Eduardo Curros – Field Correspondent, All Lacrosse All The Time
Week 9 of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) saw the Whipsnakes (3-4) square off against the Chaos (4-3), with the Whipsnakes trying to get back to .500 on the year. The goalie match up had Blaze Riorden for the Chaos facing Brendan Krebs for the Whipsnakes. The game remained tightly contested through three quarters, but Whipsnakes pulled away with a two-point victory over Chaos, 12-10.
Kurtz puts Whipsnakes in a halftime hole
Whipsnakes took the early lead thanks to Will Manny opening the scoring at 10:26. Chaos’s Chris Cloutier scored to tie with an assist from Dhane Smith at 8:27. Will Manny responded again at 6:35, to temporarily give the Whipsnakes the lead, but Chris Cloutier scored at 5:12 to tie the game and end the quarter at 2-2.
Zed Williams put Whipsnakes back in the lead at 10:33. Chaos answered back with a massive offensive push with Tye Kurtz scoring three goals in a four-goal run. The first was at 10:08 with an assist from Will Bowen; the second at 8:00 assisted by Dhane Smith. Brian Minicus added an unassisted goal at 7:29 before Kurtz scored his third with help from Dhane Smith at 3:26. Keegan Khan ended the Chaos run scoring unassisted with 12 seconds left in the quarter, but Chaos led at the half, 6-4.
Whipsnkaes rally for third straight win
Chaos got another unassisted goal from Brian Minicus at 11:30 to extend their lead as the third quarter began. Eleven seconds later, Roman Puglise pulled Whipsnakes within one with a 2-point goal, assisted by Will Manny. Minicus from Dhane Smith at 7:39 made it an 8-6 game. However, Matt Rambo and Zed Williams replied at 4:53 and 3:45 respectively, to tie the game 8-8 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Whipsnakes’ run continued in the fourth quarter. Brad Smith scored unassisted at 11:35, followed by Matt Rambo at 8:01. Tucker Dordevic made it 12-8 game with a 2-point goal at 5:51. Chaos tried to mount a comeback, but it was a little too late with the only scoring coming from Troy Reh’s 2-point goal with just two seconds left in the game. Both teams are now 4-4, with the Whips holding a slight edge in goal differential to take 4th place in the standings. Whipsnakes take on Archers in Week 10 in Seattle, while Chaos battles Waterdogs.
Game Notes
Whipsnakes: Manny (2g, 2a); Williams/Rambo (2g); Puglise/Dordevic (2-pt g), Khan/Smith (1g)
Chaos: Dhane Smith (4a); Kurtz/Minicus (3g); Cloutier (2g); Reh (2-pt g); Bowen/Riorden (1a)
Nick Rowlett (15-22) of Chaos bested Petey LaSalla (7-22) at the faceoff dot. Rowlett also led all players with 10 Ground Balls.
Riorden had just 8 saves on the day for Chaos, while Krebs made 17 stops for Whipsnakes in the win.
“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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