NLL Pre Game Live: Previewing the Champion’s Cup
Rocco Granato hits the airwaves to preview the Calgary Roughnecks take on the Rochester Knighthawks tonight in the NLL Champions game one. Part One Part Two
NLL
NLL Champion’s Cup Game One: What to Watch For
The time has arrived! The Calgary Roughnecks will host the Rochester Knighthawks in Game 1 of the two-game series. The Roughnecks are going for their third title (2004 & 2009), and the Rochester Knighthawks are going for title number five, but historically they are trying to be the first team in the 28-year history of the league to three-peat. Their previous titles were in 1997 and 2007 before winning the…
Rock Sign Sanderson to Two Year Extension
Toronto Rock Owner and President Jamie Dawick has announced the signing of General Manager Terry Sanderson to a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2016 season. “I’m really happy and excited to have ‘T’ back on board as General Manager with this 2-year extension,” said Dawick. “I look forward to building on our recent successes as we work our way towards another championship.” Sanderson took over as GM…
Reaction: About the NLL Playoff Mini Games
After the Calgary Roughnecks defeated the Edmonton Rush on Friday night in the NLL’s first ever “mini game”, all the talk has been about just that. Not Calgary’s road upset. Not the end of the Rush’s amazing season. But about the mini game. On Saturday night, the Rochester Knighthawks defeated Buffalo to get to a mini game and they won in the sudden death OT portion of the ten minute…
NLL Season Recap: Edmonton’s Almost Cinderella Story
The Edmonton Rush had a historic 16-2 season, going undefeated until April 11, 2014. They won their first 14 games. The Colorado Mammoth handed them their first defeat which was a 10-8 loss. They would lose their second game of the season eight days later in overtime against the Calgary Roughnecks (13-14). They would go on to face Calgary in the playoffs for the Champion’s Cup. The Rush started their…
NLL Rookie Report: Championship Edition
The National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) newly adapted playoff format was on full display recently as both Division Finals stretched the mini-game to sudden death to decide the winner. With the Champion’s Cup on the horizon, a minimal amount of rookies remain in the NLL playoff picture. In the second game of the West Division Finals, Riley Loewen helped the Rush even the series with a three point effort (1g,…
Net Impact: Did Shortened Rosters in 2014 Affect the NLL?
Rosters in the NLL were reduced to 20 from 23 prior to the 2014 season. We looked at this subject earlier in this year to see if there had been any impact and, with the regular season out of the way and the Champion’s Cup about to begin, now seems like a good time to revisit the subject. Overall scoring was down in the league in 2014, with teams scoring…
NLL Season Recap: Bandits Fall Just Short
Team Acquisitions: (F) Joe Resetarits—Calgary Roughnecks (F) Ryan Benesch—Minnesota Swarm (T) Andrew Watt—Minnesota Swarm (D) Rory Smith—Colorado Mammoth Team Losses: (T) John Harasym (D) Mike McNamara (F) Luke Wiles (F) Derek Hopcroft (F) Mike Hominuck Offense: Grade C+ The Buffalo Bandits off-season acquisitions of Ryan Benesch and Joe Resetarits proved to be just what the team needed to help boost their sagging scoring output from last year. Benesch lead the…
Hawks Defeat Bandits to Advance to Champion’s Cup
The Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Buffalo Bandits 13-8 in Game 2 to tie the series at a game apiece. The game was a typical Knighthawks/Bandits game: chippy and hard hitting. The Knighthawks started to carry the momentum as Cory Vitarelli started the scoring at 3:16 and it seemed as if Rochester would start the way Buffalo did in Game 1. Buffalo went on a three-goal run with goals from Benesch…
NLL West Finals: Roughnecks Rally To Ruin Rush Run
For the third time in franchise history the Calgary Roughnecks are headed to the Champion’s Cup after coming back from a massive deficit to eliminate the Edmonton Rush. The Rush, who finished the regular season with the NLL’s best record at 16-2, won the early game on Saturday night by a 15-13 margin, but the Roughnecks dominated the mini-game that followed, taking a 2-1 win and the series. Things didn’t…