It’s time for everyone to start buying what Boston Cannons Head Coach John Tucker and Cannons GM and Vice President Kevin Barney are selling. Many lacrosse experts scoffed when the Cannons traded away the best player in the world Paul Rabil in the off-season. Many assumed the Cannons were dumping everything to rebuild. Well, everyone that is, except the Cannons themselves.
While many looked at Rabil being moved, very few noticed what Boston got in return. It was a three team swap along with Ohio. The Cannons picked up Max Seibald, a solid veteran middie from New York and Chad Wiedmaier, a good young long pole from Ohio. Among the slew of draft picks Boston received was the 5th overall pick in the 2015 draft which they used on Army’s John Glesener. Boston also picked up a 2016 1st and 2nd round pick as well as a 2017 1st round pick. At the time, it was clear they had set themselves up for the future, but it was not obvious to many they had set themselves up for the present as well.
A few weeks ago, I had a chance to chat with Coach Tucker before our broadcast of the Cannons v. Rattlers game. Talking about the trade, Tucker commented that people were not paying attention to the Cannons side of the deal and that they set up a good situation not just for the next few years, but specifically this year. He mentioned that because Rabil was the biggest name in lacrosse, the Lizards got all the attention as they were dubbed the huge winners of the trade. Boston was just fine flying under the radar hearing they were crazy for doing what they did. They knew they had a good base of talent to compete right away and the additional draft choices would assure they could continue to stock pile talent to be a title contender for a long time. With the Cannons adding Davey Emala and recently Josh Hawkins as well as the rookies including Ryan Tucker and Wells Stanwick in the rotation, the plan for 2015 is complete.
The Cannons are content with the rest of the league feeling they are too young to compete now. The fact remains what Tucker and Barney have already accomplished is paying dividends. This team is primed to not only make the playoffs, but they expect to be right in the title chase next month. The Cannons improbable success this year is a result of moving out of their comfort zone and trying something new and unexpected.
Week 12 Game Balls
Drew Adams, New York: Made four crucial saves when New York was on a 6-on-4 man down late in the 2nd quarter, then stoned Ben Rubeor at the doorstep that would have tied the game with less than a minute left. Adams finished with 20 saves on 33 shots.
Lyle Thompson, Florida: It took a few weeks, but the #1 overall pick in the draft showed why he is the future of the MLL with seven goals and an assist nearly outscoring Charlotte on his own.
Mike Poppleton, Rochester: Lost in the shuffle after the trade from Florida, Poppleton got his chance and dominated the Machine going 25-33 at the X. Rochester needed everyone of those possessions to squeak out a one-goal victory to stay in the playoff hunt.
Ryan Tucker, Boston: The rookie had three 2-point goals, two of those coming in the first quarter as Boston jumped out to an early lead that Denver could never make up. The coach’s son tied the single game record for most 2-point goals in a game. It has been accomplished nine times, the last time by Kyle Dixon in 2013.
Week 12 MLL Top 8
1- New York (9-2). Have not lost with Rabil in the lineup.
2- Boston (7-4). Very impressive run by the young guns.
3- Ohio (6-5). Tight loss to Rochester, but still may be the team to size up to New York.
4-Rochester (6-5). Mike Manley now officially out for the season hurts Rochester’s title hopes.
5- Chesapeake (5-6). Two straight losses are hurting their playoff plans.
6- Denver (5-6). Goaltending and defense have been all season.
7- Florida (3-8). Lyle Thompson’s coming out party was fun to watch.
8- Charlotte (3-8). Bad loss to Launch after two outstanding performances against New York and Denver.
Brendan McDaniels is a color analyst for the MLL Television broadcasts and can be seen Sunday, July 12 at 1 p.m. as the Rattlers host the Bayhawks on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN App. Follow Brendan on Twitter @BMcDTWCSports.
