The Good and the Bad for the Waterdogs
The Philadelphia Waterdogs started things on the right track in this game, jumping out to a 4-2 lead with great playmaking down low. C.J. Kirst had a big day for Philly, scoring 3 goals and adding 3 assists on the day. Kieran McArdle is also having a big day with 5 points (3 goals and 2 assists). This game was everything that you wanted out of a Philly and New York game, with physical hitting, high scoring, and in the 2nd half, both teams, Waterdogs and the Atlas, were going back and forth. Philly would fall just short in this game, dropping their fourth straight. The good news is that Philly was able to secure a playoff spot based on overall goal differential. Now this is the time for Philadelphia to hit the restart button and dial up a winning formula.
Atlas flips the switch
New York would start this game down 4-2; however, the Atlas flipped a switch. New York picked apart Philly’s defense with quick ball movement, finding holes in the Waterdogs defense. Reid Bowering recorded a hat trick. Connor Shellenberger is showing why he’s in the MVP conversation with a huge seven-point night (4 goals and 3 assists). Jeff Teat with 3 assists, and Xander Dickson scored 3 goals as well. Trevor Baptiste dominated at the faceoff circle, going 26 of 36, grabbing 18 ground balls, and also scoring a pair of goals. New York would win this game 20-19, the highest scoring game in PLL history. The Atlas now have a first round bye and await the winner of next week’s playoff matchup between the Waterdogs and the Maryland Whipsnakes.
