Boston Cannons lament missed opportunity to cap season of rejuvenation

Relative familiarity bred success for the Boston Cannons early this summer. Then a challenge was renewed in Quincy, Mass. when the other five Major League Lacrosse teams caught up in cohesion with the one squad that brought back a large core of its roster in a revamped league.

That’s when the Cannons responded again with a dramatic victory against the Chesapeake Bayhawks on Sept. 10 that clinched Boston its first postseason spot in four years with Sean Quirk as coach.

“This one season felt like we had been together for four years with a college team,” Quirk (Cheshire, Conn.) said. “The way they held each other accountable, and supported each other. It was one of the tightest locker rooms that I’ve had in 25 years coaching college and pro.”

That there was such a sting when the season ended with a loss to the Denver Outlaws in the MLL semifinals was a good indication of how much promise the Cannons believe they showed this summer — and have moving forward into the offseason after a 9-8 campaign.