Nationals Pushing For Playoff Berth
July 26, 2013 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Hamilton Nationals News Release
The Hamilton Nationals remain home on Saturday, July 27th to host the Boston Cannons at 7:00 p.m. The Nationals can secure their third playoff berth in team history with a win or a Charlotte loss. For tickets go to www.nationalslacrosse.com or call the Nationals Ticket Office at (905) 525-NATS. The game will be broadcast live exclusively on the League's channel at YouTube.com/MLL.
Scouting the Nationals: Hamilton defeated the Ohio Machine 13-12 Saturday night to earn their record eighth victory of the season. The Nats (8-3) remained in second place in Major League Lacrosse after the home win and moved one step closer to locking up a playoff berth. Joe Walters (3+3) and Jamieson (2+4) led the Nationals with six points apiece. Jamieson's second marker of the night gave him a career-best six points, and was set up on Walters' 100th career pro assist. Kevin Crowley also chipped in two goals to give him 100 career points. He extended his team point streak to 26 games, and set a team record with goals in 13 straight games. Walters, who assisted on his first marker, also increased his point streak to 23 games. Rookie Kevin Cunningham collected two goals and one assist to move within one game of tying the team assist record of eight games. Rookie Dillon Ward made 21 saves to record his first career win in only his second professional start.
Nationals among MLL leaders: Heading into the week, Crowley (31+1+11) is second in the MLL in goals and third in points (43). Walters leads the MLL in assists (21) and is fifth in points (39). Kevin Cunningham is tied for second with 18 assists. Goalie Brett Queener leads the league with a .615 save percentage and is third in the MLL with an 11.21 goals-against average. Brodie Merrill ranks fourth in the MLL with 69 ground balls.
Closing in on Record: Kevin Crowley needs just eight points to set the Nationals' record for points in a season. Merrick Thompson set the standard during the 2009 season with 50.
Last Meeting: The Nationals opened the 2013 season with an impressive win over Boston. Kevin Crowley had a career-high seven points in the 15-8 victory on May 4th over the Cannons at Harvard Stadium. The Nationals earned the second opening-night victory in their franchise history. The Nats won their only other opener on May 15, 2009, which was the first game in team history. The coach that game was Dave Huntley, who was back on the sidelines for the Nationals for the first time since 2010. Kevin Ross and Martin Cahill notched hat tricks, while Kevin Cunningham chipped in one goal and one assist in his MLL debut. Brett Queener made 18 saves to help keep 2012 MLL scoring champion Paul Rabil and the Cannons to just three goals in the first half. After giving up the first goal, Hamilton netted eight straight to take an 8-1 advantage in the second quarter. The teams traded a pair of goals to end the first half with Hamilton up 10-3. Crowley notched a hat trick in the second quarter to break open the contest.
Scouting Boston: The Cannons (5-6) enter the game tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the MLL with the Charlotte Hounds. Last Saturday, Boston dropped a 13-12 decision to the Chesapeake Bayhawks, ending its four-game winning streak. Matt Poskay and Paul Rabil both recorded hat tricks, while goalie Jordan Burke made 17 saves. Rabil leads the league with 46 points and is third with 29 goals. The former MLL MVP has 11 points (8+3) in his last two games. Chris Eck leads the league with 180 faceoff wins and is second in the MLL with 85 ground balls. Attackman Ryan Boyle needs just one goal to reach 150 in his career. Kyle Buchanan also needs one more tally to hit a milestone, entering the game with 99 in his MLL career.
Next Game: The Nationals make their final road trip of the regular season on Saturday, August 3rd, when they battle the Charlotte Hounds at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
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