Photo Credit: Di Miller
On June 18, the MLL held their weekly Coaches Conference Call and Denver Outlaws Head Coach B.J. O’Hara was asked about the team’s 9-6 win over the Chesapeake Bayhawks. Coach O’Hara said:
“Well, I think sometimes you can get sidetracked a little bit in preparing. We were made aware on Friday that Chesapeake was going to be missing some guys—among them Brendan Mundorf, Michael Evans, and Drew Westervelt. I think sometimes it’s a little bit of a letdown when certain guys don’t play. We talked about it with our guys, and the point we tried to make that whoever they put out there is going to be a great lacrosse player. In this league there is so much depth and while some of their veteran guys weren’t there, the guys that took their place were experienced professional lacrosse players. We tried to address that early on and I think we got off to a good start. We ran into a couple of hot goalies. Kip Turner had a very good first half and unfortunately for him he got injured and was unable to play in the second half. Again, I think you get sidetracked thinking it’s going to be a little bit easier now that their starting goalie is out. They brought out Tyler Fiorito and he had a lights out game and he took away some really good chances that we had created and as a result the game got tight. The games are going to go four quarters most of the time. There aren’t too many that don’t come down to the end, and this one was just that way.”
So what did you think about Anthony Kelly’s strong performance against the Bayhawks and his role with the Denver Outlaws? He said:
“Well, given his stature he’s the one we let off of the bus first. He brings a big, physical presence. He’s a veteran; he’s been on a number of different teams. He’s a tremendous team leader. He’s one of the characters all the guys look to for inspiration on game day. He’s very good at what he does—he’s one of the top in the world. He gets us extra possessions. There are just all kinds of things he brings to the team—he even organizes the team meals and stuff sometimes. He’s just that kind of guy. He’s really dedicated to winning an MLL Championship this year.”
What are your thoughts about facing the Rochester Rattlers on Sunday afternoon? O’Hara said:
“It’s an unusual game time so we’ll have to deal with that. They’re playing really well right now. They added a couple of new pieces—and they were a really solid squad going into this season, bringing back what they had last year. They added a couple of new pieces on the attack end, especially. They’re playing at a high level and they’re at home, they’re in second place. We expect that we’re going to see everything they’ve got and we’ve got to be ready for it.”
What are your plans for matching up against the Rattlers who have a very talented attack unit? Coach O’Hara commented:
“I think what makes it a little easier for their attack, is the midfielders they have—they’re awfully, awfully strong with Dave Lawson; John Ranagan; and Jordan MacIntosh. You’ve got to think about maybe laying up a pole to defend them and given that it takes a little bit of heat off of the attack. Right now we’re planning on putting Lee Zink on Lawson and seeing how that matchup unfolds. We like that matchup a lot. And then Chris O’Dougherty will match up on Miles Thompson. Then Kenny Clausen—we’re without Dillon Roy this week—so Kenny Clausen is going to match up on Kevin Leveille. So I think with six-on-six we’ve been very solid all year long. It’s been in the transitions where we have slipped a little bit at times.”
Do you think that a playoff game would be played at home if the Outlaws get the top playoff seed? He said:
“Right now the assumption is that it would be at Sports Authority Field. I know they’re looking at other options but my understanding—and I’m not part of that conversation—is that it would be at Sports Authority. There are other options; Dick’s Sporting Goods Park would be another option if the game is too close to football season. That’s actually why we front-load our schedule with a lot of home games in the first half, because as it starts getting close to football season they have to start getting the stadium ready for the NFL. But I think for a special game like this, they’d make every effort to have us there. We’ve got to get there first.”
So, tell us about the in-game feature “Jackson’s presents Pickup Lines with Tony Seaman” at Denver home games. Coach O’Hara said:
“No, that’s Tony’s world (laughs). That’s just part of the fun of our game-day at the stadium. We were in the middle of the huddle during a timeout and I realized everyone was looking at the video board watching the feature and not listening to me (laughs). It’s pretty humorous.”
Jesse Schwartzman had a career-high game against the Bayhawks. What are your thoughts on Jesse? He said:
“Jesse is probably with Lee Zink as the face of the Denver Outlaws. They’ve been around for quite a while and have played at a high level since they’ve been in the league. I think now—this is my third year with the Outlaws and my third year with Jesse—right now he is playing as well as I has ever seen him play. Certainly, in my opinion, he’s the top goalie out there right now, playing the way he is. He has a really dynamic personality and he’s a great team leader. He leads the defense, he’s very vocal. He plays with a lot of passion. If he can continue to play at the level that he is, any success that we might have, a lot will depend on how well Jesse is performing.”
As the In Lacrosse We Trust Beat Writer for the Denver Outlaws, I’d like to thank them for their assistance and professionalism as a MLL franchise. As always, they are a pleasure to work with.
