Boston Cannons
 | |
| Founded | 2001 |
|---|---|
| League | MLL |
| Team history | Boston Cannons 2001-present |
| Based in | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Stadium | Harvard Stadium |
| Owner | Matt Dwyer, Founder/Pres. |
| Division titles | 2 (2004, 2005) |
| Website | bostoncannons.com |
The Boston Cannons are a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They have played in the MLL since the 2001 season and won the MLL Championship in 2011. From 2006 to 2008, they were in the Eastern Conference. From the league's inception in 2001 through 2005, they were in the American Division. With the MLL contraction for the 2009 season from 10 to 6 teams (due to the state of the U.S. economy), there is currently only one division/conference. The team's home field is Harvard Stadium, but played at Gillette Stadium during the 2015 season.[1]
Franchise History
The Boston Cannons is one of the original six teams of Major League Lacrosse (MLL). MLL was founded by Jake Steinfeld, Dave Morrow, and Tim Robertson. The Boston Cannons Founder and President is Matt Dwyer. From their inaugural season of 2001 through 2003, the Cannons played their home games at Cawley Memorial Stadium in Lowell, Massachusetts. In their inaugural 2001 season, the Cannons finished with a record of 3-11 but still qualified for the playoffs finishing in second place in the division. In 2004, they moved to Nickerson Field at Boston University where they played through the 2006 season. In 2007, they moved to Harvard Stadium in Allston, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts[2] which is less than 2 miles from Nickerson Field and also less than 2 miles from the Cannons' main office in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston qualified for the MLL playoffs 2001-2006, 2009-2011 and 2015. The Cannons won the 2004 and 2005 American Division championships.
On March 20, 2007, the Cannons completed a trade with the Washington Bayhawks. In the trade, the Cannons gave up Connor Gill and Ryan Curtis and in return they acquired Michael Powell, Ben DeFelice, and a 2008 conditional draft choice.[3] After the 2008 season, Powell left lacrosse to pursue a career as a singer with his band "Villains Trust". The Cannons selected Paul Rabil as the first overall pick in the 2008 MLL Draft.
2011 championship season
The Cannons won the Steinfeld Cup for the first time in 2011, defeating the Hamilton Nationals 10-9. Boston went 9-3 in the regular season, their best record since going 10-2 in 2005. After losing to Chesapeake 13-9 in the 2010 semifinal, the Cannons avenged the Bayhawks by defeating them 14-13 in the 2011 semifinal. Boston became the fifth charter franchise to win a championship. By 2011, the Cannons were one of four charter franchises still in the league that started with six teams in 2001. The other three remaining charter franchises (Lizards, Bayhawks, and Rattlers had all previously won at least one Steinfeld Cup (The defunct Barrage had won three). Head coach Bill Daye stepped down a month after winning the Steinfeld Cup, citing he wanted to spend more time with his family.[4] As of 2016, Daye is still the franchise's all-time leader in coaching victories with 43 and the only head coach with multiple playoff victories.
Playoff drought and return to playoffs in 2015
The Cannons had two disappointing seasons in 2013 and 2014 where they finished 5-9 and 6-8. This included a 1-5 start in 2013 leading to Steve Duffy being fired on June 10.[5] John Tucker took his place and managed to play .500 for the rest of the season. After the Cannons missed the playoffs for only the fourth time in franchise history in 2014, Tucker led the team back to the postseason in 2015 as the 8-6 fourth seed. They would play the New York Lizards where they would a lose a thrilling 16-15 game in overtime. The Lizards would go on to win the Steinfeld Cup.
John Tucker would leave the Cannons after the 2015 season to become the first head coach and general manager of the expansion team Atlanta Blaze. On October 8, 2015, Sean Quirk was announced as the sixth head coach in franchise history.[6]
General Managers
- David Gross (2001–2005)
- Jason Chandler (2006–07)
- Mark Kastrud (2008-2011)
- Kevin Barney (2011–present)
Current Coaching Staff
- Head Coach - Sean Quirk
- Assistant Coach - Jim Murphy
All-Time Head Coaches
| # | Name | Term | Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | W% | GC | W | L | W% | |||
| 1 | Mitch Whitley | 2002 | 14 | 3 | 11 | .214 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 2 | Scott Hiller | 2003—2005 | 50 | 32 | 18 | .640 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
| 3 | Bill Daye | 2006—2011 | 72 | 43 | 29 | .597 | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 |
| 4 | Steve Duffy | 2012—2013 | 20 | 10 | 10 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 5 | John Tucker | 2013-2015 | 36 | 18 | 18 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 6 | Sean Quirk | 2016- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Roster
| 2016 Boston Cannons | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player's Name | Nationality | Position | Height | Weight | College |
| 0 | Davey Emala |  |
A | 5 ft 11 in | 195 lbs | North Carolina |
| 1 | Will Manny | |
A | 5 ft 9 in | 160 lbs | Massachusetts |
| 2 | Justin Turri | |
M | 6 ft 3 in | 215 lbs | Duke |
| 3 | Jake Murphy | |
G | 6 ft 1 in | 180 lbs | Fairfield |
| 5 | Josh Hawkins | |
M | 6 ft 0 in | 195 lbs | Loyola |
| 7 | Scott McWilliams | |
D | 6 ft 3 in | 205 lbs | Virginia |
| 8 | Brent Adams | |
M | 6 ft 1 in | 165 lbs | Fairfield |
| 9 | Tyler Fiorito | |
G | 6 ft 2 in | 200 lbs | Princeton |
| 10 | Greg Melaugh | |
A | 5 ft 7 in | 160 lbs | Merrimack College |
| 11 | John Glesener | |
A | 6 ft 3 in | 214 lbs | Army |
| 12 | Martin Bowes | |
M | 6 ft 2 in | 200 lbs | Hartford |
| 13 | Eric Hagarty | |
G | 6 ft 0 in | 185 lbs | Endicott |
| 15 | Beau Wood | |
A | 6 ft 2 in | 205 lbs | Tufts |
| 17 | Brodie Merrill |  |
D | 6 ft 4 in | 205 lbs | Georgetown |
| 22 | Craig Bunker | |
M | 5 ft 9 in | 185 lbs | Colby |
| 23 | Challen Rogers | |
M | 6 ft 4 in | 220 lbs | Stony Brook |
| 24 | Sean Lawton | |
M | 6 ft 4 in | 225 lbs | Western New England |
| 27 | Kevin Buchanan | |
A | 5 ft 11 in | 180 lbs | Ohio State |
| 33 | Ryan Izzo | |
M | 5 ft 9 in | 170 lbs | Massachusetts |
| 34 | Michael Pellegrino | |
D | 5 ft 8 in | 185 lbs | Johns Hopkins |
| 36 | T.A. Demoulas | |
M | 5 ft 9 in | 185 lbs | Bentley |
| 40 | Wells Stanwick | |
A | 5 ft 11 in | 175 lbs | Johns Hopkins |
| 41 | Greg Rogowski | |
A | 5 ft 7 in | 155 lbs | Merrimack |
| 42 | Max Seibald | |
M | 6 ft 1 in | 215 lbs | Cornell |
| 43 | Harrison Cotter | |
M | 5 ft 10 in | 180 lbs | Endicott |
| 44 | Jack Runkel | |
G | 6 ft 4 in | 225 lbs | Loyola |
| 45 | Chad Wiedmaier | |
D | 6 ft 1 in | 200 lbs | Princeton |
| 50 | Mason Poli | |
D | 6 ft 0 in | 225 lbs | Bryant |
| 63 | Mike Begley | |
M | 5 ft 11 in | 174 lbs | Marist |
| 80 | James Fahey | |
D | 6 ft 2 in | 225 lbs | UMass Amherst |
| 85 | Mitch Belisle | |
D | 5 ft 10 in | 195 lbs | Cornell |
| 91 | Joe Nardella | |
M | 5 ft 10 in | 190 lbs | Rutgers |
- updated 2016-05-16
