Hi ILWT Readers, What a crazy weekend! Unless you live under a rock, you should have noticed that the MLL opened up its season in typical fashion. Week 1 offered MLL fans an incredible lacrosse experience, from high scoring offensive battles to late game near-comebacks. If you are truly passionate about lacrosse and the MLL, I would suggest catching up on any games you missed this past weekend on…
First Star Kevin Buchanon (Boston Cannons) Buchanon led the Cannons offensively against the Bayhawks providing offense early and keeping the pressure on Chesapeake throughout. Boston was led by Buchanan who scored seven goals on only eight shots. Subsequently, Buchanan was named the Coca Cola player of the game as well as the Warrior Offensive Player of the Week due to his offensive explosion. The Cannons now head on the road…
Oh what a difference a year makes. Last season, the Ohio Machine went 2-12 and got the No. 1 pick in the MLL Collegiate Draft for the second straight season. The team certainly got better this season but some considered the team still a year or two away from competing for a berth in the MLL Championship Weekend. However, due to the merger between the MLL and LXM Pro Tour,…
When the dust had settled on a 17-9 April 5 victory over the Vancouver Stealth, the Toronto Rock were met the with the reality that with a 6-9 record and three games remaining, the season of leading scorer Garrett Billings had been ended by a torn ACL. Despite the absence of their offensive leader, the Rock were able to rally against adversity closing out the season on a four-game winning…
The regular season is over and it was very exciting, no matter who your favorite team is. We saw the Edmonton Rush flirt with perfection. Two goaltenders with below 10 GAA, and we saw the Two-Time defending champion Knighthawks take control of the East and show they are still the team to beat. Playoff Seeding 1 (1W) Edmonton Rush 16-2 2 (1E) Rochester Knighthawks 14-4 3 (2W)…
With NCAA lacrosse conference realignment on the horizon there were a few minor changes to the 2014 conferences in preparation for the big shift. One of the moves were the Loyola Greyhounds bouncing over to the Patriot League. The Greyhounds put on a show all season, educating the small-school teams in lacrosse IQ and competition levels. They went 14-1 all season and destroyed the majority of their conference opponents. This…
The Vancouver Stealth will be one of three teams not participating in the 2014 National Lacrosse League playoffs after they finished with the second worst record in the league. This was their first year in Vancouver after they moved from Everett, Washington, but most of the roster had stayed intact, but it still led to an unexpected bad season. Naturally, after a down season, blame is placed on coaching and…
The NLL saw a lot of odd performances this weekend as top teams struggled early in games and non-contending teams held their own. In the end, the big guns projected to continue into playoffs were able to pull off victories (Rush, Rock, Mammoth, etc.) With playoffs right around the corner now, many teams will look to prepare extra or begin their off seasons with restructuring and drawing boards. First Star:…
The 2014 National Lacrosse League playoffs begin this weekend on Saturday, May 3 with two first-round single-elimination matchups. The Buffalo Bandits visit the Toronto Rock for the NLL East Division Semifinal at 7 p.m. ET while the Calgary Roughnecks host the Colorado Mammoth for the West Division Semifinal at 9 p.m. ET. NLL playoff games will feature a three-man officiating crew on the floor, an increase from the two-man crews used during the regular season….
The Kahnawake Rapids took home the 2014 Ales Hrebesky Memorial Tournament with a 5-2 win over the Clarington Green Gaels. The Rapids went into the tournament as one of the strongest teams, highlighted by current and former NLL players such as Logan Kane, Mike Thompson, Alex Kedoh Hill, Roger Vyse and Brandon Francis. In the final game, the Gaels hit seven posts while scoring just the two goals, one of…