For the second consecutive year, the Archers and Chaos will meet one another in the postseason. Andy Towers’ club pulled out the win in the semi-finals of last year’s Championship Series on their run to the title game. 

The Archers will be looking to avenge that loss and take home the season series between these two teams, who have already matched up twice this year. 

It was the Archers who came from behind to take home the first game while Chaos got their win back in Week 8. 

The winner of the rubber match will move on to face either the Atlas or Cannons in Philadelphia in two weeks. 

Clash in the Cage

Friday’s playoff opener will award us another look at a head-to-head between this season’s two best statistical goaltenders. 

Blaze Riorden and Adam Ghitelman are both up for the Oren Lyons Goalie of the Year Award, and it’s more than likely one of them will go home with the hardware. 

Ghitelman leads the league with a 62% save percentage. However, Riorden leads him by a whopping 54 saves on the year. 

We’re going to hear a lot of ‘Save by Blaze’ on Friday night but Ghitelman has been huge for Chris Bates’ side this year, carving out a starter role in a goalie tandem that had been a timeshare up to this point.

This will be the matchup to watch in this game. The play between the pipes is paramount in any matchup, but it could decide who heads to the semis in this particular matchup. 

Air Byrne Takes Flight

In this very same matchup last year, Air Byrne was born after Chaos attackman Josh Byrne scored a between the legs shot. 

He said he blacked out when he shot the ball, but he created one of the all-time moments in league history in the process. 

Byrne had a bit of a slow start to the year, scoring six points in his first three games of the season. But he’s been on fire the rest of the way. He’s had 23 in his final six games, including a stretch from Week 4 to Week 7 when he had three consecutive five-point outings. 

He leads Chaos with 29 points and 17 goals this season and he’ll have to be big once again if Chaos wants to go on a run akin to last summer. 

Who won the trade?

The age old question that’ll always have fans talking. 

During the off-season, the Connor Fields-Ian MacKay trade garnered a lot of debate, and the heat was turned up with the teams playing twice in the regular season. 

Fields put up a single point in the first game while MacKay had a pair of 2-pointers, two caused turnovers, and two ground balls. But it was the Archers who pulled out the win. 

In Week 8, Fields finished with a pair of goals and three points, but MacKay got the last laugh, hitting a game-winning 2-pointer to sink his former team. 

Fields has been as consistent as they come this season for the Archers while MacKay has been a jack-of-all-trades for Chaos, playing as a midfielder and LSM at different times. 

So who won the trade? Both teams, honestly. This has worked out for each squad, with the Archers adding another weapon and Chaos getting a versatile midfielder who fits within their system and roster. 

Both MacKay and Fields are going to play big roles with their respective teams again this time out. 

Who Ya Got? 

As the higher seed, the Archers are currently the betting favourites at -1.5 (-125). 

The Archers also go in as a heavy favorite in PLL Pick ‘Em, as 87 percent of fans are going with them in this matchup.