Di Miller, PLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Featured Image Photo Credit: John Zumbado
It would take an Archers LC (5-5) victory today over Whipsnakes LC (6-4) to clinch that final playoff spot in the Inaugural Season in the Premiere Lacrosse League. There were three teams with identical records; Redwoods LC, Atlas LC and Archers LC with the only difference…points differential. Redwoods had clinched with their huge victory over Chrome LC on Saturday by the score of 18-7. Atlas had done the unthinkable and defeated the No. 1 team in the league, Chaos LC by the score of 12-9 moving them up into the third position. That left Archers no choice but to win. This game would see two quarters with shut outs, the second for Archers and the third for Whipsnakes; and Archers would be the ones to outscore Whipsnakes in the fourth as they had in the first to take the “W” moving them back into the third spot in the league and sending Atlas back to fifth. Final Score: Archers 11—Whipsnakes 8.
Archers got on the board at the 10:53 mark when Marcus Holman (2g) notched his 22nd of the year as he snuck around the cage jumped high and put it low through the five-hole on Kyle Bernlohr 1-0. It would take only 43 seconds for Whipsnakes to answer back for the league’s leading point leader Matt Rambo (2g, 3a) with a goal off transition and his defender to jump the pass allowing him to make the catch, dodge and shot at 10:10. Archers would go on a three goal run as Christian Cuccinello (2g, 2a) would notch his first, he’d rip one across his body to beat Bernlohr far side at 6:57; and the next would come off a behind-the-back pass from Manny to Cuccinello on the door step with a diving shot low side at 4:10. The final goal of the run was a nice one down the alley by Tom Schreiber with a full head of steam he’d come across the field and fire the shot giving them a four goal lead at 3:13. Rambo would close out the frame for the Snakes with 2:41 left fighting through his defender he’d come around the back side of the cage and found an opening far side closing the gap to two. Score at the end of one: Archers 4—Whipsnakes 2.
Whipsnakes would dominate the second shutting out Archers scoring four times, including another two point goal. It would take three minutes for the action to start and it would be a quick stick shot from Ryan Drenner (1g) in front of the cage off the feed from “X”, he’d make the jump shot with one second left on the shot clock at the 9:14 mark. Mike Chanenchuk (1-2ptG) who leads the league in two-point goals would notch his seventh on the season hitting far side to give them their first lead of the night 5-4. They’d keep the run alive with another transition goal, this one from Tim Muller (1g) for his first of the season he’d find an opening straight up the middle 6-4. The final goal in the first half would come on a man-up goal off the Jackson Place slashing call at 2:16. Connor Kelly (1g, 1a) on the doorstep would capitalize for the power-play goal at the 1:50 mark. Half time stats would see Archers with the lead in shots 19-18; shots on goal 11-9; and ground balls 13-10. Whipsnakes would lead in turnovers 10-7; and saves 7-3. Score at the end of the first half: Whipsnakes 7—Archers 4.
The tables would turn in favor of Archers in the third as they would shut out the Snakes and tally three goals, one of them a two-point goal. Holman would get it started at 10:29 with a crease dive goal off the skip pass from Schreiber giving them their first goal in 16 minutes and 44 seconds. The scoring drought would continue for almost nine minutes. Archers would come close, but Marcus Holman would be hit with a slashing penalty at 2:15 putting Whipsnakes on a man-up, they would lose possession, Archers midfielder Joey Sankey would find an open Will Manny (3g, 1a) on the outside and he’d fire one past Bernlohr for the man-down goal with 1:16 remaining in the third. Whipsnakes would be the next to suffer the wrath of the yellow flag as John Haus would go to the sidelines on a holding call with 7.6 seconds left in the frame. On the restart Cuccinello would feed the ball to Schreiber who was set up outside the two-point arc and he’d fire the shot for his second two-point goal of the season giving them the lead which they would not relinquish. Score at the end of three: Archers 8—Whipsnakes 7.
Again, another slow start to the quarter, and the Archers would be first to score and would outscore Whipsnakes 3-1. Manny would notch his second with a right-handed shot coming up from behind the cage far side low at 9:30. The Snakes would end their 21 minute scoring drought with a goal from John Haus (1g, 1a) at the 4:09 mark. Rambo was behind the cage for the feed to Haus on the door step for the goal. The Snakes had at least five restarts on the shot clock and had the Archers defense on the field for almost five minutes including Schreiber stuck on defense so it was only a matter of time before their scoring drought ended. They closed the gap 9-8, but that would be it for the Whipsnakes as Archers would close it out with two more. Manny would notch his hat-trick with a crossfield skip pass from Schreiber at 3:39; and Schreiber would be last to score somehow catching the pass, he’d find the open alley went to the cage and fired it right to left with the twister shot with 1:22 remaining in the game. Whipsnakes tried with a final possession to score once more, but could not. Final Score: Archers 11—Whipsnakes 8.
TEAM STATS:
Archers—Shots 36; SOG 24; GB 28; FO 9-20; FO% .450; TO 15
Whipsnakes—Shots 48; SOG 18; GB 21; FO 11-20; FO% .550; TO 15
GOAL KEEPER STATS:
Archers—Adam Ghitelman: 3 Saves; 6 GA; 1-2pt GA; .333 Sv%
Archers—Drew Adams: 8 Saves; 1 GA; 0 2pt GA; .888 Sv%
Whipsnakes—Kyle Bernlohr: 14 Saves; 10 GA; 1-2pt GA; .583 Sv%
UP NEXT:
Playoff Weekend starts on September 6 in Columbus, OH at Mapfre Stadium. Game One & Two can be seen on NBCSN. Game Three will be telecast on NBCSG.
Game Two is set for Friday September 6, and you’ll see the No. 3 Seed Archers LC (5-5) face off against the No. 4 Seed Redwoods LC (5-5), game time 7:00 p.m. EST.
Game One is set for Saturday September 7, and you’ll see the No. 1 Seed Chaos LC (7-3) face off against the No. 2 Seed Whipsnakes LC (6-4), game time 6:00 p.m. EST.
Game Three is set for Saturday September 7, and this game is for draft picks in the 2020 Collegiate Draft. You’ll see the No. 5 Seed Atlas LC (5-5) face 0ff against the No. 6 Seed Chrome LC (2-8), game time 3:00 p.m. EST.
Di Miller, PLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©