With the NBA and NHL post-seasons wrapping up, sports fans everywhere are heading into the dreaded summer of boredom; however, the Premier Lacrosse League is entering its sixth season, and the future of lacrosse couldn’t look any brighter. New fans are approaching every day, and with so much established history already, it can be overwhelming for people. Here is a PLL study guide for people to use with the season rapidly approaching. So without further ado, let’s begin.
History of the League
To kick off the study guide, we must first discuss the league’s history. Although only six seasons into existence, the Premier Lacrosse League was initially called the MLL or Major League Lacrosse. Superstar and lacrosse icon Paul Rabil openly admits that playing in the MLL and making a career for such a small sport like lacrosse was tough, and he believed that athletes who play the sport should feel pride and use it as a career. So, he branched off and endorsed the Premier Lacrosse League, where players could make a salary and career and get grand benefits as well. Players such as Lyle Thompson, Rob Pannell, Myles Jones, and many more followed Rabil in this new league. The MLL and PLL merged on December 16, 2020, and lacrosse hasn’t looked back since.
The Teams and Schedule
The PLL currently has eight teams but no cities to them yet. The teams include the Waterdogs, Redwoods, Chaos, Whipsnakes, Cannons, Chrome, Atlas, and Archers. With no cities or stadiums attached to these teams yet, the league has decided to do a tour-based schedule to grow the game. How does this work? To break it down simply, week one of the PLL season kicks off in Albany on June 2nd, with the opening game being Redwoods versus Atlas. All eight teams play, with two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. The staff and players then travel to Charlotte, where two games are played on Friday and two on Saturday. This will happen for five weeks, until July 22nd, when the all-star game is played. After that, five more weeks of action and traveling before the playoffs kick off on September 4th.
Stats and Rules
The statistics and rules in the Premier Lacrosse League continue to change and adapt. For starters, a new stat that will be implemented into this season is the passes per possession and passes per game. Chrome sat first in passes per game with 232.2, while the Cannons sat last with 192.4. This will help see how well-rounded teams are with communication and transition. Some other statistics include faceoff win percentage, groundballs per game, scores per and against average, and special teams. However, the major change from any other lacrosse league is the 2-point arch. Goaltenders have a crease that no one can step into, or else it’s a turnover of possession, but there is another crease that’s 13 yards out. This is the two-point arch, where players can score a goal worth 2 points if both their feet are outside this crease. Last year, Atlas had the most 2-point goals with 13, while the Cannons had the least with only 2. This causes more traction in the final minutes of play, where teams can change their offensive structure to score 2-point goals and keep a game close.
Some Intriguing Story Lines this Season
To end this study guide, here are some intriguing storylines that we will see unfold in this PLL season. To start, both goaltenders, Nick Marrocco and Adam Ghitelman, had iffy seasons, but both have proven to be capable starters in the crease. Marrocco averaged a save percentage of 49.8 percent, while Ghitelman averaged a save percentage of 49.4 percent. With that said, Marrocco played for the Cannons, who statistically had the worst defense in the league, while Ghitelman played for the third-best defense in the Archers. One of these netminders will play above the other, as Ghitelman signed a deal with the Cannons in free agency. Another storyline is the new-look Archers, who lost key pieces on their offense, such as Will Manny and Marcus Holman, in free agency, as well. Will their pass-first offense still work with these new players, or will they be forced to go back to the drawing board? The Atlas has some new defensive pieces due to the draft, such as first and third-overall picks in Gavin Adler and Brett Makar, respectively. Will they perform to the levels of pressure that come with being a high draft pick, or will the Atlas regret not taking generational talent in Sam Handley, who fell to Chrome fourth overall? These storylines, along with many more, will be answered this season.
Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
