Half way through the NLL 2014 season, the In Lacrosse We Trust staff have been scuffling amongst each other for the top spot in their predictions race. These midseason standings bring to light not only who predicts the most accurately, but who also gets lucky the most. A win (correct prediction) is worth 2pts. A loss/non participation is a one point deduction per. Di Miller 32 Ian…
With the NLL season halfway over, the Vancouver Stealth (3-7) and Minnesota Swarm (2-7) are languishing at the bottom of their respective divisions. The Stealth only have eight games remaining; the Swarm have nine. Vancouver is a full game out of a playoff spot in the West Division while Minnesota is 2.5 games out of the East Division playoffs. With the clock ticking on their playoff hopes, can either team…
Photo Credit: Calgary Roughnecks The Calgary Roughnecks overcame a 5-1 first quarter deficit to beat the two-time defending champion Rochester Knighthawks 11-10 Saturday night. Both teams are now 5-3 on the season and both remain in second place in their respective divisions. After trading goals early, Rochester scored three goals in two-and-a-half minutes, causing Calgary head coach Curt Malawsky to pull starting goalie Mike Poulin in favour of Frankie Scigliano….
The Rochester Knighthawks (5-2) travel across the continent on Saturday to take on the Calgary Roughnecks (4-3) in a battle between second-place teams hoping to strengthen their positions. Photo Credit: Dan Brodie The Knighthawks are on a two-game winning streak and are coming off a decisive 17-9 defeat of the Toronto Rock, so they have momentum working for them. Their smothering defense and superb goaltending have kept opposing teams under…
The indoor lacrosse landscape is dotted with leagues right now, each with its plusses and minuses, each competing to retain as much of the available talent as possible, and each fighting to survive in a sports world that barely knows lacrosse exists. The granddaddy of them all is still the National Lacrosse League, which is now more than a quarter century old and seems to be enjoying some much-deserved stability….
When the new NLL Collective Bargaining Agreement was signed over the fall, roster sizes were reduced, shrinking to 20 players from 23, with practice rosters expanding from three to four. Now that we are more than a third of the way through the schedule, it’s time to have a look back and see if the reduced rosters have affected the game. There are a couple metrics we can look at…
The Calgary Roughnecks exploded for a dozen second half goals to hand the Vancouver a decisive 20-9 defeat on Saturday night. The win improves Calgary’s record to 4-3 while Vancouver drop to 3-7. The Roughnecks had three five-goal runs over the course of the game, building their lead in bunches. The first run included two goals late in the first quarter to give Calgary their first lead, followed by three…
Saturday night, the Calgary Roughnecks (3-3) play host to the Vancouver Stealth (3-6). It will be the second of four meetings between these two clubs in the 2014 schedule and is critical to both team’s aspirations for the playoffs. The Roughnecks have had an up-and-down season so far, not yet finding enough rhythm to win consecutive games. They have, however, earned two of their three victories at home, so that…
John Grant Jr. of the Colorado Mammoth spends his summers playing in the MLL, currently with the Chesapeake Bayhawks. His teammate, rookie goaltender Dillon Ward, divides time between the MLL’s Hamilton Nationals (now the Florida Launch) and the KW Kodiaks of the MSL. Mark Matthews of the Edmonton Rush likewise divides his summers between the MLL’s New York Lizards and the WLA’s Langley Thunder. Many pro lacrosse players compete in…
In the last two seasons the Rochester Knighthawks have won the Champion’s Cup while playing excellent defense and managing to score just enough to get past their opponents. They have, in fact, scored just 20 goals between the last two Champion’s Cup games combined, against just 16 goals surrendered. This past weekend’s Super Bowl seemed to indicate that defense is more important than offense, but that doesn’t necessarily translate from…