PLL playoffs: Maryland Whipsnakes upset top-seeded New York Atlas in semifinal at Hofstra

New York Atlas coach Mike Pressler preferred to focus on the positives, how his team had finished with the worst record in the Premier Lacrosse League in his first season last year, but turned things around, and put together the league’s best record in his second season this year.

But the No. 1 seed in the PLL playoffs won’t win a championship in Pressler’s second season, because they fell to the No. 4 seed Maryland Whipsnakes in overtime, 12-11 in the first of two semifinal games at Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University.

Levi Anderson’s third goal of the game, 7:06 into the overtime, powered the Whipsnakes, winners of the first two titles in the six-year old league’s history, into the championship game next weekend in Chester, Pa. They will face the defending champion Utah Archers, the No. 2 seed, who blew out the No. 6 Carolina Chaos, 10-1, in the second semifinal.

Pressler, who, before taking over the Atlas last year had coached college lacrosse at Bryant University and before that at Duke, said the first semifinal was “one of the greatest lacrosse games I've been a part of in my career, at any level.’’

“Just two heavyweights, slugging it out,’’ he said. “That overtime is as wild a thing as I've ever seen.’’

And the overtime was indeed something to behold, with the teams trading possessions – four each – before midfielder Jake Stevens hit the goalpost on the Atlas’ fourth turn with the ball. Finally, with the Whipsnakes on their fifth possession, Anderson dodged from the right wing past his defender and fired a shot past rookie Atlas goalie Liam Entenmann for the winner.

In the battle of goalies from Chaminade High School, second-year pro Brendan Krebs of the Whipsnakes made 17 saves to get the better of his former Flyers teammate, Entenmann, who made nine saves.

The game, though, might not have gotten to overtime if not for a crucial mistake by Pressler, who was late in throwing a challenge flag on a pivotal goal by Maryland’s Ryan Conrad.

After Jeff Teat, the league’s leading scorer and frontrunner for MVP, had scored to put the Atlas up 11-8, with 5:36 left in the fourth quarter, it looked like New York was well on its way to claiming a spot in the final.

But then Conrad dodged from behind the net and scored with 4:46 left to make it 11-9, starting a run of three goals in a one-minute, 20-second span by the Whipsnakes that ended with Matt Rambo’s goal that tied the score 11-11, with 3:26 remaining.

Pressler and the Atlas coaching staff saw on the video that Conrad had stepped on the goal crease, which would have negated the goal, but Pressler didn’t throw the red flag within the 30-second time limit coaches have to challenge a play. The play was never reviewed, and the goal stood.

“That was my mistake,’’ Pressler said. “I should have thrown the flag, then got [referee] Matt Palumb's attention. I was trying to get his attention, and then throw the flag. And evidently, that window of time, the 30 seconds, ran out.

“He [Conrad] was definitely in the crease. That was our interpretation. It was very obvious. We watched it four or five times.’’

This was the first year that the PLL, which follows a touring model in which it takes all of its eight teams to a different venue every weekend in the summer and plays weekend doubleheaders, assigned each team to a different city or region. And the fans at Shuart were clearly pulling for the Atlas, chanting “De-Fense! De-Fense!’’ when the Whipsnakes had the ball during the overtime.

That was music to the ears of Atlas faceoff man Trevor Baptiste, a New Jersey native.

“I think it's special,’’ Baptiste said. “I think it shows the growth of the game and growth of the league. For me personally, being from New Jersey, it's pretty cool. To kind of feel like you're playing at home, and being so close to home, I think it was great, and the energy was electric.’’

The second game was never close. Utah led 9-0 at halftime, and led 10-0 late in the fourth quarter and were on the verge of completing a shutout before Zach Geddes scored Carolina’s goal with 56.0 seconds remaining.

Finest top Bravest in OT. Before the two PLL teams played, the NYPD and FDNY faced off in an exhibition game that the NYPD won, 9-8, in overtime.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.