Denver Outlaws 9, Philadelphia Waterdogs 7
Topher Adams: Denver putting the pieces together behind McNaney masterclass
After two underwhelming games to start the season, Denver made the call to put rookie goalie Logan McNaney between the pipes. He delivered on any and all hype for the first goalie drafted, spearheading the Outlaws’ best performance and first win of the year.
McNaney finished with 14 saves at 66.7% while allowing just seven goals. Despite facing one of the top offenses in his first professional game, he looked the part of a seasoned veteran.
Maybe even more important than his command in cage was his ability to spark transition. With McNaney’s long, quick outlet passes, Denver leaned all the way into its transition game to find an offensive identity.
It started with McNaney’s outlet passes, then Jake Piseno (1G, 2A) made excellent decisions on the break and Pat Kavanagh finally found his groove in the early offense. The 2024 Tewaaraton Award winner had his best game as a pro, scoring his first career hat trick to lead Denver in scoring.
The offense is still a work in progress, but the pieces are getting closer and shots are still being created at a high volume (42 shots) even if the efficiency is still a work in progress (20% shooting).
With the defense looking sharper with McNaney anchoring in the goal and the transition game creating an offensive identity, the missing piece remains the settled offense. Brennan O’Neill had a slow night, hitting just one of nine shots, while Jared Bernhardt finally got on the board while shooting just 20%.
As Denver turns the page to a pivotal Western Conference clash against the Utah Archers next weekend, the foundation is finally forming. Now, can the rest of the structure begin to take shape?
Up next for Denver: Sunday, June 22 vs. Utah Archers (noon ET)
Mike Bolger: Two games in two nights takes its toll on Waterdogs in Philly finale
Fatigue played a role in the Waterdogs’ first loss, as the offense recorded its second-fewest goals scored in a game over the last two seasons.
Outside of a Jake Taylor hat trick, no other Waterdog scored more than one goal.
Philly was held without a score for 15 minutes from the end of the second quarter to the beginning of the fourth.
Taylor provided a juice goal in the fourth, but the quality of possessions was lacking in the second half.
“[The Outlaws] played a really hard, tough, physical game,” Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney said. “No excuses, but the second game in two nights against a physical team like that can get a little harder to score.”
Defensively, the purple and white generated just one caused turnover after two of its players came in ranked in the top 10 of the league in that category.
Matt DeLuca had another solid outing, recording 14 saves and a 60.9% save percentage. Three of his saves were crucial stops to keep the Waterdogs in the contest.
The true area of concern on Saturday was the middle of the field.
The Outlaws scored a handful of their goals in transition with McNaney catching Philadelphia off guard at times. It seemed like the Waterdogs were a step behind and couldn’t catch up.
“They came out faster than we did and we got on them early, but they continued to play fast in the game,” DeLuca said. “We kind of slowed down a little bit, got a little stagnant. You come out slow, sure, but that’s not a good enough excuse, especially for this one.”
Despite some second-quarter struggles, there have been no trends of this at the start of the season. So, I don’t believe this loss is cause for concern for the Waterdogs, who started the season 2-0.
Up next for Philadelphia: Saturday, June 21 vs. New York Atlas (4 p.m. ET)
