The PLL Championship Series Is 32 Minutes Of Pure, Unadulterated, Greasy Fast Speed
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We saw the first two games of the PLL Championship Series last night and if those games are any indication, the fastest sport on two feet just threw a nitrous boost on the engine.
In case you missed it, this tournament is being played in the Sixes format. Sixes is a new version of lacrosse that is essentially a hybrid between field and box lacrosse. It's 5v5 plus goalies, shortened field, shortened shot clock, no long poles, no faceoffs, and non-stop action. This version of the game has only been around for like a year, so most people haven't gotten a chance to watch much of it. And since humans typically hate change by default, most lacrosse fans probably already had it in their mind that they hate sixes and that it's a bastardized version of the game.
Then last night happened.
The first game had a 29-16 final for the Atlas over Whipsnakes. There were a few 2-pointers mixed in there, but 45 total points in a 32-minute game is absurd. There were 96 total shots taken between the two teams. You'd see a flat out ridiculous goal scored by Chris Gray on one end and then before your brain even had a chance to process what you just witnessed, you had Ty Warner hitting a 2 down the other end.
Now I'll be honest here. There was a moment in that game that it might have even felt a little too fast. Maybe a little too much action. But this was also the first full game of sixes I've ever watched, so maybe my brain just wasn't ready for all the action right away. It was like going straight from smoking a cigarette to meth.
But the second game of the night ruled and it ruled extra hard. A 23-22 overtime final for the Archers over the Chrome.
Again, 45 total points combined between the two teams. Same as the first, but the pace just seemed a little more settled. Still a shit ton of action packed into 32 minutes, but it felt like you could catch your breath before the next goal was scored. I don't know if that's because the actual pace of the game was more settled, or maybe our brains just settled into the pace itself. Either way, if you went into last night expecting to hate the sixes format of lacrosse then you ended up sorely mistaken by the end of that game. Because that was awesome. That ruled. It wasn't perfect by any stretch, but it was definitely something that a casual fan could pick up for 32 minutes and not get bored with.
Big goals, a few big saves, and a few big hits.
A little something for everybody out there. Unless, of course, you're a faceoff guy. In which case…well…yeah, you probably hated every minute of last night.
Tonight's Schedule
There are 2 more games on deck tonight. Both will be streaming on ESPN+ and both will have our good pal Jake Marsh on the call.
6:30pm // Whipsnakes vs Archers // ESPN+
It took the first half of last night's game for the Archers to settle into things, but they looked dialed in the 2nd half. They figured out the two-man game really well and got a ton of great looks like this out of it.
The Whipsnakes just couldn't get any juice offensively. They never found a rhythm and once the game against Atlas turned into a pissing match, their stream was a trickle. So I'd expect them to make some adjustments before tonight's game to try to find something, but the Archers are another team you can't get into a pissing match with. So unless they figure out a way to slow down the game before they get themselves into a groove, I'd expect Archers to get a big win here.
8:30 pm // Atlas vs Chrome // ESPN+
The Atlas roster is tailor made for this format of lacrosse. They have a ton of dudes who can clamp down on defense if they have to, and then bully their way to the middle of the field offensively. But the Chrome also have plenty of guys who are just too big and too fast and too strong for anybody to stop without a longpole as well.
Both teams have really solid goalies, especially in Sconone stays in the whole time for Chrome instead of splitting halves. The one clear advantage I'd give to Atlas is the 2-point shot. So mix a couple of those in tonight and that gives Atlas the edge for me.
So far it doesn't look like lines are up for these games on the Barstool Sportsbook, but I'll make sure to update closer to game time if that changes.