The Outlaws raised the banner for their 2014 title run in their home opener in Denver on Sunday, May 3, 2015, and then went on to defeat the Charlotte Hounds by a score of 15-12. Four different players notched hat tricks for the Outlaws, Greg Melaugh, Eric Law, Jeremy Sieverts, and Drew Snider.
Denver Head Coach B. J. O’Hara was worried that the banner raising ceremony would be a distraction for his team, and the Hounds tallied the first goal of the game. The teams traded goals in the first quarter, until Denver broke things wide open in the second, outscoring Charlotte 7-3 in the quarter, including a four goal run that saw Law, Snider, Melaugh, and Mike Bocklet string together an impressive scoring sequence. At halftime the Outlaws were in Dolly Parton territory, working 9-5 on the Hounds.
The dogs bit back to open the third, scoring the game’s next two goals. Denver went on another four goal run that spanned the end of the third, and start of the fourth quarter. Leading 13-7 late in the game, Denver started to take their foot off the gas and the Hounds made them pay for it, rattling off five of the game’s final seven goals. Still, this late surge was too little, too late for the Hounds, and their lack of consistency over the full 60 minutes plagued them once again this week.
A few notes:
Four different Hounds players had a pair of goals – Brendan Fowler, Jake Tripucka, John Haus, and Ryan Flanagan.
Denver’s attack unit put together a solid effort. Eric Law, who hasn’t been playing with his usual flair this season, was back in full effect. Law made several backdoor cuts that were sure to be goals if the passes hadn’t been too high. But close only counts in hand grenades and horse shoes.
There were a few David and Goliath match ups in this game. Watching Anthony Kelly and Brendan trot out to the faceoff dot you might think that Oberyn Martell was about to take on The Mountain. And yet the faceoff stats were relatively even. Kelly was ahead at the end of the game, going 17 for 30, but Fowler managed a couple goals of the faceoff in his own right.
Flipping the fields, Charlotte’s defense loomed large over the Denver attack, well, for some stretches at least. Let’s just say that there is a noticeable size difference between the two units. Once Dan Taylor got some run time in the second half things didn’t appear as out of balance. Nevertheless, Denver used their speed to compensate for their lack of size consistently throughout the contest.
Speaking of Dan Taylor, it was a pleasant surprise to see the hulking Canadian in Denver’s line up. I’ve been anticipating the arrival of Taylor and Bucknell’s David Dickson since their NCAA careers wound up last week. But looking at their respective schools’ finals schedules (yes, I actually looked them up) I figured it’d be another week until either one joined the team. Taylor played well in his first game, and even netted a goal for himself.
Charlotte’s John Haus had a beautiful EMO goal in the second quarter off a pass from Jake Tripucka. Watching Haus’ shooting stroke you’d think he was on the golf course, as his low-to-high laser painted the corner of the Denver net.
Denver’s Matt Bocklet had a caused turnover that turned into an offensive opportunity for the LSM. His bounce shot rattled off the crossbar and out, but didn’t cross the goal plane. Yet, on the other side of the field Ryan Flanagan has to be one of the most dangerous offensively minded LSMs in MLL. He scored two goals for the Hounds on Sunday.
Perhaps the goal of the day belonged to Denver’s Jeremy Sieverts. It seems that playing with Curtis Dickson last year must have paid off for the Outlaws’ midfielder, as he crashed the net and contorted his body in such a way to enable him to score a mind-boggling goal. Reports that Sieverts is working on his pilot’s license cannot be confirmed at this time.
What’s up next?
The Denver Outlaws visit the Rochester Rattlers, and the Charlotte Hounds welcome the Chesapeake Bayhawks, next week. Both games take place on Sunday, May 10th.
