On August 24, Major League Lacrosse’s Championship Weekend will return to Philadelphia, PA for the first time since 2003, when the Long Island Lizards took on the Baltimore Bayhawks at Villanova Stadium. This time, it will take place at PPL Park, home of the Philadelphia Union and where the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse held their quarterfinals for this years NCAA tournament. Professional outdoor lacrosse also makes an appearance in the city of brotherly love after the Philadelphia Barrage organization was disabled after the 2008 season. The Barrage won the MLL Championship three out of the four times they made it in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Match-ups will be Denver against Charlotte and Chesapeake taking on Hamilton.
Chesapeake, Denver and Hamilton have all been in the post season in previous years, with Charlotte appearing in their first. Denver has made championship weekend every year since their inauguration in 2006, appearing in the championship game four times. Unfortunately, they have yet to raise the Steinfeld Cup. This year may prove different as they head into their semi final game undefeated and seeded first. Hamilton , the third seed, won the finals in their first year of being in the MLL, then as the Toronto Nationals and lead by Coach Huntley, back in 2009 over the Outlaws and fell to Boston in the 2011 championship game.
Second seed Chesapeake is the defending campions headed into this years post season. They have been around since the MLL’s first season in 2001, where the Bayhawks lost to Long Island. Since then, Chesapeake competed in the playoffs from 2001-2005 as the Baltimore Bayhawks, winning in 2002 and 2005. They missed the playoffs during the 2006-2009 season, when they were the Washington Bayhawks. Once they changed to Chesapeake, the Steinfeld Cup was hoisted by the blue and gray in 2010 and 2012. Boston downed the Hawks in 2011 during their semifinal match. With four championships in their pocket, Coach Dave Cottle with one already, they will be a force to deal with.
The newbie of the group, the Charlotte Hounds, made the post-season in only their second year of existence. Last season, Charlotte posted a 5-9 record, finishing sixth in the league. They had a chance to get the third seed in their last game of the season had they defeated Chesapeake, but fell 14-16. Head Coach Mike Cerino and the Hounds made some moves in both the off season and at the trade deadline to help their squad make their first playoff run.
There are a good amount of players, active or inactive and even on the practice squads, along with a coach, that have ties to the state of Pennsylvania. Also, some with a nexus to the city and suburbs of Philadelphia. Even a few Philadelphia Wings members return to compete outside of the Wells Fargo Center. Here is the list:
Charlotte
Mason Poli – Downingtown, PA – Downingtown East/Bryant
Owen Blye – Chester Springs, PA – Downingtown East/Maryland
Peet Poillon – Cranberry Township, PA – Seneca Valley/UMBC
Chris Schiller – Penfield, NY – McQuiad/Penn State
Brett Schmidt – Maple Glen, PA – Upper Dublin/Maryland
Mark Manos – West Chester, PA – West Chester East/Drexel
Chesapeake
Matt Dolente – Phoenixville, PA – Malvern Prep/Johns Hopkins
Matt Mackrides – Newtown Square, PA – Malvern Prep/Penn State
Bruce Bickford – Providence, RI – Moses Brown/Drexel
JJ Miller – Odention, MD – Annapolis Area Christian/Messiah
Brandon Palladino – Basking Ridge, NJ – Ridge/Dickinson
Denver
Ken Clausen – Downingtown, PA – The Hill School/Virginia
Hamilton
Joel Zalesky – Carnegie, PA – Chartiers Valley/Seton Hill
Dana Wilber – Penn Yan, NY – Penn Yan/Drexel
Roman Lao-Gosney – Raymond, Maine – Avon Old Farms/Hebron Academy/Lehigh
Cameron Lao-Gosney – Raymond, Maine – Avon Old Farms/Hebron Academy/Lehigh
Tucker Durkin – Huntington, PA – La Salle/Johns Hopkins
Kevin Cunningham – Garden City, NY – Kellenberg/Villanova
Philadelphia Wings
Brodie Merrill – Hamilton
Kevin Crowley – Hamilton
Mike McLellan – Hamilton
Brendon Mundorf – Denver
Drew Westervelt – Chesapeake
Jeff Reynolds – Chesapeake
Dave Huntley – Hamilton Nationals inaugural and current Head Coach – Philadelphia Wings: GM/Head Coach/Player in 1987 (Eagle Pro Box LL), Head Coach from 2008-2010, and GM in 2010.
