Cannons edge Blaze in hard fought battle
April 30, 2016 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Atlanta Blaze News Release
Eric O'Brien of the Atlanta Blaze Eyes the Ball vs. the Boston Cannons
(Atlanta Blaze, Credit: Pretty Instant)
BOSTON, Mass. - The Blaze fell early to the home field Boston Cannons with Adam Ghitelman taking several shots and letting one in courtesy of Boston's Max Seibald. Ryan Tucker responded quickly and efficiently, but Ghitelman continued to take a beating and Boston brought the score to 1-2. With three minutes left in the first quarter, Kevin Rice tied it up, and despite some trouble gaining immediate possession from faceoffs, the Blaze defense had no trouble clearing the ball out once they found their footing at Harvard. Justin Pennington took advantage of a fast break opportunity and scored, quickly followed by another fast break in which Henry Schoonmaker made a quick pass to Conrad Oberbeck and he scored, ending the quarter 4-2.
In the second half Ghitelman had no trouble working out of the goal to clear the ball. Kevin Rice came up with his second goal of the game, which was quickly followed by the first two-point goal Ghitelman has faced all season courtesy of Seibald. A fast break led Jay Carlson to a goal, and there was some back and forth before Seibald found two open lanes and brought the Cannons up to be tied with the Blaze. The Cannons had momentum until Ghitelman left the cage and managed to clear the ball. With some quick stick work, Kevin Rice ended up with the ball and the ball once again ended up in the net to make his second hat trick in two games. Henry Schoonmaker scored unassisted in a man-up situation with complete power and an open lane and the Blaze was up by two until David Emala answered with a quick goal to end the half 8-7.
The Cannons carried their momentum into the second half, winning the first faceoff and holding possession until Scott Ratliff came up with a ground ball and gained the possession for the Blaze. It was back and forth for a while until Boston Cannons' Wells Stanwick tied up the game. A shot clock violation and some strong defense by Atlanta led Oberbeck to his second goal of the night, bringing the Blaze back up against the home field Cannons. The Cannons won the faceoff and gave them the momentum Will Manny needed to put it just past Ghitelman. With just under eight minutes left, the Cannons repeated their goal with Mike Begley who managed to surpass the double team with a face dodge in order to take the lead from the Blaze. Atlanta was faced with a man-up situation, which did not give them the advantage it did before, as Boston took a three-goal lead thanks to Stanwick and Adams, ending the quarter 9-12.
A quick Manny goal found the Blaze trailing even further behind in the third half, but a response from Conrad Oberbeck gave him his first hat trick and proved the Blaze hadn't given up yet. While a majority of the fourth quarter was scoreless, Kevin Cooper found his first goal of the season in the back of the net. Several shots missed their mark and Ghitelman was able to showcase his talents as he saved goal after goal in the fourth quarter, but it was mostly a running game; the Blaze and Cannons took the ball up and down the field for no reward for the majority of the quarter. Kevin Rice's consistent and relentless effort behind the cage brought the Blaze within a point of the Cannons. Despite fantastic showings by Adam Ghitelman and Kevin Rice the Blaze fall short and the young team are still seeking for the franchise's first win.
Images from this story
 Ryan Tucker of the Atlanta Blaze (Pretty Instant) |
 Eric O'Brien of the Atlanta Blaze vs. the Boston Cannons (Pretty Instant) |
 Eric O'Brien of the Atlanta Blaze Eyes the Ball vs. the Boston Cannons (Pretty Instant) |
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from April 30, 2016
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- Florida Launch Fall 12-8 at Chesapeake in First Road Game - Florida Launch
- Cannons edge Blaze in hard fought battle - Atlanta Blaze
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