Rather than looking at follower demographics and statistics, I will analyze the successes/failures of the league through a cultural and historical perspective. NLL Commissioner George Daniel stated the league will attempt new market expansion in the near future, once current teams are strongly established; according to an interview found on Buzzfeed. The current teams are strong and competitive, hosting an array of athletes. Lacrosse is different from other sports in…
USA Announces Blue and White Teams
US Lacrosse today announced the U.S. Men’s National Team Blue-White rosters for the team’s evaluation game at the ninth annual Champion Challenge, a US Lacrosse event, Jan. 26 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The game, which will be televised live on Watch ESPN at 1:30 p.m. ET and rebroadcast at 10 p.m. on ESPNU, is the final on-field opportunity for members of the 51-player Team USA training roster to earn a place on…
NLL Notes: Stealth Swap Players; Swarm Goal Should Not Have Counted
Today the Vancouver Stealth signed forward Justin Pychal back to their roster after they cut Josh Hawkins. Hawkins made his NLL debut for the Stealth on Saturday against the Colorado Mammoth, where he played in the place of injured defenseman Kyle Sorensen. Pychal was a rookie for the Stealth last season. Vancouver might also have to look for more defense help as Jeff Moleski suffered an injury as well on…
Net Impact: The Effect of Power Plays and Penalty Killing
When a team in the National Lacrosse League goes on the power play, the typical outcome is a goal. In 2013 the power play success rate across the league was 51.4 percent on 712 total attempts; so far this season, the league is at exactly 50 percent success rate on 184 power plays. With such high risks associated with taking penalties, getting into frequent penalty trouble can easily be the…
Knighthawks Stay Hot, Start Season 3-0
The back-to-back defending National Lacrosse League champion Rochester Knighthawks (3-0) continued their 2014 dominance as they defeated the Toronto Rock (1-2) 12-8 to remain unbeaten in their first three games, doing so for the first time since 1998. Reigning NLL Goaltender of the Year Matt Vinc was solid in net making 38 saves, but the defense of the Knighthawks was outstanding all night, breaking up passes, blocking shots and forcing…
Rookie Report: Law, Lum-Walker, Hawkins
Highlighting Week 4 of NLL action for the 2014 rookie class were a crop of youngsters making their NLL debuts. Toronto Rock rookies Eric Law, a recent third-round draft pick, and Michael Lum-Walker, a 2012 draft pick who spent last year on the physically unable to perform list, both dressed for their first career NLL games in the Rock’s 12-8 loss to the Rochester Knighthawks. Law notched one assist in…
Despite Camo-Uniforms, Mammoth Can’t Hide From More Loss
The Colorado Mammoth went up against the Buffalo Bandits on Saturday January 18, 2014 at The Pepsi Center in Denver. It was Military Appreciation Night at HealthOne Field, the pre-game ceremonies were spectacular, honoring all branches of the military and the Mammoth donned their camouflage jerseys and shorts which were put for auction and the funds being donated to charity. They also had camouflage helmet wraps to complete the military…
2014 Major Series Lacrosse Draft Results
With several big name Junior A players left unprotected by their Senior affiliates, Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) held its 2014 Entry Draft on Sunday from the Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby, Ontario and it was no surprise that Orangeville Northmen alumni Rob Hellyer was selected first overall by the Oakville Rock. Hellyer is currently a member of the National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) Toronto Rock where he has six goals, three…
NLL League Leaders: Week 4
At the conclusion of Week 3, some things change, but some things remain the same. Leading the league in points once again is Adam Jones with 29. Close on his heels are Jordan Hall and John Grant Jr. with 28. Adam Jones leads the way in goals as well with 16. Jordan Hall has 15 and Dane Dobbie has 14. Ryan Ward and Shawn Evans share the lead in assists…
How Colorado’s Offense Can Succeed with Iannucci
The Colorado Mammoth signed veteran forward, Athan Iannucci to a one-year deal on Wednesday January 15, 2014 and released forward Jordan McBride. Was this a smart move on the part of the Mammoth? Iannucci’s record speaks for itself. In the 2007 NLL Entry Draft, he was a First Round Draft pick (8th Overall) by the Philadelphia Wings. In that same year, he was awarded Rookie of the Week Honors in…