Eduardo Curros – Western Correspondent, All Lacrosse All The Time
The Premier Lacrosse League has now completed its fifth week, where the 3-1 Boston Cannons played the 1-3 Carolina Chaos. The Chaos are struggling to find their feet this season, coming off a 20-6 drubbing at the hands of Maryland. Boston had a chance to to take a commanding two-game lead in the Eastern Conference with a win. However, Carolina kept pace with the Cannons the entire game, and Ray Dearth’s two-point goal in the fourth quarter broke a 12-12 tie and gave the Chaos a 14-12 win.
Hiltz has hat trick, but Chaos trail at the half
Matt Campbell would open the scoring for the Cannons at 1:55, with help from Coulter Mackesy. Marcus Holman would expand the lead at 4:22, off a pass from Ben Ramsey. Chaos would get on the board with powerplay goal from Owen Hiltz on a pass from Shane Knobloch at 5:31. The Cannons’ lead would expand with an unassisted goal from Mic Kelly at 7:59. Mackesy scored a power play goal with help from Asher Nolting at 10:30 for a 4-1 lead after the first quarter.
Sergio Perkovic scored a 2-pt goal with help from Ross Scott at 2:44, cutting the deficit to one. Ethan Rall replied with an unassisted goal at 3:26. Josh Zawada and Hiltz each scored goals for Carolina at 4:15 and 5:22, with assists from Scott and Jackson Eicher, to tie the game. Campbell would score another goal at 7:24, but Hiltz would reply with a pass from Justin Inacio to tie the game at 7:40. Ryan Drenner would score at 8:44 and Alexander Vardaro would end the half with the last goal at 11:23 as the Cannons led 8-6.
Dearth’s first goal lifts Chaos back into the thick of the West Conference
Adam Charalambides would score 0:28 in the third quarter thanks to a pass from Scott to make it 8-7. Mackesy would score for the Cannons at 0:57, but Troy Reh would reply at 2:26 for the Chaos to stay within one. Nolting scored his second goal at 5:27 for a 10-8 Cannons lead. Chaos then scored four consecutive goals. Perkovic at 5:58 with an assist from Eicher, then Hiltz next at 7:53 with an assist from Zawada to tie the game. JJ Sillstrop and Perkovic would each score at 8:40 and 9:54 for a 12-10 Chaos lead. A 2-pt goal from Campbell at 11:51 tied the game at 12-12 going into the fourth quarter. Ray Dearth broke the tie with a 2-pt goal, his first career PLL goal, at 2:29. Carolina held Boston scoreless the rest of the way to win 14-12.
Curros’s Corner
Cannons: Campbell (2g, 1 2-pt g); Mackesy (2g, 1a); Holman (1g, 1a); Nolting (1g, 1a); Vardaro (1g, 1a); Drenner (1g); Rall (1g); Kelly (1g)
Chaos: Hiltz (4g); Perkovic (1g, 1 2-pt g); Zawada (1g, 1a); Charalambides (1g); Dearth (1 2-pt g); Ross Scott (3a); Jackson Eicher (2a)
Justin Inacio went 15 of 25 on faceoffs for Chaos and grabbed 11 Ground Balls. Blaze Riorden made 21 saves, the second time he has made 20+ saves in a game this season.
