August 27, 2006
Adam O’Neill
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| Philly’s Roy Colsey was named Bud Light MVP after notching 10 points in the MLL Championship. (Dirk Dewachter) |
Possession.Any youth or high school coach will preach it to their players as the cornerstone of winning ball games. Today was a prime example of why.
The Philadelphia Barrage won 75 percent of its face-offs in the most dominating performance in MLL Championship history, a 23-12 rout of the top-seeded Denver Outlaws.
“Obviously we are thrilled,” said Philly coach Tony Resch. “We felt like, coming down the stretch, we gained the kind of momentum we needed. Through the playoff game, the semi, and the final, I think we just continued to play solid lacrosse.”
“The face off work from Paul Cantabene … you don’t see guys control like he did and we just felt like if we consistently got possession we could do some things offensively. And that is exactly what happened.”
The Barrage also got incredible performances turned in by Roy Colsey and Matt Striebel. Striebel finished with four goals, including one two-point goal and four assists for nine points. Colsey ended the day with 10 points (6, 2, 2) and Bud Light MVP honors. All of his goals came by the end of the third quarter.
In the two MLL playoff games, Colsey combined for 15 points. Today, he had several key goals, including two two-pointers in a four-minute span before halftime that helped give the Barrage a seven-goal cushion going into the break. In fact, those two goals were game-deciders, putting Philly ahead by a score of 12- 6 and 14-7.
“Its that veteran leadership … He’s been in big situations like this,” said Resch of Colsey. “I think, especially after last year, he never quite got healthy. He came in in great shape and once his shot starts to go, he gets in a groove, the last four or five games he really started to find it, and just carried that into Friday night (in the semifinal game) and now again Sunday. So he’s just a big game player.”
Barrage players also bought into the team concept. Goalie Brian Dougherty said the team is a tight-knit group of guys, and it shows in how they play. In a league where there is a lot of individual effort, the Barrage played together as a team.
Their run to the Championship rested on stellar defense (Philly has the second-best GAA in the league) and a team concept that enabled the team’s EMO to be the league’s most efficient, their man-down to be the league’s most stifling and to rack up 89 assists on 172 goals for the season.
Today, for example, when Ryan Boyle was attacked by a very aggressive Denver defense (they even used goalie Trevor Tierney as a slide), Striebel and Colsey were able to work from up top for scores. Although held scoreless, Boyle still finished with four assists.
“Roy (Colsey) and [Striebel], they just don’t miss. Ryan (Boyle) knows exactly what to do. Ryan is the smartest player in the game for a reason,” said defenseman Kyle Sweeney. “We had a game plan and we stuck to it. Go with our middies … move it behind, go through Ryan a lot. When the ball moves through Ryan that kid doesn’t lose too many games. Certainly not many championships.”
Other top performers included Philadelphia’s BJ Prager (4 g, 1 a) and Dougherty (19 saves). Three Denver players finished the game with four points, including Brendan Mundorf (3, 1), Brian Langtry (2, 2) and Mike Law (2,2).
Denver, which entered the playoffs as the league’s best two-point shooting team, had no two-point goals to Philly’s three. Jeff Sonke, who leads the league in three-pointers, injured his hamstring in the semifinal game on Friday and did not play Sunday.
Notes: The Barrage’s post-game celebration was rung in by Starship’s “We Built this City” over the loudspeaker. A song that has was named worst single ever by Blender Magazine, “We Built this City” was put on the Barrage’s locker room “pump up” tape at the beginning of the season. Although Brian Dougherty suggested the song as a joke, it was put on the CD and been known as somewhat of an anthem, albeit an odd one, for the team this year. The Barrage requested that if they won the title the song be played … The announced attendance for the game was 5,374 … Philly face-off man Paul Cantabene said he will not return to the MLL next season … Denver Goalie Trevor Tierney had three penalties for a total of three penalty minutes. He was the most penalized player in the championship game.
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Box Score |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Philadelphia Barrage | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 23 |
| Denver Outlaws | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
