Archers remain undefeated in comeback win against Chaos
By Katie McNulty | Jun 14, 2021
In the final game of the weekend in Atlanta, it was the Archers that came from behind and captured a 12-8 victory over Chaos.
Ian MacKay opened up the scoring against his former team with a two-pointer. Grant Ament got the Archers on board, but MacKay responded with another two-pointer.
Chaos held a 6-1 lead with 8:49 remaining in the second quarter, but it was the Archers defense that stepped up, limiting Chaos to just two goals the rest of the game.
Faceoff specialist Kyle Gallagher got the nod over Max Adler, but Gallagher only won 7 of his 22 faceoffs, which limited opportunities for the Chaos offense. The Archers took 53 shots, while Chaos only took 31.
“It’s no secret that we’re playing defense three times more than we’re playing offense,” said Chaos head coach Andy Towers. “Frankly, I thought our offense played really well today. It just seemed like we had the ball for only one quarter.”
The Chaos attack unit combined for zero goals, with MacKay leading the charge with four points.
“(The message after the game) was to stay composed, stay together and make sure we’re operating inside the perimeters of our offense,” said Chaos attacker Josh Byrne. “I think you guys saw last year when we decided to have fun and really enjoy the game, move the ball and be super unselfish, we really exploded. I think we just have to get back to that.”
One of the major changes the Archers made in the second half after the score was tied at seven was to put Adam Ghitelman in goal after he had a career-high day last week.
Head coach Chris Bates said last week that we could expect to see Drew Adams play this week, but that he would try to let each goalie play a full game. After Adams only made three saves in the first half, Bates decided to go with Ghitelman. Ghitelman picked off right where he left off, connecting on seven saves, finishing with an 88% save percentage.
Ghitelman’s saves, the Archers shutdown defense, and a 4-0 run to start the third quarter were all the Archers needed to capture their second straight win. Chaos didn’t score a goal until 1:38 left in the third quarter. It was Will Manny who quickly responded to put the Archers back up four.
The fourth quarter was a defensive battle for both teams, with 0 goals allowed.
Ament led the way with six points, while Manny scored five goals. Manny scored his 236th career goal and surpassed Stephen Berger, Mark Millon, Matt Striebel and Drew Westervelt to move into 12th all-time in goals scored.
“It’s awesome,” Manny said. “I got to play with Berger and played against Westervelt. I know a bunch of those guys and looked up to a lot of those guys, so I’m just grateful that I get to be able to play this sport and continue to play at this level. It does mean a lot, but the 2-0 means even more to me. … I have one thing on my mind, and it’s to win a championship.”
The Archers hope to continue their winning ways when they take on the Waterdogs on June 26 at 8:00 p.m. in Baltimore.
The Chaos, who are now 0-3 after losing both games this weekend, will look to bounce back when they take on the Redwoods on June 26 at 5:15 p.m.
