The NLL week is over and there were plenty of interesting things to watch. On Friday we went over the storylines to keep your eyes on, but today we make observations to think about heading into week three.
Number Five—Impact from Karsen Leung
Karsen Leung did not put any points on the board for the Calgary Roughnecks, but his presence was felt throughout the game. He made several hits, picks and caused turnovers in his first game in the NLL, and he got stronger throughout the game. Maybe next week, his presence will extend to the score sheet.
Number Four—Tye Belanger Has a Short Rope
Tye Belanger started in net for the Colorado Mammoth and by midway through the second quarter he was pulled in favor of the rookie Dillon Ward. Belanger gave up four goals on 13 shots in 19 minutes before he was pulled. He was also pulled early in the first game. Does this indicate that Belanger will have a short rope in Colorado?
Number Three—Stephan LeBlanc is Back?
Stephan LeBlanc had a somewhat disappointing 2013 as his numbers dropped off. In fact, he hasn’t been as good since his first year in the league. LeBlanc had seven points on Friday night, five of which were goals. LeBlanc’s point totals have gone down in each of his seasons; can he get back to 80+ points like his rookie year?
Number Two—Roughnecks Not so Hot
The Roughnecks were extremely undisciplined and struggled all night turning the ball over. They lost 16-11, but at times it seemed closer, and at times it seemed like even more of a blowout. Shawn Evans and Tor Reinholdt each turned the ball over six times and the team took 19 penalty minutes. Toronto ended up with four power play goals.
Number One—Stealth Offense the Same
Other than the smaller rosters, the main reason the Vancouver Stealth cut Athan Iannucci was he was too much of a shoot first player, something the Stealth had a lot of. Well, they still do, apparently. In their loss against the Mammoth, Rhys Duch shot 19 times and Lewis Ratcliff 18; the next most was 11 from the rookie Cody Bremner. They ended up with 79 shots. That means 46% of their shots came from Ratcliff and Duch. Can the Stealth be a balanced offense this way?
