Saturday night’s game against the Rattlers was a disappointment to say the least. The Outlaws took the field a little too confidently and got a bit sloppy. They lost 9-8 coming from behind for most of the game. Poor passing and bad ball control is what lost the game without a doubt.
The first quarter started off looking strong with a quick two points scored by Nate Watkins and Connor Martin. After that the Outlaws completely fell apart and allowed 3 goals.
In the second the ball went back and forth with very little progress on either side until much later in the quarter when Billy Bitter scored a goal tying the score for a few seconds before the Rattlers responded with another goal within a minute before halftime bringing the score to 4-3.
The second half started out with another discouraging goal from the Rattlers right out of the face off. A few minutes later Bitter was able to score another goal after nearly a full quarter’s time without a goal scored by the Outlaws. Shortly after Brendan Mundorf was able to tie up the game for the second time in the evening but was responded to by two more goals scored, one single point and one two point shot bringing the score to 8-5 Rattlers at the end of the third quarter.
The beginning of the fourth quarter looked great; the offense was able to get momentum going with 3 goals from Peet Poillon, Steve Holmes and Bill McGlone, tying the game up for the third time in the evening. Unfortunately the tie was broken with the last goal scored less than 3 minutes remaining by the Rattlers.
“It sucks, but we just need to regroup, get in a workout and practice hard and next week we will come back and kick their ass”, said Brendan Mundorf. This game was definitely a cry to get back to fundamentals. Passing, ball handling and the hard nose defense that the Outlaws are known for will have to come back in order to finish off the season strong.
Next week on Saturday July 23rd at 5:00 pm Mountain Time the Outlaws travel to Rochester New York for a rematch against the Rattlers. The game will be broadcast live on Altitude Sports Network and ESPN3.com.
The Outlaws return to INVESCO Field at Mile High on Saturday, July 30 at 7 p.m., and will face the Boston Cannons. Tickets are available at www.DenverOutlaws.com or by calling 303-OUTLAWS.
About Peter Thams
