Utah Archers 29, Boston Cannons 21

Zach Carey: Utah’s defense contains Cannons by limiting two-pointers

Entering Wednesday night’s matchup, Utah’s defenders looked like the key to the club’s success at the 2025 Lexus Championship Series. Grant Ament’s absence due to injury and the onslaught of threats that the Cannons present suggested that the Archers would need to try to win a low-scoring battle. 

While the Archers had no issues scoring the rock across 32 minutes, their defense executed an effective game plan against the defending champs. By pressing out on the perimeter and forcing Boston to win one-on-one matchups, Utah limited the Cannons to just five two-point shots and only two makes. Asher Nolting got his with eight total points. Yet because Utah forced him to be a scorer – he finished with 11 shots on 18 touches and just one assist – the defense contained his impact. 

That’s a victory in this format, and it was spurred on by a stalwart group of defenders Beau Pederson, Piper Bond, Mason Woodward and Connor Maher.

“We’re being led by our defense right now which is exciting,” head coach Chris Bates said postgame. 

Utah’s defenders also produced offensively. Bond (3G, 1A), Pederson (2G, 2A), Woodward (1G, 1A) and Maher (1G) made plays in transition and early offense which alleviated the pressure on the Archers’ big guns. 

That’s not to say that the Archers’ leading offensive threats didn’t have their way, though. Matt Moore (3G, 2T) and Mac O’Keefe (4G, 1T, 1A) each scored seven points while Ryan Aughavin (1G, 2T, 1A) got in on the action as well with six points. The five two-pointers that Moore, Aughavin and O’Keefe catapulted the Archers to the fifth-most points in a game in Championship Series history.

“You're able to build a decent sized lead if you cash in on a couple [twos],” O’Keefe said after his Champ Series debut. “So, any chance that we've had that's a good look later in the clock, we're going to take that.”

Utah’s five two-bombs relative to Boston’s two netted a six-point swing. That alone is a major feather in the Archers’ cap as they picked up their first win in the Champ Series since 2023 after going winless last year. If the club can keep limiting shots from beyond the arc defensively and continue converting on them offensively, Utah should make a real run at its first Sixes title.

Up next for Utah: vs. New York Atlas (Friday, 9 p.m. ET)

Sarah Griffin: Two-point struggles, defensive breakdowns lead to opening loss

The reigning Championship Series champs didn’t get the start they were hoping for in their 2025 opener as Boston dropped a game defined by the two-point arc and defensive struggles for the Boom Squad.

Colin Kirst was the backbone of last year’s title run, but he didn’t get much help in this one. The Archers’ offense kept him under siege, and he finished the first half with just a 26% save percentage. With such an offensive-minded roster in front of Kirst, the Cannons’ defenders didn’t do enough to slow down Utah’s attack, leaving the goalie to absorb shot after shot.

Aside from suspect defense, the biggest separator came down to the two-ball. The Archers went 3-for-7 from deep in the first half, while the Cannons failed to hit a single two before halftime. That disparity fueled Utah’s 18-12 lead at the break, and the trend continued in the second half. By the end of the night, the Cannons had managed two two-pointers, courtesy of Nolting and Marcus Holman, while Utah buried five.

“The biggest thing in this game [Sixes] is the two,” Nolting said after the game.

Especially for a record-setting two-bomb team over the summer, that disparity from the arc was glaring.

Boston briefly showed some second-half intensity, but by the end of the third quarter, the Archers had stretched their lead to 24-16. Even as both teams struggled with accuracy during that stretch, Utah’s early dominance left little room for a Cannons comeback.

Holman led the Cannons' offense in the first half with three goals, while Nolting continued to quarterback the attack despite being tightly marked. The Archers' defensive pressure limited his impact, and the lack of transition defense only added to Boston’s woes.

Heading into Friday, the Cannons will need to clean up their defensive rotations, get more from two-way players such as Bubba Fairman, Ethan Rall, and Carter Parlette, and most importantly, rediscover their shooting touch from beyond the arc if they want to bounce back against the 0-1 Maryland Whipsnakes.

Up next for Boston: vs. Maryland Whipsnakes (Thursday, 7 p.m. ET)