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PLL Starts This Week: What You Need To Know

NBC Sports kicks off its exclusive coverage of the Premier Lacrosse League’s inaugural season this weekend with three games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.  NBC Sports’ Paul Burmeister will host this weekend’s coverage on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold, while NBC Sports Brendan Burke (play-by-play) and Ryan Boyle (PLL analyst) will call the games from Gillette alongside reporter Chantel McCabe.

Here’s what you need to know heading into the PLL’s Opening Weekend:

HOW TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND’S COVERAGE:

Coverage on Saturday, June 1, begins at 1 p.m. ET with Chrome vs. Archers at Gillette Stadium, available on NBC Sports Gold’s “Premier Lacrosse League Pass”, exclusively for subscribers. Coverage from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. continues Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, also on NBC Sports Gold, with the first live televised game on Sunday, June 2, at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, as Atlas LC takes on Redwoods LC:

DATE TIME (ET) VENUE GAME PLATFORM
Sat., June 1 1 p.m. Gillette Stadium Chrome-Archers NBC Sports Gold
Sat., June 1 4 p.m. Gillette Stadium Whipsnakes-Chaos NBC Sports Gold
Sun., June 2 1:30 p.m. Gillette Stadium Redwoods-Atlas NBCSN

For the entire 2019 PLL schedule and more details on NBC Sports’ comprehensive coverage of the PLL’s inaugural season across NBC Sports platforms, click here.

THE MATCHUPS:

CHROME LC VS. ARCHERS LC – Saturday, June 1, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold

The first game of PLL’s Opening Weekend at Gillette will feature collegiate coaches on both ends of the field who can make tweaks to their game-plans and schemes on the fly. Archers attackmen Will Manny and Marcus Holman — who coach together at Utah — will square off against Chrome goalie and Jacksonville head coach John Galloway. On the other end of the field, Archers goalie and Utah assistant coach Adam Ghitelman will face Matt Danowski (Duke assistant coach), Ned Crotty (Duke assistant coach) and Justin Turri (Michigan offensive coordinator). Tune in Saturday at 1 p.m. on NBC Sports Gold’s “Premier Lacrosse League Pass” to see these college coaches take the field to play in the first game in PLL history.

WHIPSNAKES LC VS. CHAOS LC – Saturday, June 1, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold

For the 2018 Yale team and the 2017 Maryland team, PLL’s Opening Weekend will bring back memories of cutting down the nets at Gillette Stadium last Memorial Day. In 2018, Ben Reeves and Tyler Warner led the Elis to their first-ever National Championship. A year prior, it was Matt RamboDylan MaltzConnor KellyTim MullerBryce Young and Dan Morris leading the Terps to their first Championship since 1975. This time around, they will all be wearing Whipsnakes uniforms, looking to start a new championship journey at the same place their previous run concluded.

The matchup will also feature Chaos attackman Myles Jones, who will be reunited this summer with a pair of his favorite lefties: Josh Byrne and Deemer Class. Class and Byrne are candidates to develop their own two-man chemistry this season — whether that’s running mumbos while Jones dodges or having Byrne dodge while Class picks and slips. A defender’s best chance at stopping this Chaos offense is to force Jones to feed across his body to a right-handed teammate. Grab your “Premier Lacrosse League Pass” and tune in at 4 p.m. ET to watch the action unfold.

REDWOODS LC VS. ATLAS LC – Sunday, June 2, at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

The first live televised PLL broadcast will feature a face-off match-up between Greg Gurenlian of Redwoods LC and Trevor Baptiste of Atlas LC. Gurenlian holds all the records: most career face-off wins in professional lacrosse history, most career groundballs, most face-off wins in a single season, highest face-off percentage in a single season, most groundballs in a single season, among others. The vet is back from retirement after winning 81.0% of his face-offs during Team USA’s gold medal run last summer.

Atlas midfielder Trevor Baptiste, opposite his seasoned opponent, is just getting started. Baptiste graduated from Denver with more face-off wins (1,158) than anyone in NCAA history, and won a National Championship his freshman year. Redwoods’ Gurenlian has raised the ceiling for professional face-off athletes, while Atlas’ Baptiste could be an MVP candidate who puts an end to opponents’ runs and generates momentum for his team all season long. Tune in Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET to NBCSN to watch these two face-off greats take the field.

“ALL IN: PLL TRAINING CAMP” PRESEASON SHOW TO AIR THIS WEEKEND ON NBCSN

From May 17-22, the six PLL teams convened at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL for the league’s inaugural training camp. All 160 players took part in official team practices, preseason workouts, film studies, and educational workshops with their coaches and teammates ahead of their regular season debuts on June 1-2. “All In: PLL Training Camp”, a 30-minute preseason recap show, will air throughout the PLL’s Opening Weekend on NBCSN to provide fans a preseason sneak-peek as the PLL kicks off its national tour.

“All In: PLL Training Camp” will premier following Saturday night’s NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 3 coverage at 1 a.m. ET and 2:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN. It will re-air again on Sunday, June 2, at 1 p.m. ET, prior to the Redwoods-Atlas game at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

PLL ANNOUNCES RULE CHANGES AHEAD OF SEASON:  

Earlier this week, the PLL announced its new rules heading into Opening Weekend at Gillette Stadium. These rules are designed to simplify and improve the overall comprehension of game play for fans, encourage a faster pace of play for the players, and account for the evolution of athleticism and skill on-field. These rule changes impact the field, timing, and face-off.

“The PLL rules were formed after careful consideration and consultation with the game’s best players, organizational and governing body leaders, as well as our esteemed Lacrosse Advisory Board,” said Premier Lacrosse League Head of Lacrosse Josh Sims. “Our goal is to showcase our athletes competing in the game they love in a fashion that is both thrilling to watch and easily understood. As with each of the decisions we make, we rely heavily on data — this time pulled from the last 10 years of gameplay at the high school, college, professional and international levels. We’re pleased with where we’ve landed, and the product we witnessed at our inaugural training camp will elevate the experience for our players and fans.”

For a complete list of the PLL’s new rules, click here.

NBC SPORTS GOLD’S “PREMIER LACROSSE LEAGUE PASS”:

“Premier Lacrosse League Pass” will offer fans every game of the inaugural 2019 season, including 20 games exclusive to NBC Sports Gold subscribers. It will also include encore presentations of all 39 games as well as bonus behind-the-scenes coverage, such as preseason footage as the PLL stars prepare to embark on their North American tour. NBC Sports Gold’s “Premier Lacrosse League Pass” will also feature premium off-the-field content on the league’s biggest stars, such as Paul RabilMyles Jones, and Tom Schreiber, and will allow fans to experience the journey from Draft day to the championship, with an all-access introduction to the players of six talent-filled teams. “Premier Lacrosse League Pass” is available now for an inaugural price of $37.99.

For more information on NBC Sports Gold’s “Premier Lacrosse League Pass”, click here.

NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku and online at NBCSportsGold.com. NBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital’s technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions.”

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ABOUT THE PREMIER LACROSSE LEAGUE:

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) brings the sport of lacrosse to a national stage for the first time through a tour-based model, complete with the best players the game has to offer. Co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil, the Premier Lacrosse League is backed by an investment group comprised of The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Chernin Group, and Blum Capital. The PLL season begins in June 2019, with six teams, embarking on a 14-week season that concludes with a playoff and PLL championship game. The PLL season will be distributed through an exclusive media-rights agreement with NBC Sports Group. For more information, visit PremierLacrosseLeague.com, and follow on social media:

Instagram: @PLL
Twitter: @PremierLacrosse
Facebook: @PremierLacrosseLeague
YouTube: YouTube.com/PLL