CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hounds defeated the Boston Cannons by a score of 25-7 to kick-off the 2018 Major League Lacrosse campaign. A record-breaking night saw the Hounds set a franchise record in goals scored and tie a franchise record goals allowed.
Attacker Ryan Brown opened the season in rapid fashion for the Hounds with a goal in the first 30 seconds. Midfielder Michael Chanenchuck then added to the tally with a two-point shot from distance. Teammate Kevin Cooper followed with an unassisted goal of his own to give the Hounds a 6-1 advantage that they took into the second quarter.
Photo courtesy of the Charlotte Hounds
Chanenchuck continued his hot start with another quick goal in the opening seconds of the second stanza. The Hounds moved the ball effectively and finished the half with six assists. Like the first quarter, Charlotte only conceded one goal to the Cannons thanks to goalie Charlie Cipriano. The veteran did his part in the first half, registering an 81 percent save percentage (nine-of-11). He’d go on to finish with a 76 percent save percentage in his three quarters of action. The Hounds enjoyed 16-2 advantage at half.
Charlotte picked up right where they left off in the first half, scoring four goals in the opening five minutes of the second half. With eight minutes gone by in the fourth quarter, the Hounds broke their franchise record of goals in a game when Cooper ripped a shot into the back of the net, his seventh of the game.
Charlotte will return to action Friday, April 27, to face the Dallas Rattlers at home at Memorial Stadium.
Stars of the game
Charlie Cipriano: The veteran goalie only allowed four goals in three quarters of action. His finished with a 76 percent save percentage.
Kevin Cooper: The attacker scored a team high seven goals on nine shots and added an assist.
Notables
-The 25 goals scored by the Charlotte Hounds set a franchise record. The previous record of goals scored in a game was 20 in a 20-14 victory at home against the Atlanta Blaze on June 25, 2016.
-The Hounds tied a franchise record in fewest goals allowed in a game after holding the Boston Cannons to only seven goals.
-The 24 goal advantage was the largest margin of victory in Hounds history.
-This was the second opening game victory for Charlotte in team history. Both victories have come against the Cannons.
-The Hounds extended their winning streak over the Cannons to four in their win Saturday night.
What they said
“We had Kevin (Cooper) in and out of the lineup towards the end of the last year. He’s a really versatile player,” said head coach Jim Stagnitta. “He can play attack, he can play midfield, he’s as good of a feeder as he is a scorer. A lot of his goals came from other guys being unselfish and making plays.”
“It’s amazing,” said Cipriano. “We did a great job. We had a lot of things that we wanted to work on in the offseason and one of them was playing team defense. Last year we got away from that by playing individual matchups. We have to keep it rolling throughout the season to play team defense and if we continue to do that and play with an edge we will be great.”
“It’s a game of runs, and once we had the momentum it was hard for them to stop us,” said Cooper. “We were playing confident, winning faceoffs, and getting the ball back after goals. We continued to play unselfish and that’s what set us apart.”
