Coverage of the Buffalo Bandits, Rochester Knighthawks, Rochester Rattlers and New York Lizards and coverage of Syracuse, Albany, Manhatten and more.
This is the time of year when there is a lull in the professional lacrosse world. The MLL has wrapped up and the NLL preseason hasn’t officially started. Right about now is typically when the LXM Pro Tour has started up in the past to bring high level lacrosse to non-traditional areas around the country. We reached out to Adrenaline, who is the force behind LXM to see what their…
Transition is an interesting position in the NLL. Every team approaches it differently as some make them glorified defenders or just forwards that won’t get yelled at if they are stuck in the back end of the floor. Others such as Minnesota and Buffalo make them a large part of how they want to act as a team by causing turnovers, pushing the ball up the floor and creating mismatches…
The Rochester Knighthawks will open Training Camp the weekend of November 22-23 at the Unity Health System Total Sports Experience (TSE) in East Rochester. “It will be nice to get going and have everyone in the same room again,” said Knighthawks Head Coach Mike Hasen. “I am looking forward to getting back to work with this group.” The three-time defending National Lacrosse League Champions will hold their first practice from…
Being a goaltender in lacrosse is no easy task. There are specific skill sets required, a higher level of athletic ability, reflexes, and a strong lacrosse IQ. Coaches always told me that the goalie should be the most athletic player on the roster. One of ILWT’s writers, Ryan Conwell, grew up in Liverpool, NY, which is a “suburb” of Syracuse. One of the high school’s is called Baldwinsville, and thanks…
Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler today announced the organization will host the first-ever Buffalo Bandits Youth Indoor Lacrosse League for high school players this season. “We are extremely excited to provide this experience to youth lacrosse players in the Western New York region,” Loffler said. “With the popularity of our Jr. Bandits program over the last two summers, we felt this was the next step in growing…
Less than two weeks ago, Buffalo Bandits General Manager Steve Dietrich announced that the franchise had given three-year contracts to forward Ryan Benesch and transition/forward Dhane Smith. The true importance of this specific announcement was the underlying message to the fans in Banditland and the rest of the NLL that the team was securing their immediate future during a very critical time in the franchise. At the current moment, Bandits…
Photo Credit: Manhattan College Men’s Lacrosse Website Slider Manhattan College is coming off a 5-10 2014 season where the finished only in front of first year Monmouth in MAAC conference play. This year the team will look to bounce back in hopes of winning the MAAC over such teams as Siena, Detroit Mercy, and Marist who had a great 2014. The one thing that will be tough is this team…
Being a lacrosse goalie requires a number of very specialized skills that few master. The ideal player can command the defense, throw accurate 40 yard breakout passes, defend out of the cage when needed, and of course stop every type of shot thrown at them. Because of this level of specialization, most programs are never able to find someone who can do all those things at a truly elite level. Coaches frequently…
Being one post away from winning the Eastern Conference championship during the 2014 postseason, the Buffalo Bandits organization came to the conclusion that while the defensive side of the ball had flourished, the offensive side needed an injection of youth and size to help them flourish for next season. Bandits head coach Troy Cordingley and Bandits GM Steve Dietrich believed that the 2014 NLL Draft would be the best place…
Any discussion about the Rochester Knighthawks involving the word defense needs to immediately start with Matt Vinc. The net minder has been the foundation of their three year championship run and was rewarded with his fourth career NLL Goaltender of the Year award; doubling the number anybody else has ever won. The Knighthawks tied for the second lowest shots against count in the league and Vinc was able to translate…