Outlaws Make History, Finish Regular Season Undefeated
August 10, 2013 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Denver Outlaws News Release
HAMILTON, Ontario - It has been 413 days since the Outlaws lost a regular-season game.
The team won its 20th-consecutive regular-season contest by a score of 18-12 on Saturday at Hamilton to finish the season 14-0, becoming the first team in Major League Lacrosse history to go undefeated for an entire season.
Denver became just the fourth major North American professional sports team to finish a regular season without a loss, joining the 2007 New England Patriots (16-0) and 1972 Miami Dolphins (14-0) of the NFL as well as the 1948 Calgary Stampeders (14-0) of the CFL.
Along the way to their perfect season, the Outlaws etched their names on the league's single-season records list in several categories. The team's 226 goals ranked third in MLL history, while the 136 goals allowed ranked fifth in league annals.
Goalie Jesse Schwartzman broke a MLL GAA record that he'd set previously in 2009, lowering the mark from 9.87 to 9.67. His .597 save percentage set a new club record and ranked eighth in league history.
On the offensive end, Eric Law scored four goals, including a two-pointer, in Denver's win at Hamilton to push his season total to 24. His 24 goals is a new team rookie record and ties Paul Rabil for fourth-most by a rookie in league history.
Chris Bocklet also added four goals in the win to push his season total to a league-high 42. He added an assist to finish with 55 points for the season, which is tied for the league lead. Bocket's 42 goals set a new team record and his 55 points rank second in club history.
The Outlaws used a 9-0 run that included a pair of two-pointers to jump out to a 11-2 lead midway through the second quarter against the penalty-plagued Nationals.
Hamilton served a total of 14 penalty minutes in the game, allowing Denver to set a club single-game record with five extra-man goals in the contest.
Bocklet scored two of his goals on the man-up, setting a team single-season record with nine on the year, which leads the league in that category.
The Nationals closed the gap with back-to-back goals to end the first half from Joe Walters and Kevin Crowley, who finished with six points on the night to tie Bocklet atop the league chart with 55 on the season.
Denver scored three of the first four goals of the second half to open their largest lead of the game at 14-5 with 9:09 to play in the third quarter.
Hamilton went on a run of its own to get back in the game, Outscoring the Outlaws 4-0 over a span of 10:25 at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth.
Eric Law ended that streak with a goal at the 4:01 mark of the fourth quarter and Bocklet added his third tally of the game just 42 seconds later to end any doubts that the Outlaws would complete their historic regular-season.
The teams traded goals down the stretch with the punctuation mark coming from who else but the league's leading scorer in Bocklet. The second-year Outlaw put his fourth goal of the game into the back of the net with 1:18 to play to give Denver an 18-12 victory over the Nationals.
As the league's top playoff seed, the Outlaws will play in the MLL semifinals at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 24 at PPL Park in Philadelphia. Denver's opponent for the first game of Championship Weekend presented by smartlink will be determined later this afternoon as the fourth seed will be the loser of Charlotte at Chesapeake.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Denver became just the fourth major North American professional sports team to finish a regular season undefeated, joining the 2007 New England Patriots and 1972 Miami Dolphins of the NFL as well as the 1948 Calgary Stampeders of the CFL.
- The club's 226 goals in 2013 are the third most by a team in MLL history.
- Chris Bocklet scored four goals to set a team single-season record with 42 on the year. His 55 total points rank second in team history behind Brendan Mundorf's 59 points in 2012. He also scored a powerplay goal to increase his season total to eight in that category - another team record. As of the conclusion of Denver's Week 14 game, Bocklet led the MLL in goals and was tied for the lead in points.
- Eric Law netted four goals to tie Paul Rabil for fourth-most by a rookie in league history (24). His 24 goals set a new Outlaws rookie record.
- Jesse Schwartzman finished the season with a .597 save percentage that ranks eighth in league history for a single season. Schwartzman's 14 wins are the most by a goalie for a single season in MLL history. His .597 save percentage is a new Outlaws single-season record.
- Schwartzman's 9.67 goals-against-average for 2013 sets a new MLL record, topping the mark that he set in 2011 of 9.87.
- The 136 goals allowed by Denver in 2013 tie for fifth fewest in league history.
- The three two-point goals allowed by the Outlaws this season tie for fourth fewest in league history.
- Denver set a team single-game record with five power-play goals in Saturday's win at Hamilton. The Outlaws' 24 power-play goals for the season tie for eighth-most in league history and represent a team record.
- The Outlaws converted on 24-of-56 (.429 pct) extra-man opportunities this season, which ties for eighth in league history and establishes an Outlaws single-season record.
- Denver killed off 36-of-47 (.766 pct.) of opponents' extra-man chances, which ranks 10th in MLL history.
- The Outlaws' 117 assists this season rank fifth in MLL history and set a new club record.
- Anthony Kelly won six faceoffs to set a team record with 195 faceoff wins on the season. His 354 faceoff attempts set a team record.
- Denver's win marked its 20th-straight regular-season victory in a row dating back to last season, extending the MLL record that the Outlaws have set in that category. The Outlaws have gone 413 days without a regular-season loss.
- The Outlaws' 14th win of the season establishes a new league record for most victories in a single season.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 10, 2013
- Rochester Rattlers Defeat Boston Cannons, 23-14, in Season Finale - Boston Cannons
- Westervelt, Rubeor Lead Way as BayHawks Win Wild One - Chesapeake Bayhawks
- Nationals Learn Playoff Opponent - Hamilton Nationals
- Hounds Drop Regular-Season Finale to BayHawks - Charlotte Hounds
- Outlaws Make History, Finish Regular Season Undefeated - Denver Outlaws
- Outlaws Win Shootout against Nationals - Hamilton Nationals
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