‘He knows he belongs’: Powerful Richie Connell adds new wrinkle to Whipsnakes offense
· Yahoo Sports
Richie Connell knew there was no way he’d be in game shape when he signed for the Maryland Whipsnakes three weeks ago. No matter how much he’d been working out, he’d be playing catch-up. That was confirmed during his first drill at practice with the Whipsnakes — a simple full-field clearing exercise.
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Connell admitted he was “a little behind the eight ball,” while Whips head coach Jim Stagnitta was more blunt, joking that Connell was “dying.”
The struggle was expected after not playing a field lacrosse game for over two years. What followed was a little more surprising. Connell scored twice in his PLL debut as the Whipsnakes defeated the Carolina Chaos 17-10 on July 11.
“He just showed up and he scored two goals and set two great picks, and had a couple great looks,” Stagnitta said after the win. “I’m really excited about him, and I hope he continues to develop and get more comfortable with the guys. All he does is smile, so he was great to have in the locker room, too.”
Through three games, the rookie has acclimated nicely, scoring five goals on 15 shots. Before Connell’s arrival, Maryland lacked a physical left-handed dodger. Aidan Carroll, Adam Poitras, Matt Brandau and others are very capable downhill threats, but Connell’s size on the left side offers a different look. With Brandau out this week and Carroll questionable, Connell has the chance to make his presence felt once again.
Matt Brown, Connell’s coach at the University of Denver, previously reached out to Stagnitta, saying if he needed anyone that Connell could be a good fit. Stagnitta’s known Brown for a while and trusts his judgment. After watching Connell’s film, the head coach thought he’d “address some of the challenges we had.” So one afternoon when Connell was at work, Stagnitta called him, asking if he wanted to join the Whipsnakes.
“Obviously, this has been a dream of mine since I can remember,” Connell said. “So, I was always as excited as I could be for the opportunity, and ever since I’ve joined the Whipsnakes, you know, that’s been nothing short of amazing.”
Connell went undrafted after scoring 19 goals for Denver in 2024. He spent time with the Georgia Swarm in the NLL before his roommate, Brett Dobson, put in a good word for him with Utah Archers head coach Chris Bates. Utah signed Connell last spring, but with Tre Leclaire and others returning from injury, Connell was released into the player pool.
FIRST PRO GOAL FOR RICHIE CONNELL 🤝 pic.twitter.com/POLFdcDDsL
— Maryland Whipsnakes (@PLLWhipsnakes) July 12, 2026
He hoped to get another training camp opportunity this season, but a schedule conflict prevented that. Enter Stagnitta, who wanted a player who could stretch defenses and be a big body in the two-man game.
There’s some chaos in Connell’s game, as well. The practice prior to his debut, Stagnitta said that Connell set a record for turnovers in practice and threw passes 100 miles per hour that players couldn’t see nor catch. Despite the miscues, Connell has found his role as a dodger out of the box and a sneaky off-ball threat.
“He’s come in [and] he’s really changed the way our midfield looks,” Poitras said. “He’s a big guy, runs hard, and gets to where he wants to on the field and shoots the ball well, which helps. He’s got a really good attitude and he’s very confident in himself that he knows he belongs, and I think you need that in the league.”
It’s hard to miss Connell on the field. At 6-foot-5, he’s the tallest Whipsnakes player, and when he gets a full head of steam, defenders have to be on their toes, or they could be dumped on the turf.
During the first quarter of the Whips’ 20-7 win over the California Redwoods, Connell bowled over short-stick defensive midfielder Chris Merle. And although Connell’s subsequent shot missed the cage, the effort was there.
Connell grew up watching John Grant Jr. and Mark Matthews, so being a physical dodger has always been a quintessential part of his game. Connell added the wrinkle of running people over when he started coming out of the substitution box more after transferring from Richmond to Denver. When dodging, Connell tries to rely on his instincts as much as possible. He knows lacrosse can be a reactive game, but when it comes to running through people, it’s a little less calculated.
“I’m not sure if it’s a decision that I think about prior to dodging,” Connell said. “It’s more where I meet them out in the field and where they tend to play me at. If it’s a little closer to the goal, then I have a little more of a head of steam to get myself going, then maybe I get a little more power out of it, and that way I can bounce myself off them and hopefully create some space to get a shot.”
Even though Connell’s dodges can be a little out of control, Stagnitta likes his effort and supports his aggressiveness, as long as he doesn’t get caught in double teams.
In the Whipsnakes’ 13-8 loss to the Archers last weekend, Connell made an impact once again with two scores. In the third quarter, he steamed out of the box and was met by Aidan Maguire. Connell didn’t run the No. 1 overall pick in this spring’s College Draft over, but he knocked him off balance, creating just enough separation for a shot that squeaked past Dobson.
The goal encapsulated what Connell offers, and there’s likely more to come from him. Stagnitta wants to have the ball in his stick more because he “gives us a little different dimension than what we had had there.”
Already without Brandau, Connell’s workload could be heavier this weekend. If he’s shown anything early in his PLL career, it’s that he’s ready for the moment.
“Nothing really changes in the amount of fun I have doing it,” Connell said. “So that’s really the big part is just continuing to prepare and getting myself as ready as possible and just having as much fun as possible, as well. That’s usually when I play my best.”