Chaos offense finds stride in massive win

Baltimore— In need of a win to stay in the middle of the PLL playoff hunt, the Carolina Chaos turned in perhaps their most impressive offensive game of the season, proving they can beat the best when at their best, taking down division leading Utah by a score of 15-14. 

The game was so big in the standings because the Chaos can now clinch a spot in the playoffs with just one more win. However, it’s just the beginning for the chaos as the remainder of their games from here on out will have a playoff atmosphere.

“This game felt the most like a playoff game so far, and it took all the energy we had to come out with a win,” said Chaos attackman Kyle Jackson. “I was very proud of us, especially offensively, to put it bluntly, we’ve sucked, and for us to come out and win with  our offensive producing was phenomenal.”

You know your offense is humming when you’re scoring from all places on the field and that’s exactly what happened to start the game as Blaze Riorden did as Blaze Riorden does. He started the game with one of his coast-to-coast goalie goals, something he made famous in the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Albany against Cornell. Even Blaze was a little surprised that apparently no one from the Archers watched his offensive film.

“Hey no one ran at me and I thought by now maybe I'd be on the scouting report as someone to slide to, but hey I’m all for defenses sitting back and letting me close my eyes, and put one in the back of the net,” Riorden jested.

There's no doubt that Carolina is one of the most fun teams in the league personality wise, and the first quarter was just as fun to watch as the Chaos got off to a scorching start. They rattled off four quick goals in the first five minutes of the game to jump on the Archers early, including a near two-point goal from Josh Byrne on a highlight worthy bounce shot with a defender sliding in his face.

The Archers then scored six of the next eight goals to knot it up at eight a piece in the 2nd quarter. In between that run, Jackson posted a sportscenter top-ten play with a behind-the-back and between-the-legs goal that jolted the Carolina bench. Even scoring produced a 9-8 lead for the Chaos heading into the halftime break.

The third quarter was a chess match with each team scoring three goals each, leading up to a fourth quarter filled with fireworks. In the final frame, Ross Scott got things going just 17 seconds in with a quick win off the face-off from Nick Rowlett. After a few more goals, Utah tied it up at 14 with just over seven minutes left in the game. That was when clutch Tye Kurtz found the back of the net with four minutes remaining in what would be the game-winning goal for Carolina in the one-goal victory.

Byrne saw the bulk of the offensive production in the win as he came away with five points off of two goals and three assists. Brian Minicus also put in two goals while recording two assists as well. Scott found the back of the net three times and Shane Knobloch finished with two goals and an assist. 

Rowlett went 9-33 in face-offs while picking up six ground balls. Riorden finished the day with 14 saves, two go along with the first goal of the contest. Riorden also talked about what it meant to him to eclipse 1,000 saves in his career.

“To me it just means I’m getting older and I’ve been fortunate enough to play this game at such a high level for a long time,” Riorden said. “It’s a product of the people I have around me in my life. I have a lot of people that care about me and people that have given me an opportunity to live out my dream. I feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world to not only have that support, but to do what I love.”

The win is an exciting moment for Carolina, as it shows they are able to produce offensively at a high level, but it also gives an opportunity for them to clinch the playoffs next week. Something the red and black want badly for themselves and their fans.

“We control our own destiny and we’re focused on getting better each week,” Riorden added. “At the tail end of the season is when it matters the most and we’ve had some close losss, but now we control our own destiny which allows us to primarily focus on our team and not have to worry about watching and rooting against teams. We can really just focus on what we can control, and that’s getting everyone involved offensively and taking steps forward for when it matters most.”

A loss by the Philadelphia Waterdogs means that they are now eliminated from playoff contention. Which means one more eliminated team, results in the cemented field for the playoffs. A loss by California or a Carolina win puts the Chaos in. Two more wins to finish out the regular season could even mean a first-round bye and a division championship for the red and black.

That next opportunity will come next week out west, when the Chaos travel to Utah for a matchup with the Denver Outlaws, a team they beat in the first week of the season. However, the two teams are currently tied for second place in the west. That game will get underway Saturday night at 7pm ET.