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 the loss while Lum-Walker picked up two loose-balls.
The Vancouver Stealth inserted three new faces into the lineup over the weekend. Former Loyola Greyhound Josh Hawkins made his first NLL appearance in the Stealth’s 14-13 overtime victory over the Colorado Mammoth, while second-round draft pick Nick Weiss (1 G, 1 A) and free-agent signee Sean Lundstrom made their professional debuts in a 15-12 loss to the Calgary Roughnecks.
Vancouver’s rookie duo of Cody Bremner and Tyler Digby continued their stellar play in the Stealth’s win over the Mammoth, both finishing with hat-trick performances while Bremner added three helpers for six points. The pair were relatively silent in the Stealth’s loss to the Roughnecks, as Digby chipped in with two points (1 G, 1 A) and Bremner was held to a lone assist.
Colorado Mammoth rookie goaltender Dillon Ward turned aside 39 of 53 shots in an overtime road loss to the Stealth. The Orangeville, ON native followed up this performance by allowing 10 goals on 38 shots before Tye Belanger entered in relief during the Mammoth’s 16-9 loss to the Buffalo Bandits. Despite going winless in three starts with the struggling Mammoth, Ward’s 153 saves currently ranks him in the top five leaders among all NLL goalies.
Several rookies were in action during the home-and-home between the Minnesota Swarm and the Philadelphia Wings. Both games saw the road team emerge the victor, with the Swarm picking up an 11-10 win before the Wings bounced back with a 15-8 victory. Swarm first overall draft pick Logan Schuss netted a pair of goals in each matchup, bringing his total on the year to five. Wings rookie Garret Thul finished the weekend with five points (3 G, 2 A).
