(Photo courtesy of PLL on X)
The New York Atlas (0-0) Played the Carolina Chaos (0-0) in their season openers at the Zion’s Bank Stadium in Utah.
The return of Xander Dickson for New York looms large, while sophomore Matt Traynor arrives with high expectations for his 2026 campaign. Carolina’s defense has always been their backbone, and now the question is whether Shane Knobloch and an improved offense can make them a real contender.
The goaltending match-up had Liam Entenmann in net for the Atlas facing Austin Kaut in net for the Chaos.
The opening quarter was a fast-paced battle as the New York Atlas and Carolina Chaos traded momentum early. Carolina struck first at 2:57 when Matt Traynor finished a setup from Levi Anderson to even the game at 1-1. The Chaos kept pressing and grabbed a 2-1 lead midway through the quarter after Chris Aslanian found the back of the net at 8:14. New York answered quickly though, as Levi Anderson buried the equalizer with just 1:05 remaining in the frame off a feed from Connor Shellenberger, sending the game into the second quarter tied 2-2 after an energetic opening 12 minutes.
The New York Atlas exploded offensively in the second quarter, turning a tight game into a commanding lead over the Carolina Chaos. Carolina briefly kept pace with a pair of goals from Jackson Eicher, including one assisted by Adam Charalambides, but New York answered every push with momentum-changing scores. Bryan Costabile buried a power-play two-pointer off a feed from Reid Bowering before adding another goal ķoʻ moments later, while Xander Dickson connected with Connor Shellenberger to keep the Atlas rolling. The quarter’s biggest highlight came at 8:02 when Levi Anderson ripped home a two-point goal to cap a dominant stretch for New York, who outscored Carolina 7-2 in the frame and carried a 9-4 advantage into halftime.
Quarter three turned into a back-and-forth battle as the Carolina Chaos refused to go away, but the New York Atlas continued to answer every push to stay in control. Carolina opened the frame with quick strikes from Chris Aslanian and Pete Detwiler before Ross Scott buried a pair to suddenly cut the deficit to 9-7. TJ Malone and Ray Dearth then scored just eight seconds apart to tie the game 9-9 midway through the quarter, completely shifting the momentum. New York responded when Bryan Costabile snapped the deadlock at 6:04, followed by Xander Dickson finishing a setup from Connor Shellenberger to restore breathing room. Scott completed his hat trick for Carolina to make it 11-10, but Levi Anderson answered with his second goal of the quarter at 9:23 to give the Atlas a 12-10 lead heading into the fourth after surviving the Chaos comeback attempt.
The fourth quarter featured a late push from Carolina, but New York answered every challenge to close out a strong offensive performance. Brett Nichtern twice brought Carolina within striking distance, scoring at 1:34 and again at 5:00 to keep the pressure on.
New York responded each time through Bryan Costabile, who goals at 4:39 and 6:09 to restore breathing room and halt Carolina’s momentum. With the game tightening late, Levi Anderson delivered the dagger at 9:27 with a clutch two-point goal that put the contest out of reach and capped off a dominant outing for the visitors.
New York outscored Carolina 4-2 in the final frame to secure the 16-12 victory.
The Three Stars:
1. Levi Anderson
2. Bryan Costabile
3. Brett Nichtern
Game Stats:
- Shots on goal favored Carolina 31-29.
- The faceoff battle went to the Chaos 17-12.
- Carolina led the ground ball battle 33-26.
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