“Muffler” Mike Kostiuk – All Lacrosse All The Time, a Division of the Edge of Philly Sports Network
The final game of Week 10 PLL action saw Cannons LC play Chrome LC. Cannons were looking to stop a seven-game losing skid and pull even with Chaos, who lost earlier in the day. Meanwhile, a Chrome win would vault them into second place, following losses by Atlas and Waterdogs on Friday night. Using a five-goal run in the first quarter, Chrome built a lead that the Cannons could not overcome, winning 11-9.
With the win, Chrome improves to 6-3 and currently holds the #2 seed for the playoffs. Chrome plays Redwoods in their final regular season game next Saturday. Cannons (1-8) have now lost eight straight games after a Week 1 victory. However, the loss by Chaos (2-7) means Cannons can still get the seventh and final playoff spot. Cannons play Whipsnakes in Week 11; a win plus a Chaos loss would result in a tie for the #7 seed. Scoring differential would be used to determine who makes the playoffs – currently, Chaos has a scoring differential of -24, with Cannons at -27.
Chrome take control with early five-goal run
Cannons got on the board first, with Chris Aslanian beating Chrome goaltender Sean Sconone at 1:19 of the first quarter. Dylan Molloy would equalize for Chrome at 2:56, starting a five-goal run. Justin Anderson (3:49) and Logan Wisnauskas (4:28) would follow, with both goals assisted by Brendan Nichtern. Wisnauskas added another at 7:02, and Cole Williams (9:06) finished the run to make it 5-1. Cannons closed the gap to 5-3 in the last minute, with markers from Bubba Fairman (11:13) and Jonathan Donville (11:53).
Chrome would extend the lead to 8-3 with a three-goal run in the second quarter. Jordan MacIntosh found the back of the net at 2:46. Molloy (5:13) added a power play marker for his second of the game, and Williams added his second goal 41 seconds later. Cannons responded with Lyle Thompson (8:19; assisted by Stephen Rehfuss) and Ryan Tierney (10:50) to go into halftime trailing 8-5.
Cannons comeback falls short again
The teams traded goals in the third quarter, staring with Asher Nolting (4:20) trimming Chrome’s lead to two. Ryan Terefenko (6:46) pushed the lead back to three with a goal in transition. Donville’s second goal (7:32) brought the Cannons to within two again, but Anderson’s second of the game (11:53) made it 10-7 Chrome entering the final frame.
Wisnauskas notched his hat trick at 3:01 of the fourth quarter to increase the lead to four. Cannons responded with Thompson’s second (4:14) and Rehfuss with an underhand shovel that beat Sconone (8:47). But they could get no closer, and an untimely penalty on netminder Nick Marrocco left Cannons a man down for the last minute of the game, with Chrome running out the clock.
Other Stats of Note
Connor Farrell (Chrome): 12 of 23 on faceoffs; 8 ground balls (led all players)
Brendan Nichtern (Chrome): 4a
Brodie Merrill (Cannons): 6 Ground balls; 2 Caused Turnovers
Shots on Goal: Cannons 28; Chrome 21
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“Muffler” Mike Kostiuk was formally introduced to box lacrosse when he attended a New England Black Wolves game on a whim in 2016. Instantly hooked, he has since become an avid follower of the National Lacrosse League. Following the postponement of the 2019-2020 NLL season, he was offered the chance to share his wealth of statistical knowledge and unique insights with the lacrosse community at large. He cheerfully accepted, and currently serves as Edge of Philly’s correspondent for both the Albany FireWolves and New York Riptide.
