Rookie sensations Digby and Ward duke it out head-to-head, O’Connor continues to contribute for the Rock, and Thul’s streak coming to a close highlight Week 7 of the NLL rookie watch.
Ethan O’Connor had arguably his best performance of the season in the Toronto Rock’s dominating 20-10 defeat over the Philadelphia Wings. The Milton, ON native finished with two points (1 G, 1 A), while leading all Rock players with an outstanding 14 loose balls on the night. Other rookie notes for the Rock include the NLL debut of AJ Masson, who dressed his first career game versus a Wings squad that previously drafted him 12th overall in the 2013 draft. The Vermont graduate scooped up six loose balls in the win.
The Edmonton Rush handed Philly their second loss in as many days this past Saturday, thanks in part to the production of a pair of rookies. Riley Loewen finished the game with four points (2 G, 2 A), while Robert Church buried two goals in the win. Loewen and Church sit fifth and sixth in Rush scoring with 17 and 15 points on the year, respectively.
After a hot start to the year, Garret Thul’s point production hit a snag in the midst of Philadelphia’s recent struggles. Despite being held goalless for the first game of his young NLL career, Thul had a respectable showing against the Rock with three assists. Philadelphia’s loss to Edmonton marked the first matchup in which Thul has gone pointless since entering the league.
Goaltender Dillon Ward backstopped the Mammoth to their third consecutive win, defeating the Vancouver Stealth 10-9. Ward limited the Stealth to just one goal in the first half of play, en route to stopping 41 of 50 shots and registering his first 40-plus save performance.
Tyler Digby continues to put up big numbers for the Vancouver Stealth offense. The Robert Morris grad finished with four points (3 G, 1 A), including a highlight reel behind-the-back goal in the third quarter. Cody Bremner added two assists in the loss.
After appearing in his first career game in Week 6 action, Minnesota Swarm rookie Cam Flint finished his second NLL appearance with two points (1 G, 1 A) in a 15-13 loss to the Calgary Roughnecks. First overall draft pick Logan Schuss (1 G, 1 A) mirrored Flint’s production in the loss. For Calgary, Karsen Leung netted two tallies in the victory.
