Andy Towers and Jim Stagnitta would like anyone on hand at Audi Field this Sunday for the 2021 Premier Lacrosse League championship game or watching on TV to know one thing. This is not 2020. Yes, it is a rematch between the same two teams, but mostly in name only. Each squad has experienced significant changes that have allowed them to peak at the right time and find themselves facing each other again in the final game of the season.
They’re even vastly different teams than their last meeting, a Week 1 matchup in which the Whipsnakes prevailed 13-7.
While Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith’s combined 11 points led the Chaos to a win in the semifinals over the second-seeded Atlas, the squad has several new contributors, like Chase Fraser, Kyle Jackson, Chris Cloutier and Mac O’Keefe. The team’s offensive additions for 2021 accounted for 84 points in the regular season. On Sunday, the Chaos will only have eight players dress that played in last year’s championship game. Johnny Surdick, the 2019 first-round pick, has helped solidify the defense after the missing the 2020 Championship Series due to military commitments. One consistent theme, however, has been two-time goalie of the year and 2021 MVP finalist Blaze Riorden.
PLL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FAST FACTS
Where: Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
When: Sunday September 19, 12 p.m. (EST)
Watch: NBC or Peacock
The Whipsnakes boast the 2019 and 2020 MVPs, Matt Rambo and Zed Williams. Neither are up for the top honor this year, though they’ve looked the part recently — especially Williams, who has tallied 14 points in two playoff games and looks to have regained his Championship Series form. Rambo missed several games in the regular season due to a hand injury and was one of the main reason the Whipsnakes settled for the fifth seed. The semifinal win over the Waterdogs also represented the first game in the team’s three-year history that goalie Kyle Bernlohr did not start in the cage. Instead, Stagnitta turned to the 10-year veteran Brian Phipps, who after making the transition to the PLL, started on the Redwoods’ reserve roster.
“There’s not many teams that have a backup that’s a championship caliber goalie,” Stagnitta said yesterday during the PLL Championship media day.
Other notable additions include Justin Guterding, who’s provided another scoring threat from the midfield after moving from his natural attack position. He was acquired via a trade with the Chrome.
“And as much as it’s Chaos, Whipsnakes [again], this team is not connected to last year’s Chaos team,” Towers said. “Last year’s team was its own unique body of work, totally independent of this team … our guys know that.”