The Denver Outlaws and Long Island Lizards meet in the first semi-final game of MLL Championship Weekend and if you asked people in the beginning of the season, neither team should have made it this far.
Both teams traded away star players (Max Seibald and Drew Westervelt for Denver, Matt Danowski, John Grant Jr. and Stephen Berger for Long Island), invested in rookie players and rookie head coaches and were supposed to be rebuilding.
Instead the rookies assimilated to MLL play quickly and the veterans took huge leadership roles, leaving the general managers and the first-year coaches looking like geniuses.
Both teams have cleaned up in the awards category. For the Lizards, Joe Spallina was named Brine Coach of the Year, Matt Gibson was earned Cascade Rookie of the Year and Drew Adams was selected as Warrior Goalie of the Year. For the Outlaws, Jeremy Sieverts was earned Warrior Most Improved Player, Lee Zink was selected as the Warrior Defensive Player of the Year and Brendan Mundorf was named Bud Light MVP.
With so much talent on the field, this match-up should be very exciting and features many storylines worth following.
First, is Denver—who has made the playoffs in all seven years of its existence—finally break through and win its first championship?
What will the injury status of Mundorf (bruised ankle) and Matt Bocklet (broken thumb) be for the game? Both players apparently feel well enough to play tomorrow.
How will Max Seibald fare against his old team in the playoffs? After getting traded this off-season, Seibald has been an integral part in the rise of the Lizards this season. Seibald tallied seven goals and an assist against Denver in the regular season.
Speaking of the regular season, how will the rubber-match come out? The teams split the regular season series. Denver won the first one May 12 19-10 and Long Island repaid the favor with a 13-8 victory on June 23.
How will the elite goalies—Adams and Jesse Schwartzman—and top-tier face-off specialists—Long Island’s Greg Gurnelian and Denver’s Anthony Kelly—fare against each other?
Even though Denver is the hottest team in the league and Long Island limped into the playoffs with two bad losses, expect the team to experience a new sense of urgency now that it has in fact made the playoffs.
Denver and Long Island will bring the excitement because they are the first game of the day, but with so much to follow surrounding this game and the talent on the field both teams will continue to provide that positive energy through compelling and competitive lacrosse.
