Nationals and Outlaws to Meet in Potential Playoff Preview
Published on August 7, 2013 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Hamilton Nationals News Release
The Hamilton Nationals will conclude their regular season schedule with a 3:00 p.m. showdown with the undefeated Denver Outlaws (13-0) at Ron Joyce Stadium on Saturday, August 10th. For tickets go to www.nationalslacrosse.com or call the Nationals Ticket Office at (905) 525-NATS. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
Scouting the Nationals: Hamilton can lock up the No. 2 seed for the MLL Championship Weekend with a victory Saturday over Denver or with a Chesapeake loss to Charlotte. The Nats (9-4) dropped their last game, 14-11, to the Charlotte Hounds. Kevin Crowley (3+1+1) and Joe Walters (1+2) led the Hamilton offense. Crowley increased his team record point streak to 28 games, while Walters reached 25 games. Walters (24) can break his own team record for assists in a season on Saturday with five more helpers. Crowley can also set a team record, as he is two points shy of breaking the single-season mark for points (50) set by Merrick Thompson in 2009. Rookie Kevin Cunningham will also try to increase his team record consecutive assist streak, which stands at nine games. Goalie Brett Queener enters the game with six wins, which is one short of breaking his own record, which he set in 2009.
Nationals among MLL leaders: Kevin Crowley (35+2+12) is second in the MLL in goals and is tied for second in points (49). Joe Walters leads the MLL in assists (24) and is fifth in points (44). Kevin Cunningham is second with 22 assists. Goalie Brett Queener leads the league with a .609 save percentage and is third in the MLL with an 11.39 goals-against average. Brodie Merrill ranks fourth in the MLL with 79 ground balls.
Elite Eight: Eight members of the Hamilton Nationals were selected to try out for the U.S. Men's National Team, which will defend its world title at the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships from July 10-19, 2014, in Denver. Nationals Kevin Cunningham, Tucker Durkin, Cameron Lao-Gosney, Roman Lao-Gosney, Matt Lovejoy, Mike Poppleton, Brett Queener and Garrett Thul will attend the tryouts from August 30-September 1 at Goucher College in Baltimore, Md.
Scouting Denver: The Outlaws have a chance to make MLL history Saturday by completing the first perfect regular season in league history. Denver improved to 13-0 Sunday with a 13-10 win over the New York Lizards. The Outlaws set a league record with 13 victories. Denver has an arsenal of offense, which includes four of the Top 10 point producers in the league. The quartet is led by Chris Bocklet, who has a league-best 38 goals and 50 points. Jimmy Sieverts is tied for sixth with 42 points, while Brendan Mundorf and Drew Snider are tied for eighth with 41 points each. Denver enters the game with 210 goals, which is 18 shy of setting the MLL record shared by the 2005 Baltimore Bayhawks and the 2002 Long Island Lizards. In goal, Jesse Schwartzman holds the MLL's top goals-against average at 9.56 and is second in save percentage at .598.
Next Game: The MLL Championship Weekend, presented by Smartlink, will take place at PPL Park in the Philadelphia Area on Saturday and Sunday August 24-25. The four teams that will battle for the Steinfeld Trophy are the Denver Outlaws, Hamilton Nationals, Chesapeake Bayhawks and Charlotte Hounds. Tickets for the two-day event are available at MajorLeagueLacrosse.com/championship-weekend/.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 7, 2013
- Voting for All-MLL Team Underway at Lacrosse.com - MLL
- Nationals and Outlaws to Meet in Potential Playoff Preview - Hamilton Nationals
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