Denver Outlaws To Advance To Fourth Straight MLL Title Game

DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver Outlaws are on the doorstep of winning back-to-back Major League Lacrosse titles and their fourth since 2014. The Outlaws held off the Boston Cannons 17-15 on Friday night at Peter Barton Stadium to earn the team's fourth straight championship games appearance.

It will be the ninth overall championship appearance, which is a league record. Denver will play the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the title game on Sunday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park at 11 a.m.

The top-seeded Chesapeake Bayhawks beat the Atlanta Blaze 14-13, in overtime, on the game-winning goal by attackman Steele Stanwick at the 7:58 mark of the extra session.

Denver was led by attackman John Grant Jr. who scored five goals, four of which came in the second half. Midfielder Zach Currier added three goals and rookie attackman Chris Aslanian chipped in with four goals. Goalie Dillion ward made 11 saves on 25 shots.

Boston jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead and pushed its lead to 10-4 early in the second quarter. The Outlaws responded with a 6-3 scoring run, however, and cut Boston's lead to 13-10 at halftime.

The Cannons scored first in the second half to take a 14-10 lead, but a subsequent 4-0 run by Denver—including three consecutive by Grant Jr.—made it a 14-14 game heading into the closing period.

Boston took a 15-14 lead just 32 seconds into the fourth quarter, but Grant Jr. and Aslanian answered quickly with the game-tying and game-winning goals, respectively. Currier netted an insurance goal with 3:51 remaining, and Ward saved Boston's last-second two-point shot that would have sent the game to overtime.

Denver is 3-5 in championship games winning in 2014, 2016 and 2018.