Nationals Will Host Hounds Friday Morning
May 15, 2013 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Hamilton Nationals News Release
The Hamilton Nationals (2-0) will host the Charlotte Hounds on Friday, May 17th at 11:00 a.m. in the annual Kids Day Game. Hamilton is one win away from the best start in franchise history. The Nationals can also tie their consecutive wins record if they capture their third straight victory.
Promoting anti-bullying: Officer Perry Mason from the Hamilton Police Services will give a 10-minute on-field anti-bullying presentation about the "Bystander Effect." Kids from 15 local schools will hear the anti-bullying message. For ticket information, contact the Nationals Ticket Office at (905) 525-NATS. The game will be carried live on the league's YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/MLL.
Scouting the Nationals: The Nationals knocked off the New York Lizards last Saturday night, 12-11. Kevin Crowley notched the game-winning two-point goal with five seconds left to keep the Nats unbeaten. It was the first two-pointer of his career. Crowley now has points in 17 straight games dating back to July 30, 2011. Last Saturday, Crowley wasn't the only one to hit a two pointer, as John Austin started off the fourth quarter with a two, assisted by Martin Cahill. Kevin Cunningham chipped in with three goals and one assist. It was his first professional hat trick. In goal, Evan Kirk made 10 saves in his MLL and Hamilton debut. He was pressed into service after starting goalie Brett Queener suffered an injury early in the game.
Nationals among MLL leaders: Crowley (5+1+4) is tied for fourth in the MLL with 10 points. Queener is second in the league with a 7.09 goals-against average and third with a .724 save percentage. Brodie Merrill is tied for fifth with 15 ground balls.
Milestones within reach:
- Brodie Merrill will play in his 50th game as a National on Saturday, which is first on the team's all-time list;
- Kevin Crowley (42) needs two goals to move into second all-time on the team's all-time list;
- Brett Queener is 21 saves away from 400 as a National;
- Jordan Hall will reach 50 career games on Friday;
- Joe Walters and Crowley are both riding 17-game point streaks and are three shy of breaking the team record.
- Walters is three assists away from 100 in his career.
Quartet from NLL Champs activated: The Nationals have activated four members of the back-to-back World Champion Rochester Knighthawks. Midfielder Joe Walters, defenseman Sid Smith, and attackmen Stephen Keogh and Cody Jamieson are expected to make their 2013 Hamilton debuts Friday. 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 with five points (1+4) in two playoff games.
Scouting Charlotte: The Hounds (1-2) enter the game in a fourth-place tie with New York and Rochester. Charlotte dropped its last game 13-10 to the Rochester Rattlers on May 11th. Ryan Young leads the team with 13 points, which ranks second in MLL in that offensive category. Young notched seven goals and one assist in the game against Rochester. Faceoff man Tim Fallon has recorded two goals, 37 faceoff wins and a league-leading 25 ground balls in three games.
Next Game: The Nationals hit the road for four straight road games, beginning with a Thursday night contest against the Ohio Machine. The game on May 23rd is a 7:30 p.m. start and will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from May 15, 2013
- Nationals Will Host Hounds Friday Morning - Hamilton Nationals
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