Nationals Battle First-Place Boston for MLL Title Today
August 28, 2011 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Hamilton Nationals News Release
The Hamilton Nationals will face the Boston Cannons for the 2011 Sports Authority Major League Lacrosse Championship today at 3:00 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN 2 and ESPN3.com.
Head-to-Head: Hamilton and Boston split the regular-season series with each team collecting a win. Hamilton earned a 16-12 win in Boston on July 23rd, while Boston defeated the Nats 13-8 in Hamilton on August 6th. This is the first ever playoff meeting between the two clubs.
Hamilton Notes: The Nationals have won seven of their last nine games. In the semifinal win over Denver, Casey Powell led Hamilton with four points (1+3) in his first playoff game since 2008. Joe Walters recorded three points (2+1), while David Earl and Jordan each scored twice. Geoff Snider won 16 of 24 faceoffs and collected an assist. With the win, Walters is now in his third straight championship game. He won titles in 2008 and 2009. Brodie Merrill has the distinction of being one of only two players in MLL history to win three championships with three different teams: Baltimore, Rochester and Toronto. He will shoot for No. 4 today. Merrill and Walters were recently named to the 2011 All-MLL Team. The Nationals are 6-1 this season when playing on the road. Hamilton's talented rookie class recorded four goals and one assist Saturday. Rookie Head Coach Regy Thorpe has his team in the MLL Finals after a 7-5 regular season.
Brodie a hoover: Nationals defenseman Brodie Merrill led the MLL with 77 ground balls, which marked the third time in his career he has accomplished that feat (2006, 2007). He ranks second on the league's all-time ground ball chart with (524), trailing only Paul Cantabene (538).
Brodie the ultimate 'Warrior:' For the sixth straight season, Brodie Merrill has been named the Warrior Defensive Player of the Year.
Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Boltus was named the 2011 Cascade MLL Rookie of the Year after leading all MLL rookies with 30 points (19+11). He led the Nationals with a seven-game goal-scoring streak and a 12-game point streak.
Five first teamers: The Nationals have five First Team All-Americans from the Class of 2011: Matt Dolente (Johns Hopkins), Kevin Ridgway (Notre Dame), David Earl (Notre Dame), Jeremy Boltus (Army) and Kevin Crowley (Stony Brook).
Boston Notes: The Boston Cannons advanced to the MLL Finals for the second time in team history after defeating the Chesapeake Bayhawks 14-13 Saturday. Max Quinzani completed his hat trick with 1.2 seconds left en route to Bud Light Player of the Game honors. The Cannons had four players named to the All-MLL Team this season: Paul Rabil, Mitch Belisle, Kyle Sweeney and Chris Eck. Rabil was honored as the Warrior Offensive Player of the Year and the Bud Light MLL Season MVP for the second time in three years. He earned his third straight All-MLL selection after leading the Cannons to a 9-3 record and their second straight regular season title. The Cannons' leading scorer with 49 points, Rabil scored 28 goals, including four two-point goals, with 17 assists. During the regular season, goalie Jordan Burke led the MLL with a .615 save percentage and was second with a 10.60 goals-against average.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 28, 2011
- Boston Cannons Win First Major League Lacrosse Title with 10-9 Win over Hamilton - Boston Cannons
- Boston Survives Nationals' Comeback to Win Title - Hamilton Nationals
- Nationals Battle First-Place Boston for MLL Title Today - Hamilton Nationals
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