Denver Outlaws 18, Boston Cannons 17
Topher Adams: Outlaws showcase their youth, for better and worse
The Outlaws are one of the youngest teams in the PLL, and they play like it. For 60 minutes Saturday afternoon, Denver ran up and down the field and played with extreme confidence as it piled up a season’s worth of SportsCenter goals.
But for every flashy behind-the-back or frenetic faceoff, there was also a sloppy turnover or a mental lapse that led to a goal. For the first time in weeks, Denver showed its (lack of) age and real fallibility.
It started in cage, where Logan McNaney finally looked human. After arguably the best four-game start to a goalie career ever, he saved just 48.7% of the shots he faced and surrendered a career-high 17 goals against.
In key moments, the stars made mental mistakes that led to chances for Boston. On the final possession alone, Ryan Terefenko didn’t go to goal before the shot clock expired, then Pat Kavanagh lost his place on the field and drifted offsides to give the Cannons a power play with the game on the line.
Yet the Outlaws still got it done.
The offense is reaching supernova status and torched Boston from every angle. Jared Bernhardt was only stopped by his own foot in the crease, Brennan O’Neill filled the highlight reel for fun and Kavanagh recorded the quietest five points of his career.
Around all of the superstars was Dalton Young putting together his best game of the season, finishing with two goals and three assists.
The magic sauce of the Outlaws is that even with the issues on display, there’s still an answer somewhere. Between the offense, defense, and faceoff unit, something will be clicking and keep Denver in the game. And in the tough moments, the Outlaws are flashing the character to grind out wins.
Up next for Denver: Saturday, July 26 vs. Utah Archers (9 p.m. ET)
Joe Keegan: Cannons’ best offensive output of the season falls one goal short
After falling behind 4-0 and seeing their win probability dip to as low as 30.4% in the first half, the Cannons fought back to give themselves a chance to tie the game on a power play with 16 seconds remaining.
With Kavanagh serving an offside penalty, Boston called a timeout. The Outlaws used a timeout immediately after seeing the Cannons’ formation and drew up a penalty-kill look.
When play restarted, Asher Nolting tried to force a pass to the inside, but the Denver defense denied the entry pass and prevented what could have been a game-tying shot attempt.
“We were trying to work a little mumbo for [Matt] Campbell, a little bit as a disguise, and then trying to sneak Willy [Manny] backdoor behind [Mike] Manley, expecting him to jump out to Matt,” Marcus Holman said. “Ash and I talked about maybe just banging it down the side quick and getting it back to him, because if you stare down a skip lane like that, you have Jesse Bernhardt in the middle of the field, one of the best to ever do it.
“If you give me that chance again, I’d take it, obviously. Ten out of 10.”
That the Cannons were in a position to tie the game that late is a testament to their compete level and their emphasis on making what they call “Cannons plays” after getting away from their brand of lacrosse the past couple games.
“There’s guys diving all over the place. There’s guys soaking up shots. There’s guys being physical,” head coach Brian Holman said. “I thought we played with a little bit of that edge that we’re known for and that our guys like to play at.”
“We got better today. That’s what I’ll say for sure,” Marcus Holman said.
Holman (2G, 1T, 1A) made history again, tying Paul Rabil for second all-time in goals scored (355).
He was one of eight Cannons with a point, along with Nolting (4A), Campbell (3G, 1A), Connor Kirst (2G, 1T, 1A), Ryan Drenner (3G), Jules Heningburg (1T, 1A), Jeff Trainor (2G) and Manny (1G).
Every time the Cannons closed the gap, the Outlaws had an answer. O’Neill (4G) and Bernhardt (4G) won their matchups consistently. Kavanagh (2G, 3A) continued to build his MVP case, quarterbacking the team and leading all Outlaws in touches (50). The win was Denver’s fifth in a row — and fifth since turning to McNaney as its starting goalie.
“God bless ‘em. They’re going to be a handful down the stretch,” Brian Holman said.
Up next for Boston: Bye week
