- ReLaxing Luke
5 Takeaways from PLL Week 6
Our nation’s capital has said goodbye to the Premier Lacrosse League. Good planning by the league to visit the weekend after July 4th. What could be more American than lacrosse near the White House? Probably lots of things, but I digress.
Each game had their own thrilling storylines. Credit to the league: there have been no boring games. We had a primetime game on NBCSN. Plus, we are entering our first bye week in league history. How will we survive a week without Premier Lacrosse? To start, you can satisfy your cravings by reading my weekly takeaways.
Redwoods Maul Archers
I think the Whipsnakes broke Archers LC. Ever since their undefeated tilt, Archers are winless. The only positive for Archers is Atlas LC lost too. Both are fighting for that final playoff spot. Both failed to gain a leg up.
In an offensive league, it was refreshing to see a defensive game. The Redwoods showed, yet again, they have the best defensive unit. They never allowed Archers to create an offensive rhythm. Archers, although they lost, had an awesome defensive performance. If you told anyone Archers would allow nine goals, I bet they’d predict an Archers victory. Sports can be cruel.
In this defensive game, one player made the difference. That player is Jules Heningburg, who has transformed the Redwoods offensively. Since his arrival, Redwoods have been improving each week. Heningburg was the Saturday hero by scoring the overtime game winner. Redwoods are feeling good after a 9-8 triumph.
Whipsnakes Slither by Atlas LC
Saturday night ended with the second meeting between Whipsnakes and Atlas. This game was more competitive than last, which resulted in a 15-9 Whipsnakes victory. Ironically, Atlas scored nine goals again in an 11-9 defeat. In this budding rivalry, the Whipsnakes have dominated.
The game was interrupted three separate times by rain delays, which hurt attendance, but the fans that stayed were rewarded. In the final four minutes of regulation, tied at 9-9, Ryan Drenner ripped the heart out of Atlas by burying a shot. Bryce Young, a d pole, buried the coffin with the Whips’ 11th goal.
Although they lost, Atlas must feel good about their play compared to the first meeting. They looked like they belonged with Whipsnakes. As mentioned earlier, Atlas didn’t lose any ground in the standings. They are still tied for 4th place. They need to tally some wins after all-star week to trounce ahead of Archers.
Chrome Get 1st Win, Scorpions Can’t Pierce Knight’s Armor
It took until week six, but if finally happened. The Chrome Lacrosse Club earned its first victory. Surprisingly, this victory came against the league’s top team, Chaos. This wasn’t a fluky game. No missed calls that allowed Chrome to complete the upset. They came, they saw, they conquered. The final isn’t close. Final: Chrome 19, Chaos 11.
From the start, Jordan Wolf dominated. No one in Chaos’ defensive lineup could stop him. He powered through and dodged around Chaos defensemen.
It didn’t help that Chaos came out flat. They looked like a different team. If a viewer with no prior knowledge watched this game, they’d think Chrome was the top team, not Chaos. Chaos lacked effort; however, Chrome deserves credit. They came out firing and never let up. The game plan was executed to perfection.
Congratulations to Chrome Lacrosse Club on their first win in PLL history. Here’s hoping to many more!
Crowd Looks Good, Rain Delays a Killer
For the two-day games, attendance looked great! For Sunday’s game, it looked as if an entire stadium side was packed. There are no official attendance numbers yet, but I’d guess Washington D.C. finished in the top three. Unfortunately, this week’s night game was subjected to a monsoon. Zeus, the god of thunder, wasn’t kind. He threw down lightning bolt after lightning bolt from Mount Olympus to delay Whipsnakes v Atlas not once, not twice, but THREE times!
After each delay, the crowd thinned out more and more. You can’t blame people. By the time the third delay ended, it was 10:30 ET. I would go home too. Especially if I had work. Sadly, mother nature doesn’t care about our feelings. Hopefully, the league can get lucky with weather for the season’s remainder. It’s a bummer a primetime game on NBCSN, with lots of potential viewers, was stopped multiple times.
Bye Week, Then All-Star Game in Los Angeles
Now that week six is finished, we are entering the PLL’s first bye week. Banged up players have the chance to recover. To help your lacrosse withdrawal, I recommend watching the other leagues. The MLL still provides good lacrosse and you can always watch the WPLL. Both are shown on ESPN+. All MLL games are free. Just go to their website and a link will be provided. I do highlights on my YouTube if you don’t want to watch full games. The PLL will livestream its all-star game draft on YouTube. Follow their social media for info on start time. Either way, we can both get through this week.
Conclusion
Do you agree with my takeaways? Do you disagree? Did you enjoy them? Whatever your thoughts, let me know by connecting with me on Twitter or Instagram. You can also subscribe to my website to comment directly onto this article. Any support is appreciated! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!