This past weekend was Week 10: Denver of the Premier Lacrosse League! Teams continued to work towards playoff spots, with one more team locking in theirs. Going into the final week of play, half of the playoff spots remain unclaimed, and our Irish alumni will play a major impact on the outcome.

One Seed of Doom

With this past week being the Outlaws homecoming, they were the team to play two games. Of the two, they needed to win one to lock in the one seed in the West. They went 1-1 on the weekend, locking in the top spot. 

The problem with that is the fact that the Outlaws get next week off. With the following week being the break between the regular season and playoffs, then another week for their round one bye, the Outlaws don’t play again for a month.

A month-long break is not good for any team. It is a shame that all the hard work of this Outlaws team is put at risk by something they have no control over. It is clear they are the front runner to win the league, but the long break could cause them to be an early exit.

As for the games themselves, it was clear that the league had caught onto the fact that PKav is the key to the Outlaws’ offense. With this knowledge, both the Chaos and Atlas tried everything they could to keep the ball away from him. The flow of their offense relies on PKav touching the ball upwards of 50 times.

Going into game one, the Chaos tried to play it straight up. But after a first half dominated by the Outlaws, they changed up the game plan and began to lock off PKav and severely restricting his touches.

And it worked. The Outlaws were limited to just 2 goals in the second half (one of which by PKav). Most noticeably, Pat was kept to just 35 touches, which while it still led the team but is far less than the 50 he gets when the offense is humming.

This second half by the Chaos set the groundwork for what the Atlas would use in game to: if you limit PKav to 30 touches instead of 50, the rest of the offense won’t flow. 

In regards to the Chaos, this win locked in their playoff spot! The motorcity hitman makes his return to the post season! Sergio has been known to come alive in the playoffs (think games like 5 goals in a quarter vs Denver in the semi-finals, a highlight tape we watch weekly).

For this game specifically, Sergio stayed around his normal numbers going 1-6 on shooting. While he didn’t put up too many goals, his one goal was the final Chaos goal of the first half, which gave them momentum going into the second half where they would win the half 7-2.

As we mentioned, the Chaos’ second half strategy was what the Atlas used to the extreme level. From the broadcast it was very apparent that they were doing everything in their power to keep the ball out of PKav’s hands. Whenever the situation would allow it whether at X or a slow-break, or anything in between his defender was pressed all the way out onto him.

This plan destroyed the Outlaws in the first half, especially in the second quarter. The Atlas went into the half up by 6. It took a lot of adjusting, but stellar performances from O’Neil and Bernhardt pulled the Outlaws through for the win.

Win or loss, the fact of the matter is that the Atlas figured it out. Pat had 37 touches, once again far lower than his normal, and 0 points. Without the performances O’Neil and Bernhardt had in the second half, this game isn’t even close and 9 times out of 10 the Atlas win.

The Outlaws will need to be careful of this moving to the post season, especially with how long of a break they will have.

As for the Atlas, once the flood gates opened in the second half it was Entenmann who kept things under control. He had an amazing 18 saves on 60%, continuing to prove why he is an MVP candidate and the goalie of the year front-runner.

Costabile had a goal and an assist. But one thing we particularly liked about his game was his willingness to go underneath. With how big of an outside threat he is, a lot of the time defenders will approach him poorly to prevent this deep shot. Unlike many outside shooters in the league, instead of moving the ball when this happens he takes advantage of it and dodges underneath the defender. This always gets the defense spinning and has opened up a lot of good looks for the Atlas.

Staying Alive 

The Cannons and their trio of Notre Dame defensemen had a clutch win this weekend. With their backs against the wall, they pulled off a win against the Waterdogs to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

Going into the final week of play, they need to win one of their two games to lock in their spot.

When their team needed them most, Epple and Kielty set the tone. While they each had a caused turnover, what was more important was the physicality they brought. They were so physical that it limited Jake Taylor to no goals and just one shot.

Offensively, Ramsey scored his first ever two-pointer! Ramsey has long shown his worth on defense, but plays like these show his value in the transition, a very underappreciated field. We look forward to the many more he will have!

The Hard Part is Done

The Redwoods were able to pull through with a win and almost secure a playoff spot. In this last weekend, a win locks in their spot or an Archers loss. If neither happens it will come down to goal differential which the Redwoods currently lead by 9-5 to -14.

This week was another week where the Woods turned the tables on their previous performances in the clutch. Going into the fourth down by 3, they won the quarter 4-0.

In our eyes, this game locks in CKav as the rrookie of the year. In a game with major playoff potential he put up 7 points. Yes, 7 points. These were divided into 3 goals and 4 assists, including the game tying goal late in the fourth.

While we can, and should, continue to congratulate CKav for his performance we also need to mention Dylan Molloy. He also had an outstanding game with a crazy 5 goals (2 assisted by CKav). Without these two players the Redwoods get blown out.

Garnsey also put up two goals, one being assisted by CKav. But it is very obvious Corrigan Family Assistant Coach Ryder Garnsey was far more happy to see Chris have success. The PLL social media jokes that you should find someone to cheer for you like Garnsey cheers for CKav, but that is a VERY high bar.

With one game left, we hope this team doesn’t break our hearts and throw away their playoff chances.

Football Crossover Notes

Summer practices have begun for the Irish. To no one’s surprise, Jordan Faison is filling highlight reels already. But lacrosse national champion Tyler Buchner is making a case for the #3 QB spot in addition to his multiple special teams roles!

 

Next, the league moves to Boston for the Cannons homecoming. The match-ups will be Redwoods vs Cannons, Chaos vs Archers, Atlas vs Waterdogs, and Whipsnakes vs Cannons. Tune in!

 

#GoIrish

ND-ATL 2.0