Lamberti’s U.S. Bank Championship Mega-Preview

For the first time in PLL history, the top two regular-season teams will face off in the U.S. Bank Championship.

From late June on, it was apparent that the New York Atlas and Denver Outlaws were the two most complete teams in the league, and it almost seemed inevitable that they would wind up as the last two standing.

Taking a look at what this means for each team and what battles within the battle will decide it all this Sunday:

Will Connor Shellenberger get switches off of JT Giles-Harris?

In their regular-season matchup, it felt like Denver played Shellenberger as a passer. They were slow to slide and almost dared Shellenberger to beat them off the dodge, dropping off of him in the pick game in particular.

That plan didn’t work out.

Shellenberger finished with three unassisted goals, including the game-tying goal to send the game into overtime, after drawing a short-stick matchup from a switch in the pick.

Shellenberger has scored twice as many unassisted goals this season (12) as he did in 2024, and a lot of that has to do with his prowess in the pick game. He is exceptional at using picks to create his own look; all he needs is that slight hesitation from the defense before he steps into his shot, like he did against the Outlaws last month.

This time around, I expect Denver to be more aggressive. They’ll want Giles-Harris to stick with Shellenberger as much as possible. But if he gets picked off? I expect the Outlaws to switch quickly and then slide early to flush the ball out of Shellenberger’s stick.

Shellenberger is still a talented passer, and the quick slide will create openings for him to thread the needle to open teammates, but I would be shocked if Denver played passively again and let Shellenberger get off his own shot.

Who will step up for Denver offensively? 

With four Tewaaraton Award winners on offense, there’s always someone who steps up in a big way for Denver.

In their regular-season matchup against New York, Brennan O’Neill was hobbled and Pat Kavanagh was held without a point, but Jared Bernhardt stepped up with four second-half points, including the overtime winner.

But the game before that against Utah? It was the O’Neill show with six points (4G, 2T) while Bernhardt was held scoreless.

Whereas the Atlas can create so much offense from just their movement inside (more on this below), the Outlaws are so good at creating their shots off the dribble; O’Neill and Bernhardt both finished in the top three in the league in unassisted goals.

The question is: Who will step up in the biggest game of the year?

Could that guy be Dalton Young?

The four Tewaaraton winners get all the attention, but the second-year pro from Richmond is just as important to this offense.

Young is as steady as they come, averaging about two points per game for the Outlaws, and he takes advantage of the star power around him.

How? Young doesn’t get slid to nearly as often as Kavanagh, O’Neill or Bernhardt, and the 2025 All-Star has proven he can get to the rack and score.

In a game with a ton of eyeballs on the stars, Young could be one of the biggest storylines of the championship.

Can Denver defend New York’s high crease movement?

New York’s offense is one of the best off-ball moving offenses I’ve ever seen.

The Atlas scored four goals in the semifinals against Philadelphia on their high crease movement alone. Xander Dickson is the king of the high crease dating back to his days at Virginia, and his presence inside poses such a problem for defenses.

The Atlas have used subtle off-ball picks to free up Dickson on the inside, and he’s virtually automatic when he gets his hands free on the high crease.

Because Dickson has scored a ton this season on that movement, the gravity he draws frees up space for the picker (in this case, Jake Stevens) to cut into and score.

Then you also have players like Reid Bowering, whose insertion into the lineup has skyrocketed the Atlas’ off-ball chemistry because of his IQ and finishing ability.

The Atlas and Dickson are elite at moving off-ball, but the variety of looks they present and the number of skilled players they have at scoring inside pose such an issue for defenses.

So will Denver be up to the task?

It’s a veteran-led defense with experienced pros Jesse Bernhardt, Mike Manley and Giles-Harris. But defending New York is easier said than done.

Dickson, Bowering and others need just a sliver of space to beat you, so how well Denver can defend this will be key to their success.

Will Denver’s rope unit be the X-factor?

The Outlaws boast the league’s top-scoring long-stick midfielder in Jake Piseno with 12 points (5G, 3T, 4A) and two short-stick defensive midfielders in the top five point-scorers at their position in Ryan Terefenko and Zach Geddes.

There’s not a faster and more skilled rope unit out there, and their go-go-go mentality in transition has led to enormous success.

But the catalyst behind the Outlaws’ success in transition? Rookie goalie Logan McNaney.

McNaney’s 60.4% clean save percentage is what allows him to clear the ball to Denver’s rope unit so quickly.

Just how impressive is that stat? McNaney’s clean save percentage this season is a PLL record. The league average for clean save percentage is 39.1%, and the next closest starting goalie is at 42.1% (Colin Kirst).

He’s not only saving the ball at an insanely high clip, but when he does, it’s a clean save more often than not, which allows this high-powered offense to strike quickly.

Not only do the Atlas need to be wary of Denver’s weapons in transition, but they also need to make sure they can avoid McNaney’s stick when shooting from the outside.

Is this the beginning of one of the great goalie battles?

This is not an ordinary battle – it’s a clash of legit superstars in net.

What more could you ask for than two Goalie of the Year finalists, one a rookie and one a second-year pro, battling it out to end the season?

Despite their differences in stature and style, both goalies are equally effective.

The smaller lefty McNaney has zero wasted movement and has a unique tendency to make good shots look like not-so-good shots by just making the ball disappear in his stick.

Liam Entenmann’s athleticism and big frame lead to some showstopping saves; his ability to move pipe to pipe in the blink of an eye is a big reason why he’s the best in the league at saving shots from five yards and in. Entenmann is at 52.6%, while Brett Dobson, the next closest goalie, is at 46.1%.

On top of it all, both goalies are used to the big-time moments. McNaney and Entenmann have yet to play in a PLL title game, but they have plenty of championship experience already.

They combined for six appearances in the NCAA national championship game, including facing off against each other in 2024.

It’ll be their first professional championship matchup, but I doubt it’ll be the last one.

Can New York get over the hump?

Expectations were massive for New York heading into this season, so it should come as a sigh of relief that they were able to make their first title game appearance in their history.

In 2024, league MVP Jeff Teat shattered the single-season points record with 64, and with the talent around him, there was no excuse for the Atlas to score only 11 (their lowest score total of the season) in their semifinal loss to the Maryland Whipsnakes.

With virtually everyone returning offensively, elite talents both at the faceoff stripe and in between the pipes, and depth at every position, there naturally was going to be pressure on the Atlas to finally get to the final weekend.

While of course they still want to win the whole thing, it feels like perhaps the Atlas can breathe a little bit easier knowing they’ve made it.

The most convincing part about this run for New York? After Philly gained momentum in the second and fourth quarters of the semifinals with two-point goals in transition, this Atlas team displayed mental toughness to thwart the Waterdogs’ runs with either a goal of their own or big-time saves from Entenmann.

New York’s inability to stop opponents’ big runs was the reason it lost in the playoffs last year, so it was nice to see the Atlas complete a full game despite some adversity.

Now that the Atlas are finally here? Sure, there’s still pressure, but I expect them to play loose and free.

Could Denver’s 2025 offseason be the greatest in PLL history?

Denver went all in this season, trading for Kavanagh and signing the big-ticket free agent in Bernhardt to bolster the offense.

Defensively, they signed All-Star SSDM Geddes and drafted McNaney in the second round.

While it was a rocky start – the Outlaws opened the season with back-to-back losses – Denver has looked like a juggernaut from late June on, with every phase of the team clicking on all cylinders.

If they can pull out the victory on Sunday, will this be remembered as the greatest offseason ever by a team?

It just might be.