 2008 MLL All-Star team, and will represent the Eastern Conference in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, July 17. In addition, Cannons Head Coach Bill Daye will coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars.
CANNONS ON TV: Saturday night's match-up between the Cannons and Long Island is scheduled to air live locally on Comcast SportsNet New England and Cox in Rhode Island. Cannons television play-by-play announcer Jason Chandler and color commentator Jack Piatelli will call the game.
This season marks the first time in the organization's history that all 12 Cannons games will be televised in the New England area, and 11 of the 12 games will be aired live. Three networks - Comcast SportsNet New England, CN8 and ESPN2 - will combine to televise the games.
GAME NOTES: http://bostoncannons.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/Game%20Notes/7-12-08%20vs.%20Long%20Island%20game%20notes.pdf
The Cannons will return home to Harvard Stadium for their next game as they host the Long Island Lizards on Saturday, July 12 at 7:00 PM. The game will air live on both Comcast SportsNet New England and Cox in Rhode Island.
Cannons Flex Packs and individual game tickets are on sale now. The Cannons offer outstanding games and entertainment perfect for families, corporate outings and groups of friends.
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