SB Nation Boston - Boston Cannons Lacrosse 2012: Cannons Lose for First Time, Fall to Rattlers in OT

Cannons Vs. Rattlers: Cannons Lose First Game in Overtime

2012-06-02T02:01:23Z

The perfect season is over. The Boston Cannons have lost a game. Tonight they fell to the Rochester Rattlers, 17-16 in overtime, to fall to 4-1. They are still in first place, a half a game ahead of Denver and Chesapeake.

Some good did come from this game, as Ryan Boyle broke the record for all time assists in Major League Lacrosse history. He scored two assists on the night.

Kevin Buchanan scored five goals to lead the Cannons in the loss. Paul Rabil also had a hat trick, as did Mike Stone, his fourth straight on the season.

Jordan Burke played the entire game in net and gave up seventeen goals while making fourteen saves. John Galloway was in net for Rochester, and he made seventeen saves while giving up fifteen goals.

The Rattlers saw three goals from Matt Streibel and Ned Crotty, and they got two from Jordan MacIntosh and Jay Card. Rookie Kevin Drew from Syracuse also had a goal.

The attendance was just over 2,000 for this game, but it was on national TV on the CBS Sports Network, a great game for the national crowd to see.

For more on professional lacrosse, visit our blog, In Lax We Trust

Cannons Vs. Rattlers: Rematch Friday Night on National TV

2012-05-31T13:41:26Z

After a week off from MLL action, tomorrow night the undefeated Boston Cannons will face off with the Rochester Rattlers. Last time these teams faced each other, it was opening day and the Cannons won 15-3.

The Rattlers are a different team now, with Ned Crotty, one of the best players in the entire league back in action. The Cannons roster is also bolstered, with Matt Poskay, Kevin Buchanan and Brad Ross playing.

In the last game between these teams, Ari Sussman had four goals to steal the show. His playing time is less with so many elite players back, but he remains on the roster at the attack position.

Joe Walters and Joel White are also back for the Rattlers after their NLL counter part, the Rochester Knighthawks, won the Champions Cup. They add a boost to the Rochester lineup in their first game back with the Rattlers.

Some other new faces are with the Rattlers from the college ranks, like Carter Bender from Hartford, Kevin Drew from Syracuse, Roy Lang from Virginia and Mike Manley from Duke.

Rochester is 1-2 on the season, defeating the Chesapeake Bayhawks and falling to the Ohio Machine in their schedule. This time they are facing the Cannons at home, a big advantage compared to having to play in Boston. It is their first home game of the season, so the Cannons will have to face the crowd as well.

Game time is 7pm tomorrow night and the game can be seen live on TV on the CBS Sports Network.

For more on lacrosse, visit out blog In Lax We Trust

Paul Rabil Of Boston Cannons Featured On Episode Of ESPN's Sport Science

2012-05-21T22:51:57Z

Paul Rabil of the Boston Cannons is pretty good at what he does, and as the owner of the fastest shot in lacrosse, he was deservedly featured on one of the latest installments of ESPN's Sport Science.

For more Boston Cannons lacrosse coverage, visit our stream and In Lax We Trust.

Cannons Vs. Outlaws: Cannons Only Undefeated Team Left

2012-05-20T23:36:53Z

It was a battle in which only one team could remain on top. That team would be the Boston Cannons, who took a 17-10 win over the Denver Outlaws to remain the only undefeated team left in Major League Lacrosse.

Paul Rabil had his break out game for the Cannons, picking up eight points and taking the league lead for points on the season. Eight different Cannons players scored. They also saw hat tricks from Kevin Buchanan and Mike Stone. It was Buchanan’s second straight hat trick and the third straight for Stone.

Bill McGlone, a former Outlaw, also had a goal for the Cannons in his first game against his old team. Matt Poskay also picked up two as he continues to rack up the points.

The Cannons offense looks like the most dangerous in lacrosse, and looking at who they have on the field, it’s not too surprising. Denver had looked like the next best team in the league, but they couldn’t even stay in the game against the Cannons.

Chris Eck beat Justin Pennington and Stephen Robarge in face offs 18-12. The Cannons scored once on their two power plays while the Outlaws were not able to take advantage of any of their four man up opportunities. Boston had 31 shots on net while the Outlaws had 24.

Jordan Burke also made fourteen saves on the night for Boston as he continues to be an elite goaltender. He gave up ten goals on the night but the Cannons still have the best goals against in the entire league.

The Cannons next play in Rochester against the Rattlers, but have this week off as does the entire league of Major League Lacrosse for Memorial Day Weekend.

For more on lacrosse, check out our blog In Lax We Trust. Also listen to the MLL Post Game Show here.

Cannons Vs Outlaws: Battle of Undefeated Teams

2012-05-19T18:32:42Z

The Boston Cannons and Denver Outlaws play in the biggest game of this early MLL season tonight, as the only two undefeated teams in the league face off. The game will be at Denver, giving the Outlaws a possible advantage.

The Cannons have their entire roster back after missing some stars early on, and their offense has been even more dangerous with them back. Matt Poskay, Kevin Buchanan and Brad Ross have lit it up since being back. Tonight they will get defender Mitch Belisle back after the Minnsota Swarm NLL season came to an end.

Denver is an interesting team, as they looked like they were rebuilding in the off season. They traded star players like Max Seibald, Billy Bitter and Drew Westervelt. Yet thus far this season they have wins over the Charlotte Hounds, Hamilton Nationals and Long Island Lizards.

The Outlaws have seen great goaltending from Jesse Schwartzman, while on the other end for the Cannons, Jordan Burke has also been as great as he was last season. It is hard to say who has the goalie advantage.

While the Cannons offense has been dynamic with their full roster in place, it has been guys like Ari Sussman and Mike Stone that have put them over the edge this season. I had Stone as my break out player of the year, and he had a hat trick last game. He is one of the fastest players in Major League Lacrosse, be sure to watch him again in this game.

It’s a battle of undefeateds, but one of them has to go down. Two elite teams facing off in a very important early season game, who do you think wins? Vote on the poll below and also share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Mike Stone Plays Big Role with 2012 Cannons

2012-05-16T16:29:14Z

When you think of the Boston Cannons, you think of Paul Rabil, Matt Poskay, Ryan Boyle, Jordan Burke, and other cogs in the lineup for the championship season. Who you don’t think of is Mike Stone.

Stone has seven goals in three games this season, including a hat trick against the Hamilton Nationals this past week. Last season he had five goals overall in six games. “I’m having a blast playing this year.” said Stone. “I came into the season motivated to contribute, and I decided that more than anything I was going to play as hard as I can and enjoy the experience. The camaraderie on our team is great, and it is a ton of fun getting together each week and competing.”

Behind the efforts of Stone and others, the Cannons are 3-0, and tied for the best record in Major League Lacrosse with the Denver Outlaws, who the Cannons hit the road to play this week. “Denver has a very talented team and is going to be a difficult test for us.” Stone explained. "I think the best thing that we can do is continue to play as we have the first 3 games this season.

“It has been important for us to get this season off to a strong start. We have been focused on not allowing last year’s success get in the way of our success this year, and we have been able to do that so far despite missing some valuable pieces of our roster.”

One thing that has helped Stone and the Cannons is the entire offensive unit being back. “I think we have put together a strong offensive group each week, even while some of our guys were out with NLL/coaching commitments. We had some young guys step up and do very well. With all of our offensive players back on the roster, we’re going to continue to play the way we have so far this year.”

What do the Cannons need to do to win in Denver this week? “Take care of the ball, be unselfish, and play together.”

Cannons Vs Nationals: Cannons Remain Undefeated

2012-05-14T23:46:27Z

The rematch of the Major League Lacrosse championship had the same result, with the Boston Cannons coming out on top. This time Boston won 18-9, with most of their roster back in action. The Cannons are now 3-0 on the season, tied for first place with the Denver Outlaws.

Boston led for the entire game except for in the first period when Hamilton tied it at 1-1. They scored seven in the fourth quarter to wrap it up. Kevin Buchanan, Ryan Boyle and Mike Stone each had three goals a piece to lead the Cannons.

Paul Rabil, Matt Poskay and Chris Eck also all had goals. Eck, the face off man, actually had two break away goals. For the Nationals, their offense came from three goals by Kevin Crowley, two from Jeremy Thompson, and singles from Dan Deckelbaum, Rhys Duch, Brodie Merrill and Adam Jones.

Scott Rodgers and Brice Queener each played thirty minutes in net for the Nationals. Queener made seven saves and gave up ten goals, while Rodgers made seven and gave up eight. Jordan Burke played all sixty minutes in net for the Cannons. He made nine saves and allowed nine goals.

The Cannons broke their attendance record last night with 11,277 in their championship rematch. The Cannons lead the league with 53 goals, three ahead of second place Denver. They have the second least goals against, behind Rochester. I wouldn’t want to have to play this team.

Cannons Vs Nationals: MLL Championship Rematch Tonight

2012-05-12T20:58:21Z

The Boston Cannons can stay perfect on the season if they can beat the Hamilton Nationals tonight in a rematch from the MLL Championship. Hamilton fell to the Denver Outlaws last week and will be looking to rebound.

Boston will have nearly a full crew tonight, with Kevin Buchanan, Brad Ross and Pat Heim all back in action. Hamilton will have back plenty as well, with guys like Brodie Merrill and Kevin Crowley. However, they will be without Stephen Keogh who is playing in the NLL playoffs.

The goalie matchup will be Jordan Burke against the tandem of Scott Rodgers and Brice Queener. Not much has changed for either team since the championship, with Boston only losing Max Quinzani and the Nats losing rookie of the year Jeremy Boltus.

Hamilton is a fast team that likes to run, but Boston has gotten better at the transition aspect with fast players like Mike Stone and Ari Sussman having bigger roles. Those kind of role players will be the key tonight against a tough team looking for their first win.

Game time is tonight at 7pm and can be watched on ESPN3.com. This should be one of the best games in the early season, with plenty of storylines in store. Will Boston get their third win? How does Hamilton react with so many players back?