The Hamilton Nationals were the worst team in Major League Lacrosse last season. After that they moved away from Toronto and now play in the south Ontario city, Hamilton. The Nationals, led by young guns Jeremy Boltus and Kevin Crowley, now have a chance to win in MLL Championship Weekend.
The Nationals have the youngest roster in MLL, but don't think they forgot veteran presence. Their leading scorer is five year player Joe Walters and three weeks ago they picked up Casey Powell for an offensive boost. They face the Denver Outlaws, who just want to put their past behind them.
Since entering the league in 2005, Denver has been one of MLL's model franchises. Just this season they set the record for MLL season long attendance and professional lacrosse regular season attendance (27,000). However, they seem to forget to do a little thing every year.... Called, winning.
Last season Denver let yet another opportunity pass them by with their playoff loss to the Long Island Lizards. This season they are once again the number two seed, and they have to prove they can win. A star laden roster, the Outlaws should be one of the league's best teams. However, a devastating four game losing streak mid season made many re think the Outlaws as a championship team.
The Outlaws defeated the Nationals in both games this season. However, this is a different Nats team with the development of their prospects and the return of Powell in MLL. Powell has looked rusty in his first two games, but it should be interesting if he turns it on for the championship Saturday and maybe Sunday.
Game time is 2:40 pm Saturday on ESPN2 and you can listen to the game on inlaxwetrust.com via The Lacrosse Radio Network.