“Muffler” Mike Kostiuk – All Lacrosse All The Time, a division of the Edge of Philly Sports network
Chrome LC hosted Chaos LC in the first of a tripleheader Saturday in Week 9 PLL action. Chaos were looking to keep pace with Redwoods for sixth place after Redwoods’ win the night before. Chrome were looking to pull even in the win column with Atlas for second place behind Whipsnakes. Both teams matched each other for 36 minutes, but Chrome pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter to win 13-9. With the win, Chrome improves to 5-3 (Atlas is 5-2 pending the outcome of their game against Waterdogs later today). Chaos falls to 2-6, still leaving the door open for last-place Cannons (1-7) to take the final playoff spot with two games left in the regular season.
Toe to toe
Chris Cloutier got Chaos on the board first, beating Chrome goaltender Sean Sconone at 2:34. Jordan MacIntosh responded at 5:38, assisted by Cole Williams, to tie the game. Chase Fraser (6:40) and Mac O’Keefe (8:00) put Chaos up 3-1, but Colin Heacock (8:38) and MacIntosh’s second (9:09) would tie it again. The teams would trade two more goals in the first quarter: Josh Byrne (9:37) for Chaos, Brendan Nichtern (10:27) for Chrome to make it 4-4 after the first frame.
Nichtern would find twine again, beating Chaos netminder Blaze Riorden at 1:21 of the second quarter to give Chrome their first lead of the game. O’Keefe would give the lead back to Chaos with a 2-point goal (assisted by Dhane Smith) at the 4:27 mark. MacIntosh would notch his hat trick at 5:07, assisted by Logan Wisnauskas. Will Haus (9:07), also assisted by Wisnauskas, buried one in transition to give Chrome a 7-6 edge going into halftime.
Dylan Molloy extended the lead to two at 2:45 of the third quarter, before goals from Chaos defender Patrick Resch (3:27) and Byrne with his second of the game (5:17) erased the deficit. Justin Anderson restored the Chrome lead 26 seconds later, but Cloutier would score his second of the game at 10:01. The game entered the fourth quarter tied at 9, and looking like it would be an overtime thriller.
Chrome pitch a shutout in the fourth
Chrome had other plans, outscoring Chaos 4-0 in the final 12 minutes to take the victory. Cole Williams restored the lead for good 39 seconds into the quarter. Logan Wisnauskas would add to his assist total on the day, feeding Dylan Molloy (2:24) and Anderson’s second (7:06). Wisnauskas would then net one of his own (7:51) to round out the scoring.
Chaos remain just one game ahead of last-place Cannons for the final playoff spot. They finish their season against Archers in Week 10 and Atlas in Week 11. Chrome plays Cannons in Week 10 and Redwoods in Week 11, having beaten both teams once already this season. They still have a realistic shot to get the #1 seed and first-round bye for the playoffs, which would make for an impressive “worst-to-first” storyline!
Other Stats of Note
- Logan Wisnauskas (Chrome): 1g, 4a
- Jordan MacIntosh (Chrome): 3g
- Dhane Smith (Chaos): 3a
- Connor Farrell (Chrome): 14 of 23 on faceoffs; 10 ground balls (led all players)
- Ground balls: Chaos 22; Chrome 42
- Blaze Riorden (Chaos): 12 saves, 0.48 sv %
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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.
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