Premier Lacrosse League Championship Series

The PLL Championship Series is an annual winter lacrosse tournament in the "Olympic Sixes" format. It is hosted by the Premier Lacrosse League. It features the top four teams in the regular season standings of the previous Premier Lacrosse League season. The inaugural championship series occurred in 2023.

Championship Series
SportLacrosse Sixes
Inaugural season2023
No. of teams4
Most recent
champion(s)		Chrome LC
Most titlesChrome LC (1)

Announced in May 2022, the Championship Series was created for a variety of reasons: incentivize a teams regular season finishing position(as of 2023 only the last place team in the standings does not qualify for playoffs in the PLL), provide more playing opportunities for PLL players that do not play in the NLL, aid in the broader push for lacrosse's inclusion in the Olympics, and to create more inventory for the PLL's broadcasting partners.[1]

The four qualifying teams were allowed to roster 12 players, ten field players and two goalkeepers.

Lacrosse Sixes and Rule Differences

The lacrosse sixes format is a version of lacrosse which aims to provide greater access to lacrosse by eliminating barriers of entry. This format is also designed to be more applicable for the modern olympic framework.[2] The Championship Series selected this format as part of its broader push to be included in the 2028 Olympics.[1]

The typical major changes for Lacrosse Sixes are as follows:

  • 6 against 6 rather than 9 against 9(excluding goalkeepers)
  • 30 second shot-clock
  • 4, 8-minute quarters
  • Goalkeepers begin play when a goal is scored, face-offs only occur at the beginning of each quarter
  • Field size is 70 by 36 meters
  • Everyone plays on both sides of the field
  • No long poles are permitted
  • No shot back up, a missed shot results in a change of possession all of the time rather than possession being determined by who's closest to the ball when it goes out

For the Championship Series, the PLL also included a 13-yard 2-point arc.[3]

Results

2023 Championship Series

The 2023 Championship Series took place from February 22, 2023 to February 26, 2023. The round-robin games took place from February 22, to February 24. The semifinals games took place on February 25, and the finals took place on February 26. The participants were the Whipsnakes, the eventual champion Chrome, the Archers, and the eventual runner-up Atlas

Finals
Winning Team Runner-Up Score Venue Winners Purse Ref.
Chrome LC Atlas LC 24-23 The St. James

(Springfield, VA)

 $120,000 [4]

Bracket
Semifinals
February 25 		Finals
February 26
      
1   Atlas 30
4   Whipsnakes 21
1   Atlas 23
3   Chrome 24
3  Chrome 21
2   Archers 18

Round Robin
2023 Championship Series Round Robin Whipsnakes Chrome Archers Atlas
1 Whipsnakes 14-18 23-26 16-290-3
2 Chrome 18-14 22-23(OT) 20-291-2
3 Archers 26-23 23(OT)-22 26-312-1
4 Atlas 29-16 29-20 31-26 3-0

Round-robin teams are listed in their 2022 PLL regular season standings order.

References:[5][6][7][8]

2024 Championship Series

The 2024 Championship Series will feature Archers LC, Cannons LC, Waterdogs LC, and Redwoods LC. The date and location have not yet been announced.

Golden Stick Award

The Golden Stick Award is given to the player that had the most points during the Championship Series.

Year Player Team Points(1 Pt-G, 2 Pt-G, Assists) Ref.
2023 Romar Dennis Atlas LC 34 (4-1PT G, 15-2PT G, 4 A) [9]

References
  1. Inside Lacrosse Staff (May 18, 2022). "Breaking: PLL To Host Offseason Tournament Utilizing Sixes Format". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  2. Inside Lacrosse Staff (May 18, 2021). "World Lacrosse Debuts 'Sixes' Brand, Another Step Toward New Discipline's Launch". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  3. Brown, Kevin (November 16, 2022). "PLL Announces Championship Series Set for February in Northern Virginia". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  4. PLL (2023-02-26). "Premier Lacrosse League Announces Winners Purse for Inaugural Championship Series". Premier Lacrosse League. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  5. Brown, Kevin (February 26, 2023). "Finish Strong: Chrome Wins Inaugural PLL Championship Series". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  6. Brown, Kevin (February 25, 2023). "'All About Your Will': PLL Championship Series Semifinals Set For Saturday". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  7. "championship-series-2-2023-2-25 Archives". Premier Lacrosse League. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  8. "championship-series-1-2023-2-25 Archives". Premier Lacrosse League. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  9. Merola, Lauren (2023-03-06). "Romar Dennis through the eyes of the Bulls". Premier Lacrosse League. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
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