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Who wins the PLL championship? Key stats, matchups, X factors for Outlaws-Atlas

Quint KessenichSep 12, 2025, 09:00 AM ET
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The 2025 Premier Lacrosse League championship is upon us. The final matchup represents the two best teams in the league this summer, as the New York Atlas face the Denver Outlaws.

There is no shortage of star power, as both teams dress rosters loaded with college icons and future Hall of Famers. Coaches Mike Pressler (New York) and Tim Soudan (Denver) both make their PLL championship debuts.

If the two teams' regular-season matchup is any clue, we're in for another classic. They met Aug. 2 in the Mile High City, and the game was won by Denver in overtime,13-12.

Who will hoist the trophy on Sunday?

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Kessenich's keys
Playoff stats

Denver Outlaws vs. New York Atlas

Sunday | 12:30 p.m. | ABC/ESPN

Injury report

Outlaws: None to report

Atlas: None to report

Quint Kessenich's keys to the game

The Atlas are looking to win their first PLL championship, and are fortified by specialists Trevor Baptiste (FOGO) and goalie Liam Entenmann.

New York's attack trio is dominant. Connor Shellenberger, Jeff Teat and Xander Dickson display uncanny chemistry and skill level.

Teat, the 2024 MVP, and Shellenberger, the favorite to win the award this summer, both eclipsed 40 points in the regular season.

Shellenberger sent the regular-season game with Denver into overtime with an isolation goal with 15 seconds to play. He produced a ho-hum five points in the semifinal win over the Philadelphia Waterdogs.

Dickson roams the slot area, and has filthy wrists to finish in a crowd.

New York has dangerous players at the midfield position too, in Bryan Costabile and Matt Traynor. Both require attention and are primary threats to score off the dodge. Reid Bowering, a lefty with savvy, sets roadblock picks and is a wizard from in tight. Traynor, a rookie from Penn State, had four points in the semifinals. Costabile has arguably been the most efficient and dangerous midfield dodger in the league this season.

Generally, the defense relies on Entenmann to make stops. Pay attention to Gavin Adler, who will likely draw the Pat Kavanagh assignment in this game. When the two teams met in August, Adler held Kavanagh pointless.

Meanwhile, Michael Rexrode will be in charge of marking Brennan O'Neill. Defensive midfielder Danny Logan is the best in the league at his position.

The Outlaws shrugged off a 30-day layoff to dispose of the upstart California Redwoods in the semifinals, shutting California down for a 20-minute stretch along the way. Denver leads the PLL in shot attempts per game at 45, and they play fast.

Denver has an impressive group, including four Tewaraaton Award winners: Brennan O'Neill, Jared Bernhardt, Pat Kavanagh and Logan Wisnauskas. That's like an NFL team having four Heisman winners in the same huddle.

The Outlaws acquired Kavanagh in an offseason trade with Boston, and the 2024 Notre Dame graduate leads the league in touches and shots this season. His point production has tripled in year two.

Brennan O'Neill unleashed the fury in the semis, with eye-popping goals worthy of a superhero and six points total.

O'Neill had two goals on nine shots while being covered by Michael Rexrode in the August matchup. Overall, he is averaging 4.3 points per game since the All-Star break. He is tough matchup at 6-2 and 220 pounds.

Bernhardt had the overtime game-winner in the Outlaws' victory, and is the smoothest and fastest ball carrier in the league. He runs at a speed that most can't handle. Bernhardt was signed on June 2 after pursuing an NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons. His addition -- and Logan McNaney in goal -- has put Denver in position to grab glory.

Specialists Luke Weirman (FOGO) and McNaney both played at Maryland and have a track record of performance in big games; McNaney played in four NCAA title games for the Terps, and Weirman went 54% against New York in the August matchup.

McNaney went 8-1 as a starter this season, and leads the league in clean save percentage. Those clean saves allow Denver to transition from defense to offense quickly.

Denver has a vicious transition offense, with long-stick midfielder Jake Piseno and defensive midfielder Ryan Terefenko spearheading the end-to-end rushes. Terefenko effectively stays on the field and creates mismatches with well-timed picks to change matchups.

The Outlaws' defense is a veteran crew, with close defenders J.T. Giles-Harris, Jesse Bernhardt and Mike Manley.

As my X factors for this game, I'll highlight midfielders Justin Anderson, Graham Bundy Jr. and Dalton Young. Of course, I also have to acknowledge the Tewaraaton quartet; when slept on, they typically find production.