Vancouver newcomers shining in the midst of team slump, Philadelphia’s Thul continuing his scoring touch, Rush rookies remaining undefeated, and Dillon Ward getting the Mammoth back on track highlight the recent NLL rookie action.
Despite suffering a pair of losses over the weekend, Vancouver’s B.C. rookie tandem of Tyler Digby and Cody Bremner continued their stellar play. In a 17-12 Friday night loss to Toronto, the duo mirrored each other’s point production with four points (1g, 3a) each. The following night, losing 15-9 to Philadelphia, Digby was one of few bright spots for the Stealth posting three points (2g, 1a) while Bremner was held to a lone assist. Other rookie notes for the Stealth include the emergence of defender Nick Weiss, who after sitting out the first three games of his first NLL season has cracked the Vancouver lineup in the past four matchups, including a two point (1g, 1a) performance in this weekend’s loss to the Rock.
Philadelphia Wings rookie Garret Thul kept his goal streak alive in a home win over Vancouver, tallying a pair of goals. The West Point alumni has found the back of the cage in every game this season, with seven goals in total for ten points on the year. Wings rookie Chad Wiedmaier had two points in the win including his first career NLL goal.
After a 1-5 start to the season, the Colorado Mammoth recorded their first consecutive wins of 2014 defeating the Minnesota Swarm 14-12 on home turf. Rookie netminder Dillon Ward has tended the twine for the Mammoth throughout their recent success, earning his third win of the season versus the Swarm after turning aside 34 of 46 shots. First overall draft pick Logan Schuss had the biggest performance of his young career with a five point (2g, 3a) effort for the Swarm in the loss, while Scott Jones chipped in with three points (1 g, 2 a). Schuss currently sits third in Minnesota team scoring with 13 points (7 g, 6a) in five games.
While first-round selection Ethan O’Connor continues his seamless transition into the Toronto Rock mold, 2012 draft pick Michael Lum-Walker is quickly becoming a regular on the Rock defense. After appearing in his first career NLL game in a January 18th matchup against the Rochester Knighthawks, Lum-Walker has yet to vacate his coveted spot in the Toronto lineup. The former Whitby Warrior’s hard-nosed defensive game has fit in well among a veteran Rock backend.
Riley Loewen finished with two points (1g, 1a) in the Edmonton Rush’s 8-7 defeat of the Rochester Knighthawks to maintain the Rush’s perfect record, including assisting on reigning Rookie of the Year Mark Matthews’ overtime winner. Robert Church led rookie scoring for Edmonton with three assists in the victory.
Other rookie notes include a pair of recent draftees to play their first career NLL games in Cam Flint and Adrian Sorchetti of the Edmonton Rush and Minnesota Swarm, respectively.
