Get ready for PLL playoffs, Week 1!
The inaugural regular season of the Premier Lacrosse League was full of ups and downs with lots of fun and action in between–whether it was Stephen Kelly scoring the first goal in PLL history or experiencing the sellout crowd at Casey Stadium in Albany in Week 10.
Now, it’s playoff time! The PLL is taking an innovative approach to its playoff bracket.
There will be three stops this playoff season–in Columbus (this weekend) and New York (next Saturday). Philadelphia will host the championship on September 21.
Here’s a preview of Week 1 action in Columbus.
Draft Pick Bracket
This week is the first game of the Draft Pick Bracket.
Next week, the winner of the #5-#6 game will play the loser of this week’s #3-#4 game.
#5 Atlas v. #6 Chrome: The Atlas narrowly missed the playoffs due to scoring differential, and they were on a roll at season’s end. The Atlas may have the best offense in the league. Because of that, I don’t think they’ll have trouble with the Chrome–a team that will be without goalie Brett Queener due to suspension.
I’ll take the Atlas 17-12.
Championship Bracket
The PLL structured the Championship Bracket to give teams breathing room, but in different ways.
This week’s winners will get byes next weekend. The loser of this week’s #1-#2 game will play the winner of this week’s #3-#4 game.
#1 Chaos v. #2 Whipsnakes: Andy Towers will have his team ready for battle. Troy Reh added himself to the ‘bomb squad’ last week in Albany with a two-pointer. And I’ll make the bold prediction that Jack Rowlett will join the team this week. The Whips have looked better on offense lately, but I believe legend Brodie Merill and the Chaos’ defense will be ready to stop them.
I’ll go with the Chaos, 15-13.
#3 Archers v. #4 Redwoods: This was the hardest game to pick. In T0m Schreiber, the Archers have arguably the best midfielder in the game, but the Redwoods’ defense is outstanding when it is on. That said, I think this game will come down to face-offs. I’m not high on Stephen Kelly, so I’m giving the edge to Greg Gurenlian on Brendan Fowler. Greg, who’s finally healthy, scored his first goal last week in Albany. He shouldn’t have problems with Kelly or Fowler. To boot, some of Gurenlian’s best pro moments have come during championship runs.
I’ll give the slight edge to the ‘Woods–11-10 with the game going into overtime.
You can watch this weekend’s action on NBC Sports and NBC Sports Gold. Here’s when and how.
Fri. Sep 6: 7p ET – Archers v. Redwoods – NBC Sports Network
Sat. Sep 7: 3p ET – Atlas v. Chrome – NBC Sports Gold
Sat. Sep 7: 6p ET – Chaos v. Whipsnakes – NBC Sports Network
