Cannons add Perkovic to arsenal in midfield
Midfielder Sergio Perkovic joined the Boston Cannons ready made for Major League Lacrosse.
Perkovic possesses the requisite size, elite NCAA pedigree and sinister nickname — “Motor City Hitman” — to become an impact player at the pro level. He was the Cannons’ firstround pick (second overall) in the MLL draft on May 29, the highest selection for a player out of Notre Dame.
When the Cannons stunned the defendingchampion Denver Outlaws, 16-9, on the road last Saturday, Perkovic made his pro debut. The three-time ISILA first-team All-American and Tewaaraton Award nominee will play in front of the home crowd for the first time when the Cannons (3-5) host the Ohio Machine (5-2) tonight at Harvard Stadium.
“I am super excited,” Perkovic said. “Boston is an awesome place and my first time there was a couple of weeks ago at the draft when I got to go to Fenway Park and saw what a great sports city it is. I’ve heard how great the fans are in Boston and it will nice to be in a home-crowd environment.”
Perkovic graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in finance and left a huge imprint on the Fighting Irish program. He ranks sixth overall in South Bend and first among midfielders with 111 goals and 12th in points (134).
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound native of Bloomington Hills, Mich., spent his collegiate days playing up to the “Motor City Hitman” nickname.
“One of our game announcers came up with that name my freshman year about halfway through the season,” Perkovic said. “I thought it was a cool nickname and they kept using it, and then other people started using it and it kind of just became a thing.”
When Perkovic debuted, the Cannons were desperate for a win, after dropping 3-of-4 on a homestand including a 19-13 setback against the Outlaws, then losing 13-12 in overtime on the road to the Machine. He didn’t play during that stretch after suffering a wrist injury in his secondto-last college game.
In Denver, Perkovic scored the Cannons’ first goal on his first MLL shot to tie the game 1-1 at 3:49 of the first quarter.
“I didn’t know much going in but I knew obviously we were struggling a little bit,” Perkovic said. “I knew that Denver was top of the pack and No. 1, so obviously this was a big game to keep our playoff hopes alive.
“I was just excited because I hadn’t played in a while because of my wrist and I thought I might be a little rusty. But we played a really awesome game and it was great to get that win on the road against a talented Denver team.”