Pat Kavanagh tallied two goals and four assists to lead the Denver Outlaws to a thrilling 15-14 victory over the California Redwoods in a PLL quarterfinal matchup Saturday at TCO Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Outlaws' offense, bolstered by the return of Kavanagh from injury, exploded for seven goals in the second quarter. Brennan O'Neill and Jake Taylor each recorded a hat trick. Dalton Young contributed two goals and an assist, and Jared Bernhardt also scored twice. Graham Bundy added a 2-point goal, and goalie Logan McNaney was stellar in the cage, making 15 saves for Denver.
The Redwoods were powered by Dylan Molloy, who led all scorers with six goals and added an assist. Andrew McAdorey dished out a game-high five assists. Rookie Finn Thomson registered a hat trick. Chris Kavanagh, the brother of Pat Kavanagh, scored two goals for California. Josh Balcarcel also found the net twice.
Denver built a 12-7 lead by halftime, but California mounted a second-half comeback. The Redwoods made a goalie change at the half, bringing in Ryan Croddick, who made seven saves. California cut the deficit, capitalizing on a one-minute penalty against Denver's Jack Gray early in the fourth quarter. Molloy scored twice on the ensuing power play to make it an 11-14 game, but the Redwoods could not find the equalizer. Bernhardt scored what proved to be the winning goal for Denver at the 10:34 mark of the fourth quarter.
Up next: The Outlaws advance to the semifinals to face the Utah Archers. The Redwoods have been eliminated from the playoffs.
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