NLL
NLL Super Post! Updates, Video, Trades + Predictions!
Editor’s Note: Thanks to the help of the innovative team at SISU Guard, the Official Mouthguard of the NLL, we’ve beefing up our National Lacrosse League coverage! We hope you enjoy our look at the 2016 NLL season through a new lens with the aid of our partner SISU!
Good gracious do we have our hands full today! Every team played last weekend and everyone still got Easter off. That means a whole lot of lacrosse went down in just two days. Ryan Conwell will bring you up to speed on whats going on around the Black Wolves and Knighthawks camps, while I, Mark Donahue, will fill you in on everything else!
Your NLL Super Post:
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Team Reports
- Buffalo Bandits
- Calgary Roughnecks
- Colorado Mammoth
- Georgia Swarm
- New England Black Wolves
- Rochester Knighthawks
- Saskatchewan Rush
- Toronto Rock
- Vancouver Stealth
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Box Scores
Standings
Video Explosion
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Get to the clickin’!
Buffalo Bandits
Dhane Smith is continuing to defy the possibilities of what one human can do in the National Lacrosse League. Sitting at a cool 103, he’s on course for over 154 points in the regular season alone. The best part is, he’s not alone on the offensive side of the floor. Buffalo has seven runners averaging a minimum of one goal per game. One thing they’ve mastered is racking up points: Anthony Malcolm and Alex Kedoh Hill are in the 25 club; Daryl Veltman and Mitch Jones tie at 29; Mark Steeinhuis assists his way to 47; and Ryan Benesch coming in with 57. It’s funny how Benesch, who’s only missed one game, has averaged 6 points per game, on 25 goals and 32 helpers, and he’s still just a hair above half of what we’ve seen from Dhane.
38 year old Anthony Cosmo has had a stellar season so far, posting a .790 save percentage, 2nd best in the league. He’s on track for his best year to date and he owes a lot to the defense in front of him. Steve Priolo is one point away from being the tied with the top scoring defensemen, the whole team is totaling 149 caused turnovers and rocking the best goal ratio (+21) in the Eastern Conference.
The Bandits haven’t been much on the road, going 3-3 heading into their last 6 games on the season, 3 of which are on the road. New England is only a half game behind, but the two teams don’t meet until the final week. Buffalo needs to keep packing on the points to keep the Black Wolves at bay, desperate for that #1 seed. They’ve got nothing but in-conference opponents for the rest of the season, now is not the time to pump the breaks.
Calgary Roughnecks
Two playoff spots in the Western Conference are already tied up, if the Roughnecks continue to play their cards right they’ll clinch that third and final position. They’re two games above a dwindling Vancouver team that they will face twice in the coming weeks. A win this Saturday over the #1 Rush would be huge for a team that has lost 4 out of their last 7 games in overtime, the other 3 games were wins. Things can still improve, but this team has been playing much better lacrosse since finding confidence with Mike Poulin between the pipes. I don’t care that he’s 3-4, because those losses are coming in OT and he’s throwing up a .787 save average. He made 3 saves in extra-time last week against Colorado before they found twine, the guy is clutch. He just needs to get the same effort out of his group for all 60 minutes, and then some.
I don’t mean to call everyone out. Curtis Dickson is playing at an incredible pace, averaging 5.92 points per game on 48 total goals. Superman hasn’t had any trouble getting the ball into the net, but his supporting cast has put the same emphasis on scoring goals. Dan Dobbie is averaging just 2 goals per game in the 10 of 14 contests he’s played in. In 4 more games than Dobbie, Tyler Digby has accumulated 1 less point and slightly under 2 goals per game. Jeff Shattler and Wes Berg have both added only a bit above 1 goal per game despite the entire group excelling at moving the ball and racking up the assists.
Running the show in transition, Karsen Leung has 14 points from 14 games and the entire defense has racked up 15 goals as a group. The addition of Tyler Burton to the group as a defenseman and face-off guy has been huge for Calgary, he’s winning a solid amount of possessions for the Riggers and fitting in well on the backline. Scott and Mike Carnegie are combing for 43 caused turnovers, Dan MacRae has 17 of his own to add to 15 points in 14 games. The group is playing much tighter in front of Poulin, they have just 4 more games to make their case for the post-season.
Colorado Mammoth
All they had to do was get the win and they got in. Now the Mammoth have to jockey back and forth with the Rush for the #1 seed, a team they’ll see in back to back nights in the middle of their final 6 game stretch. Calgary was the team that broke Adam Jones’ epic 56-game goal streak the week prior. He hopped back on the horse against the Roughnecks last weekend and put up 3 goals and 3 assists in typical Jones fashion. Jones only leads his team with 37 goals, 2016 addition Callum Crawford has been dominant all season long, racking up 21 goals and a staggering 56 assists, 1st in the NLL. No shock that John Grant Jr. is putting up numbers, 61 points in 12 games. He’s on perfect pace for 91 points for the 4th straight year in a row.
Tearing it up in his sophomore season, Jeremy Noble is averaging nearly 4 points per game. He can be counted on to find a goal per game, but his real contribution has been those 33 assists. Chris Wardle and Eli McLaughlin have also chipped in their points here and there and the whole defensive/transition unit has proven that they can push the tempo and handle the rock on their own. One guy who stands out in the group is rookie Jordan Gilles, leading the backline with 6 goals so far. Veteran Greg Downing has 9 points of his own, but has put most of his efforts towards aggressive 1on1 defense. 27 caused turnovers and 66 loose balls are the fruits of Downing’s labor through 12 games.
A certain Mammoth net minder went viral with week with what I’ve got to label the hit of the year. Here’s the deal, Alex Buque left the crease while buddy pass was sent to a streaking Leung. Leung caught the ball, turned stepped and got rocked. The NLL came out with a statement that the play was legal by rule, despite countless fans, and even players, voicing their disapproval. Dillon Ward has been primarily the starter for Colorado, posting a .781 save average with a 5-1 record, but Buque is getting his minutes, earning a 4-2 record with at .776 average. They start in New England on Saturday with the same group after avoiding any late deadline-driven moves. Now looking to be back on track, I expect the big three to put Kirk and Co. to the test.
Georgia Swarm
Taking advantage of the trade deadline, the Swarm made moves with Buffalo to send the second-oldest Thompson brother, Hiana, to the South to join up with his little brothers, Miles and Lyle. Hiana had a breakout season in 2015 as a 26 year-old rookie and although he doesn’t have years of experience in the NLL, Thompson is going to bring age and wisdom to a lockerroom packed full of youngsters. They also sent Joe Maracle and Josh Gillam to the Rochester Knighthawks in exchange for their 3rd round 2016 Entry Draft pick and their 2nd round selection in 2018. Young Iroquois Nationals defenseman Wenster Green was inked to a 1-year deal at the deadline, but I don’t expect to see him on the floor yet.
At the beginning of the season, this team was almost unbelievably good. Although they haven’t maintained a positive records throughout the 2016 campaign, there has been so much promise out of the youthful group. First, who would have thought that Randy Staats would be leading the team in total points? The rookie has picked up 23 goals and 29 assists through all 12 games, he actually has 1 more goal than Miles and Lyle Thompson combined. Not that Thompsons haven’t been good, they just haven’t been what most of us expected. Lyle has 12 goals in 12 games, not bad for a rookie, but how could we not expect the modern messiah of field lacrosse to not come in and dominate the NLL with his unparalleled style of play? Miles has taken a bit of a dive since his break-out debut in 2015, average almost a full point per game less than his brother. After 11 games, Miles brought in 10 goals and 15 assists, pretty far off from the 62 points he was good for last year.Getting ahold of Johnny Powless has been a huge spark for the offense, he’s average 2 goals and 2 assists per game right at 49 points. This has been Powless’ best year to date, only 4 points off his own record and when it comes to putting up points, rookie Jesse King and the elusive Shayne Jackson aren’t far off. King is hanging out with 48 points, 35 of which come from assists by the big man and the veteran Jackson has been able to take a breather after last season, but has still contribute 23 goals and 24 assists in all 12 games.
The young, fast transition unit has been packing in their fair share of points. The focus needs to be kept on defense through the last 6 games. They have a whole array of scorers that can do their thing on any given night, but they’ve given up double-digit goals in all but two games this season. We saw this team self-destruct against Rochester, only scoring 4 total goals in the game, that can’t happen again as they take on 5-straight Eastern Conference opponents in their last 6 games. Led by Jordan MacIntosh’s incredible 19 points and 116 loose balls, Chad Tutton, Joel White, David Earl and Ethan O’Connor have all been vacuums on loose balls and have done their parts to get points on the board. The group can forcer turnovers and push tempo, but they’re struggling to keep the foundation in front of Zack Higgins and Brodie MacDonald. The two net minders have been sharing a lot of the duties and together they average 13.75 goals against per game and a .730 average. They can’t carry all of the burden, the often disheveled defense has to clear out the middle and limit the scoring opportunities if Georgia wants any shot at the post-season.
New England Black Wolves
The Black Wolves had two games this past weekend, both against the Rochester Knighthawks. By winning both, it gave the Black Wolves a big boost in the standings as we can now start talking about playoff races. The team said they wanted to focus on their defensive principles during their bye week a week ago, and the results showed. By holding Rochester to 13 and eight goals in the two games, it meant their defense had their best goals against performance since early February when they held Buffalo to 12.
Defensively, New England played both of their keepers over the weekend, giving each of them a game of their own. While they both earned a “W”, Evan Kirk had the better overall performance, so I still don’t think you can say there is a goalie controversy brewing. It does reaffirm Tye Belanger as a solid backup option to come is as needed though. I also really like what I saw from them as a group in their second game when they forced 16 turnovers, even though their transition point total was higher on Friday.
At the other end of the floor for the Black Wolves, Shawn Evans has continued on his scoring pace which right now has him beating his 130 points from a year ago. If not for Buffalo’s Dhane Smith, this would be talking about quite a bit more. Evans continues to drive an excellent offensive group where Kevin Crowley, Pat Saunders and Jordan Hall are all solid contributors. Kevin and Kyle Buchanan are typically given fewer opportunities, but they do what is needed from them and are always good for a few points each game. This team is averaging just over 13 goals per game, which is good for third in the league, just a few tenths of a point behind the Rush.
New England should get themselves into the playoffs soon, with three game against Toronto and Georgia still to be played. Their other four contests are much more difficult as they play host to the top teams in the west, Colorado and Saskatchewan next with Buffalo and Rochester to close out the season. Winning most to all of those games should lock up a home game or two as well.
Rochester Knighthawks
The Knighthawks seems like they were on the right path after holding Georgia to just four goals a week ago. By losing two straight to New England, Rochester not only took a step backwards in the standings, but also fell below .500 on the season, sitting at 6-7. Their remaining schedule features Buffalo twice, New England again, Georgia, and Saskatchewan. That actually sets up a very interesting playoff race with Georgia whose schedule is no easier and is just as desperate to string some wins together.
This weekend’s games saw Matt Vinc come crashing back to Earth, not savings more than 80% in either game. His Saturday performance at home was noticeably better, but neither effort compared at all to his outing against Georgia the week before. The defense for the Knighthawks really struggled with the high ball movement offense that the Black Wolves were playing on Friday night. They improved significantly here the next night as the assist numbers were way down in comparison.
The offensive side of the ball was much more puzzling for Rochester. Friday saw some superb performances from unexpected places. Joe Walters recorded five points, Stephen Keogh had seven, and Joe Resetarits had four. Dan Dawson and Cody Jamieson piled on the assists, but only had a single goal between the two of them. On Saturday, the offense was very balanced, almost to a fault. Nearly everyone score a point or two, but Dan Dawson led the way with four points and Brad Self was second with three. In a game decided by a mere two points, this drop in production was the logical place to point the finger for blame.
The Knighthawks are still a team that will improve through the season, and they have a handful of games left to lock up a playoff spot. Assuming they get into the postseason, never count them out. They proved a few years ago that a strong regular season has no bearing on postseason hopes, so this will have to be a repeat performance of that scenario in 2016.
Saskatchewan Rush
We knew the Rush would be good this year, but did anyone see 9-3 coming? The boys in black and green have been packing out their home barn with over 13k fans in attendance at one point. It’s pretty insane to have the 3rd best attendance figures as a completely newly relocated franchise. It doesn’t hurt that the team just keeps winning either. They’re rocking a ridiculous +31 goal ratio, a league best, from 162 total goals. The charge is led by Mark Matthews with 25 goals and 47 assists, but it seems like everyone on the very youthful roster fits the run and gun mold. Defensemen Ryan Dilks and Chris Corbeil are doing their part to put up points. Dilks leads NLL defensemen with 15 points, while Corbeil leads the same group with 6 total goals. Along with Matthews, the Rush have 5 other forwards averaging anywhere from 2 to 6 points per game, so it’s really hard to find flaw in the offensive group.
We’ve seen Aaron Bold pulled more recently than I can ever remember. Although his numbers aren’t last year’s MVP-deserving run, his team is really backing him up with the 10.55 GAA. His .744 save percentage puts him near the bottom of the pack, but Saskatchewan is totally getting away with it. Confident in what they’re working with, the Rush didn’t make any moves as we hit the trade deadline. Can you blame them? You tell me what their problem is and how a trade could fix it! …Exactly! They’ve got 6 games left, all against opponents that are playing championship-caliber lacrosse right now, well maybe with the exception of Vancouver. The playoffs are already a done deal, now it’s all about fine tuning the details and punching Colorado in the mouth twice to capture the #1 seed and the bye in Round 1.
If it weren’t for Matthews, Robert Church, Zack Greer or Ben McIntosh could be the all-star of the team, and have consistently created offense for the group at times when the game is dragging, and when they really need it. Church is a hair off of 5 points per game, McIntosh has 40 total points so far and 1 game behind the group, Greer has chipped in at least a couple goals per game, with a huge 11 point night coming against the Stealth a few weeks back. Now throw Curtis Knight and Riley Loewen in the mix and it’s points galore for Saskatchewan. All 6 forwards can feed and score almost equally as well and fantastic movement on offense has led to consistent production, winning them 9 out of their 12 games. If you squint in just the right light, you can see another Champion’s Cup on the horizon. Hopefully for Rush fans, it’s not a mirage.
Toronto Rock
Just when things were really starting to look up for the Rock, the just had to face a home and away weekend with red hot Rush to which they dropped both games. Weirdly enough, they’re only 2.5 games back from the playoffs and they have six games to use to their advantage. Toronto is still desperately looking to find a win on the road with a nasty 0-5 away record hanging above their heads.
Between the pipes, Nick Rose is playing arguably some of the best lacrosse we’ve seen out of a goaltender this season. He’s leading the NLL with a pretty.792 save percentage and a GAA under 11, which is no easy task for a goalie backing a 3-9 team. Working hard to be #1, Billy Howstrawser is leading the league with 54 PIM, standing up for his boys at any chance he gets, and then some. Brock Sorenson’s 1 goal and 9 assists aside, not much has happened on the scoreboard from the defense and transition groups. They leave it up to the offense, but when the group can’t stick to their set plays, they completely fall to pieces.
Even when they were straight up bad, Rob Hellyer was still putting in the work and now he’s up to a team-high 75 points. Stephan Leblanc, Brett Hickey and Kasey Biernes have all found success on the score sheet as of late, combing for 58 goals while Colin Doyle and Josh Sanderson stay busy hooking all of them up. Sanderson and Doyle combine for 56 assists just between the two. Their going to need help from the defense to make the push through the last 6 games. Nick Rose has been great and they can’t ask anymore from the big man. The offense needs to keep the ball moving and try different sticks. Heller is going to do his thing but they can’t count on just 1-2 big individual efforts to win these late games.
Vancouver Stealth
Six weeks ago, things got bad. Then they got worse. Now, I’m wondering if there are any shining beacons of hope left for the BC boys. They canned Dan Perreault for Jamie Batley after the Toronto loss, but the product they brought to the floor the last two weeks under Batley doesn’t look much improved from what they had. In fact, giving up 41 goals in just 2 games is straight up pathetic. Sorry Stealth defense, I love you guys, but you know this isn’t good and we just can’t hide it.
Losing 6 of their last 7 games, the Stealth are on an out of control skid. This weekend they’ll face the Rock, the other team at the bottom of the league. The Rock have been rolling with a bit of momentum, but this is a game the Stealth must win. If they can’t take down the team matching them in last place, they will have no hope to carry on when taking on Calgary two weeks in a row, Saskatchewan one more time and Colorado. The Roughnecks essentially just need those two wins to capture their playoff berth, still two games up from the Stealth in last place.
Rhys Duch, Logan Schuss and Corey Small have all been hot when shooting the ball, but too often does this team slip into holding the ball and each guy trying to carry the entire team on his back. Small is the only runner to find the net in each and every game in 2016 while Duch is leading the team with 33 goals and 37 assists, both playing in all 12 games. Schuss has missed out on a couple of battles, but is still putting in work to bring his totals up to 18 goals and 39 assists, 18 of those points coming from the powerplay. Sorry to say it, but the trade for Garrett Billings, sending out Digby, was a drastic mistake. Billings has played in 9 games, in which he only collected 12 goals while posting a team-low .115 shooting percentage. Billings has been out worked every game and didn’t even start at full health. He has now missed three games and they still let him rattle of 10+ shots a night.
Since the un-retirement of Tyler Richards, some of the goaltending woes have been solved. Despite his 1-4 record, Richards is stopping 77% of the shot on goal he’s seen in the 6 games they’ve let him on the floor. He’s only held out for 3 full-games as the coaching staff has been quick to play Eric Penney. Penney was supposed to be the main-man this season after Richards’ departure at the end of 2015. The problem was the 22 year old was running way too hot and cold for a defense that has yet to get it together. Here’s a fun stat, the defense has combined for 29 shots and rookie Ryan Wagner scored their 1 goal. Lucky for them, only one team sits out from the playoffs in the Western Conferece so they still have a chance. Unfortunately with the way things are going now, they’ll miss out for the second year in a row,
Box Scores
Roc. Knighthawks (6-6) @ NE Black Wolves (4-7)
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Saskatchewan Rush (8-3) @ Toronto Rock (3-9)
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Vancouver Stealth (8-3) @ Buffalo Bandits (5-7)
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Calgary Roughnecks (5-7) @ Georgia Swarm
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NE Black Wolves (5-7) @ Roc. Knighthawks (6-7)
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Calgary Roughnecks (3-5) @ Colorado Mammoth (3-4)
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Toronto Rock (3-10) @ Saskatchewan Rush (9-3)
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Standings
| East Division |
| Team | W | L | GB | WPCT | GF | GA | HOME | AWAY |
| Buffalo | 8 | 4 | – | .667 | 169 | 148 | 5-1 | 3-3 |
| New England | 7 | 4 | .5 | .636 | 146 | 128 | 4-1 | 3-3 |
| Rochester | 6 | 7 | 2.5 | .462 | 145 | 148 | 3-3 | 3-4 |
| Georgia | 4 | 8 | 4 | .333 | 149 | 165 | 1-4 | 3-4 |
| Toronto | 3 | 9 | 5 | .250 | 125 | 148 | 3-4 | 0-5 |
| West Division |
| Team | W | L | GB | WPCT | GF | GA | HOME | AWAY |
| xSaskatchewan | 9 | 3 | – | .750 | 162 | 131 | 5-2 | 4-1 |
| xColorado | 9 | 3 | – | .750 | 147 | 138 | 6-0 | 3-3 |
| Calgary | 6 | 8 | 4 | .429 | 161 | 163 | 3-4 | 3-4 |
| Vancouver | 3 | 9 | 6 | .250 | 132 | 167 | 2-4 | 1-5 |
Video Explosion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaP8fstT4tY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6oVcINRBhU