Hawks Keep Boston at Bay, Advance to MLL Final
by Andy Krauss | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online |
MLL
Semifinals Blog
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Chesapeake Bayhawks goalie Chris Garrity jumpstarts the break up field after one of his 18 saves Saturday in a 13-9 win over Boston in the MLL semifinals. © John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com |
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Chesapeake Bayhawks used a stifling defense and a patient offense to take build an eight-goal lead, then held on for dear life in a 13-9 victory over the top-seeded Boston Cannons in the Major League Lacrosse semifinals Saturday afternoon.
The Bayhawks advanced to their first MLL championship game since
2005, where they will face the winner of Saturday’s second
semifinal between Long Island and Denver on Sunday at 1 p.m. at
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
The fourth-seeded Bayhawks completely controlled the first half,
taking an 11-3 lead into halftime and scoring the first goal of the
second half. Six minutes into the second half, Boston coach Bill
Daye pulled starting goalkeeper Kip Turner and replaced him with
Jordan Burke. The move, coupled with five Chesapeake penalties,
seemed to spark Boston, as the Cannons scored the ensuing five
goals, cutting the Chesapeake lead to three with 7:05 left.
The Bayhawk defense then stood up again and held Boston
scoreless the rest of the game en route to the four-goal win.
The key to Chesapeake’s win was a defense that helped the
team take control in the first half and stood tall while the
Cannons made their surge in the second. The combination of
defensemen Shawn Nadelen and Michael Evans was a huge component of
that success, as they neutralized league MVP Matt Poskay. The
Boston attackman led the league in scoring with 52 points, but was
limited to just two goals (one on a power play) on five shots on
Saturday and could never get it going.
“You’ve got to respect him,” said Nadelen.
“The guy is the MVP in the league and he puts up points. We
knew that we needed to be tight on him and if we slid off him, the
next guy would need to get there right away. Our defensive middies
did a great job as well. It was a group effort.”
Chesapeake's defense also combined to keep 2009 MLL MVP Paul Rabil
scoreless.
Equally as impressive was goalkeeper Chris Garrity, who made 18
saves. Ten came as his team prospered in the first half and
eight came when Boston made its charge in the second half.
“I try to keep an even keel when I’m up and when
I’m down,” said Garrity. “We have to play 60
minutes. We were able to get on them early and withstand their
run.”
The Bayhawks were also aided by a surprising offensive outburst
from midfielder Ben Hunt. The 6-5, 215-pounder had scored just 14
points all season, but scored three goals in a span of eight and a
half minutes in the first half. The flurry included a
two-point goal from the top of the arc that gave Chesapeake an
early lead (3-2), which it would not relinquish.
“Our head coach gave me the green light to go today,”
said Hunt. “I got a lot of short-stick matchups and was
able to capitalize, find the open lanes and score."
The Bayhawks' playoff win was the latest triumph in the turnaround
the team has enjoyed since team president Brendan Kelly took over
as head coach. It was his fourth game at the helm. With the team in
the midst of a four-game losing streak, the Bayhawks fired John
Tucker and replaced him with Kelly. Kelly won two of his final
three games to bring Chesapeake’s record to 6-6 before
Saturday’s semifinal win.
“What BK really emphasizes is team defense and team offense,
while being really unselfish with the ball,” said Hunt.
“At midseason, a lot of guys were trying to make their own
plays and we weren’t playing as a team. Today we were able to
be unselfish, move the ball and capitalize.”
The Bayhawks look for their third MLL championship on Sunday. It
will be their fourth appearance in the championship game.
