Eduardo Curros – Western Correspondent, All Lacrosse All The Time
It is Week 7 of the Premier Lacrosse League and the Denver Outlaws took on the Maryland Whipsnakes in the final matchup of the weekend. The Outlaws were walking in with a 3-2 winning record, while the Maryland Whipsnakes were struggling with a 2-3 record. TJ Malone was back in the lineup for Maryland, but the Outlaws continued their winning ways with a dominant 13-6 victory. Denver has now won four straight games after starting the season 0-2,
Outlaws open the game with guns blazing
The sole goal of the first quarter went to Pat Kavanaugh at 11:54, giving the Outlaws a 1-0 lead. However, Outlaws would add on three more goals in the second quarter, starting with Jake Bernhardt at 0:20. Zach Geddes followed up at 1:12, then Brennan O’Neill would score a 2-point goal with help from Graham Bundy Jr at 2:43 for a 5-0 lead. Whipsnakes finally woke up with Adam Poitras scoring with assistance from Aidan Carroll at 5:11. Colin Heacock would close the first half scoring with an assist from Rob Pannell at 5:37 as Outlaws led 5-2 going into halftime.
Outlaws offense continues to batter the Whipsnakes
Logan Wisnauskas scored at 1:41 of the third quarter, with an assist from Kavanaugh to make it 6-2. Whipsnakes would reply as Matt Brandau scored with help from Poitras at 3:25. O’Neill and Kavanaugh would score back-to-back at 4:35 and 5:22 for an 8-3 advantage. Levi Anderson cut the lead to 8-4 at 10:05. However, Bernhardt would score a power play goal with help from O’Neill at 11:10, as Outlaws took a 9-4 lead into the fourth quarter.
Bernhardt and Kavanaugh expanded the lead with a goal each at 0:35 and 2:12 of the fourth quarter. Brandau scored for Whipsnakes at 5:16 with help from Ajax Zappitello, and Anderson would score with an assist from TJ Malone at 7:12, making it 11-6. But goals from Justin Anderson at 8:29 and O’Neill at 9:51 finished off a dominant 13-6 victory for Denver.
Curros’s Corner
Outlaws rookie Logan McNaney made 15 saves in net; he is now 4-0 as a starter. Joe Nardella went 16-22 on faceoffs for Maryland. Denver outshot Maryland 40-35, and caused 10 turnovers to the Whipsnakes’ seven. Maryland won the Ground Ball battle 37-31, and possessed the ball for 7 1/2 more minutes than the Outlaws. Malone was held to just five shots and one assist on the day. The Whipsnakes look to rebound next week against the Philadelphia Waterdogs, while Denver looks for their fifth straight win when they face the Boston Cannons
