hen the PLL returned to Cambridge earlier this month, the games featured all four of Harvard’s current male professional lacrosse alumni.

The weekend kicked off with the hometown Boston Cannons, who drafted midfielder Logan Ip ’26 18th overall in the 2026 draft, taking on the Maryland Whipsnakes, with the winner clinching a spot in the playoffs.

Boston scored twice in the game’s final 30 seconds to send it to overtime, where the Cannons prevailed in front of their home crowd, 14-12.

The nightcap showcased the reigning sixes Championship Series winner, Carolina Chaos, with attacker Teddy Malone ’26 and defensive midfielder Ray Dearth ’25 on its roster.

The Chaos went up against the Utah Archers and one of the Crimson’s most talented alumni in the men’s program’s 145-year history: midfielder Sam King ’25.

Carolina entered the game needing a win to have any hope of keeping its Championship Series repeat hopes alive, while Utah could clinch the playoffs with a victory.

King and Malone each recorded hat tricks in a playoff-like battle as the Archers prevailed 13-12, all but clinching the top spot in the Western Conference in dramatic fashion at Harvard Stadium.

“It was an unreal experience being able to play in front of fans I’ve played in front of for the past four years, as well as my former coaches at Harvard,” said Malone. “It was also awesome to be able to play with Ray Dearth and against Sam King in the game. Definitely one of my favorite games of the year.”

America’s oldest concrete stadium simultaneously hosted the PLL’s throwback weekend, with teams wearing the uniforms of their city’s respective Major League Lacrosse franchises.

The historic stadium was decorated with retro Cannons logos, alongside banners commemorating the team’s 2024 and 2025 PLL Championship Series and 2011 MLL titles.

Boston Cannons 14, Maryland Whipsnakes 12 (OT)

Ip and the Cannons went up against Maryland and attackman Joey Spalina, who was drafted third overall this season out of Syracuse. Ip tallied two points when Harvard defeated Spalina and the then-No. 1 Orange this past season, 13-12, the Crimson’s first-ever victory over a top-ranked team.

Friday was a far cry from the snow that covered Jordan Field in February for Harvard’s historic victory over Syracuse, as the opening faceoff was taken in blistering 91-degree weather.

The Cannons came out firing, scoring four unanswered to open the game, but the Whipsnakes stormed back to take an 8-5 lead into halftime.

After the break, Boston once again got out to a quick start, scoring on its first possession, followed by a fast-break goal off the ensuing faceoff to make it a one-score game just 45 seconds into the third.

The sides traded goals until late in the fourth quarter, including a laser from TJ Malone, Teddy’s older brother and an all-star last season for the Whipsnakes.

Trailing 12-10 with 30 seconds to go, the Cannons managed to cut the deficit to one, and Mic Kelly let one rip sidearm from 10 yards out to even the score at 12 and send the game to overtime.

It didn’t take long in the overtime period for 12-time All-Star and University of North Carolina alum Marcus Holman to rip a shot from outside the two-point line, scoring a miraculous goal for a 14-12 victory to secure the Cannons a ticket to the playoffs.

Ip, who served as a captain at Harvard in both the 2025 and 2026 seasons, did not get the chance to play this weekend, though the Cannons went on to win their Saturday game as well, jumping into first place in the Eastern Conference standings.

“These last few months in the PLL have been such a great experience,” said Ip, who was named a 2026 Second-Team All-American with the Crimson. “And I’m very grateful for the opportunity. All the guys have been so welcoming and helpful in the transition. The game is faster, and the talent is so high. So, it’s been fun to play at the next level.”

“It’s been awesome to play against some of my former teammates like Ray and Teddy too,” he added, referring to the game between Boston and Carolina in July, where Ip scored his first career goal, and Malone scored the overtime winner for the Chaos.

Utah Archers 13, Carolina Chaos 12

Malone and Dearth’s professional careers have followed similar paths, for both were signed by Carolina after going undrafted and have since developed into major contributors.

Dearth was an essential part of the Chaos’s defense during its Championship Series run this winter, while Malone entered the contest on Friday with 20 points already under his belt and a role as one of Carolina’s best offensive facilitators in his rookie season.

“I think Teddy was somebody that was under the radar,” said the Chaos head coach Steven Brooks, who won two national titles as a player at Syracuse. “I’ve always liked his game when I watched Harvard.”

“Except when they beat Syracuse this year, that I didn’t like,” Brooks added with a smirk.

“When you go back to watch Teddy, he’s got a lot of traits that his brother TJ has: the IQ, the skill set with both hands, his ability to dodge and make you think. But more importantly, it’s him as a person. I call him ‘Sunshine.’ He’s the type of guy that if his dog died, he’ll still have a smile on his face. He just goes through and is thankful for the opportunity. He’s gonna go head-on. He’s extremely coachable, and he’s able to do whatever he possibly can.”

King’s entry to the PLL was not nearly as unheralded. The 2025 Tewaaraton Award finalist and The Crimson’s 2025 Male Athlete of the Year and 2022 Male Rookie of the Year was selected 18th overall by Utah in the 2025 draft, and has been named an all-star in both of his professional seasons.

The two sides went back and forth in the first half, while King and Malone, who are third and seventh on Harvard’s all-time career goals list, respectively, traded a pair of goals. The Archers entered the break with a 9-7 lead.

Carolina stormed back to tie the game at nine, but King threaded the needle through two defenders for a hat trick, putting Utah back in front.

The Chaos and Archers traded jabs throughout the second half until, with two minutes left in the fourth, Malone hit a nifty jump shot for a hat trick, tying the game at 12.

On the next possession, King found Utah’s Mac O’Keefe for his fourth point of the evening and the game-winner, sending the Archers to the playoffs and leaving Carolina hanging onto its postseason hopes by a thread.

“He doesn’t back down from anybody,” Utah’s head coach Chris Bates said when asked about King. “He just makes big plays when we need them. And it’s the little things, too. He rides as well as anybody. His motor is really unmatched, and I think we feed off that. So good for him to show well at the old haunt here, and to see him continue to grow as a leader and a player is really fun.”

Though the Chaos’s season is now over following the results from the PLL’s final week of play, it was an excellent campaign for both Dearth and Malone.

Malone, The Crimson’s 2023 Male Rookie of the Year, finished his first pro season with 24 points, placing him in the top 25 in the PLL in goals and points while ranking sixth in the country in shot percentage for players with over 10 shots.

“Honestly, it was definitely a chaotic season,” reflected Malone. “I was playing midfield at the beginning of the season, only getting a few meaningful reps per game, dropped out of the lineup at one point and didn’t play in two games, and then finally returned at attack.”

“So definitely all over the place when transitioning to the PLL, but it has allowed me to see the game from the outside and see what ways that I can contribute. And it’s been really cool to have some initial success in this league, and it gives me confidence moving forward that I can continue to play and compete at the highest level,” he added.

The success of Harvard’s alumni at the professional level is indicative of the success head coach Gerry Byrne has had in elevating the Crimson into one of the nation’s top programs over the past few seasons.

With Byrne bringing in the country’s sixth-ranked recruiting class to Cambridge, there appear to be no signs of the Harvard-to-PLL pipeline slowing down.

—Staff writer Maxwell P. Friedman can be reached at [email protected].