PLL Week 2 Preview: 7 Teams in Action at First-Time Stop Rhode Island

The Premier Lacrosse League heads to Rhode Island for the first time as seven teams square off at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket. While not technically a homecoming weekend for the Boston Cannons, New England’s de facto PLL team opens its season with a doubleheader.

CAROLINA CHAOS (0-1) VS. BOSTON CANNONS (0-0)

Friday 6 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Chaos -1.5 vs. Cannons, O/U 24.5

Key storylines: When we last saw the Cannons, they dropped both games of a doubleheader to end the 2025 season. This resulted in a tie for second place between three 4-6 teams in the East, and the Cannons missed the playoffs based on score differential.

Boston’s defense ranked last in goals allowed last year and was the Cannons’ main area of weakness. This offseason, Garrett Epple and Bryce Young both retired, but their losses may not be as significant as they appear. Both looked past their prime down the stretch and some infusion of youth should help Boston — though some patience is needed. Head coach Brian Holman selected Richmond’s Hunter Smith and Notre Dame’s Will Donovan in this year’s draft to help rebuild the defense, but Boston will be without both defenders for their doubleheader this weekend.

Still, Jack Kielty remains the nucleus of this defense, and Holman confirmed that Owen Grant will move down to close defense — a move he said he regretted not making sooner. How Grant, Kielty and goaltender Colin Kirst perform will be one of the biggest storylines of the weekend, and Grant’s battle with Carolina attackman Jackson Eicher in particular is a matchup to watch.

Players to watch: Boston never truly solidified its lefty attack spot last year, with veteran Will Manny and then rookie Coulter Mackesy splitting time (and sometimes working in tandem) last season. However, with Manny transitioning to an assistant coach role and Mackesy expected to be the full-time starter in 2026, Boston will have plenty of continuity. Keep an eye on Mackesy as he looks to take a big leap in his sophomore season as a pro.

Another left-handed option is former Towson attackman and third overall pick Mikey Weisshaar. Weisshaar will make his PLL debut as a midfielder and is a name to watch for rookie of the year. Expect him to make an immediate impact.

As for Carolina, Blaze Riorden returns from his paternity leave and will get the start for the Chaos. Riorden has played exceptionally against the Cannons recently and stopped 21 of their shots in Carolina’s victory over Boston last year. He’ll look to aid a defense that struggled last week, allowing 16 points to the defending champs.

Bold prediction: Grant puts the clamps on Eicher, but Carolina’s depth on offense picks up the slack as the Chaos outlast the Cannons. Riorden reaches double-digit saves, including a few clutch ones in the fourth quarter to secure Carolina its first win of the season.

Best Bet: Jackson Eicher Under 3.5 Points (-138 on FanDuel)

NEW YORK ATLAS (1-0) VS. MARYLAND WHIPSNAKES (0-1)

Friday 8:30 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Atlas -1.5 vs. Whipsnakes, O/U 24.5

Key storylines: New York will be without Trevor Baptiste, Danny Logan and Jeff Teat for another week as Baptiste and Logan joined Teat on the PUP list following the end of their NLL seasons. That said, their absences last week didn’t appear to hurt the Atlas, who still managed to score 16 points on Carolina.

Meanwhile, Maryland gets defender Matt Dunn back for week two and will look to improve upon a lackluster defensive performance against Philly last week. The Whipsnakes defense actually allowed the same amount of goals as Philly did in week one, but three of them were two-pointers and gave the Waterdogs a 16-14 victory. The Whipsnakes will have to play much better defensively if they want to slow down an equally potent Atlas offense.

Maryland has had New York’s number in recent years, winning three of the last four meetings between these teams.

Players to watch: Maryland added midfielders Truitt Sunderland and Jack Pilling to its roster this week. Sunderland registered 120 points for Virginia his last two seasons and should give the Whips another dynamic option on offense. Pilling was one of Richmond’s best short-stick defensive midfielders during all four of his years with the program and caused 17 turnovers for the Spiders for the second consecutive season.

As for New York, Levi Anderson faces his former team after leading Atlas with seven points last week. The lefty will get the starting nod on attack again in place of Teat. Can he replicate his performance against a familiar foe?

Bold prediction: Maryland continues to be New York’s kryptonite, as the Whipsnakes win a close game thanks to big performances from TJ Malone and Aidan Carroll.

Best Bet: Maryland Whipsnakes +1.5 (+100 on Caesars)

DENVER OUTLAWS (0-1) VS. CALIFORNIA REDWOODS (1-0)

Saturday 1 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Redwoods -1.5 vs. Outlaws, O/U 23.5

Key storylines: In week one, Dillon Ward led a Redwoods defense to a record-setting win, with California allowing its lowest goal total to an opponent in franchise history. With defender Cole Kastner set to miss week two with a hamstring injury, can Ward and California have the same level of success against last year’s runners-up?

Denver’s defense was decent last week and gets defender Mike Manley back. It was Utah’s defense holding Denver to just seven goals that doomed the Outlaws in their season opener. Brennan O’Neill, Jared Bernhardt and Logan Wisnauskas had multi-point outings, but the rest of the team struggled to provide any support. Can Denver’s offense get back on track, or will it continue to flounder without attackman Pat Kavanagh?

Players to watch: Former Army midfielder Evan Plunkett will make his Denver debut this week and should make an immediate impact. Plunkett’s range as a shooter will be an asset and provides the Outlaws with another two-point threat to pair with Graham Bundy Jr. He’s also an elite dodger that can exploit short-stick matchups or open up opportunities for the rest of the midfield if California chooses to ole him with long-stick midfielders Jared Connors and BJ Farrare.

The battle at the faceoff between California’s TD Ierlan and Denver’s Luke Wierman is another to keep an eye on. Ierlan got the best of Wierman in the latter’s PLL debut, but Wierman won the second meeting between them. Both were dead even in their most recent matchup, and the victor of this meeting could swing the game in his team’s favor.

Bold prediction: The Denver offense reaches double-digits and scores enough to hand California its first loss of the season. Bernhardt leads the charge with another multi-goal game, this time in a winning effort.

Best Bets: Denver Outlaws Moneyline (+130 on Caesars), Jared Bernhardt 3+ Points (+164 on FanDuel)

PHILADELPHIA WATERDOGS (1-0) VS. BOSTON CANNONS (0-0)

Saturday 8 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Waterdogs -1.5 vs. Cannons, O/U 24.5 (23.5 on DraftKings)

Key storylines: Boston faces Philly in their second game of the weekend. The Waterdogs will have Zach Currier back, but short-stick defensive midfielders Dylan Hess and Matt Whitcher are both out with injuries. Will Boston look to exploit these absences on defense and lean on their versatile midfield?

Philadelphia’s depth on offense and ability to shoot from range was the difference last weekend. The Waterdogs should have similar success against this Boston defense, which still lacks an answer to current MVP favorite Michael Sowers. How the Cannons attempt to slow down Sowers while also accounting for the rest of the Waterdogs’ weapons will be the biggest storyline from this game.

Players to watch: Sowers exploded for five points in the second quarter against Maryland. Even when the Whipsnakes adjusted to keep him off the stat sheet in the second half, his presence alone opened opportunities for his teammates. Will Sowers have a similar outing against a Boston defense that features rookie Remington Reynolds and will be playing just its second game together as a unit?

On the flip side, Boston attackman Asher Nolting has had moderate success against Philly. However, this time he’ll contend with reigning defensive player of the year Gavin Adler. Can Nolting outmuscle Adler and find success as both a goal-scorer and distributor?

Bold prediction: Both offenses come alive in the highest-scoring game of the weekend. Boston opts to limit Sowers as feeder, but he still torches the Cannons for a hat trick.

Best Bet: Over 23.5 (-120 on DraftKings), Michael Sowers Over 2.5 Goals (+144 on FanDuel)