Outlaws Face Cannons in 2020 MLL Championship Game
July 26, 2020 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release
Major League Lacrosse's (MLL) 20th Anniversary Season concludes today as the Denver Outlaws play the Boston Cannons in the 2020 MLL Championship Game at 2 p.m. onÃÂ ESPN.
The two teams were originally scheduled to play in the semi-finals yesterday. After MLL received COVID-19 test results of all players, coaches, and staff members following the implementation of the league's health and safety protocols, each playoff team made a decision independently regarding participation. The Chesapeake Bayhawks and the Connecticut Hammerheads forfeited.
This will be the first time that Denver and Boston have played each other in the MLL Championship game. The Outlaws have been in the finals nine times in franchise history, hoisting the Steinfeld Trophy in 2014, 2016, and 2018. They have also lost the most title games in league history, including last year to the Chesapeake Bayhawks.
The Boston Cannons are an original MLL franchise and won their only league title in 2011. Their other MLL Championship Game appearance was in 2004 where they lost to the Philadelphia Barrage.
The game is a rerun of Friday's matchup between the Cannons and Outlaws, which the Cannons won 10-8. The playoff matchup was set before both teams took the field on Friday. Frank Brown and Bryce Wasserman each had three goals to lead Boston, while Jack Jasinski had a team-high two for the Outlaws.
Today marks the last game of Denver's John Grant Jr's illustrious career. The 45-year-old attackman has played in MLL since the league's first season and scored 354 goals with 212 assists. He's the all-time leader in points in league history. He has served as the offensive coordinator for the Outlaws since 2017 and came out of retirement last season to be a player-coach.
Both teams have used stellar goaltender-play to get to the final game of the season but have gone about it in contrasting ways. Boston's Nick Marrocco has made 54 saves this season in only four games (he was rested against Denver) and has served as a captain throughout the season. The Outlaws have used a platoon system in net up to this point, with Christian Knight playing the first half of games and Nick Washuta enjoying the second half in net.
Denver's Ryan Lee led all players in the regular season in scoring with 18 goals, and his two assists make him the highest point-getter in MLL. Wasserman, who came over in an offseason trade from the Hammerheads, is tied for third in the league with 14 goals. Chris Aslanian of Denver and Randy Staats from Boston are tied for second in the league with 10 assists each.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from July 26, 2020
- Cannons Win 2020 MLL Championship - MLL
- Boston Cannons Earn 2020 MLL Championship - Boston Cannons
- Outlaws Face Cannons in 2020 MLL Championship Game - MLL
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