Recharged Langtry leads 7 Outlaws All-Stars

By Paul Willis, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 17, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Don't liken Brian Langtry to a fine wine.

Cheesy as it sounds, it'd be more apt to compare the Denver Outlaws midfielder to a new-model digital camera.

It's not that Langtry has gotten better with age. It's that he has an expanded focus and a better view of the big picture. And that's how the 32-year-old enters the Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game Thursday night at Invesco Field at Mile High (8 p.m., ESPN2) tied for second in the league scoring race in what largely is a younger man's game.

"I have refocused quite a bit," said Langtry, the oldest of the 27 players on the Outlaws roster and one of seven Denver All-Stars. "I think I am seeing the game better, and I think I can keep doing it if I stay in shape. I just started a pretty intense program of running this week. It's the first time I have really pushed myself in years."

The results have shown on the field, where Langtry has compiled 36 points in helping the Outlaws to a Western Conference-best 6-3 mark.

Langtry's points total - it includes 15 goals and 18 assists, with three of the goals two-pointers - matches Chicago's Kevin Leveille and is two behind John Grant of Rochester.

Grant, 35, is another of the league's elder statesmen playing at a high level. Grant was chosen to the Eastern Conference squad but is injured and won't play.

Langtry also is a member of the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League, and his advanced age has yielded positive results for that team. Before turning 30, he hadn't posted a 30-goal season in the NLL. Since leaving his 20s, he has scored 31 and 30 goals for the Mammoth.

"I never played in an NLL All-Star game, so for me this is better," said Langtry, who was not selected when the NLL played its game in Denver in 2004.

Langtry is joined by six teammates on the Western Conference squad - attackmen Brendan Mundorf and Ryan Powell, midfielder Matt Hanna, defensemen Benson Erwin and Lee Zink and goaltender Jesse Schwartzman.

Midfielder Jeff Sonke also was selected but is shelved by an injury.

Langtry has been an ambassador for growth of the sport in the state, coaching youth teams and often conducting camps with fellow Mammoth player Gavin Prout. He believes the initial boom, which coincided with the arrival of the Mammoth and Outlaws, hasn't yet ended.

"As far as the growth of the game, all you have to do is come by a camp and see how many kids are working to get better," Langtry said. "Gavin Prout and I just had 130 kids at our camp last week, and they love the game."

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