The semifinal battle between the second-seeded Chesapeake Bayhawks and third-seeded Denver Outlaws was a game of runs. There were four lead changes before the final quarter. Chesapeake went on another run in the fourth quarter, scoring three times in just over three minutes to take an 11-10 lead.

Denver had one more run in it, however, with Matt Kavanagh key in a 3-1 run to end the game and lift the visiting Outlaws to a 13-12 victory.

“It was just a bunch of tough kids that didn’t want to say goodbye yet,” Denver coach B.J. O’Hara said in a postgame interview on Lax Sports Network. “They seem to make a play when we needed them to. Things were slipping away at times, and we always seemed to have an answer. That’s an attribute to good leadership and great assistant coaches. Our faceoff guy got us the ball and our defense had some tough stops, especially at the end.”

Kavanagh scored on a powerplay 6:41 into the final quarter to tie the game at 11. Denver attackman Kylor Bellistri scored his third goal to give the Outlaws the lead, but Chesapeake’s Colin Heacock responded one minute later to tie the game. Kavanagh scored with 3:53 remaining in the game to put Denver ahead, and the defense held on — including a Dillon Ward save on a Myles Jones shot — to help Denver secure its third consecutive trip to the MLL finals.

“We’re excited,” O’Hara said. “These guys didn’t want to say goodbye yet and I know I didn’t want to say goodbye to them tonight, so we bought ourselves another week.”

Dallas turns fortunes on New York

Less than two weeks before their matchup in the semifinals, the New York Lizards beat the Dallas Rattlers by one goal, ending both their seven-game unbeaten streak and their undefeated record at home. The No. 1 seed in the MLL playoffs, however, would not allow the Lizards to repeat the feat.

Dallas outscored the Lizards 6-1 in the first quarter and beat New York, 15-12.

“[New York] is a very dangerous team. They have so many veterans and they have some two-point threats,” Rattlers coach Bill Warder said in a postgame interview on Lax Sports Network. “The MLL, what makes it exciting is that if you’re down by two or three or four, it’s a quick possession game, so you can come back pretty quickly. Until there were 14 seconds left and you’re up by three, I think that’s kind of probably when we thought we had it.”

Each Rattlers goal in the first quarter was scored by a different player, showing off Dallas’s depth.

Included in the first quarter scoring was the first of long-pole Joel White’s two goals, a diving shot starting from behind the crease that drew applause from many MLL veterans, past and present. In addition to his two goals, Joel White picked up 10 ground balls.

3 words: JOEL. FREAKING. WHITE. | Watch this full MLL semifinal between @RattlersLax and @LizardsLacrosse FREE at https://t.co/oJkK8CQ2nw or download the LSN app here: https://t.co/QyCj6BaBwK @jwhite_11 pic.twitter.com/J7VNM4fw8f

— Lax Sports Network (@LaxSportsNet) August 12, 2018

With the help of White, Dallas dominated at the faceoff X, where Drew Simoneau won 24 of 31 faceoffs, picked up one ground ball, and scored one goal.

The victory brings Dallas back to the championship game for the first time since 2015, when they lost to the Lizards. It also sets up a rematch of the 2014 MLL championship game, which the Rattlers lost to the Outlaws, 12-11.

“It’s going to be a lot fun,” Warder said. “[Outlaws coach] B.J. [O’Hara] and I were together and we won a championship. Then, in 2014, they stole it from us. It’s a good rivalry. That’s a really great team. We’re very similar. It’s exciting. … It’s something we’re definitely looking forward to.”

Noteworthy

Eric Law led the Outlaws with six points on two goals and four assists. … Kylor Bellistri scored three goals and added two assists for the Outlaws. … Denver faceoff specialist Max Adler won 21 of 29 faceoffs and picked up nine ground balls. … Six of Denver goalie Dillon Ward’s eight saves came in the second half. … Chesapeake goalie Niko Amato made 14 saves on 27 shots on goal. … Lyle Thompson, playing in his first playoff game, led the Bayhawks with four goals and one assist. … Myles Jones and Josh Byrne each scored two goals and added one assist apiece for three points. … The Rattlers were led on offense by Jordan Wolf and Randy Staats, who each scored four points on two goals and two assists. … The Dallas defense work to hold All-Stars Paul Rabil, Will Manny, and Joe Walters to a combined three goals and two assis. … Dallas goalie John Galloway made 12 saves on 24 shots on goal. … Dallas rookie Ben Reeves also scored two goals as well as adding an assist. … Rob Pannell led all players with five points on three goals and two assists. … Midseason acquisition Jake Bernhardt scored three goals and added one assist.

Player of the Week

Zach Currier, M, Denver Outlaws

Currier tied for second on the team in points (five), thanks to his four goals and one assist. Currier also was key in helping Denver maintain important possessions, picking up nine ground balls.

“Zach, he always makes plays for us all over the field, but he found a little extra offense tonight that we haven’t gotten from him always,” O’Hara said in a postgame interview on Lax Sports Network. “He was getting open, hitting his shots.”