BOYLE AND DOC'S QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW | FREEZE IT RIGHT HERE, EPISODE 13
BOYLE AND DOC'S QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW | FREEZE IT RIGHT HERE, EPISODE 13
Video Transcript
Boyle, bang.
How about the save from Brian Dougherty?
And Dougherty's genius continues.
Stick score, Ryan Boyle.
Ryan Dougherty has made some wonderful stops in time.
Ryan Boyle, a hat trick.
Freeze it right here.
Freeze it right here.
Freeze it right here.
Welcome back to Freeze It Right Here.
I'm Kevin Boyard from the Lacrosse Network, and with me as always are the two Hall of Famers, Ryan Boyle and Brian Dougherty.
The playoffs are here, and for this episode, we're gonna break down each of the PLL quarterfinal match-ups with three big questions that will ultimately determine who stays alive and who goes home.
Boyle, this season has been as unpredictable as any, but one thing we can count on this weekend in the quarterfinals, Pat Kavanagh will be on the field to face his brother, Chris Kavanagh, when the Denver Outlaws and California Redwoods clash in Minneapolis this Saturday.
The Outlaws officially activated Pat Kavanagh from injured reserve this week.
Any time multiple Kavanaghs are on the field at the same time, I consider it must-watch television.
But for your opinion, what does Pat Kavanagh's return mean to this Outlaws team?
Yeah, so it, it adds another playmaker, you know, to their, to their offense, adds another quarterback to their attack.
And then I think beyond that, you know, what he gives to you in transition in that gray area, that's really where he thrives.
And then the last thing is the trickle-down effect from a match-up perspective.
Assume he's gonna get Cole Kastner.
You put Dalton Young back at midfield.
That kind of unlocks Dalton Young a little bit more, had he had to play attack in this situation.
And then in the Eastern Conference, it's a tale of two teams on completely different trajectories.
The Boston Cannons have won six of their past seven games, while the Maryland Whipsnakes backed into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak.
Doc, in your opinion, does regular season momentum carry into the playoffs, or do you throw out the records, wipe the resumes clean, and expect both teams to bring their A game?
So I'm a big believer in momentum.
Mo- momentum is a huge thing.
I, I'm a The Cannons winning six of seven, the, the Whipsnakes 0-4.
I don't think it's something that you can just turn on and turn off.
"Oh, we're in the playoffs, so this is gonna be different," or, "This is gonna be different."
This, the, both these teams are, the Whipsnakes were trying just as hard for the last four weeks, and for some reason, something wasn't working.
So I, I, you know, I like the Cannons' mojo right now.
I think Marcus Holman's on a streak.
His wife just won the WLL championship.
There's a lot of good things going on and a lot of good vibes going on and the Cannons going, right now.
So I'm a big believer in momentum.
I think it's huge going into this, playoff match-up.
The Cannons are definitely red hot.
By record, the Whipsnakes look ice cold, but we're gonna dive further into the Whipsnakes and find out who they really are.
No Utah Archers, Archers or Philadelphia Water Dogs this weekend.
They both earned first-round byes, so we'll see them again in the semifinals.
If you're a fan of either of those teams, though, stick around, because we're gonna close out the show with who we think you should be rooting for this weekend.
But first, let's break down the quarterfinals.
We'll start with the Denver Outlaws and California Redwoods, who will take the field on Saturday at 6:00 Eastern.
These two teams met in the regular season finale, and the re- and the Woods rolled to an 18 to 11 victory.
Now, the Outlaws we'll see this weekend should look very different than the one we saw last in Philly, but the Tewaaraton Foursome will be fully intact for the first time since July 24th.
In the time since then, Denver has made it work with some replacements, perhaps most notably Jake Taylor, who's given them an helpful interior presence on the crease at attack.
But Boyle, if you're handed this Outlaws roster with a fully healthy Pat Kavanagh, Jared Bernhardt, Brennan O'Neill, Logan Wasnousky, and Jake Taylor, how are you deploying them?
Who's at attack, and who's running through the box?
Yeah, so, so this is the question kind of facing Tim Sudan and, and offensive coordinator Jeremy Boltis, really kind of all season long.
Y- you saw the recipe that they went with last year, a- and that was Bernhardt really kind of running out of the box exclusively, o- only playing midfield.
I, I think when you take that approach, y- you lose him a, a, a little bit in terms of just being a presence on the field at all times.
You know, his ability to win his one-on-one match-up is really kind of unparalleled, I, I think, across the league.
And, and if I were them, I, I think I would platoon, you know, very much in the same way that the Water Dogs platooned Richmond and Mcardle.
I, I would platoon Bernhardt, a- and, and the, the most natural guy to platoon him would be Wasnousky.
You could make the case that they should do that with O'Neill.
I, I think given what O'Neill's been doing with all the other guys kind of gone in terms of, his emergence as a passer, c- you know, career high in assists, you know, was it third in the league in terms of where he stands o- on, on a season total?
So I The, the argument c- could be made of, like, just run Bernhardt out of the box exclusively, or platoon him, and then if you do platoon him with Wiz, right, Wasnousky or O'Neill.
Doc, what would you Would you go the full Bernhardt at midfielder, or if you go platoon, who would you platoon him with?
Because Wasnousky makes the most sense, 'cause then you got three guys that are playmakers, but O'Neill coming out of the box, that's, that's, that's, that Now defensively, like, I gotta find him and figure that out all the time.
Yeah, I mean, it's a tough one.
I feel like they've been dealing with this for the last two years right now.
Everybody's like- Yeah "Oh, you have the four Tewaaratons.
That's so awesome."
But at the same time, you know, be careful a little bit what you wish for.
All right, my opinion is this.
Logan and, and O'Neill, occupy the same space, right?
Like, they're both six foot five.
They're both left-handed.
They both like the left-handed wing.
So, one of them has to go up to midfield, in my opinion.
I think you keep Bernhardt behind the goal.
He's so fast, it doesn't matter.
He's gonna draw the other team's number one pole probably or number one cover guy.
So I'm, I'm moving Logan up there to midfield.
It's a no-brainer.
I'm not messing with Brendan O'Neill.
I feel like he's been messed with most of his career right now, and he's finally in a good little place, in these last three or four games.
Even though they might not have won all those games, he's really kind of settled down and found his role.
We did a whole thing on him being a passer, and unlocking that part of his game.
So I'm taking Logan.
I'm making his a middie.
Now you're gonna have to pull Logan Wisniewski, and now that frees up some of your other middies as well.
So that's what I'm doing, and I don't think it's a very, um- Would you put, would you put Wisniewski at midfield exclusively or would you platoon him?
I would put him at pretty exclusively.
You would.
Like if you wanna play with the whole lefty, righty box thing, you know, and then maybe have him stay on and run Bernhardt out of a quarter.
But I, I really think you just want J- you know, both these guys are coming off injuries too.
So Jared Ber- how, how, how healthy is he to play midfield, right?
Is he able to run up and down the field and get caught on defense- Yeah and come in off of, off of wing dodges?
I think you just put him down there.
I think they've been messing around too much the last, you know, season and a half.
Just, just do it, you know?
Like, do it out there.
Put one guy in one place.
Stop messing with everything.
You finally got your guys back, and see what happens.
I'm not saying it's gonna right, it's gonna work.
I have no idea, but, I, I would make one decision better- Here's my push, my pushback to that.
My pushback to that is if I'm Wisniewski, it's like, "Did you see what I did while you were all gone?
Like, I, I led the league in shooting percentage," right?
You know, highest of all time i- in terms of, like, minimum s- 25 touches.
There's some stat we can kind of pop in terms of what that looks like.
The, the thing that I Now you gotta, like, shift gears in terms of, like, okay, if you do that, let's, let's look at California defensively, right?
So you're gonna put Fake on O'Neill, right?
That's kind of the natural match up there.
You're, you're gonna put Castner on Cavanaugh.
That, that's kind of the na- na- natural match up there.
Conlin, this is where Conlin, where do you slot him?
Because Conlin is kind of the off ball air traffic controller, right?
We, we did the, the, the pod where, or the, the YouTube series, the, our episode where he was on Marcus Holman, right?
He kind of gets run by sometimes when he has to be the cover guy, right?
So if you put Bernhardt down there, I don't think California can match Conlin there.
I think you gotta take him out, and I think you gotta bump down a pole.
I think you gotta bump down Cullen Brown, or y- you convert Ferrar from a short stick to a long pole, and you put him down.
So if you put Bernhardt, now y- y- you force Chris Collins, defensive coordinator of California, you force his hands in terms of having to move his kind of chess pieces around.
Would, would you agree with that?
I mean, yes and no.
No, because now, like, you're the Redwoods.
It's, like, the worst thing to do, right?
The worst message to send is, "All right guys.
You know, we're gonna go out there, we're gonna win the first playoff game.
But we're gonna do everything totally opposite than we've done i- the whole entire season," right?
"EJ, you're gonna get a long stick.
You're gonna go play down there.
You're gonna play Bernhardt.
Conlin, you're going up top.
You're going over here.
You're going over there.
You're going down there.
And yes, that's all we're gonna do."
Like, that, that's not a great way, in my opinion, to approach a playoff game.
You wanna stay consistent, do what you're doing.
You wanna convince your team that you're better than the other team, and that by doing that I mean, maybe if you wanna run Conners down there- So who's Chris Conlin covering, then?
You're gonna put Chris Conlin on Bernhardt?
I would put Chris Conlin on Cavanaugh, all right?
And I would put- Oh Castner and let him run around, on O'Neill.
And I would even, you know, I don't know, Fake maybe can play Bernhardt, and then Castner on O'Neill, right?
With the, with the bigness.
He's six foot six, and you know, you just throw left, hard lefty things.
That's what I would do.
Okay.
I wouldn't, I wouldn't switch anything.
Worse comes to worst, Conners comes down, right, and then he plays, Bernhardt behind the goal matching his speed.
But that, you know, that's not ideal either 'cause then you lose his middle-of-the-field presence.
That's just what I would do.
I don't like messing with so many things, right?
You wanna send a message going into the playoffs.
I wanna send a message of confidence.
It's like, "Guys, we got this, but we're gonna go into zone defense the whole game," you know?
And you're like, "Oh, great," you know?
Like, he obviously doesn't think we can cover the other team.
So we're gonna play zone.
We're gonna get destroyed.
So a lot of it is the message that you're sending.
I would keep it the same.
You just beat this team 18 to 11.
You can say whatever you want about those guys being there, not being there, right?
It's gonna be a com- totally, complete- a different match up.
But you know, you wanna come out there with some confidence in your team.
It, it is kind of, Kev, like, it's kind of like the NBA, this, this match up.
What's, what's so strange is you look at the two games, right, and so many of the guys that are key pieces within this, within this contest didn't play in, in terms of, like, way back when, right, or the most recent, you know, where, in, in Philly where, you know, Denver basically had their backups in.
So it's, it's, it is kind of like a weird fresh slate.
But I, I think the Touritan Four, we gotta come up with a better nickname.
Like, I know the things they- Oh, yeah.
That, that, that's a terrible name it's brutal.
I just, Four Horsemen.
But, like- what's weird is, like, whe- when it was just two of them, you know, they, they averaged more points per game than they did when it was all four.
I mean, all four of them together, they were just shy of 12 goals per game.
When it was just two of them, you know, they were a full goal better, better, better, I mean, two and one versus two and two.
Like, not a crazy differential.
But, like, in terms of just performance, performance-based, just statistically, they actually were better when there was less of them there.
Well, I don't know how many of those games all four of them were playing at full strength.
If that's what we're getting this weekend, might be a different, story.
Also, I don't think we can just completely rule out Jake Taylor.
I think a big reason why they went and got him is because of his relationship with Pat Cavanaugh.
Pat hasn't had a chance to play with him yet.
Those guys were absolute demons at Notre Dame.
I wouldn't be surprised if we see Jake Taylor on the field, and it gets even more complicated.
But that three attack line-up, you just li- named Boyle with O'Neill, Cavanaugh, and Bernhardt, I don't know how you match up against that.
But we'll see what they do on that end.
Things are gonna look different on the other end of the field as well.
California's starting attack line, C- Chris Cavanaugh, Dylan Malloy, Ryder Garnsey, they had their way against the Outlaws in the regular season finale.
But the Outlaws rested their entire starting defense.
So assuming JT Giles Harris, Ben Randall, and Mike Manley are all back in the line-up this week, what are the match-ups that we're looking at on that side of the field?
Yeah, I, I think you, you probably are looking at, JT Giles-Harris on Chris Kavanagh.
You know, I would kind of start, start there.
That would be my assumption.
A- and then it's really a matter of, you know, where do you put Manley a- and Randall?
I would assume Manley would go on Malloy.
Yeah, Manley, that's Malloy.
Yeah.
I, I would imagine Ma- yeah, kind of beef on beef there, right?
Which then puts Randall on Garnsey.
A- and this is, you know, when I look at y- the, that attack unit, it, it all starts with Chris Kavanagh.
So I, like I don't wanna bury the lede.
Like, it all starts with Chris Kavanagh, in terms of, like, what he's able, able to do and his, his performance.
You know, you look at him tied for fourth in points per game, you know, third in scoring points per game, you know, e- to- had ton of shots, right, fifth per game.
Just 10th in touches per game.
So is he ultra efficient kind of, or does he need the ball more?
But, like, where my mind kept drifting to as I'm looking at this prep is Ryder Garnsey, right?
You, you look at Garnsey, and since moving to attack, right, since moving to attack, he's got 27 points.
That's 3.4.
That would be tied for fourth a- across, if you, if you extrapolate across that, the whole season.
So what he's done since he's moved to attack has really been, I, I think noteworthy, and it's kind of old school Ryder Garnsey.
And Doc, I'm gonna bring up a line from our, our, our, our days, right?
What Garnsey can't do is be a dude, right?
Don't be a dude, right?
So Kev, we used to have this saying, like, "Let a dude be a dude."
Like, if Garnsey's just gonna kinda like not really do much and just kind of float in space, like, it's like, well, don't, don't poke the bear, right?
Just, just let him kind of do that.
I need to see aggressive Garnsey.
I need to, I need to see the Garnsey that's moving off ball, right, cutting, creativity, going at his matchup, testing that matchup.
He needs to go at Randall and not just hang out, right?
He can't just be a dude, Doc.
I mean, th- yeah, agreed.
Y- y- you know, Garnsey, it, it seems like with, with the numbers that you just threw out right there, he's just getting b- more and more comfortable, and that's the, you know, what's, it's so intriguing about this matchup.
Because as of right now, this is gonna be a hot take, right?
I like the Woods' attack a little bit better than the Outlaws' attack.
This day, right?
Are they better players?
Probably not, right?
But do, and we don't care.
It's how they mesh, right?
Yeah.
The Malloy, Kavanagh, Garnsey meshing right now I think is at a better spot than the Bernhardt, O'Neill, Kavanagh thing.
They, they've been in and out of the lineup.
They haven't really been playing with each other.
They don't even, we don't even, we can't even tell which one's gonna play attack and which one's gonna play middie right now.
You know, these guys seem to be really meshing very well, and they have their thing.
And it's, and I don't know if Kavanagh's touch is Right?
Dill Malloy is just a problem.
He's a big game player.
He's played in a lot of big games out there.
I feel like he's gonna have a huge game.
You know, and his matchup versus Manley, that's gonna be some great beef to watch, you know, with him just testing him on goal line extending.
I, I think the Outlaws D guys, and again, remember, all three of them rested, right?
They, they've been banged up all season as well.
I, I think they're gonna have a, just as hard of a time covering, the Woods attack as the other way around, the Woods defense is gonna, versus the Outlaws attack.
A- and I think to double down on that, you, you look at Denver's rope unit, right?
And, and, you know, statistically, you know, they are right up there in terms of kind of tops in the league.
You, you look at Terrafinco and Geddes, two of the top three short sticks in terms of shooting percentage allowed as the closest defender.
And, and I love that stat 'cause it just kind of matches up a little bit in terms of the, gives you a little bit o- o- o- of kind of data in terms of how a guy performs as that on ball defender.
You know, so you look at Terrafinco and you look at Geddes, and if you don't wanna really attack those short stick, which is kind of counter to, like, most offenses in terms of how they approach it, Pacino, he'll probably win his back to back LSM of the year, right?
I mean, it's been in a little bit of a thin, thin class right now for the LSMs, but if he doesn't win it, he's definitely a finalist.
Like, that rope unit might not be the way you wanna approach it, so do you actually want to go at the Denver close defense, which is counterintuitive, right, to, in terms of how most offenses approach.
But Doc, to me, that's the game within the game for, for California, e- especially, you know, after TD, you know, wins in that 32-second shot clock where you have to kind of go ultra fast.
Yeah, so that, great point.
So, like, a game like this, right, we, we talk about all the star match-ups, the attacks, and all that kind of stuff, it's really gonna come down to these rope units and- the face-off game, in my opinion.
T- TD's gonna win, you know, I would think at least 60% ver- versus, Luke.
I, I would think he'd probably be maybe a little bit better, but they're not gonna be easy wins, right?
Yeah.
So you're not gonna be able to put your O guys out on the wing and be able to play your 32-second game.
You know, they're gonna be battles.
It's, i- he's not gonna just win it to himself every single time.
So that's gonna be a big part of the game.
The rope units, right?
Terrafinco and Geddes are s- are so good.
Tevlin, right, he c- he has the ability to have a big game.
And, and, you know, the other three guys, you know, do they put a short stick in Ferrar's hand and, and do that like they've done a few times?
So, you know, clear advantage to Denver on, on the rope unit and the short stick D middies, but Tevlin has that ability to, like, g- be, like, two and one, right?
Yeah.
He, he, he can be two and one in a game where you're maybe just gonna get one goal or a couple shots from, from their rope unit.
Probably not as good as a defender, but he can sting you in transition, especially on the, those face-off wings.
If TD's winning a lot of the face-offs in that 32 seconds, I'm feeling a big game for Brian Tevlin out there, in my opinion.
You could make the same argument for Terrafinco, right?
The, the, the same game that Tevlin could have, Terrafinco is, is s- more than capable of, of, of replicating or kind of evening that out.
And I would, I would throw Geddes in that mix as well.
That's a two-point line too, right?
Yeah.
Like the two-point line we haven't even talked about you know, it, it, it's a big part of the game.
California is the worst two-point shooting team in the league, right?
They have three two-pointers.
So, you know, can we- And, and two of them were la- the last week of the regular season.
There you go.
Right?
And, you know, can Pacino come down and, and, and stick one in there?
Can Terefenko c- come down on a transition and get one?
Or obviously O'Neill's very capable.
So maybe a big two-pointer here or there, a big short stick d- middie goal here or there, right?
Those are gonna be the things that are gonna, I think, swing this, because I, I don't think either defense can cover the other team's attack, in my opinion.
And we know transition is gonna play a big part.
Outlaws love to hunt it, and oftentimes it starts with the goalie.
Both of these teams have an interesting goalie situation.
For the Outlaws, reigning Goalie of the Year, Logan McNaney, has been in and out of the lineup and hasn't had a game over 50% since July 18th.
Owen McElroy, the backup, has kind of helped keep the team afloat in the intermediary.
And for the Redwoods, Dylan Ward and Ryan Krodyk have split time each of the past two games.
Ward has been the starter all season, but Krodyk is coming off a national championship run with Princeton, and California gave up a first-round pick to go get him, so I think a lot of fans are eager to see what he's got in a big game.
But Doc, what's your read on each of these goalie situations?
Well, a lot of the fans are gonna have to wait, because there's no way Krodyk is starting this game.
Yeah.
Dylan Ward, one of the top big game goalies.
He's played in multiple gold medal games for Team Canada, all the big pressure games in indoor.
And these are, these games are just not like any other game, right?
These are playoff games.
Everybody's bringing it.
You want a keeper in there, a goalie that's in there.
Now, that's not saying Krodyk couldn't have a great game.
I'm sure, you know, he's ready for that.
But this is gonna be Dylan Ward's game, and you know what?
Yes.
You know, he's gonna be 54%, in my opinion.
You know?
He's gonna be 54%.
He's gonna play pretty well.
Can I say that about the Outlaws situation right now?
I can't, 'cause I don't even know.
I guess they're gonna go with Logan, as their starter, and that's just really based on previous years, right?
And, and you're hoping that you can get that guy from previous years, because it hasn't been from this year, right?
He's been under 50%, sometimes under 40%, I don't even know, in like the last four games.
So McElroy's played great.
I just don't think they're gonna have the kahunas to start McElroy, all right, out there.
So I, I You're, you're gonna get Logan versus Dylan Ward at And you know what?
You're praying that you get, Logan McNaney, you know, and his big game ability.
Like you said previously, five straight championship games in his career, from Maryland to the pros.
So you're just banking on that.
And, you're, you know, you're kind of go- going like this, and you're going, "Logan, you're in there.
Let's go, buddy," you know?
Whereas I feel like Dylan Ward, you feel pretty comfortable if I'm the Redwoods right now.
I feel like he's gonna be over 50%, and I feel like he could be 60%, which would be a game-changer for them.
I feel like he's gonna be right in the middle there.
I- i- if you're California and you're GM Joe Spallina, this is why you traded for Dylan Ward, right?
You, you traded for him to get into the playoffs and then have that trust and belief that he is gonna be the guy that, you know, won a PLL championship a couple seasons ago, right?
Back in 2022 where he was, you know, just shy of 60%.
You know, where he was last in, in 2023 at 56%, right?
You traded draft capital because of that belief, that assertation that this is what you're going to get.
Krodyk is your goalie of the future, right?
The only way he's getting in is is if Dylan Ward takes himself out, which we've seen actually in the last couple weeks, right?
So th- that is a case closed.
I, I think the far more intriguing one is, is the Denver one, and, you know, w- what a decision for Tim Sudan, and, and what message does it send the locker room, based off of what that decision is, right?
It's, it's either I'm putting McNaney in and, and the faith that, that he's gonna be what he's been historically versus kind of the, the hot poker hand right now, which is McElroy.
But he's the, the Just like- The It's a tough call, man.
I mean- Like- He's been hot.
What is he, 65%?
Well, he came back down to e- he came back down to earth, in Philly, understandably so when the, you know, when they didn't have a single starter out there on close, you know, close defense.
But, like, y- you know, a- again, like, as I've said before, like, you know, the, the clock struck midnight and the, the, the coach turned into the pumpkin like we saw.
You know, but, but, but McNaney didn't look good either in front of that defense.
I, I, I don't know what To me that I don't even know why you put McNaney in that last week of the regular season.
I, I don't know what y- you, you thought you were gonna see i- in front of three backups, right?
Like, three backups and one pole.
You only dressed four poles, right?
Like, I don't know what that- You're trying to get his confidence back, but then you're not giving him anybody out there to play with.
Right.
So it, it could be very counterintuitive out there with him just You're trying to do the right thing, but you're also really not helping him out very much either.
So I don't know.
Maybe that's just, hey, they just wanted to play halves.
They're not gonna play halves.
If they do, I hate that in, in the goalie world, right?
Just pick a guy and, and, you know, go out there.
Worked for the Charm.
Worked for- It did.
The aforementioned WLL Charm.
They split goalies.
You know?
It- I guess.
I guess it works sometimes, but- It's gotta be a funky situation.
I mean, the Rattlers did it many, many moons ago with Mike Levin and Brett Queener.
It, it's, it's, it's gotta be kind of a f- funky, weird situation for, for it to work.
But yeah, you gotta listen to- I'll start Listen, listen, they should start Owen.
They're gonna start, Logan.
Really?
And we'll see what happens.
I love how you're just on a first name basis with all the goalies.
Yeah.
You just go, you just go first name.
It's Logan.
Yeah.
'Cause you know why- Well, and Owen, and Owen too.
You said Owen.
Like everyone knows- 'Cause you know why?
We're, we're gonna be really honest with each other here.
Those last names are very similar to each other.
So I, I've- I've known Logan McNaney, okay, for, for seven years, and I've pronounced his last name correctly maybe two times that whole time.
So that's why I just go Logan.
Then you got the McElroy, McNaney, right?
Like, that's where my brain was going all this Yeah.
I've called McElroy since he came in the league.
I don't think I've said Owen o- once.
I don't even know if, if, like, gun to my head, if I knew his first name was Owen, if I didn't have my, you know, cheat sheet board in front of me.
We just got a couple Irishmen battl- battling with the, All we need is an O'Callaghan or something in there- and we'll be all right.
Logan and Owen, Dylan and Ryan.
We'll see who we get, this weekend in net.
But this game will be the third meeting between the Outlaws and Redwoods this season, but in some ways, with all the fluctuating pieces, it's gonna feel like the first.
California's on the cusp of the second straight semifinals appearance.
Since the combination of Anthony Kelly and Joe Spalina took over the, one of the worst teams in the league, it kind of feels like they're still exceeding expectations a bit.
But for the Outlaws, this was a super team a year ago.
They fell one goal short in the championship game last year, and so far this year they've had to limp their way back.
With guys like Pat Cavanaugh and Jared Bernhardt set to become free agents after this year, this may be T- Tim Sudan's last chance to win a championship ga- with this group of guys in Denver.
But for now, let's turn our attention to the East.
On Saturday, at 8:30 Eastern, we have a rematch between the Boston Cannons and Maryland Whipsnakes.
The last two meetings kind of tell the story of Maryland's season.
Back in May, the Whips blew out the Cannons 17 to 10.
Then, in the rematch on August 7th in Boston, the Cannons pulled off a crazy comeback and won in overtime on Marcus Holman's quick restart two-pointer, which we broke down on this show.
Boyle, on one side, I'm looking at the Mar- at Maryland's overall record, five and seven, not very good.
And then on the other side, I'm looking at their season score differential, plus 16, second best in the league behind only the Utah Archers.
Who are the real Whipsnakes, in your opinion?
I don't know.
W- I, I'm gonna channel my inner Bill, and I'm gonna go one Bill Barnwell, and I'm gonna go one Bill Parcells, right?
So if, if you go Bill Parcells, right, this is kind of you are what your record says you are, right?
Y- you've got these brutal losses, these brutal losses, right, in terms of week five back in Long I- back in Long Island or on Long Island, whatever you prefer, you know, where they lose to the Atlas 16-14.
Week 11, Columbus to the Outlaws, the last second Terrafinco, and then the aforementioned kind of Boston loss in week 12, the, the Holman kind of empty netter in overtime.
You've also got two one-possession losses, way back to, in Salt Lake to the Waterdogs, 16-14, and then most recent against the Waterdogs, you know, 11 nines.
That's five losses, right, that are either, like, you blew it, they're brutal, or they're kind of like coin flippy games where it's like a one-possession game, right?
So if I'm Bill Parcells, it's like, you just, you just blow these games.
Like, like, you don't execute situational lacrosse.
You aren't aware of, of how to execute in certain moments, and you are what your record says you are, right?
Bill Barnwell, you know, the, the, the analytics, you know, statistics would say this team is better than their record, right?
You look at their plus 16 score differential.
That's second best only behind Utah.
They're second in the league in scores per game, 12.6.
First is 12, 12.8, so they're basically first.
Assists, same thing, basically first.
First in shooting percentage.
Most passes, share the ball around.
Best in power play.
Fewest turnovers, right?
Second in terms of scores allowed, and third in terms of save percentage.
So, like, all the stats are basically like this is an incredibly balanced team that's really good on offense and really good on defense, and w- what?
What happens?
Why?
Like, why?
And it comes back to the situational lacrosse.
So I, I think that this is a very If, if you're, this would be a good dark horse pick, in terms of, like, their stats kind of outperforming.
I, I The eye test to me is like, yes, they're second in offense, basically tied for first, but, like, they have these huge droughts.
Defense, they're really sound, but then they have these moments that are just head-scratching of, like, what are you doing?
Like, why are you not b- why are you leaving empty net in overtime?
Like, why aren't you sprinting back to the cage?
Why isn't a defender getting engaged?
So I, it, it just, like, feels like there's these things that they need to clean up, and this consistency that they lack.
And so, you know, i- if I gotta channel one of my two Bills, I, I think I'm going with my Parcells, kind of like I'm, I'm pushing the analytics away, I'm pushing the stats, and I'm saying, "This is kind of who you are."
Is that I, I, I realize it's a lot, a mouthful there, Doc, but th- Yeah- Is that fair?
I'm kinda, I'm processing, I'm processing.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm processing right there.
I kind of agree, right?
If there's something wrong with you all season, it's not like, oh, we're gonna clean it up right now, you know?
It's, it's the fourth month.
You guys have been together since May, right?
And we're, we're closing in on September right now.
So if you haven't figured it out, you haven't figured it out.
If you look at them top to bottom, man, there's just so much talent.
I would argue, you know, they have the best defense out there.
Maybe not the best numbers defense, right?
That's clearly Utah.
Great guys, but just three Maryland guys playing a great system D. They have one of the better goalies out there.
Their attack, right?
We've been raving about their attack all season long with Pannell and the three quarterbacks and all those guys.
Aidan Carroll's kind of turned into a superstar middie, right?
You got Heacock and all those guys, and you're just like, "Mm."
Man, they're so talented, but this is where Boston's mojo, I think, comes in.
So the Whipsnakes, you know, they also struggle in two very important, categories, right?
Like, they're, they're not very good facing off- Yeah and I think they have the worst rope unit in the league, as far as the short stick D middies.
Now, and then, you know, they got Dwan and I guess McDonald are gonna be their two LSMs, who, you know, I like them individually.
I don't know how great team guys, you know, they really are.
So, you know, I would put that up there with, I think there's a huge advantage, for Boston with that rope unit with Goodrich, and, Trainer- Ramsey and Ramsey.
And Ramsey, yeah.
Right?
Yeah.
All three of those guys are better than any one of the Whipsnakes' short stick D middies.
So, you know, they, they're so strong, yet they, they, they're lacking in some pretty big, things right now.
So I agree with you, you are what your record says you are.
At the end of the day, that's it.
Right?
Bill Parcells nailed it.
Sometimes it's just good to just keep it simple.
You know, you're five and seven, that's what you are.
Yeah.
And also, just Bill Parcells is more well-known than Bill Barnwell, so I think that's also probably helps the argument, you know?
One quick follow-up I got for you guys here, because I agree with all the stats that you brought up, Boyle, and I think we've talked about the Whips as a super balanced, three-quarterback offense.
But you also mentioned the situational lacrosse, and so often we've seen the situation be tight game at the end, Whips can't finish.
Who's the guy you want the ball in their stick on this Whips offense in crunch time?
I think it's gotta be Aidan Carroll, right?
Yeah.
In terms of just, yeah, I mean, in terms of their one-on-one- But it won't be, that's the problem.
It's gonna be down there with Pannell and Stellina and- And Malone Malone, and, you know, we'll see what happens, and those guys have kind of earned that ball right now, but it should go up top to Aidan Carroll, 'cause he's running by long sticks, he's running by short sticks, he's been unbelievable.
I, I, yeah, I think if, if Maryland wins this game, y- your, the recipe is y- you're looking at a big Aidan Carroll game a- and you're looking at a big Adam Patra game.
I think those are the two guys, in terms of offensively, like, i- if, if, if they, if they upset the Cannons, you know, it wouldn't s- You know, I, I would anticipate that their stat sheet would be kind of stuffed full of, of, of goals, assists, ground balls, you know, for Patra, et cetera, et cetera.
Patra feasted in the first half in their last meeting, and then was nowhere to be seen during the comeback for Boston, but, Boston's in a completely different boat than Maryland.
This team started one and four, and looked dead in the water in late June.
We actually had to make a rule on this show early in the season.
No more breakdowns of offensive players going against Boston's defense, because it was that bad.
But It's, yeah, that's a rule right now.
Now it's, now it's a rule.
Yeah.
Everybo- every, every breakdown gets an asterisk.
But, uh- Ooh th- they've, they've really turned it around since then.
What, what do you guys think has been the biggest difference, for the Cannons during this transformation they've undergone this season?
I, so, so for me, it's, it's kind of there's three dominoes th- that kind of fell here.
Number one is Will Donovan, playing him at close defense, so let's start there.
Number two is Andrew McMahon, inserting him as your starter at, at the face-off stripe.
And then three is making the really difficult decision in terms of putting in Higginbotham, and, and, and sitting Kirst.
And y- you look at all three of those, and it wasn't necessarily, like, you know, this kind of guillotine where they, like, just did 'em, like, all at the same time.
It was kind of, like, layered.
But if, but if you look at just a statistically in terms of, you know, Will Donovan, you know, before the move, one and three, after the move, six and two, you know, before, 13 plus, 13, 13-plus scores against, now it's down to, like, le- less than 12, around 11 and a half.
So you look at that.
McMahon, you know, has been kind of lights out, tops in the league in terms of face-off percentage, tops in the leagues in terms of points at the face-off, and really kind of tilting the field that way.
A- and, and basically giving that offense just more reps, more tempo, right?
Just, just allowing them to play more freely, play more loosely, more shots on net.
A- and then, and then you look at Higginbotham, and, and Higginbotham, you know, basically as he's, since he's been inserte- inserted into starter, you know, three and O, you know, nine scores against, and, and roughly 58% in terms of percentage.
So those three things, right?
We knew what they were gonna get offensively.
Those three things, I think, have made the world of difference defensively.
I'm gonna chime in and add one and take away one, okay?
Okay.
So I think I'm gonna add getting rid of Asher Nolting, right?
Was, was huge, and by getting rid of him, the ball just started moving around.
Now they're one of the more fun offenses to watch, right?
They're sharing the ball, they know what they wanna do, they're built around Holman and Mackesy, on the wings right there, and they set all these picks for him on the short stick.
You know, that wasn't working with him in there.
Number two, I'm gonna go with, a- and listen, we can sit here about Will Donovan all we want, right?
And I guess numbers speak for themselves, but I really think Owen Grant has kind of played a thousand times better, right?
He's- Yeah has become, a, I would say a top four defenseman in the league right now, right?
He's coming out, he's shutting down his matchup out there.
He's gonna be covering Pannell right at this, this week, and I, I think it's gonna be a tough game for Rob Pannell as far as winning any of those matchups.
He might have some assists, he might score a m- you know, a, a goal in transition in there.
But, Owen Grant, I've been watching more and more of him right now, and he's, he's kind of, like, the guy that they expected to get, right?
He wasn't that guy in the beginning of the season.
He's big, he's mean, he's physical, he's a lefty, right?
He is coming out there and giving themselves a, a true number one guy, which is, I think, making it easier on the rest.
And then, you know, when your goal, when you're, when you're giving up less goals and you're winning, a lot of that just comes from the goalie.
You know?
Like, you go from 48% to 61%, it's just simple math.
There's three goals right there based on however many shots, that the other team is coming with.
So- You know, I'm gonna add the, the, the Nolting thing.
I think that was huge for their offense, and I think, you know, I'm not hating on Donovan.
I think he's done a solid job, but he is Like, I can't, I can't s- say the third defenseman is, is the reason that everything is- really going so well for Baltimore.
They finally found their third defenseman, right?
It's more the alpha guy, and I think Owen Gran has k- has kinda, done a really good job of kinda playing like a first-round draft pick right now, and I think that's huge for them.
I, I mean, what's scary is Boston's now adding Matt Campbell back to the mix offensively.
Right.
And- I just saw that.
That's amazing.
So who, who do you think is out?
That's also a little tricky, 'cause that messes with the mojo as well.
Like, dude, dude, don't get me wrong.
Matt Campbell, if he's healthy, I'm putting him in there.
Who am I taking out?
Is your boy Hoag out now?
Like, uh- We can't take out, we can't take out Creighton Hogg.
Figure out who- The secret weapon the Hog Father is, the Hog Father is in the lineup.
One of the- Hog Father goalies is out.
I think Mick- The Hog Father's- I think it's probably.
Yeah, yeah.
The Hog Father's staying, you know?
Mick Kelly is not in, is, is not in the lineup.
And now are they just gonna let Campbell dodge, right?
Because that's kinda what the old offense was, but now it's more with, with Mackesy and Holmen and setting all their picks and playing those two mans on the side, and C- is Campbell gonna be okay?
Well, I, I, I think that's why you sit Mick Kelly, is in terms of like, i- in terms of archetypes, a little kinda one-to-one in terms of what you bring to the table, kinda that downhill dodger.
You know, righty, lefty kind of ability to go both directions.
More of a one-on-one, as opposed to two man, which you get out of the Hog Father, right?
You, you- get out of some of their other that's really got you jammed up, huh?
That's You really got It's really got- Well, now the It, it just, it switches everything.
You're so used to this guy getting the pole, and this is my role, and I'm coming over here, and I'm setting the pick for this guy, and then I'm gonna roll.
And now all of a sudden you bring another guy in the mix, although he's a unbelievable player, maybe one of the top young players in the whole league, right?
But- He, he was the midfielder of the year last year.
You, you're not playing him over Simon?
No, I am.
Okay.
I'm just saying that it's- Okay it, it's gonna, it messes things up a little bit, you know?
The mojo.
It, it just, it, it just switches the mojo.
Everybody's role changes now.
So they've been so totally into this, "This is my role," for the last seven games.
And now I, I gotta do something different.
I know we're talking offense right now, but I gotta follow up with one thing with you, Doc, because a few weeks ago when we did our goalie situations, you said ride with the hot hand, the backup guy, for every team except for the Cannons.
You said go back to Curse.
Are we on the Higginbotham train now?
I mean, I'm gonna call him JC, just because- I'm on first name basis with everybody.
But yeah, you have to, you have to ride JC right now.
Um- All right he's been on there, and, yeah, I don't know.
There's no going back.
I mean, I was right on the other ones, right?
I was right on the Murphy one.
Yeah, you Pretty much.
Pretty much.
Hey.
McElroy/Owen, I don't know about that one yet, you know?
I don't know.
I don't know.
Well, two- Yeah, I'm, I'm riding JC two Bellarmine products starting a net for the PLL quarterfinals.
Who would've thought it?
One last topic on this- It's wild game here.
Andrew McMeeken and Joey Spallina, two players that we've been talking about in this game preview.
They're probably also the top two candidates for Rookie of the Year.
Now, this award is supposed to be for the re- the regular season, but it's not announced until right before championship game.
Do you guys think the results of this matchup may tint the voting or shape the overall narrative of Rookie of the Year?
Yes.
No.
Yeah.
Yes.
No.
McMeeken's- Well- gonna win 70% of his faceoffs.
If, if McMeeken wins 70% of his faceoff and Boston advances, you, you, you don't think that that's gonna influence voters to vote for him for p- rookie of the year over Spallina?
I think he's gonna be rookie of the year regardless.
Oh, well - Going into it okay.
Well, then, then my counter would be- Going into the game if Spallina has ei- if Spallina has eight points and leads Maryland to a win, you don't think that, that that's gonna, that's gonna influence voters?
So I, I think you gotta have, like, the, the And, and this is going along all sports, right?
Like, what is?
What is the end?
It's, is it Like, we should vote on this at the end of the regular season.
You know what I mean?
Like, that's it.
And then if you have a great playoff, right, then you can be playoff MVP or playoff this or playoff that.
Um- Yeah I don't know.
I think McMeeken has been the most important guy, right?
You take McMeeken off of Boston, I think they're in a lot of trouble.
They don't win nearly as many of those games, 'cause not only is he winning the ball, he's scoring, he's making plays.
You take Joey Spallina out of the Whipsnakes and put in whoever, I still think, you know, they're, they're gonna be fine.
And, and that is not a knock on Joey Spallina.
He's a phenomenal player.
I just don't know.
I just think McMeeken's had a little bit better of a, of a, of a regular season.
I think that's the best argument I've, I've heard.
I, I thought Spallina all but wrapped this up.
I, I, I thought it was pretty much a foregone conclusion with, I don't know, X amount of weeks left in the regular season, that, that it was basically his and nothing really could, could influence or change that.
And I think what McMeeken has done i- is just that.
I, I, I think, like, m- the, the, this run that Boston's on, the fact that he's first in the league in terms of faceoff percentage.
It's not like, oh, he's doing good.
He's having a great season.
It's like, no, he's first in the league.
And then it's the offense.
It's, it's not just the wins.
It's the fact that he's also first in points.
So it, it's the wins, the possessions, plus the points directly impacting, directly leading to winning games, which is the whole point of things, right?
It's not just to win faceoff.
It's to win the game.
So I think you look at everything that he's doing statistically, and I, I think he's leapfrogged Spallina, which I think is nuts.
I c- I can't believe I'm saying that, because a- again, a few weeks ago, it was like you might as well just etch Spallina's name on the trophy and just be done with it.
Yeah, l- like that's how I, I do this with, with MVPs and rookie years.
If you take them off that team, how would that team do, right?
And I think Boston is, is not, not even in the playoffs, right?
They're, they're down there in, in the three and, three and eight world, or three and nine world, right?
And I think, you know, and again, not, not hating on Joey Spillane.
He's an unbelievable player.
I think the Whips would be fine with Pannell and TJ Malone running a two quarterback system down there, you know what I mean?
I think they would be five and seven.
You know?
Like I It's not like he came in and all of a sudden they're eight and, eight and four and second in the league and, you know, they, they're five and seven.
He's put up some- I know.
It- what's wild is just to pull this hypothetical thread a little bit more, if, if Archers took Spillane at one overall, right?
And, and he had the same season that he had, and he basically was fourth all time in rookie points and was on the number one seed in the West, you'd probably give it to him in that scenario, wouldn't you?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's weird.
Yeah.
But I don't know if A- you know, Maguire, that's turning, that's looking like it's a pretty smart pick these days, with, with that number one pick that we all mocked at the beginning of the season.
I, I still would love to see, you know, what is it?
Like his VORP over a, another short stick defensive midfielder.
Is he that much, is he that much better than Ben Ramsey?
Is he that much better than Christian Scarpello?
Time will tell.
Yeah, I, I think Spillane Rookie of the Year.
You know, just fall- one, one point shy of what Chris Cavanaugh did when he was a shoo-in for it, and also TJ Malone the year before.
So I, I think it's Joey Spillane, what's he gotta do to win an award these days?
But- Gotta be best in the league, I think.
Hey.
All right.
I think he's been best in the whole league.
I would even- is that I, I mean, it might be a little, I feel like it's a little bit a down year for the face-off guys, across the league.
Oh.
Maybe the competition's a little different, but- Right neither here nor there.
Oh.
The, the real- Well, that is here and there.
I mean, that's, that's, that, that's, that's- Hey, I, I'm not the Hall, I'm not the Hall of Famer on this show.
I'll leave that for you guys, but It, it, it, I mean, Baptiste has had a down year, right?
I mean, it, it's, you're, you're not wrong in terms of just looking at the face-off group a- across the board.
It feels, it still feels quite top-heavy, you know, given the fact that Maryland's gonna trot out a guy that's playing in his second professional game- Yeah in a, in a quarterfinal.
So it, it still feels like you either got one of the top guys or you don't.
I, I think, you know, McMeeken, but again, McMeeken, it's the, it's not just the wins, it's the points.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
He's great, and he's been a, a spark plug for them all year.
But the Whipsnakes, they might not be the powerhouse they once were, but they're a model of consistency.
Jim Stagnito has taken them to the playoffs every year since the start of the PLL, and they're the only team to do that.
The Cannons, on the other hand, bounced back from missing the playoffs last year, and I think Brian Holman will get some Coach of the Year votes for the turnaround he's pioneered this season.
But he's up against two coaches who led their teams to first round byes.
And let's talk about those teams really quick.
The Philadelphia Water Dogs finished with the best record in the league, nine and three.
They have the bye in the East.
Then there's the Utah Archers.
Kinda like the Cannons, they were two and four at one point this season, but once things started to click, they made it look easy.
Five and one in their last six games, and a final score differential of plus 29.
Best in the league.
Let's stay out west with Utah.
They have an MVP caliber goalie in Brett Dobson, and the best defense in the PLL.
They've got their eyes on the Outlaws and Redwoods this weekend.
If you're an Archers fan, who would you rather see in the semifinals?
If I'm an Archers fan, I don't think it matters very much, but I wanna play the Redwoods, right?
Like, the Outlaws are that scary team, even though things aren't working very well for them right now.
They have a t- you know, the Archers have a tremendous defense.
But you know, you throw those three, the big four out there, right?
The new nickname we're gonna give them, just the big four.
Um- The four horsemen you know- That's what I'm going with at the top level The four horsemen.
I think if the Woods were to win, I would think that the Woods would have a really hard time scoring, against, against them.
So I, I think they would much rather play the Redwoods.
They didn't, they didn't struggle early in the season when they put up 16, and, and Dylan Ward kind of went, or Dylan Malloy, excuse me, went off for that, the nine points, you know, the seven, seven goals single season record, or tying the single season record.
So i- if I'm, if I'm Utah, I want to end Denver.
Like, give me Denver, because I want, I want to basically put my stamp on things and end this.
Like, I, I'm, I'm going that, going that direction, and I think that the, the, the, there's the little part of my brain that has PTSD back to that Redwoods game when they did put up 16, and really they were the only team to kind of put one on Utah, Utah's defense all season long.
I mean, nobody came close to, to, to, to that margin kind of all season long.
So I, I, I want, I want the Outlaws.
Get, you know, bring them.
Y- yeah, it's funny, my gut's right there with you, Doc.
I'd rather play the Redwoods, but when you look at the results, the Archers are 2-0 versus the Outlaws, and they're 0-2 versus the Redwoods.
So I know completely different rosters and, and teams throughout the season, but if history tells us anything, maybe they want the Outlaws in this game.
And for Philly in the East, though, I don't think anyone really scares this team, but if you're a Water Dogs fan watching the Cannons and Whipsnakes, who are you pulling for this weekend?
I do not wanna play the Whipsnakes if I'm the Water Dogs, 'cause they can match up with them.
You got Dunn can play Kerr, Ajax can play Sowers, right?
They're really the only combination of teams out there that has two defensemen that kind of match up with those guys.
Muller, you know, will be fine on, Cardell or whoever they do there.
They'll be able to pull, their guys out there.
So- You know, I would not wanna play any part of the Whipsnakes.
Good defense, and they have a solid goalie in there as well.
So I would much rather play, the Cannons if I'm there, 'cause that's gonna guarantee, I think, a, a high-scoring game, and I don't think anybody beats the Wa- Waterdogs if it's a high-scoring game.
I want nothing to do with the Cannons.
I, I Th- this Th- they're the second hottest team in the league.
I, I want nothing to do, to do with them.
I Like, we just talked about this winning streak that they're on.
They're six and one in their last seven.
A- and meanwhile, Maryland, they knocked me out of the playoffs last year.
Like, I, I want a little bit of revenge.
I, I want, I want, to taste that sweet- You're on like- sweet revenge first reality like- You're bloodthirsty today.
Yeah, that's right.
That's right.
I w- Yeah, the way- I woke up and chose violence.
I woke up and chose violence you're getting mad, Doc.
You're choosing- I'm on vacation, and I woke up and chose violence, okay?
I want, I want to end the Whipsnakes, I want revenge, and I want nothing to do with the Cannons.
Now, from a media pers- you know, I'm not gonna say that.
Yeah, I just I, I want nothing to do with the Cannons, and I want revenge over Maryland.
And yes, yes.
That's an interesting one, because I do get what you mean, Doc, when you're talking about the match-ups and the potential for a shootout.
But yeah, that Whipsnakes match up, too.
La- just in the final week of the season, the Whipsnakes went to the wire with the Waterdogs, a- and that was a battle to the end.
So, I'm curious to see how it shakes out.
If I'm the Waterdogs, I'm cool with playing anybody.
I think I got the best line-up, two MVP candidates in CJ Kearse and Michael Sowers.
I like my chances against anybody.
So what's funny, Kev, is players definitely talk about this- Mm-hmm but it's in very hushed tones, and it's very privately, where it's like this does not leave the room, right, Doc?
Like, like you would have this conversation- I haven't talked about it to anybody, but I, in my own ha- like just myself, just- Yes in my head, who- Okay, so you would, you would trust- I've had those thoughts, but you can't- root for one team or another, 'cause it never works out that way, right?
But you, you- It has- If, if you talk about it- It already- with like one guy, it can't leave, right?
It didn't leave Doc's head.
If I had a conversation with somebody, it didn't leave the room, and it was like one-on-one.
Like, that was it.
But players definitely, there is like The human nature comes out, and you have these thoughts, you think these thoughts, like, and it happens.
Is it more a team you don't wanna face, or is it, Doc, in your case, a shooter or a boyl- a defender that you're like, "I just don't like going up against that guy"?
I think it's more talent, right?
Like, you, you, you see the talented guys, and you're like, "Whoa," you know?
Like, yeah, like- That's a problem.
He's a problem.
He's a problem "That's gonna be a problem," or- Yeah "This is a problem."
But then you catch yourself like, like, like that's why I said I only thought it in my head, right?
'Cause then I would catch myself and be like, "Yo, I'm better than everybody."
You know what I mean?
And- Yeah I don't care who it is, right?
And so, but it There's that first reaction where you're like, "Eh, I might wanna play the Cannons," you know?
Like, because of this or whatever.
But then you catch yourself real quick, and then you, the older you get, the more you realize that you can't control that, and you gotta be ready for whoever you're gonna play.
Because as soon as you start wanting the one team to win, that team never ends up winning anyway, and it gives you- Right your other team.
Do you want the easy team, or do you want the team that's, you know, like Ryan is, right?
Do we want the team that we match up better against, or do we want the team that has had our number, right?
And then that's a little scary.
If you You gotta be a special person to want the team that has had your number for a while.
You know what I mean?
We have one thirsty guy over here.
Yeah, Boylan- Special person.
He's, he's got a little dog in him.
Don't let that Princeton thing, don't let the Princeton Eating Club guy fool you over there, all right?
He's got some dog in him.
Ooh, I lived off campus.
He wants to commit violence sometimes.
Man.
Well, b- Good God hey, I love playoff season, but unfortunately, that means only five more PLL games this year.
Hard to believe Championship Sunday at Sports Illustrated Stadi- Stadium is almost here.
But you can keep it locked with us throughout the PLL playoffs.
Again, quarterfinal games this weekend, this Saturday in Minneapolis, Redwoods-Outlaws at 6:00 Eastern, followed by Cannons-Whipsnakes at 8:30.
You can stream both games inside the ESPN app.
The winners this weekend will move on to the semifinals to face the Archers and Waterdogs out in Salt Lake City on Labor Day, Monday, September 7th.
Then we have another bye week before the championship game in New Jersey on September 20th.
Lock in now.
It's gonna be a fun ride.
For the Hall of Famers Ryan Boyle and Brian Dougherty, our producers Jake Gold, Nate Allen, and the rest of the PLL production team that helps make this show happen, I'm Kevin Boyle from the Lacrosse Network saying thank you for watching Freeze It Right Here.
Freeze it right here.
Freeze it right here.
Freeze it right here.
