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😵💫 A BAJILLION GOALS ARE COMING YOUR WAY
PLL Championship Series Leads Overloaded Weekend | NCAA Games To Watch
Kevin Boilard
February 24, 2023
Did you know that spiders have eight eyes? It's true. And because of this, they are believed to be the only creatures on Earth who can watch every single lacrosse game scheduled for this weekend.
Let's catch you up on the PLL Championship Series, then dive into the upcoming NCAA action.
🐂 The Atlas Might Be Too Good
Game 1: WIN vs. Whipsnakes, 29-16Game 2: WIN vs. Chrome, 29-20
The Atlas are 2-0 and have beat their opponents by an average of 11 goals per game. Romar Dennis is a cheat code in Sixes. He has six of the team's 18 two-point goals. Bryan Costabile, Jake Carraway and Chris Gray also bring exceptional shooting range. If they cruise past the Archers on Friday, no one will stop them from claiming the first ever Championship Series Cup.
Next Game: vs. Archers
🐍 The Whipsnakes Are Struggling
Game 1: LOSS vs. Atlas, 29-16Game 2: LOSS vs. Archers, 26-23
The Whipsnakes are not built well for Sixes. Head coach Jim Stagnitta has mentioned his roster limitations in each of his two postgame press conferences so far. The only real offensive threat they have is Brad Smith. After him, there's a steep drop-off in production. Defensive-minded field players such as Ty Warner and Roman Puglise have not been able to keep pace with their offensive-minded counterparts in this format.
Next Game: vs. Chrome
🏹 The Archers Have Elite Depth
Game 1: WIN vs. Chrome, 23-22 (OT)Game 2: WIN vs. Whipsnakes, 26-23
The Archers brought a very balanced roster to the Championship Series, and it showed on Thursday night when all 10 of their field players scored against the Whipsnakes. When Grant Ament, Will Manny and Marcus Holman have a chance to run the offense together, they look like they can score at will. Heading into the weekend, Ryan Aughavin has the potential to develop into an individual game-breaker.
Next Game: vs. Atlas
⚔️ The Chrome Just Seem Unlucky
Game 1: LOSS vs. Archers, 23-22 (OT)Game 2: LOSS vs. Atlas, 29-20
The Chrome blew a seven-point lead against the Archers on Wednesday, then got pummeled by the Atlas on Thursday. Now, they have to play a pissed off Whipsnakes team. Head coach Jacques Monte wanted to give his goalies equal playing time, but after two games it's time to ditch that plan. Sean Sconnone (54.5%) has the best save percentage at the Championship Series, while Owen McElroy's (21.4%) is the worst.
Next Game: vs. Whipsnakes
👀 Watch The Championship Series Vlog
📺 Weekend TV Slate (PLL + NCAA)
All times Eastern, plan accordingly (college games via Inside Lacrosse/USA Lacrosse Magazine):
Friday, Feb. 242 p.m. — Air Force at Stony Brook (FloSports)4 p.m. — Towson at Richmond (ESPN+)5:30 p.m. — Archers vs. Atlas (ESPN2, ESPN+)6 p.m. — Mount St. Mary's at UMBC (AmericaEast.tv)7:30 p.m. — Chrome vs. Whipsnakes (ESPN+)
Saturday, Feb. 2511 a.m. — Navy at High Point (ESPN+)11 a.m. — UMass Lowell at Siena (Siena All-Access)12 p.m. — Lehigh at Cornell (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Drexel at Albany (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Notre Dame at Georgetown (FloSports)12 p.m. — Utah at Johns Hopkins (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Lafayette at Binghamton (ESPN3)12 p.m. — Penn State at Yale (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Providence at St. Joe's (ESPN+)12 p.m. — VMI at St. Bonaventure (ESPN+)12 p.m. — Brown at Vermont (AmericaEast.tv)1 p.m. — Hobart at Colgate (ESPN+)1 p.m. — Merrimack at Denver (Pioneers All-Access)1 p.m. — Duke at Penn (ESPN+)1 p.m. — Hofstra at St. John's (ESPN3)1 p.m. — Loyola at Rutgers (BTN+)1 p.m. — Maryland at Princeton (ESPN+)1 p.m. — Bryant at Quinnipiac (Quinnipiac All-Access)2 p.m. — Monmouth at LIU (ESPN+)3 p.m. — Marquette at Michigan (BTN+)3 p.m. — North Carolina at Syracuse (ESPN+)4 p.m. — Bucknell at Harvard (ESPN+)5 p.m. — PLL Championship Series Semifinal No. 1 (ESPN+)7 p.m. — Ohio State at Virginia (BTN+)7 p.m. — PLL Championship Series Semifinal No. 2 (ESPN+)