Rush rookies remaining unbeaten, Digby’s scoring prominence, and a Wilde debut highlight Week 8 of NLL rookie action.
The Edmonton Rush maintained their perfect record with a 14-9 win over the Minnesota Swarm thanks to help from their rookie tandem of Riley Loewen and Robert Church. Loewen had two goals, including a third quarter tally that proved to be the game winner for Edmonton. Robert Church continued his steady production for the Rush with three points (1 G, 2 A).
Rookie Logan Schuss had three points (2 G, 1 A) for Minnesota in the loss. Schuss’ stats thus far (10 G, 8 A) are good enough for third highest on the Swarm in both goals and points.
Buffalo rebounded from a Week 7 loss to Rochester with a 13-7 win over the struggling Philadelphia Wings, a game that marked the first of Mitch Wilde’s NLL career. The 15th overall draft pick made an immediate impact in the lineup, playing sound defense while chipping in offensively with two points (1 G, 1 A).
For the Wings, rookie Garret Thul ended a two-game goalless drought finding the back of the net twice late in the game.
The Vancouver Stealth had a hot and cold weekend, cruising to a 19-9 win over the Colorado Mammoth before falling 20-9 to the Calgary Roughnecks. Notable rookie performances for the Stealth during their western road trip were highlighted by standout Tyler Digby with nine points (2 G, 7 A). The former dual-sport athlete at Robert Morris University has seamlessly transitioned into the professional game, as his 35 points (16 G, 19 A) trails only Rhys Duch for the lead in Stealth scoring. Vancouver defender Nick Weiss had three points (2 G, 1A) on the weekend, while Chris Wardle notched four points (1 G, 3 A).
Karsen Leung continued his stellar transitional play for the Calgary Roughnecks in their victory over Vancouver, finishing with one goal and one assist to bring his season point total to 11 (4 G, 7 A). The Victoria, BC native has provided a youthful boost to the Riggers’ two-way game along with fellow rookie Garret McIntosh, who also had two points against the Stealth.
