Photo Credit: Dan Brodie
Week 8 of the NLL season is coming towards us, and tonight the Colorado Mammoth face off with the Vancouver Stealth. We have the top storylines of that game along with the others for this weekend.
Number Five—Can Dillon Ward do it Again?
Dillon Ward has been the man for the last three wins of the Colorado Mammoth. They play tonight against a hungry Vancouver Stealth team who has Rhys Duch and possibly Kyle Sorensen back in the lineup this week. Ward has played well, but can the rookie step it up for the fourth week in a row?
Number Four—Rush vs Swarm Could be Disastrous
The Edmonton Rush are 6-0 and have been dominant for almost the entire season. They face a Minnesota Swarm team that is 1-5, yet to win on the road and has the worst start in their team history. The Swarm have struggled to score all year with their top pick Logan Schuss with just 15 points. Meanwhile, the Rush’s defense has been historically good, so it might be a very low scoring game from the Swarm’s side.
Number Three—Will Stealth Win This Weekend?
Vancouver has two cracks to get back on track this weekend. First, tonight in Colorado and then tomorrow night in Calgary. They have Duch back from suspension and Sorensen will likely be back tonight, if not tomorrow. They have struggled for the entire season, and especially on this five game losing streak. The offense has been held to single digits in three of their last four games, so at what point will they see a spark?
Number Two—Call it a Comeback?
Last week we saw several comebacks in the NLL. Dean Hill in Colorado, Roger Vyse in Philadelphia, Brett Bucktooth in Vancouver to name a few. All of them fared well in their return, but two weeks in, it will be interesting to see how they all produce. Hill faces his former team, Bucktooth has a back to back, and Vyse faces his former team in Buffalo.
Number One—Mammoth on a Roll
The Mammoth have won three in a row, and yes, some of it (probably most of it) is because of the play of Ward in net, but it can’t be overlooked how well Casey Powell has played in his return and how terrific Drew Westervelt has been in his first season in Colorado. Bob Hamley said that Athan Iannucci might see the lineup again this weekend as well, so despite Adam Jones being out, the offense has been productive and been a big part of their mid season comeback.
