Before the largest crowd in Major League Lacrosse history, the Young Guns edged their Old School elders, 21-20 in overtime, in the MLL All-Star Game on Saturday night at Invesco Field at Mile High.
The Young Guns, players who entered the MLL between 2002-05, were quicker and more creative through three quarters than the Old School players, who joined the MLL in its debut season, 2001.
Pride kicked in for the veterans, who rallied from an 18-11 deficit.
“We were not going to give up,” said Old Schooler Gary Gait, player-coach for the MLL-leading Baltimore Bayhawks. Gait recently retired from the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth to become that team’s new coach.
“Even though it’s an All-Star Game, guys are competitive. We started clicking and getting our transition game going.”
The crowd was dwarfed by empty seats; nevertheless, the gathering of 12,674 set a league attendance record.
The game was played in Denver rather than one of the MLL sites (Baltimore; Boston; Uniondale, N.Y.; Montclair, N.J.; Philadelphia and Rochester, N.Y.) to highlight the league’s westward expansion next season, which includes a Denver franchise owned and operated by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen.
“Denver has the greatest indoor lacrosse fans, so they probably could be the best in the MLL,” said Gait.
The lacrosse legend, who scored two goals, didn’t see the likelihood of becoming coach of Denver’s MLL entry.
“I am a very loyal guy. I like my owners in Baltimore,” he said.
Although Gait and his family are moving to Colorado next month for his coaching job with the Mammoth, he plans to commute to Baltimore for the 2006 MLL season.
Field lacrosse, consisting of nine players and a goaltender, features MLL quirks such as a 2-point goal for any shot beyond a 15-yard semicircle and a 60-second shot clock.
It was Gait’s effort, muscling close to the net despite being held, that drew Old School within one, 20-19.
Josh Sims, who plays for the Mammoth in the winter, tied it with 17 seconds left. Another Mammoth player, Jeff Sonke, scored at the buzzer, but it was ruled too late and sudden-death overtime ensued. Hajj Walid scored the game-winner for Young Guns 2:10 into OT.
Mikey Powell scored four goals with three assists to earn MVP honors. A Denver resident who works for Brine Lacrosse, he commutes weekends to play for the Bayhawks but welcomes the opportunity to play next season for the Denver team.