The Chesapeake Bayhawks had arguably the best off-season in the league, acquiring a talented number of veterans with championship experience. Then they had one of the best regular seasons in the league, holding first place for the majority of the season, falling out just after the final game of the regular season.
Then they had the best MLL Championship Weekend, winning the semi-finals and finals by an average of eight goals per game.
They were dominant on defense, holding Ryan Boyle without a point and Paul Rabil without a goal in the first round and keeping the Denver Outlaws—the league’s highest scoring team this season—to only six goals as well as forcing Peet Poillon and Chris Bocklet—Denver’s semi-final star—goalless.
They were dominant on offense outshooting and outscoring their opponents, including getting the edge in two-point goals, their forte all season long.
They were dominant in the little things as well, winning four more face-offs and one more ground ball against Boston on Saturday and 10 more face-offs and two more ground balls than Denver on Sunday.
They have one of the deepest rosters in the league and was always one of the most consistent teams all season long. It’s no surprise they came out on top with all that talent and experience.
And while Denver fans may sit and wonder what could have happened had league MVP Brendan Mundorf not been injured during practice and had played the entire finals game, the team itself should not.
While Mundorf plays a key role for the Outlaws and provided excellent leadership all season long, the Bayhawks were in control the minute they scored their first goal with 8:56 remaining in the first quarter. The Bayhawks outscored Denver each quarter and were just the better team.
Denver players may be disappointed that once again they fell short of winning the championship, but they should be proud of their season, the improvement of their rookies and the incredible comeback they had against the Long Island Lizards in the semi-finals.
The Cannons were unable to successfully defend their 2011 championship. Much like Outlaws fans with Mundorf, many will wonder if having Chris Eck at the X against Chesapeake would’ve made the difference.
Boston needs to improve on defense however and they need more depth at midfield. Martin Cahill, who came to Boston in a big mid-season trade, scored only two goals all season and was goalless in the semi-finals against Chesapeake. He and Bill McGlone did not support the offense in the way the team had hoped.
Long Island had an 8-2 edge on Denver in the first half and then scored four of the next five goals in the second half. They were winning 12-3 and then had an incredible collapse. There’s nothing positive to say about the collapse and their inability to hold a lead against a good team in such a big game.
Looking forward however, the Lizards surpassed everyone’s expectations. And they did so with a number of rookies playing huge roles. If they can learn from this experience, they can continue to build into perennial championship contenders for the future.
With 7,384 fans in attendance for the MLL Championship Final, what they saw was some very good lacrosse teams and organizations playing at the sport’s highest level.
They did not walk away disappointed (unless they were Cannons fans).
