McNaney came into the PLL with high expectations, especially after Denver made him the first goalie drafted this season (11th overall). At 5-foot-10, he’s the shortest starting goalie in the PLL, and some questioned whether he’d thrive at the pro level with his size.
If there were any doubts about McNaney’s abilities translating to the pros, they were quashed by halftime of his Outlaws debut.
The Waterdogs peppered the rookie early, scoring three quick goals on a handful of wide-open shots in front of goal. But midway through the first quarter, McNaney started to get into a rhythm
“Halfway through the first quarter, I got ball in my stick, threw the ball around a little bit, made a couple saves, and kind of settled in pretty quick,” McNaney said.
The rookie found his feet midway through the second quarter. With 6:32 left in the half, he robbed Kieran McArdle with a swift save to his low offside hip. After Philadelphia spun the ball around, McNaney swallowed another McArdle shot.
In all, McNaney made seven saves in a row in the second quarter as he took command of the game. He completely shut the door in the third quarter, stopping all nine Waterdogs shots. In the second half, Denver allowed just one goal as McNaney earned his first win between the pipes.
McNaney’s performance spearheaded the Outlaws’ first win of the season. He finished with 14 saves at 66.7% and allowed just seven goals, tied for the fewest goals allowed in a game this season. It was Denver’s best defensive showing as a team.
“I thought we forced shots that we wanted to see,” Bernhardt said. “Logan did a great job stealing a couple.”
McNaney’s strong debut was just the start of a potentially promising season for the Outlaws. With the win over Philadelphia, everything is back on the table heading into a matchup this Sunday against the two-time defending champion Utah Archers.
As he received his celebratory plaudits from his teammates as the team walked off the field in victory, McNaney kept the message simple: “A lot more of those to come.”
