BY: Brad Kasnet, Cannons

As the clock ticked down towards zero in the opening game of the Boston Cannons season, the score was tied and it looked like overtime would be in order. Then, with just eight seconds left midfielder Chris Rotelli fed Tim Byrnes, who reeled off an amazing underhanded shot that found the back of the net to give the Cannons a thrilling victory to begin the season.

The Boston Cannons have some bona fide stars on their roster like Conor Gill and Ryan Curtis, but it takes more than a couple of players to achieve success in the MLL. The Cannons 4-0 record is testament to the depth on this team that has received important contributions from players like Byrnes and Rotelli, neither of whom are starters.

The Cannons make good use of their 18-man roster in each game and have 14 different players on the team that have placed their names on the score sheet over the course of the season; no other MLL club has had more players score.

Many players have shined and played their way into increased roles as well. The Cannons have started 17 different players during this season and have seen big plays from starters and reserves alike.

On defense, the Cannons have fielded a well-rounded unit that has helped to stop some of the best offensive players in the game. Curtis, Tom Fallon, and Michael Peyser have been the starters and handled players like Tim Goettelman, Gary Gait, and Mark Millon. Jed Raymond contributed off the bench and Chris Passavia made his MLL debut by holding Casey Powell to just three goals to receive Cascade Rookie of the Week honors, then followed up that performance with his first MLL goal a week later.

Up front, the Cannons have seen big games from all of their attackmen. Gill and David Evans have each received Bud Light MVP honors in not one, but two games this season. Gill received the honors after scoring the game-tying and game-winning goals to ground the Baltimore Bayhawks in Week Two and tallying a game-high seven points against the Rochester Rattlers in Week Three. Evans has been a nightmare for the Long Island Lizards this season, earning the Bud Light MVP honors with five points in each of the Cannons wins over Long Island in Weeks One and Four.

Rounding out the attack corps is Michael Watson, who is fourth on the team in scoring with ten goals and three assists on the young season. The Cannons only have three pure attackmen on their roster in Gill, Evans, and Watson, but they’re not the only players who are constant threats to score.

Perhaps the Cannons greatest strength comes from the depth and power of the midfield. Midfielder Kevin Leveille leads the team with 12 goals scored and is second in total points with 18 on the season. Along with Rotelli and Chris Fiore, this midfield line of super sophomores has scored 20 of the team’s 72 goals. These would be gaudy numbers for a starting line of middies, but these three are the second-stringers on the Cannons.

The starting line that features Mike Battista, Steve Dusseau, and Mike Regan has added 30 points of their own over the four-game span so far. The midfield also holds Byrnes, who has been lauded as the team’s unsung hero since last year, but quickly made a name for himself with his game-winning goal on opening night.

Peter Inge has been a difference-maker at the face-off X, winning 56% of the faceoffs he’s taken this year, including an opening week performance in which he tied the MLL record for face-offs won in a single game.

The depth on the Boston roster means that the Cannons are able to keep the pressure on throughout the entire game and allow their players to be well rested without giving opposing defenses a break. The results so far have been superb. At 4-0, the Cannons are not only off to the best start in their team history, but have matched the best start in league history.

They’ll be putting their undefeated record on the line when they face the defending champion Lizards on Saturday in an attempt to sweep the regular season series. Facing the Lizards for the third time in five weeks, the Cannons have a chance to stake their claim as the new class of the American Division.

If they are successful, it will likely be due to the excellent play they’ve been getting all the way down the roster all season long.