Nationals and Merrill Set Records in Loss to BayHawks
Published on May 18, 2012 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Hamilton Nationals News Release
The Hamilton Nationals and defenseman Brodie Merrill both had record afternoons at Ron Joyce Stadium at McMaster University. Unfortunately, so did the visiting Chesapeake Bayhawks.
The Nationals dropped a 20-7 decision in front of a record crowd of 3,751 in Hamilton. The crowd, which featured mostly kids from the local Pen Pal Program, also witnessed Brodie Merrill break Paul Cantabene's ground ball record of 538.
Hamilton lost its home opener to fall to 0-3, while Chesapeake improved to 3-1. The 13-point loss matched a franchise record. The Nationals were outscored by a combined 13-1 in the first and fourth quarters, which included a 6-0 opening quarter. Hamilton was edged 7-6 in the middle quarters.
"Defensively, we gave up some really light goals," said Head Coach Regy Thorpe. "On offense, we couldn't execute and had a lot of unforced turnovers. We had some new faces in the lineup, but that's no excuse."
The Nationals got three points from Kevin Crowley (2+1) and two-point games from Casey Powell (1+1), David Earl (1+1) and Garrett Billings, all of whom made their 2012 debuts. Stoney Creek, Ontario, native Kiel Matisz also scored his first professional goal. Merrill scooped up eight ground balls to reach 540 in his career. The game will air locally on Sunday, May 20th at 7:00 p.m. on Cable 14.
The Nationals goalies struggled as Scott Rodgers yielded five goals on five shots and Brett Queener made six saves on 20 shots. Chesapeake was led by Michael Kimmel (6+1+1), John Grant Jr. (2+4) and Drew Westervelt (1+3). Grant had five points (2+3) in the first 15 minutes of the game, which was his first MLL game of the season. Kip Turner got the win in goal, making eight saves.
After falling behind in the first, the Nationals got on the board on goals by Crowley and Earl. Earl's goal at 7:33 was his first goal of the season in his 2012 debut. That cut the deficit to 7-3. Crowley netted his second of the game and Powell hit for his first of the season, as the teams each scored four times in the second. Powell's goal was the 200th goal of his career.
In the third, Chesapeake regained their seven-goal lead on goals by Westervelt and Danny Glading. Hamilton answered with a Billings' power-play goal at 10:39 and Earl's second of the game at 12:38. Chesapeake added a late goal by Ben Hunt at 13:45 for a 13-6 lead.
Chesapeake exploded in the fourth, as they added seven more points. Kimmel did the most damage with three goals, including a two-pointer off a split dodge at 13:22. The Nationals got a goal by Matisz at 10:07.
On Saturday, June 2nd, the Nationals will travel to play the expansion Charlotte Hounds at 7:00 p.m. It will be the first meeting ever between the two teams. Hamilton will return home on Saturday, June 9th to host the Rochester Rattlers at 7:30 p.m. at McMaster University.
"On a positive note, even though we are 0-3 it's still early in the season," said Thorpe. "Charlotte is a big game for us against a very good team and on the road."
Major League Lacrosse Stories from May 18, 2012
- Nationals and Merrill Set Records in Loss to BayHawks - Hamilton Nationals
- Grant Goes Off, Leads Chesapeake to 20-7 Rout of Hamilton - Chesapeake Bayhawks
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