🍿 FRIDAY NIGHT LACROSSE

The Premier Lacrosse League will break in a new stadium this weekend, with four games set to be played at Ohio State’s home field in Columbus on Friday and Saturday. The $24 million facility holds upwards of 2,100 fans and opened for the Buckeyes this spring.

The Waterdogs (1-1) and Atlas (1-1) will take the field tonight at 6 p.m. ET. The Waterdogs are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Redwoods in which they blew a 6-0 lead, while Atlas is trying to build on a thrilling one-point victory over the Whipsnakes from last weekend.

Atlas defender Gavin Adler, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 PLL Draft, had a breakout game against the Whipsnakes (3 CTO, 2 GB). It’ll be interesting to see if he gets a chance to mark up one-on-one vs. notoriously shifty Waterdogs attackman Michael Sowers.

Right after that game, Chrome (1-1) and Cannons (0-2) will finish the Friday night double-header. The Cannons took Chaos to overtime last weekend, and Chrome looks like a potentially vulnerable next target after losing to the Archers by five goals (largest margin of defeat this season).

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for ESPN+ broadcast links.

🧱 Dobson vs. Riorden on ESPN

If you appreciate quality goalie play, turn on ESPN at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday. Archers goalie Brett Dobson (65.4%) and Chaos goalie Blaze Riorden (64.0%) boast the top two save percentages in the PLL heading into this matchup.

Dobson, a second-year pro out of St. Bonaventure, was outstanding against Chrome last weekend. He racked up 18 saves in the 12-7 win, finishing with an eye-popping save percentage of 72.0%.

Riorden, on the other hand, is a former league MVP (2021) and three-time Goalie of the Year award winner (2019-21). He recorded his 800th career save in a win over the Cannons last weekend.

If there’s one weakness between these two goalies, it might be Riorden’s ability to track the two-point shot. He has already allowed three two-point goals this season; no other goalie has allowed more than one.

Watch for Archers attackman Mac O’Keefe to strike from two-point range in this game. He’s one of the best stretch shooters in the PLL and already has a two-point goal under his belt this season.

The final game of the weekend is Redwoods (2-0) vs. Whipsnakes (0-2), perhaps the PLL’s strongest rivalry ever since the Whips took down the Woods in overtime of the 2019 Championship.

🔀 Cornell Goalie Transfers to Hopkins

The NCAA season is over, but recruiting/transfer portal battles are just starting to heat up. This week, Ty Xanders of Inside Lacrosse reported that former Cornell goalie Chayse Ierlan is headed to Johns Hopkins as a grad transfer.

Ierlan started 50 of the 52 games in which he appeared for Cornell from 2019-2023, with a career save percentage of 51.7 percent. He helped the Big Red reach the NCAA Championship game in 2022 and was named first-team All-Ivy League this past season.

Ierlan is also the younger brother of Redwoods face-off athlete TD Ierlan, who transferred twice in college — first from Albany to Yale, then from Yale to Denver.

In 2023, Hopkins goalie Tim Marcille saved just under 50% of the shots he faced. The Blue Jays thanked Marcille on social media this week, presumably ending his time in net with the program.

🗣 Lyle Thompson Clears The Air

On Thursday, reigning Attackman of the Year Lyle Thompson posted an Instagram video to discuss his decision to not play in the PLL this season.

“I know a lot of people have had some questions,” Thompson said in the video. “I just want to add some depth to the statement, but also touch on summer box lacrosse because the last thing I want is for it to look like I’m picking one league over the other. Just because I’m playing Senior A lacrosse here in Six Nations, it’s not a competition for me. My decision had very little to do with the game of lacrosse.”

Thompson, who is expected to play for Team Haudenosaunee at the 2023 World Games in San Diego, went on to clarify that his decision was based on wanting to spend more time with his family.

The general expectation is that Thompson will return to the PLL and play for the Cannons in 2024.

💜 RIP Alfie Jacques

The lacrosse community lost a legend with the passing of renowned wooden-stick maker Alfred “Alfie” Jacques this week.

Jacques embodied the Indigenous roots of The Medicine Game, as evidenced by the “Spirit of Tewaaraton” award he won earlier this month.

We are deeply saddened to share the news of his passing.

📺 PLL Broadcast Information

Here’s the full slate for this weekend in Columbus, Ohio (all times Eastern):

Friday, June 16
6 p.m. — Waterdogs vs. Atlas (ESPN+)
8:30 p.m. — Chrome vs. Cannons (ESPN+)

Saturday, June 17
12 p.m. — Archers vs. Chaos (ESPN)
7 p.m. — Redwoods vs. Whipsnakes (ESPN+)