Whipsnakes LC goalie Kyle Bernlohr has been ruled out for the 2023 Championship Series with a torso injury. The reigning Oren Lyons Goalie of the Year is expected to return for the start of the 2023 regular season in June. Reed Junkin has been activated to the Whipsnakes’ 12-man roster as his replacement.

“If anyone doesn’t know Reed, he’s a pretty damn good goalie,” said Bernlohr. “Obviously alongside Phipper [Brian Phipps], who has been a mainstay in pro lacrosse for I don’t know how many years, that’s two guys on our roster who have played meaningful minutes. It’s going to be a lot of reps for both goalies. I think across the board with all the teams you’re going to see more goalies in action rather than just one starter.”

“I’m excited just to be part of that goalie group and support those guys any way that I can.”

13-year veteran Brian Phipps is expected to start between the pipes. Phipps, a three-time All-Star, has a 52% career save percentage and ranks sixth all-time with 1,171 career saves.

Since joining the Whipsnakes, Phipps has snagged 39.3% of his saves cleanly – way above the league average of 32.1%. Clean saves (and quick outlets) are key in this format. Granted it’s a small sample size, but he has denied 90.9% (10-of-11) of shots from 13-yards-and-out, where the new 2-point arc is painted.

Phipps, Junkin, and Whipsnakes LC start their Championship Series schedule on Wednesday, February 22nd at 5:30PM ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+ against Atlas LC.