Week 10 of the NLL season was a light one, with just two games and four teams in action. The Toronto Rock put a beating to the Colorado Mammoth by a score of 17-9, while the Calgary Roughnecks narrowly squeezed by their Alberta rivals Edmonton, by a score of 12-11 in OT. With a light week in the NLL, Week 10 of the Rookie Report is a limited one, as just five rookies took to the turf. With that being said, both Ben MacIntosh and Eli McLaughlin continued to produce offensively, while Robert Hope kept up his sold defensive play, and goaltender Alexis Buque was able to get into 6:48 of action against his hometown Toronto Rock. Week 11 of the NLL season will be a busy one, as 6 games are set, with every team seeing at least one game of action.
1. Ben McIntosh (O) – Edmonton Rush
Despite his Rush dropping a narrow 12-11 OT affair to the rival Roughnecks, McIntosh continued to produce offensively, racking up a goal and two assists for three points in the loss. McIntosh also scooped four loose balls in the loss, giving him a total of 26 on the season. McIntosh sits third in Rush team scoring, and leads all rookies offensively speaking. With the Vancouver Stealth on the schedule next, be ready for a big game from McIntosh.
2. Eli McLaughlin (O) – Colorado Mammoth
McLaughlin’s Mammoth where hammered by the Toronto Rock to the tune of a 17-9 score. While the Mammoth big guns, where some what silenced in the loss, McLaughlin was arguably the teams most reliable offensive weapon. McLaughlin potted 2 goals in the loss, to give him a total of 10 on the season. McLaughlin’s 21 points place him behind Ben McIntosh and Miles Thompson in rookie scoring.
3. Mike Burke (O) – Colorado Mammoth
The points aren’t coming as rapidly as they did when Burke was with the Southwest Cyclops of the Canadian Lacrosse League, but they are still coming. Burke picked up a single goal in the Mammoth’s loss to the Toronto Rock, and while it may not be earth shattering, Burke has fit well into the Mammoth’s offense early on. He’s contributing in a depth roll, and thriving without the ball in his stick on every play, like he was used to with the Cyclops. As Burke becomes more comfortable with the Mammoth and in their offense, expect his point totals to increase.
4. Robert Hope (D) – Colorado Mammoth
Last week was a down week for Robert Hope, the Mammoth and more importantly the Mammoth defense struggled, allowing 17 goals to the Toronto Rock. While Hope is by know means to blame, he failed to elevate his game, and looked average. Hope was unable to be a vacuum on loose balls and was unable to transition the ball like he usually does. None the less he still showed glances of the usual solid defensive play we see from him on a regular bases.
5. Alexis Buque (G) – Colorado Mammoth
Buque didn’t start the game Vs. Toronto, but he finished it. Appearing in 6:48 of action, Buque stopped one of the two shots he faced. While it was my know means a noteworthy, goalie controversy on the horizion type of 6+ minutes of action, the more time Buque see’s in the cage the more the coaching and management staff will trust him between the pipes. Buque has appeared in 15:17 of action, spanning the course of 3 games this past season.
