The Whipsnakes were pushed harder than perhaps they expected by the expansion Cannons in Week 2 of the Premier Lacrosse League season. But the win streak is still alive.

John Haus scored on a bouncer a minute into overtime Saturday afternoon, lifting the Whips to a 15-14 win in a game worthy of being the league’s first on NBC this season. Zed Williams had a monster showing, utilizing his strong chemistry with faceoff specialist Joe Nardella to put up six goals and push the Whips’ win streak dating back three seasons to 10 games.

OVERTIME WINNER!@johnhaus26 seals it for @PLLWhipsnakes in Atlanta pic.twitter.com/s7ykS1zLqx

— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) June 12, 2021

“I just thought I had a really good matchup with an offensive midfielder on me,” Haus said in an interview posted on the Whipsnakes’ Twitter account. “There was a flag down, and I just took a chance. Luckily, I shot a good enough shot.”

In a matchup of sorts between the reigning PLL and Major League Lacrosse champions, the Cannons showed once again they can compete, even as an expansion team. Led by four goals from Lyle Thompson, the Cannons eliminated a four-goal halftime deficit with spirited play in the final 24 minutes.

“These guys set the score at 0-0 going into the second half,” Cannons coach Sean Quirk said. “I think the biggest thing was just playing with a lot more consistency and a little bit more composure on both sides of the ball to get back into it.”

The squad forced overtime thanks to a turnover caused by the duo of Reece Eddy and Zach Goodrich with less than a minute to go. Goodrich was able to find Holden Garlent in transition, and he made the extra pass to Andrew Kew to force the first overtime game of the year.

Andrew Kew ties it up for the @PLLCannons with 46 seconds left! pic.twitter.com/MTb8X1z53t

— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) June 12, 2021

But anyone who has watched the PLL over these past two years knows how much it takes to topple the Whipsnakes. They stayed composed and remain unbeaten for another week.

Never tell me the odds

Only 7 percent of fans in the PLL’s Pick ‘Em predicted an Atlas victory against the Redwoods on Saturday. And who could blame them? The Woods rolled to a 2-0 weekend in Foxborough, looking like a threat to Whipsnakes for the title, while Atlas got completely picked apart by the Archers.

But that’s why you play the games. You never know what will happen.

Backed by a presence-announcing performance from rookie Jake Carraway and a rebound showing from Jack Concannon, the Bulls bounced back from a disastrous Week 1 to pull off the 12-9 upset.

“This is huge,” Concannon said. “We have a bye week next week, so we focus on, put the emphasis on, building momentum. It’s all about us. I think we really put in the work during the week, and it was really obvious out there.”

Carraway, a first-year player out of Georgetown, put up five points on four goals, one being a two-pointer. Concannon, who only stopped one shot for the Atlas in the first half last week, made 17 saves Saturday to resurrect a team many had written off.

ROOKIE HAT TRICK @Jakecarraway19 | @PLLAtlas pic.twitter.com/mLCpvhB5l9

— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) June 12, 2021

“We’ve got some young guys out there that are figuring it out,” Atlas coach Ben Rubeor said. “We’ve got a huge challenge coming up. We have the Whipsnakes and then the Cannons, two of the teams that I think are playing some of the best lacrosse in the league right now. So, one game doesn’t do it. We are .500 right now.”

Out of the Doghouse

Speaking of figuring things out, the Waterdogs offense looked night and day from how it ran in Week 1, starting with the team’s weekend-opening 14-12 triumph over the Chaos. Much of that was due to added comfort for some of its new members, as well as the success of a piece reinserted into the lineup.

Entry draft addition Mikie Schlosser was unleashed, notching a first-half hat trick with a two-bomb included, and Ryan Brown took over in the second half on a night when he also scored three times. Ben Reeves, taking over the role of injured Michael Sowers, showed off his vintage speed to round out the hat trick club.

Those same names led the way in a 14-9 win against the Chrome Sunday. Brown scored five times, Schlosser had a hat trick and Reeves scored twice while dishing out an assist. Kieran McArdle also had three points on a goal and two assists.

“I think it was a little bit of a chemistry thing,” Brown said of the offense clicking. “We’re starting to come together. I think these past two games, we’ve done a much better job in our spacing. When the ball moves and the guys move, it kind of allows everyone to kind of do their thing.”

Hogan makes his debut

Chris Hogan’s retained a chip on his shoulder since he first went undrafted in the National Football League. As he’s said in his recent docuseries, nothing was given to him in his career as a football player. He just had to put his head down and work hard. He expected the same in lacrosse.

There were serious doubts about his ability to play when the former wide receiver announced a plan to pursue the PLL, but after sitting out Week 1 at Gillette Stadium, he cracked the Cannons’ roster in Atlanta.

“Honestly, the bus ride over that I had today compared to my first NFL game was the exact same feeling,” Hogan said. “The exact same butterflies, the exact same nerves, the exact same intensity and focus that I expected from myself. It was the same feeling. I was just excited to be out there with my team, try to help them win games.”

He played a role not conducive to producing a stat line, mostly being used as a short-stick defensive midfielder and on the wings, but he didn’t look out of place. Hogan’s story back to the sport was detailed this weekend in The New York Times.

Chaos rains on your parade

While the Waterdogs’ stock is up, the Chaos are still looking to figure things out after going 0-2 on the weekend. They dropped a 12-8 contest to the Archers Sunday, allowing their opponent to go on a 5-1 run across the second half.

“It’s no secret that it seems like we’re playing defense two to three times more than we’re playing offense,” Chaos coach Andy Towers said. “This is a possession game, and I feel like we’re just not getting enough ground balls. It’s tough to win games when you’re playing that much defense.”

Noteworthy

The two best faceoff specialists in NCAA history, the Redwoods’ TD Ierlan and the Atlas’ Trevor Baptiste, matched up against each other professionally for the first time this weekend. Ierlan won Round 1, winning 57 percent of his draws. … The week brought a handful of transactions, including a pair of stars in the Waterdogs’ Michael Sowers and the Chrome’s Jordan Wolf moving to the injured list. The Chrome picked up veteran Tommy Palasek and undrafted rookie Kevin Rogers, while the Waterdogs brought back Matt Whitcher and the Cannons swapped Bryce Wasserman for Brendan Sunday. … SSDM Nick Ossello, who has developed into one of the most active social media personalities in the sport, announced his retirement this week. He spent the last two years with the Redwoods. … Fresh off a national championship, Dox Aitken debuted for the Atlas. He had two shots. … The Archers’ Marcus Holman scored his 250th career goal, good for 10th all-time. Teammate Will Manny moved into 12th all-time in goals scored with 236.

Up Next

The PLL takes next week off before heading back up north to Baltimore for five more games at historic Homewood Field. All times eastern:

• Whipsnakes vs. Atlas, 8 p.m., June 25 (NBCSN)

• Redwoods vs. Chaos, 5:15 p.m., June 26 (Peacock)

• Waterdogs vs. Archers, 8 p.m., June 26 (NBCSN)

• Cannons vs. Atlas, noon, June 27 (Peacock)

• Chrome vs. Whipsnakes, 2:45 p.m., June 27 (Peacock)