The stage has been set for the 2025 U.S. Bank Championship between the New York Atlas and Denver Outlaws for more than a week.
The last time both parties met, it ended in one of the best games in recent pro lacrosse history. After being down by five goals heading into the second half, the Outlaws crawled back to win in an overtime thriller. New York, which led for most of the game, was left in despair.
With the two teams now squaring off with a championship on the line, here are three aspects the Atlas must harp on in order to win on Sunday:
Limit Pat Kavanagh’s productivity
In all three of Denver’s losses during the regular season, Kavanagh was held to three or fewer points. While the Outlaws have several high-caliber scorers like Brennan O’Neill, Jared Bernhardt and Graham Bundy Jr., Kavanagh is the quarterback of its offense.
Luckily for the Atlas, they have the right personnel to cover Kavanagh.
Gavin Adler, a finalist for the Dave Pietramala Defenseman of the Year Award, has been a game-changer in his matchups. In New York’s semifinal win over the Philadelphia Waterdogs, Adler held Michael Sowers to just two points on 16 touches. With Sowers’ distributing abilities removed, Philadelphia’s offense struggled to facilitate without its top ball-handler, which ultimately led to the Atlas winning and advancing to the title game.
In New York and Denver’s previous matchup, Adler held Kavanagh to zero points despite the Atlas losing. Adler and the rest of the defense were able to hold the Outlaws to just four goals in the first half.
Though they came out on the losing end, the Atlas defense had the right game plan to stop Denver initially. If Adler can continue to play at a high level, it will be hard for the Outlaws to get settled offensive sets going.
Taking Kavanagh out of the picture would force the Outlaws to rely on beating their defensive matchups one-on-one rather than playing the team-oriented style we have seen from them in the latter half of the season.
Limit Denver’s transition game
In the semifinals against Philadelphia, New York allowed the Waterdogs to score three two-point goals from defensemen in transition. The Atlas almost found themselves exiting in the semis for a second straight year.
In the first New York-Denver matchup, Outlaws long-stick midfielder Jake Piseno launched a go-ahead two-point goal late in the fourth quarter that took the life out of Atlas.
New York needs to run timely substitutions to prevent massive momentum-swinging goals late in the game. New York must also take smart shots to avoid easy Logan McNaney saves that could lead to breakaways.
In the Atlas’ cage, Liam Entenmann must be aware of New York’s subbing situations and know when to anticipate when a two-point threat is imminent.
Piseno led the league in points for a long pole during the regular season with 12, including three two-pointers. Outlaws short-stick defensive midfielder Ryan Terefenko is a scoring threat, as well (5G, 1T, 2A).
Find production for Reid Bowering
Bowering’s production during the second half of the season had been remarkable. Even as a primarily off-ball midfielder whose main job is to create space for New York’s aggressive dodgers, Bowering has been putting up productive numbers within the Atlas offense.
Bowering started his scoring spree against the Outlaws. He tallied four points (3G, 1A) in his team’s overtime loss, including the first two scores of the game for New York.
The following week in the regular-season finale, Bowering recorded another hat trick to help New York win a 20-19 thriller. In the semifinals last week, Bowering scored three more points (2G, 1A) despite being long-poled for the majority of the game.
This will be Bowering’s second championship game in the PLL. His first came in 2023, when he suited up for the Utah Archers to replace an injured Connor Fields. Bowering notched a goal in that game and claimed a PLL title.
Bowering has flown under the radar for the majority of his pro career, but after the last few games, it is clear how dangerous he can be with his off-ball prowess and creativity. If Denver does not guard Bowering off the ball, it might find itself in more trouble than last time.
