Ten former Terps will be in action in the PLL Championship on Sunday afternoon as the Maryland Whipsnakes and Utah Archers meet at 3 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and ABC.
The Whipsnakes are led by ten former Terps on the team led by team captain Jake Bernhardt. Fellow former Terps on the squad are Matt Dunn, Matt Rambo, Mike Chanenchuk, Colin Heacock, Jack Koras, Roman Puglise, Tim Muller, Ajax Zappitello, and Kyle Bernlohr. Dunn, Rambo, Chanenchuk, Muller, and Bernlohr have been with the Whipsnakes since the Premier Lacrosse League was created in 2019 and were part of the team’s two previous championships.
After falling to 2-4 to start their season, the Whipsnakes have bounced back with six straight wins to make it back to the league championship game. The Whipsnakes defeated the Denver Outlaws in the PLL Quarterfinals 11-10, and then beat the New York Atlas 12-11 in overtime to make it back to the championship game for the first time since 2022. The Whipsnakes are the only team in the league with two championships and are the only team to make it to what will be their fourth championship game.
However, this year’s squad has relied heavily on the younger Terps such as Puglise, Zappitello, and Koras. Zappitello leads the Whipsnakes with 13 caused turnovers, leading all rookies in the PLL and tied for the fifth-most among all players. Zappitello has also collected 22 ground balls this season, which is also third on the team not including face-off man Joey Nardella. Zappitello has consistently shut down the opponent's best feeding attackman week in and week out and has already proven himself to be a top-five cover close defender in the entire league. Puglise is a short-stick defensive midfielder and has been the top on ball defender from that position this season for the Whipsnakes. Puglise has two caused turnovers on the season as well as 12 ground balls. And just like he did in his time at Maryland, Puglise has also helped out on the offensive end tallying six points as well. Koras was signed on as an undrafted free agent a couple of weeks into the season. But since his debut, he has been a consistent depth piece on the offensive midfield for the Whipsnakes. Koras has tallied five points and 17 ground balls this season. Since his addition, Koras has become a key piece to the Whips face-off success which is where he has picked up the bulk of his ground balls. Koras also plays a bit of defense when he needs to and is a good defensive piece in transition.
While the young guns on the team have revitalized the squad, it is the Vets that have come up in the biggest moments this season for the Whipsnakes. Dunn is second on the team in caused turnovers with 11, but has also been the quarterback and vocal leader of the defense on the field this season, something he has not been able to do much in the past. Rambo has not been as productive as usual, however, he has been massive in the close games for the Whipsnakes including in both of their overtime wins this season. While he is not a young gun, Heacock is new to the Whipsnakes with this being his first season on the squad after signing with the team as a free agent in the off-season. Heacock has added nine points to the squad and has been a leader in the huddle a lot of the time this season. Chanenchuk has been the main two-point threat for the Whipsnakes this season leading the team in two-point goals with three, as well as tallying 13 total points on the season.
One person who this season has not gone to plan for however has been Bernlohr. Bernlohr started the season as the Whipsnakes' starting goalie but struggled out of the game. With Brendan Krebs exploding onto the scene, Bernlohr lost the starting goalie spot. However, Bernlohr has not let it affect him and he has been one of the biggest leaders on the team this season. Bernlohr is the third oldest player on the team and has used his experience to help the much younger Krebs get through the highs and lows of the professional lacrosse season.
The Whipsnakes have the highest win percentage in Premier Lacrosse history, but they’ll face a stiff test as the Archers enter Sunday with the second-highest win percentage.
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