The game between the Charlotte Hounds (3-6) and Denver Outlaws (6-3) could potentially make or break the Hound’s playoff hopes. While they are a long shot to make the playoffs, with half of the season left it’s still a possibility. The Hounds and Outlaws sit and 6th and 2nd in the league, respectively. The Rattlers and Lizards are currently tied for 4th and the final playoff spot with a 5-4 record. If Denver wins, they could find themselves in 1st place in the league, but if they lose, they could drop into a tie for 4th place. If the Hounds win, they are still in the hunt. If they lose, it could be the end of a playoff run for them.
Attack
Charlotte’s Matt Danowski is currently second in the league for points with 34 behind only Paul Rabil. In addition to Danowski, the Hounds have Billy Bitter (14 points) and Jeremy Boltus (26 points) on attack. As shown last week in their upset of the Chesapeake Bayhawks, whenever this offense can get everything and find a groove, it can be lethal.
Denver’s Brendan Mundorf is third in the league for points with 33, just one point behind Matt Danowski. Also contributing on attack is Jordan McBride (22 points), Josh Sims (14 points), Chris Bocklet (9 points) and Mark Matthews (8 points). This Denver unit is one that can put points on the board in a hurry.
Midfield
The Hounds have a young and very talented midfield. Led by MLL All-Star MVP Stephen Berger (28 points), this midfield line is one to be weary of. Last week, the very electric Jovan Miller (17 points) made it up to #2 on the ESPN Top 10 Plays with his dunk on Chesapeake goalie Kip Turner. Also contributing on midfield for the Hounds are Brian Carroll (13 points), Josh Amidon (11 points), Justin Smith (9 points), Justin Turri (7 points) and Kevin Kaminski (5 points).
The Outlaws have a very impressive midfield line, with 3 midfielders that have 20 or more points. Jeremy Sieverts leads the midfield line with 27 points. He’s followed closely by Peet Poillon (25 points) and Terry Kimener (22 points)
Face-Off
Charlotte finally found an answer for their face-off woes, and that answer is Geoff Snider. Unfortunately for the Hounds, they won’t have him for another 3 weeks because he is coaching the Canadian U-19 team. As a team, Charlotte has only won 92 of 270 face-offs on the season.
The Outlaws are led by Anthony Kelly, whom was just recently acquired from the Ohio Machine. Kelly has won 77 of 157 face-offs on the season. Before acquiring Kelly, the Outlaws were led by Chris Mattes who won 50 of 117.
Defense
The Hounds’ defense has had some struggles early in the season, but is starting to really come together. Ryan Flanagan leads a defense that also includes Ricky Pages, Joe Cinosky, Steve Panarelli, Spencer Wims, and after coming back from injury, Brett Schmidt.
The Outlaws have one of the best defensemen in the league with Lee Zink. Zink can do it all and is definitely one of the top defenders in the league. Accompanying him on defense are Matt Bocklet, Steven Holmes and Dillon Roy.
Goalie
Adam Ghitelman has really been impressing as the season continues on. Last week against Chesapeake he stopped 20 of 30 shots for a .667 save percentage. So far on the season his save percentage is .554 good for 2nd in the league. He made multiple key saves for the Hounds in their upset of the Bayhawks.
The Outlaws’ Jesse Schwartzman has also been playing great as of late. He has the 4th highest save percentage stopping .524 %. Schwartzman is second in the league for goals against, allowing only 11.18 goals per game.
