Toronto: 10 | Denver: 9
The Toronto Nationals took home the coveted Steinfeld Cup in front of over 7,000 fans, much to the dismay of the Denver Outlaws. The Outlaws have now been to the MLL Championship game three times, and have yet to win the big one.
The Rochester Rattlers, who were the 2008 Champions, relocated their franchise after last season to Toronto to form the Nationals, who retained a handful of key Rattlers players who proved to be worthy. John Grant Jr., Joe Walters, Brodie Merrill, and Brett Queener all had key performances for Toronto in the win. Walters got the assist in the game winning goal. Merrick Thomson earned the MVP honors with a two-goal performance.
It was a back-and-forth battle for nearly the entire game, with either team being within one goal for the majority of play. Highlights included a fantastic behind the back shot by John Grant Jr. that was the most impressive goal of the game. Brett Queener, the Toronto netminder who splits time with Doc Schneider, played with a broken hand. The two goalies combined for 23 saves that proved to be enough for the win.
Perhaps the most impressive part of the game was that Toronto trailed Denver in nearly every major statistic that normally dictates the outcome of the game: Ground Balls (24-38), Shots (30-53), Faceoffs (9-14). Depsite losing those statistical battles, they won it on the scoreboard. Their unique style of play that adapts box lacrosse skills into the field game proved to be too much for Denver.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Toronto | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| Denver | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 1st Quarter |
| Toronto – Nick OHara (unassisted) 0:59 Denver – Josh Sims (unassisted) 4:45 Toronto – John Grant Jr (unassisted) 14:00 |
| 2nd Quarter |
| Toronto – Jeff Zywicki (unassisted) 5:25 Denver – Matt Brown (Max Seibald) 6:18 Denver – Brendan Mundorf (unassisted) 7:04 Denver – Brian Langtry (powerplay) (Brendan Mundorf) 8:02 Denver – Brendan Mundorf (unassisted) 9:35 Toronto – Jeff Zywicki (Shawn Williams) 13:01 |
| 3rd Quarter |
| Toronto – Merrick Thomson (John Grant Jr) 4:27 Denver – Jeff Sonke (Brendan Mundorf) 7:00 Denver – Mike Ward (Matt Bocklet) 8:23 Toronto – Jeff Zywicki (powerplay) (Joe Walters) 8:54 Toronto – Merrick Thomson (powerplay) (unassisted) 9:58 Denver – Brendan Mundorf (unassisted) 13:58 |
| 4th Quarter |
| Toronto – John Grant Jr (unassisted) 0:37 Denver – Josh Sims (powerplay) (Dan Hardy) 7:43 Toronto – Shawn Williams (Jeff Zywicki) 10:30 Toronto – Shawn Williams (Joe Walters) 14:15 |
