Rochester Knocks Off Cannons in Season Finale
August 12, 2006 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Boston Cannons News Release
The Rochester Rattlers used a 7-0 second half run to get past the Boston Cannons 19-13 at PAETEC Park in Rochester, NY in the Cannons regular season finale. The Rattlers John Grant Jr. was named the game's Bud Light MVP scoring 3 goals, including a two-pointer and 3 assists.
The loss drops the Cannons to 8-4 on the season. Boston will be the third seed at New Balance Championship Weekend. Both Denver and Philadelphia were winners this weekend, making the Outlaws the 1 seed and Barrage the 2 seed. The Cannons and Barrage will play while Denver gets San Francisco.
"Well fell apart a little bit in the third," said Bill Daye, Cannons head coach. "We let them go on a run. We dug ourselves a big hole and we couldn't get out of it. They came out and played well and we couldn't match that."
The Rochester run began in the third quarter.
After exchanging goals with the Cannons to start the third quarter the Rattlers exploded scoring 6 unanswered points including a two-pointer by John Grant Jr. After Bucktooth scored his fourth at the 8:08 mark Rochester went to work.
Peter Milliman netted consecutive goals. Grant Jr. then fired what appeared to be a pass from beyond the two-point arc. The shot bounced between a Cannons defender and a Rattlers attacker untouched and past a screened Chris Garrity. Stephen Hoar and Joe Kostolansky finished the third quarter scoring.
The Rattlers led 14-9 after three quarters.
The teams went back and forth in the fourth quarter. Boston mounted a brief charge following Conor Gill's fifth two-pointer of the season. Rochester scored two unanswered after that to close out the Cannons. In all Rochester outscored Boston 11-5 in the second half.
The Cannons had big games from their rookies. Matt Poskay and Brett Bucktooth each scored 4 goals to lead Boston. Gill registered 5 points on a two-point goal and 3 assists.
In addition to Grant Jr. two Rattlers recorded hat tricks. Milliman and Kostolansky had 4 and 3 goals respectively.
Both offenses started the game hot. The teams scored a combined 10 points in the first quarter. Poskay netted three in the opening quarter for Boston with Bucktooth adding a pair. The Rattlers opened the scoring with a 2-0 before the Cannons came back. Boston closed the quarter on a 4-0 run.
The second quarter was dominated by the defenses. Rochester scored three times while Bucktooth tallied the only goal of the quarter for the Cannons. The teams went to the locker rooms tied at 7.
Garrity made 12 first half saves.
With the regular season over the Cannons shift their focus to New Balance Championship Weekend. The Cannons appear in the MLL's postseason for the sixth consecutive season, a league record. New Balance Championship Weekend takes place at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, CA. The semi-finals are on August 25 with the finals taking place live on ESPN2 at 2PM PT (5PM ET) on Sunday August 27.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 12, 2006
- L.A. Riptide's Inaugural Season Comes To End With 13-9 Loss To Denver - Los Angeles Riptide
- Ryan Boyle Leads Philadelphia Barrage to 20-12 Win Over Baltimore - Chesapeake Bayhawks
- Lizards Wrap up Season with Dramatic OT Win - New York Lizards
- Rochester Knocks Off Cannons in Season Finale - Boston Cannons
- Pride fall in Overtime- end season at 5-7 and miss playoffs - New Jersey Pride
- Barrage Top Bayhawks 20-12, Clinch Conference Title - Philadelphia Barrage
- Machine fall short in overtime thriller, 16-15 - Chicago Machine
- L.A. Riptide One Win Away From MLL Playoffs - Los Angeles Riptide
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