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In his third game of the season, John Grant Jr. once again broke the record for most career MLL points. With a goal and two assists, Grant Jr. set the new bar with 598 points (in regular season and postseason action), surpassing the previous mark set of 596 set by Paul Rabil.

While the Atlanta Blaze opened the scoring in the game with two goals, Grant Jr. scored the first goal for Denver, the third time he has done so this season.

The record-breaking point came in the second quarter of a 5-5 tie game. Grant Jr. started with the ball behind cage and backed his way past goal-line extended on the bottom right side. Using his back as a shield, Grant Jr. found rookie attackman Brendan Kavanagh cutting unmarked from top left to bottom left. His pass across the field found Kavanagh’s stick a few steps before the crease, and Kavanagh buried the shot past Atlanta goalie Chris Madalon.

The record is an accomplishment – one of many Grant Jr. has accumulated throughout his career – but he was most pleased with his ability to help Denver secure another victory.

“I think the record is important for others. I like that it gave me the opportunity to come back,” he said in a televised postgame interview. “I want this not to be a publicity stunt. I want to actually contribute on the field. It seemed like I basically almost made the whole game, so maybe the players and coaches are starting to have a little bit more faith in me, and I’m maybe getting my sea legs back, whatever that means, because I’m sure I’ll be in an ice bath for the next two weeks.”

Boston Remains Undefeated

The 2018 season was a challenging one for the Boston Cannons, but there was a glimmer of optimism as the season ended and the Cannons won their final two games. The team has picked up where it left off, winning its first two games of the 2019 season.

The latest victory came thanks to a convincing 16-10 victory over the Dallas Rattlers.

Boston jumped out on top quickly, scoring two goals in the first minute and finishing the first quarter with a 7-0 lead.

Seven different players tallied a point for the Cannons, including Will Sands and Kyle Denhoff, who each earned their first points of the season.

“We just got hot early. It’s a game of runs. Everyone on this field, these are the best players in the world, so everyone on this field is a great player,” Cannons attackman Will Sands said in a postgame interview on Stadium. “We definitely wanted this game. We had a great practice yesterday. We had a great practice today. Our team has got great chemistry. Our group is really starting to come together. Offensively, we just found some holes and our shooters hit shots.”

Noteworthy

Shayne Jackson erupted for five goals in Atlanta’s loss to Denver. … The Blaze had four players score two goals: Tommy Palasek, Joe Reid, Randy Staats, and Bryan Cole. … Atlanta’s Alex Woodall, the number one pick in the 2019 MLL Collegiate Draft, scored his first professional goal. … Dallas rookie Jake Seau also scored his first professional goal in the team’s loss to Boston while Denver rookie Kyle Killen scored a hat trick in his MLL debut. … Jack Curran led the Rattlers with three goals. … Kevin Reisman had a big night at the face-off X for the Cannons, going 16-28 and picking up nine ground balls. … Boston’s Mark Cockerton, who scored six goals in Week 1, had another multi-goal outing, adding two goals and an assist to his tally. … Boston’s Kyle Jackson scored four goals. … Zach Currier led the Outlaws with three goals and four assists. … Grant Jr., Chris Aslanian (two goals, one assist), Kavanagh (one goal, two assists), and Mikie Schlosser (two goals, one assist) all had three points for Denver.

Player of the Week

Will Sands, A, Boston Cannons

The Bucknell graduate was one of the lone bright spots early in the Cannons 2018 season, putting up 17 points in five games. He suffered a season-ending injury, however, ending what could have been a special rookie season. Sands returned in the 2019 Week 1 victory against New York, but he didn’t score any points. He made up for it against the Rattlers, tallying six assists on the night.

“It was just nice to get some rust off. It’s great my teammates still trust me. They know the type of player I am,” Sands said in a postgame interview on Stadium. “I thought last week was a great team win. It could be anybody’s night on any day. Last week it wasn’t my day, but it was definitely our team’s day. We were able to get a win, and that’s all that really matters.”

Play of the Week

While Junior’s assist to break the points record was a significant play, Kyle Jackson’s whirling, behind-the-back goal while getting sandwiched by two Rattlers defenders was just too pretty. When Sands says “These are the best players in the world,” this is a perfect example of that.