We are about a third of the way into the NLL season. During Week 7 fans were treated to another weekend of highlight reel goals, upsets, comebacks and overtime winners! It’s always hard to choose between all of these great moments because of all the incredible performances. This was one of the hardest yet. Let’s see who had a winning weekend and who ended up in the losers column in this week’s Winners and Losers.
Winners and Losers: NLL Week 7
Winners
Logan Schuss
Tough loss after tough loss, the Vancouver Warriors finally got a win in front of their own fans in an amazing game at Rogers Arena. The game-winner came at the hands of Logan Schuss who had played all game as if it was his last. You could tell he was putting his heart into every play. Schuss had been in a bit of a scoring slump, but he ended the night with four goals and one assist in a game that was as intense and dramatic as the NLL gets. The ball finally bounced Vancouver’s way, after a Colorado goal that would have likely won the Mammoth the game was called back. This gave the Warriors another chance to win the game. Schuss scored the game tying and game winning goal to give Vancouver their first home win at Rogers Arena.
Austin Shanks
Shanks came into the Knighthawks game against the Bandits with only three goals in his first four games of the season. Shanks put to rest any doubters by scoring a whopping seven goals on Matt Vinc and backup Zach Higgins. He was absolutely shooting lights-out as he just destroyed corners. Rochester got revenge on Buffalo from their meeting earlier in the season in which the Bandits beat them 13-4.
Kevin Crowley
Even though Crowley and the Philadelphia Wings didn’t win their game against the Rock, they are doing everything right in their first season back as a franchise by being competitive in every game, attracting fans and wearing those slick throwback jerseys. The game was one of the most exciting I’ve watched in a long time and I felt like I was right with the fans as I sat on the edge of my seat watching in my living room. Crowley is making a huge impact right away in his return to Philly, notching four goals and six assists against the Rock as his presence has given a boost to an already talented and extremely hard working team who are due for their first win.
Honorable Mentions
Eric Penney
Vancouver’s amazing win against Colorado would not have been possible without the superb play of Penney in net as he made several game-changing saves down the stretch of the game. It was his first start of the season and his performance could be the start of something good for the Warriors.
Rob Hellyer
The Toronto Rock continue to be on a hot streak with their fourth win in a row. Rob Hellyer continued his electrifying goal scoring as he scored the game winning goal in a comeback win against the Philadelphia Wings. Hellyer is tied for fifth in points with his teammate Tom Schreiber and finished with three goals and four assists against the Wings, with all of his goals coming in the fourth quarter.
Randy Staats
The older Staats brother has been lighting it up for the past few seasons with Georgia. This season he has continued to be an offensive workhorse for the Swarm leading the team with 41 points. He scored nine points against Saskatchewan on some ridiculous goals and precise passing.
Losers
Fans Getting Kicked Out of Games
Listen, I get it. Fans of any sport can get caught up in the moment as they experience the highs and lows of a sporting event just like the players, but causing a scene in the stands to the point of getting taken out in handcuffs is unacceptable. I believe this has only happened at one game so far this season, but it shouldn’t happen at all. NLL games are meant to be a family sporting event and the stands are usually filled with tons of kids dancing to the music and learning to love the sport of lacrosse. Being unruly and yelling at opposing fans is no way to act in front of kids and makes your team look bad if you are wearing their jersey. Let’s be better as lacrosse fans and cheer on our favorite teams with passion, but also respect.
