The Waterdogs finish Week 10 with an impressive 18-8 win over the Denver Outlaws in the Outlaws’ own backyard. Ten different players scored goals for the Waterdogs. Michael Sowers did a great job of going behind Denver’s net and reading the Outlaws defense. Whether scoring in transition or making quick passes, Sowers has now recorded a hat trick in back to back games. CJ Kirst lit up Denver with 4 goals and an assist in this game. Kirst is now just two goals away from breaking the PLL record for goals in a single season with three games to play.
I also have to give rookie goaltender Sean Byrne credit. He made all the right adjustments, adapting to the pace of the PLL game. Keeping this high powered offense of the Outlaws under 10 goals. With the win, the Waterdogs are now 6-3 on the season and have sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference, a half game ahead of the Maryland Whipsnakes. Philly will head into Columbus for Week 11 to play a dangerous Carolina Chaos team coming off a dramatic overtime victory and desperate to keep pace in the Western Conference.
Waterdogs send Outlaws home empty-handed
The Denver Outlaws certainly did not have two homecoming weekend losses on their bingo card. Brennan O’Neill was not in the lineup for this game, but their other three Tewaaraton winning attackmen – Logan Wisnauskas, Jared Bernhardt, and Pat Kavanagh – combined for just one goal and three assists on the night. Nolan Byrne had a pair of goals, while Graham Bundy Jr. had a goal and a 2-pointer, but everything else seemed to go wrong for the Outlaws.
Luke Wierman had an uncharacteristic game at the faceoff dot, winning just 10 of 26 draws and picking up just three ground balls after scoring a goal five seconds into the game. Logan McNaney made just three saves in net, getting pulled in favor of Owen McElroy near the end of the game. The Outlaws leave their home field at 4-5, still in second place in the West but only because California and Carolina have a worse goal differential. Head coach Tim Soudan will need to figure out a new game plan for Denver’s next game against Maryland to get them back on track.
