NLL
NLL Report: Week 5 Recap, LaxAllStars of the Week
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Five weeks into the 2015 NLL season, and teams are really starting to show their true colors. We are only treated to two games this coming weekend which will be followed by a handful of home and away series between the clubs in week 7.
I hope you enjoy our new navigation for the NLL Report! Try using the buttons above or the table of contents to the right (or at the bottom on mobile devices) to read each game’s full rundown and to check out our new NLL LaxAllStars of the Week!
So just take a minute, just sit right there. I’ll tell you about week 5 of the NLL!
NLL Week 5 Results
- Buffalo Bandits 15, Minnesota Swarm 12
- Edmonton Rush 18, New England Black Wolves 9
- Toronto Rock 12, Calgary Roughnecks 11
- Rochester Knighthawks 17, Buffalo Bandits 11
- Vancouver Stealth 16, Colorado Mammoth 13
Coming up this weekend
Friday 2/5
Rochester at Minnesota – 8:30 PM EST – UniversalSports.com; TSN GO
Saturday 2/6
Buffalo at Calgary – 9:00 PM EST – NLL Live; TSN GO
NLL Week 6 Pick ‘Em
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NLL Report TOC
1 – Results & Pick ‘Em
2 – Bandits/Swarm
3 – Rush/Black Wolves
4 – Rock/Roughnecks
5 – Knighthawks/Bandits
6 – Stealth/Mammoth
7 – LaxAllStars of the Week
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Thompsons Stand Out in Buffalo Win Over Swarm
Takeaway Moments
Holding off a second-half comeback the Buffalo Bandits move to 3-2… The Swarm move to 2-2 after the 15-12 Bandits victory at the First Niagara Center… Jerome “Hiana” Thompson had a breakout game with 4 goals and 1 assist… Ryan Benesch and Dhane Smith both put up 5 points in the win….Buffalo only had 6 minutes of penalty time.
Each Swarm scorer was held to 2 goals or less in the loss…Shayne Jackson continues to put up significant numbers with 2 goals in 2 assists in the loss… Zach Higgins struggled in goal which is no better than Brodie MacDonald’s attempt in the 2nd quarter, allowing 3 goals on 6 shots… attendance was over 12.7k.
Boxscore
MD’s Take
It was awesome to see Hiana (Jerome) step up and fill the gap left by the legend Johnny Tavares. He closed out the game with 4 goals and 1 assist, earning the First Star in the Bandits’ first and only win of the weekend. The Bandits had to turnaround and head to Rochester the following day for a Saturday night thriller in the Blue Cross Arena.
The Swarm are still struggling to produce offensively, in goal and at the faceoff x. With Schuss staying silent until late in the game and Miles Thompson being held to only 2 goals, the Swarm are stuck where they were last year with nothing productive happening in the first half of the season. They need to focus on doing all of the little things right when they host the Knighthawks this weekend. Honestly, they look to be heading up the creek without a paddle.
Around the League
“Miles has been a great player for us, he’s getting better every game,” said Sullivan. “He’s getting tougher checkers, so it’s going to get harder on him.”
“Jerome is such a gifted player, he capitalized on some really nice plays,” said Cordingley. “He’s been around the game for a long time and we’re pleased with the way he played for us tonight.”
From NLL.com
[mks_icon icon=”fa-youtube-play” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] Game Highlights
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[mks_icon icon=”fa-rss” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] Related Articles
• Thompsons shine as Bandits repel Swarm (NLL.com)
• Swarm loses at Buffalo despite strong second half (StarTribune)
• Bandits rookie has a blast in win over Swarm (Buffalo News)
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NLL Report TOC
1 – Results & Pick ‘Em
2 – Bandits/Swarm
3 – Rush/Black Wolves
4 – Rock/Roughnecks
5 – Knighthawks/Bandits
6 – Stealth/Mammoth
7 – LaxAllStars of the Week
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Rush Send Black Wolves Home Hungry
Takeaway Moments
The Edmonton Rush moved to 2-2 with the 18-9 victory on Friday… The Rush have put their 0-2 start to the season, scoring 34 total goals in two dominant games in a row… The New England Black Wolves have also moved to 2-2 in the standings, suffering their second loss in as many weeks…. Mark Matthews had the marquee night for Edmonton scoring 6 goals with 2 assists….Ben McIntosh had a stand out night with 4 goals and 4 assists while Zack Greer also made waves with 4 goals and 2 assists in the win.
The Black Wolves were led by captain Kevin Crowley, their only player to collect even 4 points… Goalie Evan Kirk only saved 31 shots while letting up 16 Rush goals… Joel White is still gobbling up every loose ball with 17, two more than Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson… and Bill O’Brien is still by far the biggest dude on the floor.
Box Score
MD’s Take
In the second game in as many weeks, the Black Wolves were served another cold, hard loss. This time in a very hyped up Rexall Place which was hungry for another win from their favored coach, Derek Keenan. The Rush are starting to look like the team that they should be, part of this comes from the peace of mind with Keenan at the helm, but I think part of it is the team fighting to get back in the groove they were in last year so they can take pressure off of the regular season and focus on keeping consistency and actually making it to the Championship in 2015.
With back-to-back wins under their belt, I see Edmonton turning it up a notch when they trade home and away games with the Mammoth in two weeks.
The Black Wolves had such an incredible start before suffering losses in weeks 4 and 5. Like half the league, New England has week 6 to take time and reevaluate the season. They host Rochester on Sunday February at night, the day after the Hawks have to square up against Buffalo again, so they need to come out firing early and capitalize on Knighthawk fatigue of they want to maintain a positive record.
Around the League
This is Edmonton’s second win in as many game with Keenan back behind the bench. What does he think the difference has been with the team?
“I think the biggest thing honestly is they relaxed,” Keenan said. “I think in a way they were trying too hard and I believe that and I think they would agree with you. They were kind of squeezing it and really trying hard for me and my family and sometimes that doesn’t work. They’re playing relaxed and having fun, but also playing hard. They have been from the beginning but to go out there with confidence is a big part of the success.”
From NLL.com
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[mks_icon icon=”fa-rss” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] Related Articles
• Black Wolves find strength in the pack (NLL.com)
• Matthews mows down Black Wolves, leads Edmonton Rush to resounding win (Edmonton Journal)
• Matthews, McIntosh lead Rush’s offensive onslaught in win over Black Wolves (Edmonton Sun)
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NLL Report TOC
1 – Results & Pick ‘Em
2 – Bandits/Swarm
3 – Rush/Black Wolves
4 – Rock/Roughnecks
5 – Knighthawks/Bandits
6 – Stealth/Mammoth
7 – LaxAllStars of the Week
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Rough Start for Roughnecks Season
Takeaway Moments
The Toronto Rock maintain the top East Division spot and move to 4-1… Calgary Roughnecks (0-4) remain winless dropping a 12-11 nail-biter… Toronto spent 14 minutes in the box while Calgary only spent 8.
Shawn Evans was able to put up 4 goals and 6 assists in the loss… Curtis Dickson also collected a hat trick and 3 assists… Dane Dobbie was held to 2 goals…Frankie Scigliano played the entire night allowing 12 goals on 52 shots.
For Toronto, Brandon Miller earned his 50th career win… Rob Hellyer posted his 50th career goal…Brett Hickey and Kasey Biernes both netted hat tricks…. and over 11.7k packed out the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night.
Boxscore
MD’s Take
Calgary remains winless heading into week 6 where they will be hosting Buffalo for Saturday night’s only game. The Bandits are already 3-3 and have split 2 weeks at .500 so far. Buffalo isn’t perfect on the road and the Saddledome is a hard place for visiting teams to leave happy, I would bet that Dobbie and company get it together to secure the team’s first win on Saturday.
The Rock get the week off before returning to a home and away series with the Swarm. The East division leaders need to keep relying heavily on their monstrous defense to keep the season on track and the win tallying. If they are the same Rock we are growing accustomed to, they should walk out of the weekend 6-1.
Around the League
“I’m pretty happy about it,” said Miller, who started his career ten years ago with the Stealth franchise. “This is a league I’ve been a fan of since I was a kid, I always wanted to play in it. To get 50 wins is pretty big and I’m proud of it.”
“It feels good, I had no idea [the milestone] was coming,” said Hellyer. “It’s great to be a regular in the league now and know your spot.”
From NLL.com
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[mks_icon icon=”fa-rss” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] Related Articles
• Rock solid: Toronto over Calgary, 12-11 (NLL.com)
• Roughnecks trying to end losing skid in tough building (Calgary Herald)
• Toronto Rock edges Calgary Roughrnecks in NLL action (Toronto Sun)
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NLL Report TOC
1 – Results & Pick ‘Em
2 – Bandits/Swarm
3 – Rush/Black Wolves
4 – Rock/Roughnecks
5 – Knighthawks/Bandits
6 – Stealth/Mammoth
7 – LaxAllStars of the Week
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Bandits Split Weekend With Loss to Knighthawks
Takeaway Moments
The Rochester Knighthawks are back at .500 with the 17-11 victory… the Buffalo Bandits move to .500 as well with the split weekend in New York….Rochester, who had not hit double-digits in their previous two games, had 10 goals by halftime… Buffalo took their first lead of the night in the 4th quarter… the Knighthawks then blew the game out with a 6 goal run to secure the victory.
Jerome Thompson was held quite after his breakout performance on Friday… no Bandit scored more than 2 goals in the game… penalty time was kept to 13 minutes, positive for the Bandits… Dhane Smith was the only player to collect even 5 points for Buffalo on Saturday.
Joe Walters led the way with 5 goals and 2 assists… Jordan Hall scored 3 goals and earned 2 assists… Cody Jamieson finished Saturday night off with 4 goals and 3 assists… Angus Goodleaf relieved Matt Vinc in the 4th to collect the W by only allowing 1 goal to slip by in 12 shots… nearly 7k fans packed out the Blue Cross Arena on Saturday night.
Boxscore
MD’s Take
Although it was 10-4 at the half, the Bandits dominated the third quarter, scoring 6 goals and shutting out the Knighthawks. They took their only lead off the game to kick off the fourth, before Rochester went on a crazy 6 goal run to close the game out 17-11.
Joe Walters is doing his thing but guys like Cory Vitarelli, Cody Jamieson, Jordan Hall, Dan Dawson, Angus Goodleaf (after replacing Matt Vinc only let in 1 goal on 12 shots) and Craig Point are doing their jobs and doing them extremely well right now and have been since the embarrassment to New England on Week 2.
The Bandits had a good thing going in Thompson in the first game of the weekend but he was essentially quiet in game 2. They have done so much better at staying out of the sin bin, in both games combined they earned 19 total minutes which is exactly half of the 38 minutes they racked up in week 4. This weekend they are heading into a grueling challenge trying to take on a winless and angry Roughneck squad in the Calgary Saddledome.
These two teams exchange a home and away series in two weeks. The advantage goes to the Hawks getting week 6 off to rest up and watch the Bandits go compete in Calgary. We will check back in on this next week.
Around the League
“We were just burying our opportunities,” Dawson said. “I thought we swung the ball a lot better tonight. Don’t get me wrong, we had three or four that were lucky goals, but those are the ones that weren’t going in last week or the week before. If you’ve played this game for a long time, you know the bounces eventually will go in your favor if you work hard and stay with the process. It showed tonight.”
From NLL.com
[mks_icon icon=”fa-youtube-play” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] Game Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCPsWrRa6bs
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[mks_icon icon=”fa-rss” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] Related Articles
• Thruway .500: Knighthawks outrace Bandits, 17-11 (NLL.com)
• Bandits rally but fall to Rochester in the end (Buffalo News)
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NLL Report TOC
1 – Results & Pick ‘Em
2 – Bandits/Swarm
3 – Rush/Black Wolves
4 – Rock/Roughnecks
5 – Knighthawks/Bandits
6 – Stealth/Mammoth
7 – LaxAllStars of the Week
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Stealth Get Revenge on Colorado with Bolstered Defense
Takeaway Moments
The Colorado Mammoth suffered their first loss of the season, 16-13… the Vancouver Stealth move to 2-2 with the home victory… one week after John Grant, Jr. and Adam Jones dismantled the Stealth, the Vancouver defense held the pairing to only one goal between both of them… this was the first time the pair had this happen in their entire span together.
For Colorado, Adam Jones had one goal and three assists while Junior finished six assists…. Drew Westervelt had one of the only positive performances for the team earning a hat trick and three assists… Bob Snider had a positive night going 22-33 at the faceoff circle… Dillon Ward made 24 saves in the first half but only had 6 in the second, one of the key factors in the Stealth’s domination of the final half.
Johnny Powless had the highlight evening he needed, he scored 4 goals and earned 2 assists… Tyler Digby, Rhys Duch and Corey Small all had at least 1 goal and over 5 assists in the big win for Vancouver… goalie Tyler Richards made 45 saves in the defense stand!
Boxscore
MD’s Take
It looks like the Stealth defense is back to full strength, in Chris O’Dougherty‘s first game back he picked up 6 ground balls and 2 assists.
Although they held Junior to 0 goals, he did have 6 assists. Drew Westervelt was the only Mammoth player to even pull of a hat trick on TRich and the improving Stealth defense.
The offense was moving the ball well too and they were seeing each other at the right times. Johnny Powless showed up to ball and he put in 4 goals and 2 assists himself which is a huge relief for the Vancouver coaching staff. Joel McCready had a hat trick and Rhys Duch finished with 2 goals and 5 assist in the revenge win over Colorado.
Around the League
“The guys showed up to play tonight and they were rewarded,” Perreault said. “We had possession of the ball a lot more, we valued the ball, we were smarter with the ball and defensively we talked more and communicated. And Tyler Richards was outstanding; he made some great saves.”
From NLL.com
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[mks_icon icon=”fa-rss” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] Related Articles
• ‘V’ for victory: Stealth hand Mammoth first loss, 16-13 (NLL.com)
• Watch the Full Game (UniversalSportsNetwork.com)
• Stealth 16, Mammoth 13: Stealth break through by downing unbeaten Mammoth (The Province)
• Powless scores four goals as Stealth hold off Mammoth for victory (Prince George Citizen)
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NLL Report TOC
1 – Results & Pick ‘Em
2 – Bandits/Swarm
3 – Rush/Black Wolves
4 – Rock/Roughnecks
5 – Knighthawks/Bandits
6 – Stealth/Mammoth
7 – LaxAllStars of the Week
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NLL LaxAllStars of the Week
This week we are kicking off something new, I am selecting my top 3-5 players of the week to pay attention to in the NLL. From rookies to seasoned vets, this hand selected bunch did big things in the league in the previous week and I couldn’t help but recognize it!
Make your selections for the LaxAllStars Players of the Week in the comment section of all of our NLL posts!
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[mks_two_thirds]#1 – Jerome Thompson
Although Hiana was scratched last week, he was able to earn his way back onto the Bandits active roster after team captain John Tavares had to take the week off with injury.
In Friday night’s win over Minnesota, Hiana had 5 goals and 1 assist and really commanded respect on the floor. The oldest of the Thompsons is making the most of the chances he’s been given in his rookie season, I don’t expect him to fall through the cracks any time soon.
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[mks_two_thirds]#2 – Joe Walters
If you want to be a real NLL fan, make Joe Walters a household name. This guys has been a staple of the 3-Peat Knighthawks franchise and continues to be a terror in the league. Check out the clips above (as if you didn’t already) of Joe getting his helmet ripped off and still burying the goal.
He’s racked up 7 goals and 5 assists so far this year, but let’s just say he’s on the way to HOF status.
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[mks_two_thirds]#3 – Mark Matthews
Mark is having a solid start to 2015, as he should be. He was shooting and scoring from all over the floor and was a huge problem for the New England defensive group.
Matthews took his game as an outside shooter to the next level, ripping off 13 shots for 6 goals! Only 5 of Mark’s shots were actually blocked and he spaced just 2 wide of the goal. Edmonton has a home and away weekend with Colorado in two weeks, another hot weekend from the big lefty’s stick is a must for the Rush!
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[mks_two_thirds]#4 – Dan Dawson
Dan is a key example of why the Three Stars of the NLL system is terribly flawed. The big man accumulated 11, yes 11, assists in the 18-11 Knighthawks win over Buffalo on Saturday.
His scoring percentage could be improved on, putting 7 shots on goal but none falling for the score. I’m not going to be pointing fingers at the 6’6” forward. With a guy that tall collecting 7 loosies in the game too, I’m not even mad about it.
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