Sign up for the latest news & updates

© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.

Every Fourth of July, the Denver Outlaws expect to light up the scoreboard and light up the sky.

It took the organization longer to do both in the 2019 contest, but the cliché is that good things come to those who wait, and the Denver Outlaws outlasted three weather delays and came from behind to beat the Bayhawks 14-13 at Mile High Stadium.

John Grant Jr., playing in the game for the first time since 2015, was eager throughout the day for the game and was pleased with the outcome.

“I’m impressed with our young guys stepping up,” he said. “Will Snider, heck of a game. [Chris] Aslanian has to be one of the best attackmen in the league. Our D stepped up huge down the stretch against arguably the best player in the world, Lyle Thompson. I’m just happy I was out there.

“Wins are wins, especially against good teams,” he added. “That’s two weeks in a row where we came back from a late deficit to get a couple.”

The game was initially delayed 75 minutes before it started due to lightning in the area, and two more 35-minute delays occurred in the second and third quarters, with the game ending around 11:30 pm MT.

After Thompson got the scoring started, Denver responded with three goals to take a 3-1 lead in the second quarter. The teams subsequently traded a few goals, but the Bayhawks went on a 5-1 run over the course of the second and third periods to go up 8-5. They entered the fourth quarter leading 12-9 and scored the first goal of the final frame to extend the lead to four.

Denver refused to go down, however, and it scored the final five goals of the game in a span of a little more than five and a half minutes. Grant’s second goal of the night was an over-the-shoulder shot that hit three pipes before bouncing in, and Snider scored his second of the night 35 seconds later for what would be the game-winner.

“We were setting some picks like old-school box lacrosse, setting picks and rolling inside. Lyle had one of the best games I’ve seen in this place, so if I got to steal a little bit of his thunder, that was good,” Grant said of his equalizer. “The team needed a goal, and I, fortunately, was in the right place at the right time. I don’t think I’ve ever hit three pipes on a shot before, but it went in.”

Denver is now 9-4 in Fourth of July games, including four consecutive victories dating back to 2016.

Boston Bounces Back

The Cannons had the best start in franchise history, 3-0, ruined in Week 5 when the Denver Outlaws came to Boston and bested them 17-16 thanks to a goal from Zach Runberg with 20 seconds left to play.

Boston seemed to still be picking itself up in Week 6, as the winless Dallas Rattlers raced out to a 4-1 lead. A Challen Rogers goal with 13 seconds remaining in the first quarter shifted the momentum, however. That goal started a run in which Boston scored seven of the next eight points to take an 8-5 lead into halftime, an advantage the Cannons would never relinquish.

“First quarter was a little rough. We were kind of scrambling around, not owning the crease. In pregame, we [said we] wanted to own the crease a little better, especially after last week against Denver,” Cannons defenseman James Fahey said. “We weren’t laying the body. We weren’t playing as physical as we needed to be. The communication was there. It was just trying to be more coordinated with backdoor play.

“On ball, we were doing a decent job. We just needed to play more like a cohesive unit. We figured that out in the second quarter, and we took that throughout the second half,” Fahey continued. “Our second-half ground-ball play and physicality was great, and that wore them down.”

Fahey played a big role in the comeback, as his 2-point goal tied the game at 5, the first tie since Tim Edwards scored to tie the game at 1 at the 12:32 mark of the first quarter.

“I was just wide open for too long. Cockerton was getting double-teamed, so I just yelled for it. I got in a good position, wound up, took my time and just let it go,” he said. “I double-checked my shoulders to see if we were offsides, to see if it was going to count, but yeah, it was great to get that going. That was right in that second quarter where we started to gain momentum. [Goalie Nick] Marrocco was starting to stand on his head and make some incredible saves. Our d-middies were beating everyone up.”

Midfielders Swapped

The Chesapeake Bayhawks and Dallas Rattlers exchanged midfielders in a trade completed July 2. The Bayhawks sent Adam Osika to Dallas in exchange for Ryan Keenan. Both players were in their first seasons with their respective teams after being acquired in the MLL Relocation Draft.

“Ryan was a guy who was dangerous when he played for the Ohio Machine,” Bayhawks head coach Dave Cottle said in a press release on the team’s website. “He scored 11 goals in eight games. He brings great quickness and comes from a program where he was well-coached. We needed a little more punch in the midfield, and that’s why we reached out to Dallas.”

Both players made their debuts with their new squads over the weekend. Osika picked up three ground balls and caused on turnover in Dallas’ loss to Boston. Keenan scored a goal in both Bayhawks games, and he also added an assist against the Outlaws.

Noteworthy

Zach Currier (four goals, one assist) and Chris Aslanian (two goals, three assists) each had a team-high five points against the Bayhawks. … Max Adler won 23 of 31 faceoffs, picked up 13 ground balls, scored a goal and added an assist in Denver’s victory. …

Andrew Kew had a great weekend for the Bayhawks, scoring a goal and adding an assist in his MLL debut against the Outlaws and then scoring four goals in the team’s victory over Atlanta. … Steele Stanwick totaled seven points in two games for the Bayhawks in Week 6. …

Bryan Cole had five points in each Blaze game in Week 6, totaling seven goals and three assists. … Rookie Brendan Sunday had three goals and two assists in the loss to the Bayhawks and followed that effort with a two-goal, one-assist performance in the team’s win against the Lizards. …

Nick Aponte led the Lizards in scoring in the team’s loss to Atlanta, scoring four goals and adding one assist. …

Nick Marrocco made 16 saves for the Cannons. … Boston faceoff specialist Kevin Reisman won 16 of 29 faceoffs and picked up 10 ground balls. … Will Sands led the Cannons with four points (two goals, two assists) while Mark Cockerton led the team in goals (three). …

Ryan McNamara led the Rattlers with four points (two goals, two assists). … Jack Jasinski scored his first career MLL goal.

Player of the Week
Lyle Thompson, A, Chesapeake Bayhawks

The Mile High Fourth of July game brings a lot of fans to the stadium thanks to a huge fireworks production. It was Lyle Thompson, however, that stole the show even in a loss.

Thompson scored five goals, added one assist and showed off plenty of impressive stick work. Three of his five goals came in the third quarter.

“He’s unguardable. Clearly, if he’s not the best player in the world, he’s definitely in the top three,” Outlaws attackman John Grant Jr. said. “Unfortunately, watching him do it against my team is tough, but he’s a dazzling player to watch. This league is very, very lucky to have a guy like that.”

Thompson wasn’t done, however. Two nights later, the Bayhawks took on the Atlanta Blaze and Thompson added even more to the scoreboard, putting in five goals and assisting on three others to help lift the Bayhawks over the Blaze.

“I’m just trying to play my game. Our coaches have really allowed me to do that. They have shown a lot of confidence in me and given me the freedom to make plays,” Thompson said in a press release issued by the Bayhawks. “Coach [Cottle] has told me to be aggressive and take advantage of the defenders that are covering me.”

Play of the Week
Dillon Ward, G, Denver Outlaws

There are a pair of Lyle Thompson goals (embedded above) against the Outlaws that are phenomenal and would probably be selected any other week, but it’s time to give the goalies some love. Dillon Ward’s splitting save against Thompson was a huge moment in the first quarter that would also be pivotal in the final score of the game.