Key Takeaways Now Cannons Secure Playoff Spot, Redwoods Score Needed Win

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Boston Cannons 12, Denver Outlaws 10

Sara Griffin: Cannons’ comeback win secures their place in the play-offs

As the old saying goes, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

It was an emotional rollercoaster for the Cannons in their West Coast battle with the Outlaws, but the Boom Squad handled it well and became the first team in the league to secure a playoff spot with the 12-10 victory.

Going into halftime, the Cannons trailed the Outlaws 9-5. All of Boston’s weaknesses were on full display in the first two quarters. They weren’t shooting the ball well, the defense gave Denver too many chances up the middle, and Mike Manley essentially ruled out the quarterback of the Cannons offense Asher Noltingwhich left him stuck on just one point (1A) in the first half.

But as we’ve seen so many times from the Cannons team this season, they’re never out of the game.

Head coach Brian Holman was honest about not making any major adjustments at halftime, it was more about getting back to the basics of Cannons ball.

Boston came out ready to roll in the second half, going on a 5-0 run in the third. With Jesse Bernhardt Sidelined for the rest of the game after suffering a shoulder injury late in the second quarter, Denver’s defense never fully recovered from his absence. Nolting broke away from Manley and gave up three points (2G, 1A) in the third quarter alone.

Marcus Holman (3G, 1A) and Matt Campbell (2G, 1T, 1A) each matched Nolting’s four points to lift Boston’s offense to its third straight victory. And while there weren’t as many deuces in the game as we’ve come to expect from the Cannons, Campbell’s first-quarter two-pointer officially tied the record previously held by the Maryland Whipsnakes for most by a PLL team in a season (15).

By overcoming a four-goal deficit at halftime, it was the Cannons’ second comeback win of the season. They don’t often trail, but when they do, they’ve proven time and time again that they know how to respond.

Ethan Rall stressed the importance of matches like Saturday’s after the victory.

“It’s good to have these different types of games,” he explained.

Rall said the team recently discussed why it can sometimes be good to not always be in the lead in a match, as it makes them more resilient to the battle.

With a playoff spot locked up, Boston’s work is far from over. Now it’s all about finishing strong in the remaining two regular-season games and seeing how the Eastern Conference plays out in the coming weeks.

The next event in Boston: vs. Maryland Whipsnakes (Sunday, August 4, 3 p.m. ET)

Topher Adams: Jesse Bernhardt’s injury is too bad to overcome

Denver played a near-perfect first half. The offense was humming behind five Brennan O’Neill points. The defense pressed and aggressively challenged Boston’s offense. The Outlaws led by four points at halftime and all the momentum was on their side.

Then Bernhardt was pushed out of bounds and fell awkwardly to the ground. With the captain and defensive organizer sidelined with a shoulder injury, Denver couldn’t recover.

The starved Outlaws lost their defensive punch and the Cannons roared in the third quarter. Boston outscored Denver 7-1 in the second half and sailed to victory. Bernhardt’s injury took the wind out of the team’s sails, but the offense really struggled in the final minutes.

After taking an early lead, O’Neill was subbed out in the second half. Flamethrower Graham Bundy Jr. was scoreless the entire game. As the clock neared zero, the Outlaws kept trying to find answers, but they never passed the test. Dalton Young scored the only goal of the second half for Denver.

So much of what the Outlaws did well last week fell apart in the second half. The offense dried up. Owen McElroy had his worst start between the posts before being sent off Sean Sconon in the fourth quarter. Lucas Wierman only 9 of 23 attempts from the faceoff line.

For two quarters, this seemed like a continuation of everything Denver does well. By the end, it’s a reminder of the Outlaws’ many remaining flaws.

The next event in Denver: vs. California Redwoods (Saturday, August 3, 3:30 p.m. ET)

California Redwoods 10, Carolina Chaos 8

Jerome Taylor: Redwoods Outshine Chaos in Whimsical Homecoming Clash

This game was circled on the calendar From the moment the schedule was announced in the spring and beyond Saturday, we can add one more spicy Chaos-Woods match to the rivalry’s history.

There was pushing, shoving, chirping and hard knocking from both sides, but in the end, California love was in the air and the Redwoods picked up their second win of the season, giving their hometown fans their best performance of the year.

“I think it was the best home crowd we’ve seen,” Rob Pannell said of the turnout at Torero Stadium. “A lot of green in the stands. … It felt like a California crowd tonight. I think on the East Coast, there are fans of other teams. Here in California, if you’re here, you’re a California Redwoods fan, and it felt that way, and it translated to the field.”

The star of the game was Jack Kelly, 13 saves (65%), including two from behind the arc on Carolina’s final possession. Oh, and he climbed the career saves leaderboard.

Defensively, the C’s (Chris Conlin, Chris Nep, Arden Cohen And Jared Conners) contained and disrupted the Chaos offense throughout the game, resulting in five turnovers, punctuated by a pick-six by Conners (1G, 1CT, 3GB).

“He’s special. I really think he’s the best in the game at that position,” Redwoods head coach Nat St. Laurent said. “You never feel like you’re out of a play when there’s a ground ball. … We always feel like if there’s a 50-50 ground ball, we always feel like we have a chance to get that ball when Jared’s there, and he showed why today.”

On the other side of the field, Resident of Cali Romar Dennis made the most of Homecoming weekend, scoring two two-pointers in the first half to give the Woods an early boost in their season.

In the second half there were many goals, such as Conners, Ryder Garnsey (1G, 1A), Chris Merle (1G) And Cole Kirst (1G) goals that all added some extra tension to the match.

TD Ireland dominated his match, going to the line 14 out of 18 times (78%) and recovering from the last weeks bad outing.

Even in victories there are still lessons to be learned. The Woods still seemed disorganized in attack at times, especially in the second half, as Kirst and Garsney were the only two attacking players to score in the final two frames of the match.

But now at 2-4, Woods’ playoff prospects look a lot better than they did last week. It’ll still be an uphill battle, but a win against the Maryland Whipsnakes could see them finish Homecoming weekend tied with Denver and Carolina in the win column and tied with Chaos for the loss.

Next up for California: vs. Denver Outlaws (Sunday, August 3, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Hayden Lewis: Shane Knobloch’s breakout performance isn’t enough to propel Carolina past California

After scoring an overtime game-winning goal against the Maryland Whipsnakes in Fairfield, it looked like Shane Knobloch came into its own.

Knobloch solidified himself as a powerful member of the offense in Carolina’s 10-8 loss to the Redwoods on Saturday, scoring four points (3G, 1T). Knobloch did it in a bullying manner, working to find his spots on the court and attacking short-stick defensive midfielders to make the California defense pay on a few occasions.

“We knew he was the guy we wanted based on what we lost throughout the season and the direction we wanted to go,” Chaos head coach and general manager Andy Towers said of Knobloch. “He performed tremendously well last week and he performed tremendously well again this week.”

The defense let the Chaos offense win the game, but they failed to capitalize on opportunities. The offense shot 7 of 43 on the day (16.3%). The season has been marked by long scoring droughts on offense, and that remained the same Saturday against the Redwoods.

“We should be able to win a game where you concede 10 goals,” Towers said. “I’m biased, I think we’re the best defence in the league and we’re an inexperienced attack that’s getting a bit more experienced every week.”

The Chaos are building a playoff push that was made more difficult by their loss to the Redwoods. Next week’s matchup with the Utah Archers will showcase the new experience the offense has to offer.

Next up for Carolina: vs. Utah Archers (Sunday, August 4, 5:30 p.m. ET)

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