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The most bizarre season in Major League Lacrosse’s 20-year history ended with one of the league’s original franchises claiming just its second overall title. Boston beat Denver 13-10 on Sunday afternoon to hoist the championship trophy for the first time since 2011.

The league’s 20th anniversary 10-week season was truncated to a nine-day, fanless tournament in Annapolis, Md., due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After seven days of highly-competitive lacrosse in searing heat set the stage for a much-anticipated championship weekend, the league was dealt another curveball.

Ahead of Saturday’s semifinals, a player tested positive for COVID-19. The league first delayed and then ultimately cancelled the semifinal round. According to the ESPN broadcast on Sunday, three Chesapeake Bayhawks players tested positive. Chesapeake and Connecticut both withdrew from the tournament, leaving Boston and Denver to compete for the championship.

The Cannons, playing without five players who elected not to play in the championship due to health concerns, rode on the back of attackman John Uppgren and a standout defensive effort. Uppgren, a fifth-year pro who poured in over 400 points while leading Tufts to the NCAA Division III finals three straight years, had a career-best five goals.

Boston’s defense held Denver scoreless in the fourth quarter and the Outlaws’ Ryan Lee, who led the MLL in the five-game regular season with 18 goals, was held without a point in the championship game.

Boston goalie Nick Marrocco made 10 saves in the victory, twice denying the legendary John Grant Jr., in tight in the second half. The 45-year-old Grant, had a goal and an assist in the final game of his career, which end with him as the leading scorer in the league’s history.

Denver’s offense never seemed to get in sync, finishing the game with 24 turnovers, none more emblematic than a miscommunication after calling a timeout with just over a minute to play. Trailing just 13-10, Denver was trying to set up a final comeback push, but a pass sailed back near the midline and Boston ran out most of the rest of the clock.

The championship was an emotional one for the Cannons’ Bryce Wasserman, who was named the league's 2020 Most Valuable Player. Wasserman, a Texas native who played collegiately at Monmouth, had a goal and an assist for the Cannons after scoring 14 goals during the regular season.

“2011 I came up here to Maryland in my first recruiting tournament,” Wasserman told Courtney Fallon in a postgame interview on ESPN. “Zero goals, zero assists. I remember sitting with my dad at the BWI Airport, crying my eyes out because I didn’t think I was going to be good enough to play at the highest level in college and the pros. From that day on, no one in this sport has outworked me. This is the culmination, right? I can’t wait to go back to that airport covered in champagne.”

Wasserman wasn’t the only one to appreciate the opportunity the MLL provides.

Boston’s Justin Pugal played a huge role in the championship.

Initially undrafted coming out of Stony Brook last year, Pugal later eared a tryout with the Cannons and parlayed that into a season in which he was ultimately selected to play in the MLL All-Star game.

On Sunday, he buried a two-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining in the first half, his first professional goal, to give Boston momentum and an 8-6 lead heading into halftime.

The Cannons stretched the lead to 11-6 in the second half with Pugal doing more damage. On one possession early in the third quarter, he blocked a shot from Lee with his knee and then later stripped Grant of the ball to give the ball back to Boston.

Trailing by five, Denver mounted a charge midway through the third quarter. Chris Aslanian scored back-to-back goals and Max Adler won the faceoff and scored after Aslanian’s second to cut the lead to 11-9. The three Outlaw goals occurred in a span of just 43 seconds.

Uppgren had the answer for Boston, scoring his fifth of the game with 6:29 to play and Challen Roger added another with 3:42 to play.

Aslanian scored his third goal of the third quarter with 1:48 to play to make it 13-10, but Denver went scoreless over the game’s final 16:48. Denver, which has won three MLL championships, lost in the final for the second straight year and the seventh time in franchise history.

Aslanian and rookie Daniel Bucaro each had three goals to lead the Outlaws and Adler won 14 of 25 faceoffs. Christian Knight made 13 saves while allowing nine goals.

Uppgren’s five goals led Boston and Mark Cockerton added a hat trick. The Cannons had nine forced turnovers, led by Zach Goodrich with three.