The first weekend of Premier Lacrosse League action is officially in the books. It was an electric first slate of games. Redwoods opened the season with a competitive win over Atlas. Archers outlasted Cannons in a Saturday shootout. Waterdogs survived Chaos in a slugfest. Chrome overcame Whipsnakes at the buzzer.
You can’t ask for much more in a PLL weekend. To recap the first week of the season, here’s my PLL Team of the Week for Week One.
Defense
Goalie: Blaze Riorden, Chaos
Blaze Riorden is one of the few constants of the PLL. The Albany great turned in another vintage Riorden performance in Week 1 — 18 saves at 72(!)%. Nobody in the world is better between the pipes than Riorden.
Defense: Will Bowen, Chaos
Despite the loss, the entire Chaos defense showed out against the reigning champions. Rookie Will Bowen was a real star amongst the standout unit. The former Schmeisser Award winner forced three turnovers and was a menacing off-ball presence alongside a pair of shutdown cover guys.
Defense: Jack Rowlett, Chaos
The most impressive of those aforementioned cover guys was Jack Rowlett. Rowlett shut down Michael Sowers all day Sunday. Sowers scored just one goal — on a power play — and no assists against Rowlett. Shutting down a top five attackman in the league is a performance to write home about.
Defense: Eddy Glazener, Redwoods
Eddy Glazener is as steady a force as you’ll find in the PLL. He’s such a strong communicator and organizer, and he’s still an impact defenseman outside of that. He forced three turnovers, snagged three ground balls and held Chris Gray to 1-for-8 shooting.
