The NLL’s 2014 awards season saw a tight three-way race for the Goaltender of the Year trophy, with Matt Vinc, Aaron Bold and Anthony Cosmo all making very good cases for the top honor. Bold set a league record for wins (15) and was tops in goals against average (8.73). Vinc was second in wins (12) and GAA (9.56) but had the best save percentage (.798). Cosmo led the league…
There are a few metrics out there to determine the best players. From an offensive standpoint, it’s pretty easy: most goals, most assists, most points. From a defensive standpoint, we have loose balls and forced turnovers, which can give you some valuable information, but doesn’t truly give you the full picture. And goalies are kind of in the middle of those two extremes: lots of stats, but none tell the…
The most anticipated game in the National Lacrosse League was exactly as advertised as the two-time defending champion Rochester Knighthawks entered the home turf of the undefeated Edmonton Rush. Aaron Bold and Matt Vinc supplied outstanding goaltending, both defences smothered and made life very uncomfortable for the offences, the intensity and nastiness was at a perfect level and when the guys on offence were able to get the ball by…
It takes a different kind of cat to play goaltender. When most people are trying their best to get out of the way of shots, it’s the goalie’s job to deliberately put themselves in front of balls and stop them at any cost. Being willing to do that requires a special kind of mindset; being good at it is even more of a challenge. To the casual lacrosse observer, it…
The Hamilton Nationals signed four players from the MLL player pool last night after the Supplemental Draft last week. They signed Matt Vinc, who is a goaltender with the NLL’s Rochester Knighthawks but in MLL is a defender. Vinc has played six games in his MLL career, including his last four in 2011. He has never scored a point, but he has four career penalty minutes. They also picked up…