Maryland Whipsnakes 11, Denver Outlaws 10

Adam Lamberti: Whipsnakes survive after slow start

Survive and advance.

While it wasn’t pretty, the Whipsnakes picked up the win in a back-and-forth affair and will head back to the Cash App Playoff semifinals.

After not playing since Aug. 9, the rust showed in the first quarter especially for the Whipsnakes, who committed careless turnovers and took ill-advised shots early on.

The difference late in the game was rookie Adam Poitras. Poitras started with the ball out of a timeout with a little under five minutes to go in the game and curled around the cage to score the go-ahead goal. Two minutes later, Poitras fed fellow rookie TJ Malone to go up 11-9. 

The Outlaws closed the gap to one, but the Whipsnakes ultimately held on in the end.

Again, the Whipsnakes did enough to come out of the game with a win.

I said that the key stat for the Whipsnakes in the playoffs was for Malone to have at least four points, which he did with five (2G, 3A). Defensively, Matt Dunn and company had another great game, limiting the Outlaws and star rookie Brennan O’Neill while Brendan Krebs made 11 saves.

Up next for the Whipsnakes is a semifinal date with the top-seeded New York Atlas this Saturday on Long Island.

Topher Adams: Outlaws run out of gas in first-round exit

The Outlaws did what they needed to do for most of the night. O’Neill scored a pair of goals, the offense moved the ball and attacked well, and the defense took care of business against a talented Maryland offense.

But in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Denver just barely ran out of gas. The game was close all night, but Maryland pushed ahead by two late in the game. The Outlaws couldn’t break through in the fourth quarter and failed to assert any offensive momentum in the final period.

The broadcast crew reported the team looked tired on the offensive end, and that manifested itself into a disappointing finish and ultimately a one-goal loss to end the season.

The final minutes put a damper on what was an inspired performance for many of Denver’s top players. Owen McElroy turned in a career-best performance when his team needed it most, making 16 saves at 61.5%. Sam Handley scored a freakish two-pointer and had a pair of assists.

Luck also played a massive role in the final result. The Whipsnakes scored a massive, game-tying two-point goal on a pass that bounced off of JT Giles-Harris outside the crease. That one weird fluke incident ended up being the difference in the game.

But that’s what happens when the margins are so small. Every play matters even more in the playoffs. For a young team that’s still a piece or two away from the top of the league, those breaks hit even harder.

Moving forward, there’s plenty to be excited about with this team. After going 1-9 a year ago, the work done to rebuild and set a strong young core is what matters most. A long playoff run would’ve been ideal, but gaining that experience is a big first step for this new era of Denver lacrosse.