PLL takeaways from Columbus: MVP hopefuls power Philly to playoff berth

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Boston Cannons: Bold change in net sparks win over Archers​

Head coach Brian Holman’s decision to start JC Higginbotham over Colin Kirst delivered immediate results, as the goalie posted a 61% save percentage in his first career start to help the Cannons snap Utah’s four-game win streak.



The offense found its rhythm behind Brian Kelly’s four-goal performance and Coulter Mackesy’s early two-pointer en route to an 11-7 victory. Rookie Andrew McMeekin continued his standout season, going 71% at the stripe against the Archers’ Mike Sisselberger.



The complete, physical performance gave Boston the momentum it was searching for as the Cannons head into Homecoming Weekend. – Noel D’Amico

California Redwoods: Stars get hot at right time​

The Redwoods opened the weekend with a loss to the Carolina Chaos. They wished they could get that one back, but they made up for it by setting a regular-season PLL record for scores in a 21-13 win over the New York Atlas.



The offense was quiet the last time California took the field against the Maryland Whipsnakes; Andrew McAdorey and Dylan Molloy each went without a point in the game in Fairfield. In two games in Columbus, however, the Woods’ All-Stars – Molloy (5G, 2A), McAdorey (3G, 2A) and Chris Kavanagh (6G, 4A) – had monster weekends, a promising sign heading into the playoff push. – Phil Shore

Carolina Chaos: Chaos split doubleheader without FOGO​

The Chaos played back-to-back full games against the Redwoods and the Philadelphia Waterdogs without a faceoff specialist after Justin Inacio was ruled out with a right knee sprain on Thursday.



Carolina earned a 12-10 victory over the Redwoods on Friday night, shooting 40% with seven different goal-scorers despite going 0-for-24 on faceoffs. But less than 24 hours later, the Waterdogs dismantled the Chaos 13-6, dealing a significant blow to Carolina’s playoff hopes.



Currently in last place in the tightly packed West with a conference-worst minus-19 score differential, the Chaos close their regular season this Friday against the Archers in Boston. – Miles Jordan

Denver Outlaws: O’Neill sparks vital win, but goalie questions remain​

Denver finally got the best, MVP version of Brennan O’Neill (4G, 1T, 1A). That plus a career-high five goals from Dalton Young helped the Outlaws get off the schnied, but questions abound as this team tries to settle itself heading into the final two weeks of the season.



Nowhere is that more present than the goalie position. Logan McNaney has not been himself, turning in the three worst games of his career in a row. Owen McElroy came off the bench and helped steady the Outlaws in Saturday’s 14-13 win over Maryland, but Denver needs its rock in between the pipes to return to contender status. – Topher Adams

Maryland Whipsnakes: Whips struggle without faceoff man​

With Petey LaSalla out injured, Jim Stagnitta decided not to dress a faceoff man against the Outlaws. Stagnitta said there was nobody available who had faced off at a high level in a pro game, so they decided to defend more possessions, but with a shorter shot clock.



Stagnitta’s plan worked at first, with Maryland leading 10-4 in the second quarter. Eventually, the Whipsnakes’ defense wilted due to the possession disparity. They gave up eight straight goals during a 20-minute stretch, and although they came back to take the lead, they couldn’t get over the line late on. – Zak Wolf

New York Atlas: Playoff hopes slip away​

It wasn’t quite win-or-go-home for New York, but it might as well have been.



When Connor Shellenberger was ruled out the morning of Sunday’s game, it felt like the offense would be the bigger concern. It wasn’t. The Atlas allowed a record-setting 21 scores in their fourth consecutive loss.



The eight-goal defeat also dropped New York’s score differential to minus-29, all but ending its playoff hopes. Mental errors have played a major role in the Atlas’ 3-7 season, and they were a key factor again Sunday as the reigning champions’ odds of qualifying for the playoffs plummeted to less than 0.01%. – Jared Valluzzi

Philadelphia Waterdogs: MVP duo punches playoff ticket​

With a dominant 13-6 win over Carolina on Saturday, the Waterdogs became the first team to clinch a playoff berth. Michael Sowers strengthened his MVP case with a five-point performance, while fellow MVP front-runner CJ Kirst tied the PLL’s single-season goals record (30) with two games remaining.



Rookie goalie Sean Byrnecontinued his stellar run as the starter with another solid performance, helping anchor a defense that overwhelmed the Chaos.



Winners of six of their last seven, the 7-3 Dogs head into their bye looking every bit like the Championship favorite. – Micheal Bolger

Utah Archers: Penalties cost Archers in high-stakes loss​

The Archers had a chance to solidify their playoff position by beating the Cannons on Friday night. A win would’ve clinched their playoff berth and given them a 99.99% chance to be the No. 1 seed in the West.



But like they have in multiple games this season, penalties limited Utah. Eight minutes in the sin bin disrupted the team’s offensive flow and forced the defense to play a man down against Boston’s flame-throwing offense. – Zach Carey

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