Hounds at Cannons Game Preview
July 27, 2018 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Charlotte Hounds News Release
THE MATCHUP
With the season on the line, the Hounds face the Boston Cannons away from home in the regular season finale. A win on Saturday could send the Hounds to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, while a loss could spell the end of the season if the New York Lizards defeat the Dallas Rattlers.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hounds kept playoff hopes alive last time out, defeating rival Chesapeake 20-10 on the road at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. After scoring 11 first half goals, the Hounds added six goals in the third quarter to help put the Bayhawks in the rear view mirror before the final stanza. Adam Osika started the scoring for Charlotte, before Dylan Maltz and Tim Rotanz joined in to complete their respective hat tricks. Each time Chesapeake answered with a goal to cut into the deficit, Charlotte conveniently responded with two goals of their own. The trend carried into the fourth quarter, where Charlotte scored an additional two goals early on to triple up the Bayhawks. The margin swelled to 19-6, the largest lead of the game, before the Hounds cruised to their seventh victory, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
WORLD FINALISTS RETURN
The six Hounds in the World Games - Michael Ehrhardt, Ryan Brown, Will Haus, John Haus, Kevin Crowley and Jake Withers - represented well in Nentanya, Israel and will now return to the States for the team's stretch run.
"The guys held serve for the (World players) while they were away and now they come back and it's their responsibility to get us to the next level," head coach Jim Stagnitta said.
The momentum is in their favor. Brown and Ehrhardt earned All-World recognition at the Games after leading Team USA to a gold medal. Both players were named to the All-World Team while Ehrhardt was named Tournament MVP. The longstick midfielder became the first defender to earn MVP honors since Hall of Famer Dave Pietramala in 1990. Brown led the team with 25 goals, which marked the second most ever for a United States player in a Federation of International Lacrosse Men's World Championship and was good enough for fourth-best in the tournament.
SCOUTING THE CANNONS
The Cannons enter Saturday's game sitting dead last in the MLL standings with a 3-9 record. Yet, despite their record, the Cannons are on a two-game home winning streak. The two teams squared off in the season opener at Memorial Stadium, in which the Hounds trounced Boston by a score of 25-7. But since then, the Cannons added Trevor Baptiste, the first overall pick in the 2018 MLL Collegiate Draft. In five games at the X for Boston, he's won 76-of-161 faceoffs. He's been a bright spot for the Cannons, along with attacker James Pannell, who has done it all on the offensive end. He currently leads the Cannons with 37 points on 27 goals and 10 assists.
WATCH FOR FREE ON LSN
JOIN THE JUNIOR HOUNDS
We're launching the Junior Hounds kids program for our young supporters! Members become a part of our team and enjoy exciting events throughout the season!
Email Zach Nagel to preregister or call (704) 206-1524
NEW ARRIVIALS! Stop by the Team Store and check out the new threads this week, open Monday - Friday from 9 - 5.
Or shop online! Explore the other options at shopcharlottehounds.com!
• Discuss this story on the Major League Lacrosse message board...
Major League Lacrosse Stories from July 27, 2018
- Hounds at Cannons Game Preview - Charlotte Hounds
- Atlanta Blaze Edge out Chesapeake BayHawks - Atlanta Blaze
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
