Redwoods Dull Chrome
The Redwoods defeated team Chrome 13-11 in the first of three games at Homewood field in Baltimore this weekend.
Jules Heningburg had a breakout game for the Redwoods and showed that he is the right fit for this team after his trade from from Whipsnakes earlier this week. His eight points included five goals and three assists.
Ryan Garnsey scored once and added two assists while Clarke Petterson and Matt Kavanagh had a goal and assist each
Every other player who scored for the Redwoods had one goal each. This included Joe Walters, Sergio Perkovic, Brian Karalunas, John Sexton and Garrett Epple.
Epple is proving to be a strong defender, leader and goal scorer for this Redwoods team. He picked up 10 ground balls in the victory.
Team Chrome did not look as shiny as they have in other games. Once again, Justin Guterding led the team with three points. Several of his teammates contributed two points: Jordan Wolf, Simon Mathias, Max Tuttle, Mike Manley, and Matt Danowski. And while they did have a bunch of players contribute, there was no standout guy who seemed to take charge.
Perhaps that was because this game was relatively low-key in terms of hitting and physical contact. It was almost as if the guys didn’t know how to react to not getting slammed every time they attempted to go to goal.
One thing is for sure, both teams will be ready to face their next opppnents.
Whipsnakes Control Atlas
The Whipsnakes remain undefeated with a resounding 15-10 victory over team Atlas.
Mike Chanenchuk led the Whipsnakes to victory with five points including a two point scorcher. Several other players followed closely behind with four points including Matt Rambo, Ben Reeves and Ryan Drenner. The Whipsnakes, for the most part, held it together when Atlas had some blatant fouls. Although this game seemed to be much harder hitting than the first game at Homewood, none of the players appeared to lose control – despite helmets flying at various points in the game.
Atlas could not hold on to knock off the last undefeated team in the league. It appeared that they may have a chance for most of the game. That changed in the fourth quarter when undisciplined and unsettled play saw the Whipsnakes repeatedly strike the back of the net while team Atlas found themselves in the box.
It was truly Paul Rabil’s night to shine for team Atlas at his alma mater. He had two goals and two assists to lead Atlas. He seemed to be inspired by the crowd that roared their approval when he touched the ball. That crowd roared their loudest approval when he threw his stick into an opponent with a sound that seemingly vibrated into the Inner Harbor. Chris Cloutier followed Rabil’s lead and added two goals and one assist on the night.
The Atlas defense really struggled against the Whipsnakes. The three main defenders only collected three ground balls the entire game. And while the midfielders helped with the defense, it appeared that there were too many people left open or getting open for the defense to handle. This will be something team Atlas will have to figure out by the time they face their next opponents.
