Cannons Clinch Playoff Spot

[Sonny]

Boston, MA (July 31, 2006) - The Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) have clinched a spot at the 2006 New Balance Championship Weekend. The Denver Outlaws of the Western Conference and the Philadelphia Barrage (8-2) of the Eastern Conference (8-2) are the other two teams that have secured a spot in the playoffs.

Despite suffering a 20-14 loss at the hands of the New Jersey Pride this past weekend, Boston (7-3) earned their spot in the playoffs due to the fact that both the San Francisco Dragons (6-4) and the Los Angeles Riptide (5-5) won this past weekend while Rochester, Baltimore and Long Island lost.

Boston holds the tie-breaker over both the Riptide and Dragons, having defeated Los Angeles by a score of 20-13 in Week Four and San Francisco by a score of 18-15 in Week Five. The Dragons are the only non-playoff team remaining that can finish ahead or tied with Boston. The Riptide can finish tied with Boston.

The Rattlers, Bayhawks and Lizards each dropped to 4-6 after Week 10 defeats, New Jersey improved to 4-6 after beating Boston. With just two games remaining none of those teams can catch the Cannons.

This is the sixth straight season that the Boston has appeared in the MLL playoffs. If the defending MLL Champion Baltimore Bayhawks (4-6) fail to qualify for the playoffs in the final two weeks of the season, Boston will become the only team in MLL history to have made it to the post-season in each year of league play.

The 2006 New Balance Championship Weekend will take place at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. The Semi-Finals will be held on August 25th and the Championship Game will be held on August 27th.

Boston's next game will be on Saturday, August 5th, at Nickerson Field when the Cannons face the Baltimore Bayhawks. The game, which will be the Cannons final home game, will begin at 7:00PM. Boston will play their final game of the regular season on Saturday, August 12th when they travel to Rochester to face the Rattlers.