Welcome to some very unprecedented times in the NLL’s history. My name is Dan Dudziak. I have awakened from my postseason slumber, and I will be your tour guide. The league is in arguably the best position it’s ever been, and is gaining popularity at an insane rate. Well, in most areas. We learned recently that Panther City Lacrosse Club was in the danger zone and was facing a possible…
Young: Changes needed to give Thunderbirds playoff success
Another year and the same story for the Halifax Thunderbirds. For the third straight season, the team finished with a record of 10 wins and eight losses in the regular season. Even with the record, there was hope they would move deeper into the playoffs after having the league’s second-best offence and a deep defence. However, the Thunderbirds came out flat against the Albany FireWolves in the quarterfinals, losing 9-3…
NLL: Buffalo Bandits go back-to-back, winning 6th championship in franchise history
For the second year in a row, the Buffalo Bandits are the NLL Champions. The phrase “back to back” applies in multiple ways here as the Bandits are the back-to-back champions, of course, winning the NLL Cup last year as well. It also applies because they had to win back-to-back games in order to get to raise the new and improved NLL Cup this year. “I always think the most…
NLL: Buffalo bounces Toronto once again, reaches third straight Finals
Food for thought: Is it really that uncharacteristic if a team loses to the same opponent eight straight times and suffers three straight eliminations from the playoffs? Regardless of that, game two of the semifinal round was set from KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Buffalo won game one Friday night in Hamilton, so they set their sights on punching their ticket to their third straight Finals appearance. Banditland was…
NLL: Simmons & FireWolves surprise Seals, take Game 1
It is almost 2,500 miles from Albany, New York to San Diego, California. Also, there’s playing on the road, and there’s playing on the road in the playoffs. The FireWolves had a long way to go for game one of the semi-final round in this year’s playoffs, and boy, they did not squander that opportunity. We’ve discussed before that Albany’s team average in age is 26 years young. Saturday night…
NLL: Uncharacteristic loss sees Rock down 1-0 in Semifinal series vs Bandits
Uncharacteristic. It’s perhaps the only word to describe the Toronto Rock’s 12-4 loss to the Buffalo Bandits on Friday night. Prior to game one of the semifinal series, Toronto (who sported the best goal differential in the regular season) had never been shutout in a half in the playoffs (it was 5-0 at halftime). The Rock matched a franchise low in goals scored (4: Jan 12 in Minnesota, and Feb…
Semifinal Preview: Toronto Rock vs Buffalo Bandits
On Friday night in Hamilton, the Toronto Rock and Buffalo Bandits will write the latest chapter in one of the most storied rivalries in the history of the NLL. In 77 previous meetings, Toronto holds a slight edge 39-38. However, the playoffs have been a different story. Buffalo leads the all time playoff matchup 7-3. Recently, the Bandits have been even more dominant winning eight of the last nine meetings,…
NLL: Dobbie and Origlieri the catalysts as Seals get by PCLC in OT
In Denver, Colorado, on September 1, 2007, Dane Dobbie was selected fourth overall in the NLL entry draft by the Calgary Roughnecks. In Orangeville, Chris Origlieri was just aging out of his first summer of introductory lacrosse. Saturday night, as teammates in San Diego, they helped the Seals advance past Panther City Lacrosse Club 9-8 to their third semi-final in four playoff seasons. In their first ever playoff game, Panther…
NLL: Jamieson backstops FireWolves to first career playoff win in style
Albany, New York was the place to be on Sunday afternoon as quarterfinal playoff lacrosse hit the Capital Region for the first time in the FireWolves’ history. Albany welcomed in the Halifax Thunderbirds for the final one-and-done playoff game of the weekend. Albany was downright stingy in this game. For a team with an average age of 26 years old, they looked like a group of grizzled veterans. Using a…
NLL: Byrne shows out, Bandits win OT thriller to advance to Semifinals
Whenever the playoffs come around, teams tend to take their game to a new level. Saturday night’s contest was a wild ride, so please, fasten your seatbelts, keep your arms and legs in at all times, and enjoy. 17,865 fans piled into KeyBank Center to watch the Georgia Swarm take on the hometown Buffalo Bandits in this one-and-done first round playoff game. Everything about this game made a fan’s heart…