Winning the PLL championship felt like unfinished business from Alec Stathakis’ college days.
The faceoff specialist capped off a memorable summer by helping the Philadelphia Waterdogs win the PLL championship, adding another accomplishment to a lacrosse career that has included plenty of big moments.
He says the preparation for a championship game is always the same as any other game. The key was relying on the good habits that had gotten the Waterdogs to that point.
“When the pressure is on, you have to go back to ‘What got us here’, and it's the same prep,” Stathakis said. “Watching film, following the game plan, making sure everybody's on the same page, those types of things, and the big moments, you're able to fall back on that.”
The Waterdogs also developed strong chemistry throughout the short PLL season, particularly on faceoffs, which was a big part of the team’s success. Philadelphia also matched up well against the Denver Outlaws, ultimately winning the championship 14-4.
“Zach Currier is one of the best ground ball artists in the world. It's so fun to be able to play with him," Stathakis said. "Then we have a long pole, Jimmy Freehill, [too] but Zach helps build the game plan because he's so good at picking up ground ball from so deep. You can win it to him or anywhere that way and he can push transition.”
In the championship game, Stathakis went 11-for-20 at the stripe, scored one goal, and picked up five ground balls. What’s important is that after each of the Outlaws' first three goals, Stathakis won each of the faceoffs in timely fashion, and the Waterdogs scored each time, never letting Denver creep back in the game.
The championship gave Stathakis an opportunity to celebrate with a few familiar faces.
He attended the University of Denver from 2020-2024 under the tutelage of legendary field lacrosse coach Bill Tierney. Stathakis helped the Pioneers reach the NCAA tournament twice, including a run to the semifinals in 2024.
When Stathakis and Tierney joined the Waterdogs in 2024, they didn’t know they’d be celebrating a PLL championship together in 2026 alongside four other Pioneers alumni.
“It was so much fun. It was really cool getting the trophy and just being around the guys. I played for Coach Tierney in college, and I hadn't won anything with him, no conference tournament or a national championship or anything like that,” Stathakis said. “It was so cool to be able to celebrate with him and some of the other Denver guys when we did win.”
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The championship was the latest step in a remarkable turnaround for the Waterdogs, who went 2-8 in Stathakis' first season with the club in 2024 before reaching the top of the PLL two years later.
Stathakis is looking forward to bringing this momentum back to Vancouver.
After missing the Warriors 2025-26 season with a knee injury, he’s eager to return to the floor and get back to playing box lacrosse. Stathakis made the transition to box lacrosse with the Warriors and quickly found himself enjoying the differences between the two versions of the sport.
“I can't wait. It's going to be a blast. I haven't been back in Vancouver in a bit and haven't seen the guys in a bit; I'm so excited about being around the guys again and then playing box because it's been so long,” Stathakis said.
“It's such a fun game, and it's such a different game. For me it was fun because before my rookie year, which was now two years ago, I'd never really played box that much, so Coach Malawsky taught me how to play, what the different looks are, especially on the draw. By the end of the year, I was playing a little bit of defensive reps, which are just so fun and so physical.”
During his rookie season with the Warriors, Stathakis won 261 of 440 faceoffs, good for 59 percent. He also recorded five points (1G, 4A) and collected 137 loose balls.
He’s learned over the years to not concern himself with the stats, and as he prepares to return to Vancouver, Stathakis isn’t focused on chasing a particular percentage. His approach is to focus on preparation and executing the game plan.
“The less you focus on stats, and the more you focus on winning the ball for your team, or putting the ball in good spots, technique, the game plan, or how we're going to approach different guys, and put the time you spend worrying about your face off percentage into the preparation, usually the better you do,” Stathakis said.
“There's a lot of technique that goes on behind the scenes when you watch the film, the different faceoff guys, that's what I'm going to focus on, and then the results will speak for themselves.”
After a summer that ended with a championship, Stathakis is ready to get back into the box and see where the next season takes him.