On Saturday the Denver Outlaws proved who is #1, beating the Hamilton Nationals 22-9. Before that game, the Nationals were the only other undefeated team in the MLL. The Outlaws will look to keep their streak alive against the Chesapeake Bayhawks next weekend, which they have not yet played this season.
The Outlaws started the scoring early, with Zach Greer getting his first just 43 seconds into the first quarter; he followed that up quickly with his second of the game at the 1:30 mark. The Outlaws scored two more times before Hamilton finally got on the board, thanks to Kevin Crowley.
Eric Law, a rookie for the Outlaws was chosen as MVP for the game. He scored four times in the third quarter alone. Zach Greer, Drew Snider, and Brendon Mundorf each scored four goals in the game, in addition to Law. Chris Bocklet had three goals and two assists. It is this kind of offensive diversity and firepower that make the Outlaws so dangerous with the ball. It will be very tough to stop them the rest of the season.
For Hamilton, Kevin Crowley scored four goals, and rookie Garrett Thul scored three times. The Nationals struggled with face-offs, winning 13 of 33, and only were able to score on two of five power plays. Denver on the other hand, won 20 face-offs, and scored on three of four power plays.
Next week, the Nationals will take on the New York Lizards, who are on a two game losing streak, and the Outlaws will face the Bayhawks. The rookies for both Hamilton and Denver will be very important through the rest of the season, and their success might depend on the production from their new players.
