Denver Outlaws vs Charlotte Hounds Game Preview
April 30, 2015 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Denver Outlaws News Release
DENVER - The Denver Outlaws' 2015 home opener against the Charlotte Hounds is slated for Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, faceoff is set for 3 p.m. MDT. Both teams will be fighting for a winning record as both sit at 1-1 for the season.
After the Outlaws bye week, the team will be back in action in their new orange home jerseys against a Charlotte team who has played two overtime games already this season. Denver sits at 5-2 all-time against the Hounds and are a perfect 3-0 against the Hounds at home.
In the Outlaws last matchup, two weeks ago against the Ohio Machine, Michael Bocklet recorded his first career hat trick with a four-goal effort that included the game winning goal with two seconds left after Ohio tied the score late in the game. Drew Snider leads Denver with nine points on the season with four goals and five assists. He is tied for fifth in the league, despite only playing two games.
The Outlaws' offense will be challenged this weekend as they face Hounds goalie Pierce Bassett, who has only allowed 20 goals in two games. Seven Outlaws players have scored at least a goal in each of Denver's games, including first-year players Bocklet, Patrick Harbeson and Greg Melaugh.
Another new face for the Outlaws who has made an impact is close defenseman Max Schmidt. Head Coach B.J. O'Hara said of Schmidt, "I think that what's stood out in both games from my perspective is that our opponent's attack has had very little production against our close defense... The three close defenders that we've been putting out there with Roy and Max Schmidt and Kenny Clausen have done a great job against the attack. Max has been a great addition to the group, and we're happy we made that trade for sure."
Anthony Kelly is coming off a career day at Ohio. Kelly won 24 of 30 faceoffs for a career-high 80 percent. He will be going against Week 1 FOAthlete of the Week, presented by Faceoff Academy, Brendan Fowler. Each faceoff man has a season win percentage better than 67 percent.
"Charlotte's a very good team, very well coached," O'Hara said. "They've got good talent at every position. They're getting outstanding goalie play in two games now with Pierce Bassett in goal. Then Brendan Fowler seems to be becoming a professional faceoff midfielder much like he was in college. I think he's adjusted to the MLL rules. He's had very good success in both games for Charlotte. Those are two things we're going to have to contend with. They've got awfully dynamic defensive midfielders in Hawkins, Drew and Laconi so we have to be alert to their transition. They've got some great shooters so we're going to have our hands full."
The Outlaws host the Hounds on ESPN3 in Denver's home opener this Sunday at 3 p.m. (MDT).
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