The Premier Lacrosse League Joins The Substack Coverage
Welcome to what will hopefully be the first of many pro lacrosse articles on my Substack. The Premier Lacrosse League, better known as the PLL, began in the summer of 2019. It took the world by storm and started a movement. It became so popular that Major League Lacrosse had no choice but to merge with the PLL. The league features a faster game with a shorter field and shorter shot clock to promote more offense. To start off our coverage, we are going to talk about the league as a whole and the hottest team so far. That team is Atlas.
Overview
Atlas found their identity last season as an offensive juggernaut. They've picked up where they left off starting 2-0. They are currently first in the standings by way of the score differential tie breaker. Here’s how the rest of the standings are looking so for far to give the new folks an idea.
Atlas - 2-0, 14 score differential
Chrome - 2-0, 10 score differential
Whipsnakes - 2-0, 2 score differential
Archers - 1-1, 4 score differential
Cannons - 1-1, -2 score differential
Chaos (defending champs) - 0-2, -6 score differential
Waterdogs - 0-2, -7 score differential
Redwoods - 0-2, -15 score differential
Okay, let's talk about this for a second. First of all, Chrome getting off to a quick start is a pleasant surprise since they’ve had a tough go in the league up to this point. Those who know the league well could figure that the Whipsnakes would be good again. After all, they won the first two championships in the league.
On the flipside, seeing Chaos and Redwoods at the bottom half of the standings a troubling sight. Granted it's still early. Chaos has now had three straight seasons with an 0-2 start, but they’ve been able to rebound. Leave it to Andy Towers to get his team motivated and prepared. Redwoods is a surprise especially because they have one of the best coaches in the PLL in Nat St. Laurent. They are trying to get over the hump. To circle back to the merger for a quick second, Cannons were formerly known as the Boston Cannons and they came over when the two leagues agreed to become one.
Now we can get back to talking about Atlas. Last year’s number one overall pick Jeff Teat, who plays attack, is leading the way with eight one point goals and 12 points overall (because of four assists). The reason why I say one point goals is because there is a two point shot. It’s the same idea as basketball. Get a ball in the net from behind the arc, two points for you. Midfielders Danny Logan and Romar Dennis each have one two point goal already. Atlas so far has beaten Redwoods 17-11 and Cannons 16-8. Teat had four goals and three assists in the game. It’s also worth noting that Trevor Baptiste was 83% from the faceoff dot.
How It All Works
Unlike most sports, there is no regional affiliation. There is also no scripted home bases for the teams. They play all over the country, and they have played in Canada since the sport is very popular there. The PLL was in Albany and Charlotte for the first two weeks, and will make their way to Long Island for week three. There is a 11 week regular season and a three week postseason with an All-Star game in the middle. This year’s All-Star game will take place in Gillette Stadium, the home of the Patriots and the Revolution. That venue will also host the quarterfinals with the semis taking place in Washington D.C, and the championship game once again taking place in Philly. During the COVID year, all games took place in a bubble in Salt Lake City, Utah and there will be games there again for the regular season.
Follow along on Twitter @announcers_eye. Coming up:
State of the Bruins
Breakdowns continue