PLL Week 9: Archers Approach History, Lock Up First-Round Bye

As the remaining six teams duke it out in the upcoming first week of the Premier Lacrosse League playoffs, Archers players will get the opportunity to kick their feet back and watch.

The stellar campaign for the boys in orange and blue continued this weekend in Tacoma, Washington, as the Archers clinched the top seed with a wire-to-wire 16-11 win against the Whipsnakes. The Archers moved to 8-1, a win away from matching the 2022 Whipsnakes’ record for most wins in a PLL season.

They stormed out to a 6-1 lead in the first quarter, then buried the Whips with a 4-0 run in the second quarter to go into the break ahead 10-2.

“Defensively, we locked it down and played physically,” Archers coach Chris Bates said of the first half. “That set the tone for us. We slid hard with the body. We got some looks in transition and our shooters shoot. We got a couple looks. That’s as good a first half as you can ask.”

The Whipsnakes never got closer than five the rest of the way, mounting a 4-0 run to end the contest that was never too threatening. It was one of the more dominant showings of the season for the Archers, and a step back for the Whips after a resurgent middle of the season.

Connor Fields led the way with six points, while Mac O’Keefe added five and Tom Schreiber notched three.

“A full team win,” Bates said. “That was a nice feeling just to see us come together. I thought we played really well.”

CANNONS, REDWOODS AVOID UPSETS

The Atlas and the Chrome, currently seeded seventh and eighth, respectively, both had a serious chance at a massive victory in Tacoma. Neither finished the job.

The Chrome took the Redwoods all the way to overtime, scoring the final three goals of regulation to dig out of a 10-7 hole. The offense didn’t get a chance to continue its momentum in the extra frame, as TD Ierlan won the opening faceoff, Rob Pannell fed from X and Wes Berg scored a quick-stick goal to push the Woods into a top-four seed.

“This team is no stranger to one-goal games and overtime,” Redwoods coach Nat St. Laurent said. “There are a lot of guys in that huddle that have been on the stage and have won gold medals and national championships and things of that nature. So, we’ve had to rely on that experience and rely on them to step up and make plays.”

Berg’s game-ending tally completed a hat trick, while the Redwoods also got three points from recently acquired Romar Dennis.

The Chrome loss squandered a glimmer of hope for the squad, as the Atlas were defeated a day prior despite the Bulls entering the second half up a pair of goals. The Cannons got a trio of two-pointers in the third quarter — one each from Chris Aslanian, Cade van Raaphorst and Ryan Drenner — to take a four-goal advantage and a lead they never relinquished.

The Atlas got within a goal twice in the final quarter but were never able to complete the comeback in a 14-13 defeat. At 2-7, the team can finish no higher than seventh.

The Chrome have little shot at surpassing the Atlas in the standings and earning that final playoff spot, even with a victory against the Chaos next week and an Atlas loss to the Redwoods. That would give the teams identical records, but the Chrome’s minus-32 goal differential compared to the Atlas’ minus-15 puts them at a major disadvantage in the tie-breaker.

WATERDOGS WIN CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH

The Waterdogs jumped on the Chaos early, scoring a pair of transition two-pointers in an early 5-0 spurt, before rolling to a 13-8 win. Jack Hannah and Ryan Conrad each hit from long range early, with Jake Carraway and Connor Kelly joining the two-point party later in the evening.

Kelly’s two-pointer helped slam the door, giving the defending champions a 12-7 advantage midway through the fourth quarter. Hannah and Conrad each finished with four points for the Dogs, who bested the squad they beat last year for the PLL crown.

Both goalies were heavily tested, with Dillon Ward and Blaze Riorden each making 17 saves.

“It was probably our most complete game of the year,” Waterdogs coach Andy Copelan said. “That Chaos team is a good team. They’re obviously extraordinarily well coached and they tend to play their best at the tail end of these seasons. But I liked our approach. It was like a workmanlike approach.”

NOTEWORTHY

The Cannons’ Adam Charalambides made a quick impact, recording his first career hat trick in his first game of the season. … The Chrome’s Logan Wisnauskas snapped a four-game scoreless streak, netting four goals. … The Atlas’ Trevor Baptiste reached 500 career ground balls. … The Chrome-Redwoods game featured a rare scoreless period in the second quarter. … Dylan Molloy scored his first goal as a member of the Atlas.

UP NEXT
ALL TIMES EASTERN

in Salt Lake City, Utah

Friday

Archers vs. Waterdogs, 8 p.m. (ESPN+)
Atlas vs. Redwoods, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saturday

Cannons vs. Whipsnakes, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
Chaos vs. Chrome, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN+)