The MLL is unpredictable. Yes, the Outlaws have been very good during the regular season, along with the Bayhawks to round out the top two teams. Number three and four spots over the past couple seasons have varied. Hamilton moving, FIL on the horizon and the new NLL format will all effect this year’s outcome. Last year, we saw Charlotte take down the undefeated Outlaws in a spectacular performance as…
NLL Three Stars: Week Four
Week 4 of the National Lacrosse League was the busiest week yet as it featured seven games over three days and all nine teams in action. Several players stood out including Calgary Roughnecks Shawn Evans (three goals, nine assists in two games), Cody Bremner of the Vancouver Stealth (3 G, 3 A in one game) and Buffalo Bandits Dhane Smith (4 G, 2 A in one game). Minnesota Swarm goaltender…
NCAA: Predicted Rankings for 2014
2013 showed that even if you start out on the wrong foot in the beginning of the season, you still have the ability to be champions, and that’s what Coach John Danowski and his Blue Devils accomplished. 2014 is going to be even more special. Players like Rob Pannel (Cornell), Jojo Marasco (Syracuse), Marcus Holman (UNC), Jake Tripucka (Duke), John Kemp (Notre Dame), Mason Poli (Bryant), Owen Blye (Maryland) and…
NCAA: Northeastern Conference Outlook
The Northeastern conference is looking fierce this season. All seven teams have put in much hard work, and it will be an exciting season to look forward to. With Bryant, Hobart, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac, and Wagner in the conference this season, it is bound to be a year of talented players playing great games. Bryant is back in action, hoping to improve their overall 8-11…
Nittany Lions Look to Keep Making Statements in Lacrosse
Penn State Men’s Lacrosse has quite the lineup this season. They will be playing 15 games in total, nine home and six away. The team will be traveling to many different parts of the country, including Indiana, Maryland, Colorado, and Ohio. This seems like a rough agenda, but these games are not part of their CAA conference schedule. Their conference game list includes three matches in University Park, PA, along…
MLL and LXM Merger Proposal
An excited group of fans were active in the comment section of the 2014 MLL Draft’s YouTube stream. Excited and, well, easily distracted fans. The topic changed multiple times per minute and discussions covered just about everything you can imagine: John Kissick: I haven’t heard quint say one thing about hop Paul E. Dangerously: tell me this commissioner doesn’t look like the principal from billy madison Jp Bennett: not sure…
NLL: Where To Next?
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…