16x9_Game8_Final

Carlson, Whipsnakes Dominate Atlas and Improve to 2-0

By Marisa Ingemi | Jul 30, 2020

The ensemble offense Whipsnakes has made a couple of statements.

On Thursday night, that statement came in the form of a 15-6 win over Atlas, propelling them to a 2-0 record heading into their toughest stretch of games in the tournament.

A 3-3 game in the first quarter, the Whipsnakes pulled away with nine straight goals while shutting Atlas out in the second half until 7:30 left in the fourth.

The Whipsnakes’ offensive versatility is a hallmark, and they showcased that early. Their first five goals came from different scorers, boosting them to an early lead they expanded upon in the second.

Jay Carlson’s four goals led the way, while Kyle Bernholor made 15 saves at a 71 percent clip. Zed Williams and Mike Chanenchuk each added hat tricks.

 

Breakdown

Max Tuttle opened the Whipsnakes scoring in what was a tight contest to start.

The early back-and-forth affair was breathed into life thanks to Atlas taking advantage of some open looks. Ryan Brown tied things up 3-3 early in the second quarter before Williams netted the Whipsnakes fourth goal of the lead.

Joe Nardella won five straight faceoffs between the first and second quarters to keep the Whipsnakes in possession, and the Atlas got into penalty trouble with 7:20 left in the second, giving the Whipsnakes a two-man advantage.

They, well, took advantage.

Chanenchuk stepped into a shot just below the two-point line to give the Whipsnakes their first two-goal lead.

Williams’ second tally midway through the second put the Whipsnakes ahead 6-3.

That’s when Carlson decided to have himself a day.

After tallying just once in the first Whipsnakes win last week, the Baltimore native scored three times in the first half alone to give his team a five-goal lead heading into the half.

He wasn’t done when the clock ticked to the third quarter, either; Carlson opened the scoring in the second half to put the Whipsnakes ahead by six.

Everything was synching for the Whips deep into the second half, with defender Matt Dunn stepping in to make a save while Bernlohr was out of position, keeping it a 9-3 contest.

While Carlson was busy breaking out, Atlas were busy struggling to find the scoreboard.

They went from 8:53 left in the second to 7:30 left in the fourth before scoring their fourth goal of the contest, and by then the Whipsnakes had put up a 12 spot.

Atlas had their chance with 10 minutes left in the fourth to score on the man advantage, but their drought continued, aided by a 71 percent faceoff clip from the Whipsnakes.

Right after Atlas’ man advantage, Chanenchuk blasted a two-point goal to put it well out of reach. Atlas finally scored in the second half a few moments after on a tally from Romar Dennis.

Jacob Stover entered the game for the Whipsnakes with 2:16 left, relieving Kyle Bernlohr.

Nardella finished with a 75 percent faceoff percentage, toppling Trevor Baptiste in that battle.

 

Ramifications

With their second win, the Whipsnakes moved into a three-way tie atop the league with a 2-0 record. Atlas dropped to 1-2, in a tie just ahead of the 0-2 clubs.

The Whipsnakes look to make it three in a row on Friday night as they face Chaos at 7:00 p.m ET., while Atlas will look to rebound against the Redwoods in their final round-robin game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m ET.