Kip Turner was the reigning MLL goalie of the year, leading the Boston Cannons within one game of playing for the MLL Championship. He went into last season looking to bring the Cannons to the promise land, and he did... via sitting on the bench.
Midway through the second game of the season against the Denver Outlaws, a game that the Cannons were losing, the Cannons put in back up goalie Jordan Burke. Burke played well, despite the Cannons loss, and did not see the bench again, becoming the Cannons starting goalie.
Burke is 24 years old and played his college ball for the Brown Bears.He was the Cannons second round pick in 2009, and the 16th overall pick in the MLL collegiate draft. In 2009, he was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy.
Playing in eleven of the Cannons twelve games, Burke went 7-3 with a 10.60 goals against average. It was second best in the league, only behind Denver's Jesse Schwartzman. The next best was the 11.46 GAA of Scott Rodgers of the Hamilton Nationals, who played in nine games.
Burke played 588 minutes on the year, third in the league behind Schwartzman and Drew Adams from the Long Island Lizards. His 104 goals allowed were also third best, behind Rodgers and Brian Phipps from the Chesapeake Bayhawks, now on the Ohio Machine.
Last season Burke played in both of the Cannons playoff games. They defeated the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the first round, and moved on to the MLL Championship to face the Hamilton Nationals.
While it can be argued that Burke was snubbed as goalie of the year (Drew Adams from Long Island won it), Burke had the last laugh, winning the MLL Championship MVP as he led his team to their first MLL title, and also is the first ever Cannons Championship MVP.
With Kip Turner now on the Bayhawks after the expansion draft, Burke will be the starting goalie again for the Cannons in 2013 as they look to repeat.
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