The Maryland Whipsnakes' season came to an end Saturday in Minneapolis, falling 9-7 to the Boston Cannons in the PLL quarterfinals.
Boston controlled the game from the opening minutes, riding four straight goals to close the first quarter and stretching the lead to 9-4 by the end of the third. Connor Mackesy paced the Cannons with three goals, and goalkeeper JC Higginbotham was the difference in net, stopping 63.2 percent of Maryland's shots compared to a 50 percent save rate on the other end.
Maryland made it interesting in the fourth quarter, scoring the final three goals of the game in a span of just over four minutes. Aaron Poitras got the rally started, then added a power-play goal, and Matt Brandau capped the run with his second goal of the day to pull the Whipsnakes within two. But time ran out before Maryland could complete the comeback, and Boston's three-goal cushion built over the first three quarters proved to be enough.
Brandau finished as Maryland's offensive leader with two goals, while Nick Kapp went 10-for-20 at the faceoff X with six ground balls. The loss also came down to the margins elsewhere — Maryland turned the ball over 22 times to Boston's 20, and shot just 21.2 percent from the field compared to Boston's 25.7 percent.
The quarterfinal exit closes out Maryland's season, while Boston advances in the PLL playoff bracket.