The Denver Outlaws head to Charlotte to complete the back end of a home-and-away series against the Charlotte Hounds on Saturday. The Outlaws hosted the Hounds last Friday and picked up their 25th straight regular-season victory with their 13-11 win.
In last week’s win, John Grant Jr. led the way with four goals and an assist and Eric Law also helped out with a hat trick of his own. But it wasn’t just the usual suspects making an impact, rookies Jeremy Noble and Colin Dunster both made their MLL debuts in the game. Noble picked up his first assists in an Outlaws’ jersey and Dunster recorded his first shot as a member of the team.
On Saturday, new faces will again be present. The Outlaws (5-0) acquired Cameron Holding earlier this week in a trade with the Chesapeake Bayhawks. Holding spent three years in the NLL before becoming the second-overall pick in the 2014 MLL Supplemental Draft. Attackman Curtis Dickson will also join the team for the trip to Charlotte.
Charlotte (1-4) will also likely feature some players that did not appear in last week’s game. Attackman Ryan Young, who is second on the Hounds with seven points, is expected to play this Saturday. They’ll also be joined by Mike Chanenchuk, who just finished his college career at the University of Maryland.
“For all of us it’s always a guessing game to see who is going to be in the lineup each week,” Denver head coach B.J. O’Hara said. “They were without Ryan Young last week—one of their key pieces, one of their guys from last year. We expect Ryan will be in the lineup this week, so that gives them one more dynamic player on attack so that will likely pose a matchup challenge for us.”
The Outlaws are 5-0 against Charlotte all time in regular-season games, but the Hounds put forth a worthy effort last week.
An Outlaws’ win would be their 26th straight regular-season win and would continue their streak of dominance. Denver has trailed for just 24 minutes 21 seconds total this entire season—less than a full half.
“I think our guys realize the game is four quarters long, 60 minutes,” O’Hara said. “And just about every game now we’ve been put to the test in the fourth quarter and have answered.”