Behind the bubble: How unlikely heroes boosted champ Cannons

Defender Justin Pugal holds aloft the Steinfeld Trophy after the Cannons won the MLL title in Annapolis, Md. (MLL photos)

In a season like no other in history – in a world where guarantees and constants had become so elusive and fleeting – the Boston Cannons had a chance to do something indelible amid so much uncertainty.

In their sixth game in nine days, playing the 20th season as a founding franchise of a league fighting to have any semblance of a season against the long odds of a worldwide pandemic, the Cannons took to the 113-degree turf of Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on July 26 with a shot to win a Major League Lacrosse title.

The road to the final was as unorthodox as they come. The day before their game against the Denver Outlaws included emergency coronavirus tests, the anxious wait for results, two teams pulling out of the MLL playoffs, and five Boston players opting to leave the Annapolis bubble for safety’s sake.