Photo Credit: Di Miller
On Friday September 19 the Denver Outlaws announced their 23 Man Protected Roster. As expected, they have locked in the majority of players who were keys to their success during the 2014 season as well as their play-off victory, MLL Championship and first ever Steinfeld Cup in 2014.
The Outlaws have protected the following players: Attack—Chris Bocklet, Curtis Dickson, John Grant Jr., and Eric Law; Midfield—Jeremy Sieverts, Drew Snider, Justin Pennington, Colin Dunster, Jeremy Noble, Cam Holding, Cameron Flint, Dom Sebastiani, Noah Molnar, Terry Kimener, and Zack Greer; Defense—Matt Bocklet, Dillon Roy, Mike Simon, Chris O’Dougherty, and Ken Clausen; Faceoff—Anthony Kelly; Goalies—Jesse Schwartzman and Charlie Cipiriano.
Key acquisitions in protecting some of the best players in the league were a smart move on the part of the Outlaws. Here’s the scoop on the position players (regular season stats):
Attack: Chris Bocket—19 G, 6 A, 3 PPG, 2 GWG, SPCT .345; Curtis Dickson—11 G, 5 A, 1 GWG, SPCT .297; John Grant Jr.—28 G, 26 A, 1 PPG, 1 GWG, SPCT .350; and Eric Law—36 G, 16 A, 1 GWG, SPCT .500.
Midfield: Jeremy Sieverts—23 G, 18 A, seven 2ptG (highest in the league), 3 PPG, 4 GWG, SPCT .274; Drew Snider—27 G, 5 A, 2 PPG, SPCT .346; Justin Pennington—12 G, 2 A, 2 PPG, SPCT .293; Colin Dunster—5 G, 1 A, SPCT .294; Jeremy Noble—3 A; Cam Holding—5 G, 3 A, SPCT .417; Cameron Flint—5 G, 2 A, SPCT .250; Dom Sebastiani—3 G, 1 A, SPCT .375; Noah Molnar—1 A; Terry Kimener—3 G, 5 A, SPCT .200; and Zack Greer—4 G, 8 A, SPCT .364.
Defense: Matt Bocklet—1 G, 2 A, 57 GB; Dillon Roy—1 A, 21 GB; Mike Simon—4 G, 1 A, one 2ptG, 12 GB; Chris O’Dougherty—18 GB; and Ken Clausen—13 GB.
Face0ff: Anthony Kelly—2 A, 63 GB, FOW 159-303, FOPCT .525
Goalies: Jesse Schwartzman—8 W, 3 L, 702.32 min, 142 GA, 12.13 GAA, 181 saves, .560 SV%; and Charlie Cipriano—1 W, 2 L, 142.28 min, 34 GA, 14.32 GAA, 35 saves, .507 SV%.
What it all comes down to is the attack lines are extremely strong and they work well together; the midfielders have speed and agility, are strong on defense and have a combined 150 goals; the defense has protected both goalies and only allowed 176 goals against; on face-offs Anthony Kelly has been amazing; and in net you have one of the strongest goalies in the league Jesse Schwartzman as well as a very capable back-up goalie in Charlie Cipriano.
They practice hard and they play hard. It’s this kind of talent and teamwork that allowed the Outlaws to advance to the play-offs and win their first ever MLL Championship in their nine year franchise history. They continue to grow as a team, and the players have become extremely familiar with each other’s style and capabilities.
