Faceoffs in lacrosse seem to take on a much greater significance than they do in hockey, which is the sport that bears the most similarity when it comes to draws. Perhaps because there are half as many in a lacrosse game and because faceoff guys are so specialized compared to hockey, they become that much more important for teams trying to gain an edge in game play.
But does winning faceoffs really give you that much of an advantage?
I’ve discussed this topic before, but I thought I’d revisit it from a slightly different angle, now that we’re halfway through the current NLL season. How are the top faceoff men in the league doing in terms of helping their teams win this year?
As expected, the Snider brothers are among the league leaders in faceoff wins and faceoff win percentage. Older brother Geoff is tops in wins (186) and win percentage (65.3) with the Calgary Roughnecks while the Bob, of the Colorado Mammoth, is second in wins (185) and third in win percentage (56.4). Right up there with them is Jay Thorimbert of the Buffalo Bandits who is third in wins (137) and second in win percentage (58.8).
The combined record of the Roughnecks, Mammoth and Bandits right now is 18-13 for a very respectable .580 win percentage. And if you were to add in the fourth-best faceoff man, Jeremy Thompson of the Edmonton Rush (116 wins; 56 percent success) that improves to 27-13 and a .675 win percentage.
On the other end of the scale, the three worst draw men so far this year are Jordan MacIntosh of the Minnesota Swarm (113 wins, 37.5 win percentage), Tyler Garrison of the Vancouver Stealth (117 wins, 43.2 win percentage) and Stephen Hoar of the Toronto Rock (46 wins, 35.7 win percentage). Their teams are a combined 9-22 for a winning percentage of .290 and include the last-place teams in both divisions.
So it would seem that faceoff success and winning are going hand-in-hand this year, which makes a certain amount of sense; if you have more possessions, it follows that you’ll score more and win more.
On the other hand, the Rochester Knighthawks have won the last two Champion’s Cups and did it both times without winning 50 percent of their faceoffs. So while faceoff wins certainly seem to increase your likelihood of winning games, it clearly isn’t the sole deciding factor.
