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Cannons-Chaos Preview

By Katie McNulty | Jul 2, 2021

Where to Watch

  • Saturday, July 3
  • 3:00 p.m. ET
  • Live on Peacock

Major Matchup

Last week, Michael Rexrode held Lyle Thompson to zero goals, which was only the second time Thompson has been held scoreless in his professional career. Even with that game, Lyle is tied for second in 1-point goals with 10. We can expect Thompson to bounce back immediately from his performance when he takes on the Chaos on Saturday.

Jack Rowlett or Jarrod Neumann will most likely be the guys guarding Thompson. Neumann and Rowlett have both caused seven turnovers each, which makes for the perfect matchup against Thompson. 

The Stripe

Through three weeks, both the Cannons and Chaos have struggled immensely at the faceoff position. Chaos sits in last place in the league, going 33% at the stripe, while the Cannons sit in second to last place, only winning 36% at the faceoff X. 

Chaos picked up Max Adler in the entry draft and Kyle Gallagher in the College Draft, but both have grappled to find their rhythm. 

The Cannons used both Drew Simoneau and Tommy Kelly to begin their season, but they released Kelly to the player pool this week after he only won 11 of 41 faceoffs. With the release of Kelly, they picked up Marist alum Peyton Smith. Smith was on the Redwoods last season. He went 35% from the stripe. Smith is the only faceoff specialist listed on the Cannons 19-man roster for tomorrow. 

Saturday's faceoff battle will prove to be a meaningful battle between both teams.

Cannons Dynamic Offense

While the Cannons have struggled at the X, their offense is so dynamic that they’ve still found a way to score 55 points this season. They are 1-3, but their three losses have been by one goal each game. They have the second best score differential in the league. 

Chaos’ 2-pt bombs

One of the strong parts about this Chaos offense is their 2-pt bombs. Mac O’Keefe’s two-pointer lifted Chaos to an 11-9 win over the Redwoods last week. They are currently leading the league with six 2-pointers. 

Paul Rabil looks to break history on Saturday 

Cannons midfielder Paul Rabil needs just two points on Saturday to become the all-time career leader in points. He’s accumulated 641 points in his 13 seasons of professional lacrosse. John Grant Jr., who retired from lacrosse last year, sits in first with 643 points. Rabil has scored 13 points in four games this season and is on track to make history this weekend.

What’s at Stake? 

The Cannons are 1-3, and while their record doesn’t show just how good of a team they are, it wouldn’t be good if they dropped to 1-4 with a game against the Archers next week. 

Chaos should be returning most of their roster on Saturday now that players can travel, so tomorrow's game will be a good test to see if they can keep it rolling after getting their first win last week. 

No matter who wins or loses this game, some team is going to drop to 1-4, and with a nine-game regular season, there is a lot riding on this game.

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