Nationals and Denver Meet in Saturday Showdown
June 7, 2013 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Hamilton Nationals News Release
The Hamilton Nationals (5-0) travel to play the Denver Outlaws (5-0) on Saturday, June 8th at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The first-place showdown features the only unbeaten teams remaining in Major League Lacrosse. The 8:00 p.m. game will be streamed live on the league's YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/MLL.
Scouting the Nationals: Hamilton has already surpassed last year's win total, following its win last Saturday in Annapolis, Md. Jordan Hall scored at 1:55 of overtime to give the Hamilton Nationals a 12-11 victory over the Chesapeake Bayhawks. The Nationals saw career-high five-point efforts from Stephen Keogh (5+0) and Kevin Cunningham (0+5). Two other Nationals reached milestones as Kevin Crowley (2+0) set the team record by recording a point in 20 straight games. Goalie Brett Queener made 14 saves to surpass 400 stops as a National. Joe Walters and Cody Jamieson also chipped in one goal and three assists each in the road victory. Johns Hopkins midfielder Mike Poppleton made his professional debut and won 11 faceoffs and collected four loose balls. The contest also marked the return to the MLL of defenseman Sid Smith. He last played with Hamilton in 2011.
Keogh on the Offensive: Nationals' attackman Stephen Keogh was named the Major League Lacrosse Warrior Offensive Player of the Week for his performance last Saturday. On June 1st, he scored a career-high five goals in a 12-11 overtime victory over the Chesapeake Bayhawks. The three-year veteran netted four first-half goals, but his fifth was the most impressive. He capitalized on five of his seven shots for a stellar .714 shooting percentage, where the Player of the Game upped his season shooting percentage to .556. Keogh's handful of goals increased his season total to 10, good for second place on Hamilton's roster.
Milestone Watch:
- Brodie Merrill needs four games to reach 100 in his career;
- Kevin Crowley is riding a franchise-record 20-game point streak.
Nationals among MLL leaders: Crowley (14+1+7) is second in the league with 22 points. Walters is tied for ninth place with 16 points (8+8) in just three games. Goalie Brett Queener leads the league with a .679 save percentage and an 8.21 goals-against average. Brodie Merrill is second in the league with 34 ground balls.
Six Nationals named All-Americans: Six of the Nationals' collegiate draft picks earned Division I All-American honors. Jason Noble and Tucker Durkin were the top recipients as First Team selections. Mike Poppleton garnered Second Team status, while James "Garrett" Thul, Reid Acton and Josh Hawkins received Honorable Mention accolades.
Champions already: Four members of the National Lacrosse League champion Rochester Knighthawks are on the Nationals' active roster: Joe Walters, Stephen Keogh, Cody Jamieson and Sid Smith. In the NLL title game, Walters (1+5) and Jamieson (3+3) both had big games in the 11-10 victory on March 11th over the Washington Stealth. Jamieson was named the Championship Game MVP for the second straight season, becoming just the second player in NLL history to accomplish that feat. Smith was the team captain of the Knighthawks and Keogh contributed five points (1+4) in two playoff games.
Scouting Denver: The Outlaws knocked off the Boston Cannons 24-14 last Saturday to improve to 5-0 and earn their franchise-record 11th straight regular season win. Denver was led by six multiple-goal performances and four two-point goals to tie the second-highest scoring output in team history. Drew Snider and Jimmy Sieverts led the offense with six-point nights. Snider hit for five goals, including one two-pointer, while Sieverts netted three goals, two of those from two-point range, and added one assist. Chris Bocklet enters the game with a league-best 16 goals to rank third in the MLL with 19 points. Sieverts, Snider and Brendan Mundorf are tied for fourth in the MLL with 18 points each.
Next Game: Hamilton stays on the road as it visits the New York Lizards on Thursday, June 13th. The 7:00 p.m. game will be carried live on ESPN3.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from June 7, 2013
- Rochester Rattlers Mount Fourth Quarter Comeback to Defeat Boston - Boston Cannons
- Nationals and Denver Meet in Saturday Showdown - Hamilton Nationals
- Nationals' Thul to Make MLL Debut - Hamilton Nationals
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