The PLL wrapped up their quarterfinal action a couple of weeks ago in Salt Lake City and are preparing to head up to the city of brotherly love this coming weekend for two more games to determine the championship matchup in D.C. After the games in Utah, only two of the top four teams remain in the Waterdogs (who received a first round bye) and the Atlas (who beat the seventh seeded Cannons). The most unpredictable league in the world is surely going to have some action this coming weekend that leaves fans with their jaws hanging low. Last year we saw the last place team in the regular season Chaos make a run to the championship game and hold a halftime lead. This year the Chaos are on the right track to do the same after taking down heavily favored team to not only win the game in Utah but the whole thing.
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The Chaos made a statement for the second straight week, taking down the Archers another time, this time by a more comfortable margin. Coach Andy Towers and the Chaos seem used to playing with house money and being the underdog. You see it on twitter every week, Chaos guys reposting the odds of them moving on, the fan vote of the upcoming game, and much more. After 13 saves, Blaze Riorden and the Chaos waved goodbye to the Archers, one of the most dangerous offensive teams throughout the season.
The Cannons and Atlas got the Saturday afternoon action going and behind 68% at the faceoff x from the Atlas, they were able to get out to a two goal halftime lead and never look back. They took their two goal lead into the fourth quarter and added two insurance goals in the fourth to win 13-9. The game went just how I thought it would go. The Cannons didn’t have a chance in this one UNLESS they were holding onto a lead or tie at halftime. They werent, and they paid the price for that. Shooting only 21% from the field didn’t help them much. The league’s oldest team is going to have a long offseason making changes, and they might want to follow the Atlas’ blueprint and invest in young talent.
The Whipsnakes and Redwoods saved the best for last, though. These two teams have met in each of the three PLL playoffs so far, with the Whipsnakes winning both so far, en route to two championships. Third time was not the charm for the Redwoods, as Matt Rambo iced it with his infamous meaty left handed dodge from X. He beat both Garrett Epple and Tim Troutner with about 50 seconds left, sent the Redwoods home and booked a trip for the Whipsnakes to his hometown, Philadelphia.
The Waterdogs, Atlas, Chaos and Whipsnakes will be the four teams traveling to Philadelphia this weekend, and in that order they top the power rankings this week. Four teams, two games. No losers bracket, no first pick game. The PLL playoffs are getting more real, and I love it.
Power Rankings (Semifinals)
- Waterdogs
- Atlas
- Chaos
- Whipsnakes
- Archers
- Redwoods
- Cannons
- Chrome
SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW
The Atlas and Chaos are the first game of the weekend. They play at 11am EST in Philadelphia, so I am thinking it might be a slow start to this one. This is the earliest game of the season besides the game in Colorado Springs that started at 9am due to the delay. The Chaos are riding young talent and a very Canadian style of play as well as a very hot second half of the season. After starting 0-3, the Chaos have won five out of seven games en route to their second straight semifinal. On the other end, the Atlas were the hottest team during the regular season and fell in the last week to drop to the 2 seed.
Back in Week 5, the Atlas took home a 16-10 win despite Blaz Riorden having 18 saves. The biggest story of this one? You guessed it, Trevor Baptiste ate up Max Adler and went 19-28 at the faceoff x. The Atlas outscored the Chaos by three goals in both halves. Jeff Teat had eight points and the Chaos defense didn’t have an answer to him. As the best rookie in the game, and a contender for the MVP, Jeff Teat may be able to have his way offensively again. But the Chaos have a new life and their young players have really stepped up lately. Mac O’Keefe now has 7 goals and 2 two pointers. Their defense is playing inspired and they are getting more looks in transition.
The same thing that went for the Cannons last week is going to have to happen for the Chaos. They need to have a strong start in order to account for Baptiste’s dominance at the faceoff x. If they lead or are tied at halftime, the game could go both ways. But if the Atlas are ahead at the break, I see them taking the air out of the ball and relying on playing make it take it with Baptiste. Atlas 13-11.
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In Colorado Springs, the Waterdogs took down the defending champion Whipsnakes 11-6 in a bizarre game that Matt Rambo did not play in and Zed Williams did not score in. The game started at 9:30am local time and both teams got out to a slow start and the Whipsnakes led 4-2 after the first half. The second half was another story as the Waterdogs used a couple two pointers and an eight goal run to break it open and lead by 5, a deficit the Whipsnakes could not come back from. That game is over. It was bizarre and it likely wont make an impact on what we see this weekend in Philly.
Matt Rambo is back. The game begins at 1pm on Sunday. Both teams have a chance to head to DC for the Championship game. The Whipsnakes are looking for a trip to their third straight final and want to defend their back to back championships. The Waterdogs are looking for their first postseason win after they were ousted in the first round last year. Michael Sowers and Drew Snider who have both been sidelined for a long time, have been cleared to play in time for this weekend. The main story to watch in this game is the play of the Waterdogs defense. Dillon Ward didn’t save over 50% in weeks 1-4, when the Waterdogs were holding onto 7th place. In the last four games of the season, Ward saved the ball at 60% each time. The Waterdogs won every game and are the #1 seed. If Ward is on his game in Philly, you could see the Waterdogs ride their gritty style of offense laced with two way midfielders into the championship.
On the other side, Matt Rambo and Zed Williams are the best player duo in the game. They play perfectly together and when both are on the field and producing, it is near impossible to stop. In their past three games on the same field, they have scored a combined 29 points. They anchor an offense that is a combination of young and old talent, both in age and years playing on the Whipsnakes. I think this is a game that comes down to the wire. Overtime or a one goal game seems likely here. But the area of the ball to watch is the Williams/Rambo vs Waterdogs defense/Ward. The winner of that matchup will likely ride down 95 to D.C. I have the Waterdogs 14-13.
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Three games remain. Two this weekend in Philly and the Championship on September 19th at 2pm in D.C. The PLL is the most unpredictable league I have ever watched, with so much talent on each team, you can make a case for anyone winning any game. But that’s why we are here, that’s why they play the game.
Lacrosse Analyst
Sam Kuhn currently is the graduate assistant for the men’s lacrosse program at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio and is working to complete his Masters of Business Administration in 2020. Sam graduated from the College of Wooster in 2018, where he received his Bachelors Degree in English and played lacrosse as well. In his four years, Sam was a two time All-NCAC selection, a first team All-Region selection in 2018, and surpassed 100 goals for his career, one of seven members in program history to do so. Sam has interned with Inside Lacrosse, and wrote for the sports section of The Wooster Voice.