​The Cannons aren’t finished yet. Boston pulled off a 15-13 upset of the Denver Outlaws, edging back into the playoff mix. After the game, head coach Brian Holman voiced his pride in the way his team has persisted. “They believe in each other when a lot of people don’t, and that’s the beauty of sports, right?” Holman said. Rookies Mikey Weisshaar and Jack Regnery ignited the offense, scoring 17 seconds apart, while Andrew McMeekin dominated the faceoff X at 63% and notched his first professional goal, continuing to look like a Rookie of the Year contender.
The Redwoods had looked sharp defensively in the early stages of Friday’s tilt with the Philadelphia Waterdogs, holding CJ Kirst and Michael Sowers to a combined one goal on 1-for-6 shooting. But California couldn’t seal the deal. Philadelphia surged for five of the final six goals to prevail 15-13. Head coach Anthony Kelly lamented that his team spent too much time on defense and wore themselves out, allowing Kirst and Sowers to erupt for eight second-half goals. Ryder Garnsey (4G, 1A) took responsibility, acknowledging that the offense needed better game management rather than forcing plays and turning the ball over.
Elsewhere, the Chaos fell to the Maryland Whipsnakes 17-10 on Saturday night, slipping to last place in the Western Conference despite rookie Eric Spanos’s hat trick. Carolina was outscored 5-1 in the opening quarter for the second time in three games. “We just need to figure out how to get off the bus in the first quarter and start playing hard,” head coach Steven Brooks said.
Through the early portion of the PLL season, the Outlaws boasted the league’s best defense while their offense searched for rhythm. By Saturday’s game against the Cannons, that balance had swung in the opposite direction. The good news for Denver was that the issue wasn’t a systemic defensive failure but rather an unusual lapse in energy and execution from a veteran group. When the Outlaws start with energy, they tend to win. That’s particularly true with Brennan O’Neill, who has been improving his form. The talisman delivered a season-high five points (3G, 2A), finally finding the back of the net and functioning more as a playmaker. It’s the kind of performance Denver expected from the No. 1 pick in the Players Top 50 vote.
In Maryland’s final game before the All-Star break, T.J. Malone didn’t score in a game for the first time in his pro career. He rebounded with six points (3G, 3A) to help the Whipsnakes cruise past the Chaos. Malone’s offensive versatility stood out, and while the Whips have several scoring options—seven players registered points in the win—the emphasis shifted toward how their depth could continue to complement Malone’s production as the season moves forward.