So week 1 of the PLL 2021 season has come to an end and there is a lot to talk about. I will break down all 5 games and let the people know about some great food spots in Cranston, RI. With all that, let's get into it.
Friday Night Lights Lives Up To The Hype
The Friday Night matchup between the Redwoods LC and Cannons LC was the game I was looking forward to the most over the weekend since I am a Redwoods fans and I have been/and will continue to gas up the Cannons in their first year. The Redwoods ended up winning this game 12-11, but it was a back and forth battle with both teams going on scoring runs and making for one hell of a lacrosse game.
It's a Game of Runs
They say lacrosse is a game of runs and that was on full display Friday night. Lyle Thompson didn't take long to remind everyone that he is the best player in the world scoring his first PLL goal in just 58 seconds, and in true Lyle fashion turning the corner on the left side and shoveling it past the goalie. This started a 3 goal run for the Cannons that was eventually halted by Miles Jones scoring a LEFTY crease dive. A couple of back an forth goals from each team and the Cannons ended the first quarter with a slight lead 5-4. The Redwoods came out and dominated the second quarter, scoring the 4 straight from 4 different players(Jones, Heningburg, Perkovic, & Lee) and the defense holding the Cannons to 0 points. Redwoods go into halftime with an 8-5 lead. The Cannons turned the tables on the Redwoods in the third, holding the high powered Redwoods attack to 0 and going on a 3 goal run that featured Tilt Daddy Drenner, Paul Rabil, and Andrew Kew. This Cannons scoring run continues into the fourth quarter with Rabil scoring two in a row to complete his hat trick and Drenner scoring his second of the game. This 6 goal run put the Cannons up 11-8. Being down 4 with 7:46 left to play is the Redwoods comfort zone as they are used to being down late. The Redwoods score a quick one from Jules on the doorstep, followed by Ryan Lee quick stick, and a Matt Kavanagh goal two mins later ties it up at 11. The Cannons would end up going offsides, and the Redwoods take advantage of the man up opportunity as Rob Pannel scored his third of the day to put the Redwoods up 12-11 (and the over hits!) With 1:45 left, the Cannons had a solid possession that was saved by some timely timeouts from Coach Quirk, but the Redwoods D stood tall getting the ball with 30 seconds left. The Redwoods heaved the ball into their own offensive zone, and were able to run 20 seconds off the clock, but Perkovic turned the ball over near the midline with 10 seconds left, both teams battled for the ground ball. The Cannons picked it up with 5 seconds and made one last heave for the net but Timmy Troutner stood tall and secured the W for the Redwoods. The game ball was given to rookie TD Irelan who went 21-27 in his pro debut and he is looking like the final piece to this Redwoods team to make a Championship run.
Shit-Pumping Saturday
Both games on Saturday were not very fun to watch. They both were absolute blowouts and it was just sad for the two teams getting absolutely dominated. I did however eat at 3 different establishments in Cranston, RI area and they honestly were all delicious. I will walk you through my Saturday in chronological order starting with breakfast.
The Saturday games did not start until 5pm so we had some time to kill in the morning and ventured out to get some breakfast. Me and my friends stumbled upon M&M's Diner after making one turn onto the main street and decided it looked as good as any other place. I ordered the corned beef hash extra crispy and it did not disappoint. The food was delicious and cheap and the staff was very nice. Overall I had a great experience there and would recommend to anyone looking for some hangover food. We went back to my friends house to prepare for our departure to Gillette, but we were leaving around 2 and figured we would grab lunch before we left.
Now I am pretty sure that the Cranston area is where Family Guy is based out of and this deli 100% confirms that belief. As we walk in we were greeted warmly and were told to take our time ordering. Me and my two friends ordered the Dougie and my one friend ordered the Italian without hot peppers. He is immediately chirped by the whole crew for not wanting hot peppers and I loved it. As we are waiting for our sandwiches to be made an older man came in to order some cold cuts and accused the deli clerk (who was also an older gentleman) of thumbing the scale while weighing up the meats. The conversation went like this.
Customer- "Yeah yeah, thats good. And take your thumb off the scale"
Deli Worker- "What did you say to me?"
Customer- *Silence*
Deli Worker- "Not..Not today Buddy" *Shaking his finger at the customer*
*Deli worker gets confronted by other employees*
Deli Worker- "Don't tell me what to do"
Deli Worker- "$3.75!" *As he slams the cold cuts down*
This whole sequence happened right in front of me and it honestly felt like I was in a Family Guy scene. The Dougie (Chicken Cutlet, Bacon, Cheese, Lettuce Tomato, Mayo) was delicious and from the looks of it, every sandwich there would have been good. Now onto the games!
Whipsnakes vs Chaos
This game really hurt me because I bet on the Chaos and even though I didn't think they were going to win, I thought they would give me some type of hope and make it a close game. They did not. The Whips came out hot with 7 goals in the first quarter and the defense remains elite holding the Chaos to 1 goal in the first half. Reigning MVP Zed William had 4 goals for the Whipsnakes and helped lead this team to victory. The Chaos somewhat found its groove in the second half scoring some highlight reel goals, but they turned it on too late. I was very much looking forward to the Chaos's crafty style of offense, but it didnt seem to do too much against the Whipsnakes D. Final score 13-7 Whipsnakes.
Archers vs Atlas
Did the Archers look that good because they were playing the Atlas, or did the Atlas look that bad because they were playing the Archers? The Archers put on an clinic in the first half scoring 15 goals. The Archers offense looked unstoppable, they had the ball humming around the field and pushed it well in transition which led to 2 pointers from LSM Scott Ratliff and newly acquired middie Connor Fields. I personally left the game at halftime to beat the traffic and catch the end of the Bruins/ Islanders game at the Thirsty Beaver. Final Score 18-6 Archers.
Me and my buddies ended the night at the Thirsty Beaver for some dinner and drinks and to root against the Bruins. The Beave was packed with fellow young folks trying to enjoy the game, and I personally had a blast making enemies with every single Boston fan there as me and my friends were aggressively cheering for the Islanders even though we don't follow hockey. As the Islanders took a 2-1 lead one of the female bartenders tried to fight my friend asking him to step outside, but we stayed put enjoying our margherita pizza and fried pickle chips. Overall the Thirsty Beaver was a fun place to enjoy a game and I will be going back.
Sunday Games
On Sunday both the Cannons and the Redwoods played their second game with the Cannons taking on the Waterdogs and the Redwoods battling the Chrome. The Sunday games were a lot more exciting then the Saturday games, and we got to see if playing two games in a weekend helped or hindered the teams.
Cannons vs Waterdogs
The Cannons came out on Sunday on a mission to not go 0-2 in Boston. Lyle Thompson again reminded us that he is the best player in the world. Thompson scored 4 goals on 5 shots including this low angle shot that had everyones jaw on the ground.
The Cannons attack was also helped by Andrew Kew who also had 4 goals on 4 shots including 3 straight to end the first quarter. The Cannons were up 9-2 at the half and the Waterdogs did not do enough offensively to really have a chance. Michael Sowers biggest enemy Sunday was the crease, as he got 3 crease violations, but one can only respect the commitment by Sowers for his first goal in the PLL to be a crease dive, which it eventually was. Sowers was slow to take over on the Waterdogs offense and quite frankly they looked very lackluster in settled 6 v 6 and in EMO. It may be time to hit the panic button on the Waterdogs, especially with the news of Sowers on the IL. The Cannons grabbed this game early and never let go, Cannons win 13-7.
Redwoods vs Chrome
This was a bloody knuckle type of game with a lot of shoving, big hits, and had you interested until the end. The Chrome came out on a 3-0 run and the Redwoods were not looking good, then Kyle Harrison dodged to the middle of the field and scored the Redwoods first goal. The goal by the beloved veteran after announcing that this will be his last season sparked something on the Redwoods as they went on to score a quick one making it 3-2 at the end of the first. The first quarter ended with Timmy Troutner stuffing Jordan Wolf on the crease, followed by a Troutner shove. When Wolf reciprocated the shove, the Woods D swarmed him followed by other Chrome players getting involved. I am so happy that this happened because it showed that the D has a ride or die mentality when it comes to Troutner. This also must have fired the Woods up since they went on the score 4 quick ones bringing the score to 6-3. Some back and forth goals from each team after that, and the half ended 9-5 Woods. The Chrome lost Jordan Wolf due to injury and were without a pivotal part of their offense, but Jordan Macintosh stepped up with 4 goals and honestly kept the Chrome in this game longer then they should have been. With 4 mins left in the game the Woods were up 14-10, and the Chrome made it clear that they thought it was a 2 possession game and were aggressively trying for 2 bombs. This strategy looked like it was about to pay off as Justin Anderson unleashed from beyond the arc to make it 12-14 and a 1 possession game! That is until Nat St. Laurent challenges that it was deflected inside the arc and wins it changing the score to 14-11. Both teams battled for the remaining 3 mins, but neither team would score and the Redwoods secure the the W making them 2-0 on the weekend.
What's Next?
I hope you enjoyed my Week 1 recap. Last week I went 4 for 5 on my Draftkings picks and the only bet I lost was the one where I fully acknowledged that it was a dumb pick, so be on the lookout for Laxin Lindaas's Week 2 picks.
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