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Lacrosse All Stars’ NLL Power Rankings: Week 5

Editor’s Note: Welcome to the new Lacrosse All Stars’ NLL Power Rankings. Our aim is to help enhance the discussion on who the top teams in the National Lacrosse League are, and who needs to perform better. LAS contributor Ira Huff will be breaking down these weekly power rankings for us. Want to add to our discussion? Use the hashtag #NLLRankings on social media!

Here are the NLL Power Rankings going into Week 5:

  1. Georgia Swarm (3-0)
  2. Toronto Rock (2-1)
  3. Buffalo Bandits (3-1)
  4. Calgary Roughnecks (3-1)
  5. New England Black Wolves (1-1)
  6. Saskatchewan Rush (1-1)
  7. Rochester Knighthawks (1-1)
  8. San Diego Seals (1-2)
  9. Vancouver Warriors (1-3)
  10. Colorado Mammoth (0-2)
  11. Philadelphia Wings (0-3)

Some of these selections are simply common sense, as No. 1 ranked Georgia has yet to lose a game and, although they’ve impressed me, Philadelphia sits at the bottom because someone has to be there (Colorado came close to it, with their lack of offensive chemistry putting them in an early hole). Rounding out the top four, Toronto has played one less game than Buffalo but already has a win against the Bandits in their pocket. However, Buffalo showed exactly how dominant it can be this past weekend by holding the Knighthawks to four goals as the rest of the league has now been put on notice. Calgary may have an impressive record but they’re winning the games they should be winning – although doing so without a full roster, as Wes Berg and Curtis Dickson have yet to return to their lineup.

The middle of the pack gets a little more interesting, as I’m still reeling from New England beating Saskatchewan a couple weekends ago. But, I don’t think we’ve seen the best from the Rush just yet. The same goes for Rochester. Honestly, I could have put the Seals higher, as their record doesn’t reflect the quality of the performances they have given as a first-year club. And, after their opening OT win against Calgary, the Warriors haven’t been able to repeat that success. However, their game against Georgia was a close one, so there’s hope for them still.

Due to scheduling changes and the early season delay, some teams like Buffalo and Calgary have played twice as many games as others (four games each), like New England and Colorado (two games each). This will balance out further down the road with bye weeks and the like for the NLL Power Rankings. For now, I have to go with what I have in front of me, but expect the rankings to change a lot in the coming weeks. Check back next week and see where everyone stands after another awesome weekend of lacrosse.


Want more from Ira Huff? Read him breakdown the Saskatchewan Rush v. San Diego Seals game here, and the Colorado Mammoth v. Calgary Roughnecks game here.