The Boston Cannons were rebuilding. They traded the best player in the world. A top defenseman retired. They traded another. They lost two MLL legends to retirement.
And they are competing for the final playoff spot in Major League Lacrosse.
After losing to the Ohio Machine on Saturday, the Cannons had a three game winning streak snapped. Ohio clinched a playoff seed, and so did the Rochester Rattlers with their Sunday win.
The Cannons are locked in a battle with the Chesapeake Bayhawks for the final seed in the playoffs.
If you asked the experts before the season, they shouldn’t even be here.
That was before Will Manny became an MLL super star. Before Davey Emala emerged as a legitimate scorer. Before Brent Adams became a secondary scorer. Before Scott Ratliff became a top three defender in the league.
For the Cannons to succeed, things had to go right. They needed Ratliff go become a top defender after losing Jack Reid and Kyle Sweeney. They needed someone to step up and replace scoring from unlikely places, as Emala has.
Familiar veterans stepped up as well. Kevin Buchanan, after his return from the NLL, has scored 28 points in his nine games played. Brodie Merrill has made a world of difference as another elite defender since his extended NLL playoff run.
Of goalies with seven games or more, Adam Ghitelman has the best goals against average in the league at 10.73. The addition of Ghitelman has been huge as Jordan Burke has struggled in the cage, but picked up by the former Hounds netminder.
The Cannons hold a two game lead over the Bayhawks for the final seed. They are tied with the same record as the Rattlers and Machine. For the Bayhawks to make the playoffs, they need to win both games and the Cannons lose both as they each have two games remaining.
Boston plays Chesapeake this week. A Bayhawks win keeps them alive, but a Boston victory will seal the deal.
And that’s a position they wouldn’t be expected to be in after their hectic, “rebuilding” season.
