As fans of the sport, we all love to see underdogs make their way from the bottom of the Selection Sunday pile to the pinnacle of the sport. Last year we saw a six-loss Western New England team make a run to the quarterfinals before bowing out to Cortland. There has been no such magic this year. Instead, the eight teams left standing after the weekend’s second round contests are…
How Are the MLL Prospects Doing in the NCAA Tournament?
PHOTO CREDIT: IAN NEADLE The NCAA season is continuing to wind down as the NCAA Tournament has claimed eight victims and eight winners this weekend in the opening round. How did the players who were drafted by their respective MLL teams do over the weekend? Here is a quick recap. Mike Chanenchuk, M, Maryland—The future Charlotte Hound was his normal self for Maryland after being in question all of this…
The Denver Outlaws Have Become the Model MLL Franchise
I can almost guarantee you that when Jake Steinfeld had the idea of a professional outdoor lacrosse league, he envisioned a franchise like the Denver Outlaws. Denver is the perfect example that professional lacrosse can work… and grow. Despite fluctuations and changes around Major League Lacrosse, the Denver franchise plays at an NFL stadium, is highly successful on the field and literally breaks attendance records on an annual basis. The…
NLL Could See Saskatchewan Team Soon
There was talk of the Edmonton Rush moving after last season, most likely to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, an oft-discussed potential NLL destination. Around this time last season, the Edmonton Journal had this quote from former president Dave Jamieson. “Let the record show that he’s lost a lot of money and he’s spent a lot of time… he may even have grey hairs that have come from this experience because he’s put a lot…
The Launch Have Lifted Off; Reasons Behind Their Success
The first year franchise Florida Launch (2-1) are already impressing in this young season. After falling to the Denver Outlaws to open the season the Launch have won two straight, and are looking better and better. Veterans Casey Powell, Brett Queener, and Doug Shanahan seem to have a grip on the team’s success. Queener has been solid in the net, Casey remains to be the catalyst on offense, as he leads the league in points, while…
Speck Blog: Slash Gain Victory Over Arrows
Last week we made the long trip down to Salamanca, NY to play against the Allegany Arrows at the gorgeous Seneca Allegany Community Centre. This is a top of the line facility complete with a basketball court, swimming pool, splash pad, sports field, weight room, and a lacrosse floor of course. This place is always lots of fun to visit and play in so needless to say we were all…
Garrett Billings Undergoes Knee Surgery
Toronto Rock forward Garrett Billings underwent successful knee surgery earlier today to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. Billings was on his way to his first NLL scoring title when he injured his knee in the 2nd quarter of Toronto’s game in Vancouver on April 5th. Before leaving the game, the 5th year forward from Langley, BC had accumulated 6 points and surpassed the 100-point plateau…
WLA Season Preview: Langley Thunder
Last year the Langley Thunder fell in five games to the Victoria Shamrocks in the WLA final. This was the first time in the last three years that the Thunder did not represent the WLA at the Mann Cup. The Thunder will once again look to dominate the WLA in 2014. Going into the 2014 season Langley will hope that their defense can once again be the best in the WLA….
Parity is Alive in College Lacrosse
PHOTO CREDIT: IAN NEADLE Parity is alive in college lacrosse. This past weekend, the second, third, fourth and eighth-seeded teams all fell defeat in the NCAA Tournament. After taking a deep look, I ask, how surprising is this? The Atlantic Coast Conference is undoubtedly the best conference in college lacrosse. All six of its teams advanced to the 18-team NCAA Tournament field with five receiving top-eight seeds. The next highest…
Net Impact: NLL Playoff Stats Into Game Two
We’re now two weeks into the NLL playoff schedule and we’re beginning to see some statistical trends in the postseason. The Calgary Roughnecks have won both their playoff games this year in overtime, coming up big in the late going. But they have been at their most productive in the middle of the games—they’ve scored 20 of their 28 postseason goals in the second and third quarters while only managing…