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September 12, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Cannons’ shock still lingers

by Scott Souza/

Days after the semifinal loss to Denver — the seventh one-goal loss in seven defeats this season — Boston Cannons attacker Sean Morris was left with one nagging, inescapable conclusion about the Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend.

“I am definitely disappointed because I felt we were the best team in Annapolis out of the four,” he determined.

There’s plenty of evidence to back up the Marshfield, Mass., native’s assertion. Despite entering the playoffs at 6-6, the Cannons controlled the first three quarters of the semifinal matchup against the top playoff seed. They built a 5-2 lead in the second quarter with several chances to blow the game open. They carried a 9-7 lead into the fourth quarter and succeeded in playing a strong possession game that maximized their chances and limited those of the Outlaws.

But, as had been the case in the last two regular-season games when the Cannons let seven-goal, second-half leads slip away in numbing one-goal defeats, things went sour for Boston late. Denver struck for three goals in a 104-second span of the fourth quarter and held on for the 11-10 victory.

“To have all seven losses by one goal definitely sticks in your head,” Cannons coach Bill Daye said. “I am sure it sticks in the heads of the guys, too. When the games are that close, you look back at all the little things that could have made a difference. It comes down to a few mental lapses here and there — not taking care of the ball and not closing out the games.”

Daye said he hasn’t been able to find a common link that ran through the narrow defeats and fourth-quarter follies. He doesn’t feel the Cannons got gun-shy late in the semifinals or that the fresh memory of late-season collapses against Washington and eventual MLL champion Toronto weighed on them in the heat of battle on the scorching Maryland turf.

He felt Boston had its chances to put the game away and missed them. Then when Denver finally got its chances to strike back, the Cannons weren’t so fortunate.

“We never pulled back the reins,” the coach said. “You can’t in this league. With a 60-second shot clock, you can’t stall. You are always looking for the back of the goal and to force the issue. We were still in attack mode, we got solid looks. But they made some big stops and were able to capitalize.”

Daye noted that lacrosse “is a game all about runs” and Boston’s fatal flaw in the semis may have been not making more of its runs early when it controlled the game.

“We dictated the tempo of the game and the style,” Morris said, “but we couldn’t get up those four or five goals like we could have. I hit multiple pipes, Paul Rabil hit multiple pipes.

“Give Denver credit. Josh Sims [4 goals] stepped it up with three goals in the fourth quarter. and their veterans made the plays at the end.”

“You do your best not to let luck come into it down the stretch in games,” offered midfielder Matt Poskay. “We couldn’t do that and we have to learn from it. You see a few simple mistakes that you make over a course of a game. When the final horn sounds, and you lose by one goal, you see how important they become.”

Despite the frustrating end, it’s easy to look at the season and see the glass as half full. After a 1-3 start, the Cannons ripped off four straight victories and seemed well on their way to fulfilling the potential Morris saw for the squad. The first two triumphs of the streak were 11-goal and 10-goal blowouts of Chicago and Washington, respectively, and the second two were hard-fought victories over eventual MLL finalists Denver and Toronto.

Rabil went on to earn both Warrior Offensive Player of the Year and MVP honors after scoring 53 points in 12 regular-season games in only his second season out of Johns Hopkins. Faceoff man Chris Eck was named the Warrior Most Improved Player after winning 196 of 359 faceoffs coming off a rookie year out of Colgate in which he played in only one game.

And Poskay had a triumphant return from testicular cancer treatments. The 2008 team MVP made a rousing comeback after missing the first four games with four goals in a 22-11 dismantling of Chicago on June 13 and finished the regular season with 15 goals in seven games.

“It was rewarding to get back on the field and play the way I did,” he said. “I wouldn’t want that to happen to anybody. But, fortunately, I was able to get back and start to get back to normal.

“Coming back this year I was not 100 percent. Gradually, I am getting there. It got better and better over the course of the season. I am not all the way back yet, but I am getting stronger and should be for next season.”

While training camp is eight months away, the offseason will be busy for Daye and the Cannons staff as it must put together roster protections, prepare for the December supplemental draft and get a sense of who will be back on the Harvard Stadium turf next spring.

“It’s the nature of the league that you never know how many guys will make it back because of full-time jobs and other commitments,” said Daye, adding that there is “no doubt” he wants to be back manning the Cannons sideline.

“But we have a solid nucleus of guys who I expect to return. I feel we can build off that.

“There are a few areas where I think we can improve. Team speed is one. But it is a good group that was great to be around this year. They really came together and formed a family on the weekends. There are just a few holes that we need to fill that I think can get us over the hump.”

A lot of little one-goal humps this season combined to make one big one on Aug. 22 in Annapolis. Getting so close to seeing the rewards on the other side of that hill should serve as plenty of motivation for the players and coaches until they get a chance to tackle it again next summer.

“The way it ended leaves a bitter taste in my mouth,” Morris declared. “I will definitely feed off that next season. We might lose one or two guys, but I think the core of the team will be back and we will have what it takes to get back to Annapolis and compete for a championship.”