New York Atlas’ path to the U.S. Bank Championship

For the first time in Premier Lacrosse history, the New York Atlas have the opportunity to play for a championship.

For New York, every trial and tribulation has led to this moment – a chance to be crowned kings of the lacrosse world – and the path to get here has been pure adrenaline.

With a roster loaded with both young and seasoned talent, and a coaching staff determined to achieve greatness, the Atlas have rewritten the storybook and willed their way to a position they have never been in before.

How did New York get here exactly? Let’s take a look at the Atlas’ road to the U.S. Bank Championship, where they will square off against the Denver Outlaws on Sept. 14.

Liam Entenmann’s 22-save performance 

In the midst of a sophomore surge, Liam Entenmann posted a career-high 22 saves against the Philadelphia Waterdogs in a dominant 17-9 victory. It was a turning point for both Entenmann and the rest of the team, as it was coming off two straight losses and had seemed to be trending downward to start the season.

Entenmann’s performance against Philadelphia marked the beginning of his remarkable second season in the PLL. He was named both an All-Star and a finalist for the 2025 Oren Lyons Goalie of the Year Award, and he posted a league-high 15.2 saves per game during the regular season.

Entenmann, who made 18 saves and stopped 69.2% of Philadelphia’s shots on goal in the semifinals, has been the backbone of one of the league’s top defenses and has bailed New York out constantly with jaw-dropping saves.

Matt Traynor’s breakout game 

It didn’t take long for the sixth overall pick in the 2025 College Draft to make a mark in the pros, but what solidified Matt Traynor as an All-Star was his four-point (2G, 2A) performance in a 10-8 win over the defending champion Utah Archers.

Traynor’s top quality is his ability to invert and initiate an offense. As a college attackman, Traynor is comfortable dodging from X and quarterbacking the offense when called upon.

Traynor was instrumental in New York’s offense as both a distributor and scorer late in the game to help the Atlas pull away in the second half. After finishing the first half of the season with 13 points (7G, 6A), Traynor was named a starter for the 2025 All-Star Game as a rookie.

All four of New York’s draft picks have played critical roles in the team’s success on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Max Krevsky has been a staple in the Atlas’ defensive midfield group. Michael Grace became just one of four long poles in PLL history to score 10-plus points in a season.

Offensively, Hugh Kelleher has played an instrumental depth role in New York’s offensive midfield group, scoring six points (5G, 1A).

While not having the most glamorous jobs, the Atlas’ young guns help fill voids in positions that are sparse within the league. Finding production from your depth pieces is critical to success during the postseason.

Connor Shellenberger’s seven-assist game 

After the Atlas attackman notched seven points (5G, 2A) the week prior, the California Redwoods decided to play Connor Shellenberger as a distributor, not as a scorer. While Shellenberger did not record a goal that night, he managed to tally seven points on assists alone.

This game helped put Shellenberger into the MVP conversation after Michael Sowers was seen as a likely front-runner for the award during the first half of the season. After his back-to-back seven-point games, Shellenberger became the league’s top point-scorer. He finished the regular season with a league-high 46 points.

Similar to Entenmann, Shellenberger has been a pillar of the Atlas’ success as he molded into the quarterback of New York’s offense in his second season. Last year’s MVP, Jeff Teat, has played a complementary role to Shellenberger, and their connection has helped power the PLL’s highest-scoring offense (13.0 scores per game).

Shellenberger is a finalist for both MVP and Eamon McAnaney Attackman of the Year.

Reid Bowering is inserted into the New York Lineup

Though he was rostered in 2024 and participated in training camp this summer, Reid Bowering did not dress for New York until the fourth game of the 2025 season against Philadelphia.

But once he beat out fellow left-handed midfielders Cole Williams and Kyle Jackson for a spot on the 19-man roster, Bowering became a staple and integral piece of the Atlas’ offensive success through his IQ and off-ball prowess.

Initially quiet on the stat sheet, Bowering used his ability to create space for the players around him by setting picks on-ball and screens off-ball to disrupt opposing defenses’ slides and hedges.

In Bowering’s last three games, however, he has accumulated 10 points (8G, 2A), using his creativity on SportsCenter-worthy finishes.

Not every midfielder needs to be the best dodger or shooter, and Bowering is a prime example of how the players who do the dirty work can still be rewarded through team success.

Gavin Adler holds Michael Sowers to two points on 16 touches in semifinals

Heading into the semifinals, Michael Sowers had been averaging 4.2 points and 32.5 touches per game. In the Waterdogs’ win against Maryland during the quarterfinals, Sowers had eight points on 26 touches.

Then came Gavin Adler.

Adler’s performance against Sowers showed how New York had learned from past mistakes and rose to the occasion.

New York will face a high-powered Denver Outlaws offense in the U.S. Bank Championship. While Denver tallied 13 scores against New York in their previous meeting, Adler held his offensive matchup, Pat Kavanagh, to zero points on 11 shots.

Adler was taken No. 1 in the 2023 College Draft for one reason: to completely erase a team’s top offensive player. A staple of his game is pressing the perimeter whenever his opponent is carrying the ball. He takes away any space for an offensive player to gain a step against him when they initiate a dodge.

The third-year pro took a massive leap this season as he began to reach his full potential as a top cover defenseman in the PLL. Adler earned his recognition as he was named a finalist for the Dave Pietramala Defensive Player of the Year Award.