The playoffs are here, and there are three matchups this weekend in the quarterfinal round of the 2021 playoffs. After two years of the most confusing playoff brackets I have ever seen, the PLL crushed it this year with the seven team single elimination format that is visually appealing and easy to follow.
Back in 2019, the six team league had four playoff teams and essentially played a double elimination schedule for the Championship. The #1 and #2 seed played in the quarterfinals and the winner went on to the championship. The #3 and #4 played an elimination game with the winner playing the loser of the #1 and #2 game. The bracket was an eye sore and a mouthful to explain. I wont even mention the 1st draft pick side of the bracket, but feel free to try and decipher the image below.
I will give the league the benefit of the doubt for last year’s bubble bracket. Although it was simpler to follow, it was weird to see every team make the playoffs. I do understand the thought process as the teams were in Utah for three weeks and it wouldn’t have been right to eliminate a team after four games. Ironically, the #7 seed Chaos made it to the championship game and had the #1 seed Whipsnakes on the ropes in the first half before Zed Williams started scoring goals.
But here we are in 2021. 7 teams, 1 bye, 1 team already eliminated. The Waterdogs received the bye after their win over the Atlas last weekend, so they will not be in action until the weekend of September 5th in Philly. The Chrome missed out on the playoffs after their do or die loss to the Cannons last weekend, which pushed the Cannons into the playoffs in their first season in the PLL. The stage is set for this coming weekend and the playoffs are here…
Friday, 8:30pm – Chaos (+160) vs Archers (-210)
Saturday, 3:30pm – Cannons (+145) vs Atlas (-186)
Saturday, 6:00pm – Redwoods (+100) vs Whipsnakes (-127)
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The Friday night game between the Chaos and Archers is a rematch of last Friday night’s game that didn’t finish up until around 1am EST. These two have met twice this season so far, with the series being a 1-1 tie so far. The Archers won 12-8 in Atlanta before the Chaos won 11-9 in Albany. These two met in the playoffs last year where the Chaos beat the Archers 13-9. The one thing that stands out to me in this one is the goalie play. Both teams have goalies who can takeover the game. Blaze Riorden is averaging 16.5 saves per game and Adam Ghitelman is one of the best goalies in the world.
If the Archers want to win this game, they are going to have to play fast and overwhelm the Chaos defense early. An offense that is as lethal as any going up against an average defense is a big advantage to the Archers. I am very excited to see the Jack Rowlette vs Grant Ament matchup, one that Rowlette has dominated this season. M]The Chaos on the other hand have the ability to push lots of transition. They have shown throughout the year they can push in transition, with Ian Mackay and CJ Costabile stepping into two pointers on occasion. I think the Archers have the slim edge due to their offensive power, but not as big of an edge as the current PLL fan vote. A whopping 87% of fans so far are siding with the Archers. I think it’s a close one and both teams have the ability to pull this one out.
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The Cannons and Atlas get things going on Saturday afternoon. This matchup is really interesting to me, as the Cannons were debatably the worst team throughout the year while the Atlas were the best, and they will meet in the quarterfinals as the #2 and #7 seeds. These two have played twice this season, both ending in one goal victories for the Atlas. In week 3 it was the Jeff Teat party as the rookie played his second game and had 7 goals and 2 assists. In week 7, more youngsters lit it up for the Archers as Bryan Costabile and Dox Aitken combined for 9 points. Trevor Baptiste has been dominant against the Cannons this season, going 69% and 76% in the two matchups. Nick Marocco made 18 saves in both games.
The beginning of this game is crucial for the Cannons to get out to a fast start on offense and make stops / saves on defense. If they can keep it close or hold a lead going into the third or even the fourth quarter, they will be in a great position to win. Where the Atlas are so dangerous are in the close games, or games where they lead late. Trevor Baptiste is lighting up the league at the faceoff x, and the Atlas use his advantages in many ways: to play make it take it if theyre losing, to slow down a comeback, or to simply get extra possessions for the offense and give the defense a rest, making Baptiste the most important player on the field in this game. If he wins faceoffs early and the Atlas turn that into a lead, consider the Cannons done. But if the weathered Cannons defense can make stops and turn that into a lead of their own towards the end of the third quarter, it will be interesting to see the Atlas play from behind late. I am leaning Atlas on this one and so are the fans, with 77% of the vote so far in the PLL bracket challenge.
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Finally, another playoff game between the Redwoods and Whipsnakes is in the works for this weekend. The Whipsnakes have dealt the Redwoods their final loss of the season in back to back years, en route to back to back titles. The Redwoods have a BIG monkey on their back that they have a chance to shake off once again this season. They would have had an easier chance to do it if TD Ierlan didn’t get hurt last weekend, but the rookie who was tied for the lead league in faceoff percentage will not be playing this upcoming weekend. Instead they’ll have to rely on Drew Simoneau and Charlie Leonard who have gone a combined 39% this season. Joe Nardella should have an easy day getting the ball into the Whipsnakes playmakers.
Don’t rule out the Redwoods though. They are one of the most talented teams in the league on the offensive and defensive end. Myles Jones has been leading from the midfield as he has been more focused this season as a feeder than ever before in his career. If you don’t know Myles, you have probably seen all 6’5’’ of him step into a shot at over 100 mph. He now has added another aspect to his game and is having a great year. Rob Panell is one of the most electric attackmen in the league and also looks a lot to feed. He does most of his work from behind the goal looking to feed shooters like Jones and Perkovic. The big task is stopping Matt Rambo and Zed Williams, who combined for 9 of 14 goals last weekend in Albany against the Redwoods and 2 assists. When healthy they are the best offensive tandem in the league and if they can be effective to the tune of 9 goals, the Whipsnakes should flourish on Saturday evening.
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It all comes down to this. The PLL playoffs are here and over the next month they will play six games to determine the 2021 champion.
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.