We have reached the half way point of the NLL season, and it has not disappointed at all. The Edmonton Rush and Washington Stealth are the biggest surprises on the winning side, while the defending champions seem to have a relapse of championship hangover. Are the Calgary Roughnecks showing there age? Is there too much youth for 2013 for the Swarm? Can the Mammoth turn it around with 22 yr old goaltender Ty Belanger back from injury, or is it too late? Can the Rock at 6-2 continue to roll? Are we seeing the end of Johnny Tavares, could this be his last season? Can the Wings prove that Americans can play this game and start to get on a roll after last weekends sweep? All this and more to come in the second half of the season. But for now, here is what we can look for this week.
Thursday February 28th . 7:30pm Buffalo vs Toronto Both teams coming off a bye week. Toronto holds a 1.5 game lead over the Bandits and the Wings. Toronto has won 4 of the last 5 games, the latest a 17-12 victory over Calgary. Buffalo ended a two game losing streak on Feb 16 with a 10-6 victory in Rochester. Will Johnny Tavares be back in line-up? Can the Bandits continue winning without JT?
Friday March 1st 7:30pm Philadelphia v Buffalo. This is Buffalos first back to back game of 2013, and they will face a Wings team that is riding a 2 game winning streak after sweeping the games last weekend. This is the third and final meeting of the regular season between the clubs. Winner holds the tie-breaker. How will the Bandits respond to the back end of the back to back? Will they have enough time to recover after a battle in Toronto? For the Wings, Can they win their third in a row and draw closer to the top of the east? Is Paul Rabil finally getting a grip on the indoor game after another hat-trick? Is Kyle Sweeney the missing piece to help the young defense this season? Can veterans, Westervelt, Crowley, Ross, Buchanan continue their scoring bursts?
Saturday March 2nd 9pm Rochester v Colorado.. Knighthawks are coming off a 10-8 loss to the Wings that ended an eleven game winning streak versus the Wings. Hawks are 2-1 on the road while 1-4 at home, so hopefully they can rebound against a struggling Mammoth team. Colorado will most likely have rookie Ty Belanger in goal as he has recovered from a broken forearm. The Mammoth released Matt Roik to place Belanger on the active roster as he will team with Dan Lewis. Mammoth coming off a hard fought loss to the Wings 14-12. Is Belanger the answer? Can he resurrect the Mammoth or is it too late? Can players other then Grant Jr & Adam Jones put the ball in the net more then once a game? Answers have to be quick as they play Toronto and Buffalo next weekend on the road in back to back games. For Rochester can they take advantage of the rookie goaltender? Can veterans Dawson & Powell and the youth of Powless, Jamieson, Keogh keep Colorado on a goaltending turnstile?
Saturday March 2nd 9pm Edmonton v Calgary In another battle of Alberta matchup, Calgary has come up on top twice so far, 18-15 & 9-8. This is the third of four meetings between these clubs. Calgary has gone 3-2 in last 5 games (2 wins over Edmonton) and the 3 victories are by a total of 5 goals while the 2 defeats are by a total of 7, very uncharacteristic of the Roughnecks. Calgary is home for 5 of the final 7 games of the season, so hopefully the home cooking will fill the win column for the Roughnecks. Edmonton has been a very pleasant surprise this season as rookie Mark Matthews has done just what he is supposed to do. A win by the Rush could have them tied for first and the end of the weekend. There are two questions to ask. Can Edmonton end Calgarys regular season run of victories over them, and Will you be watching???!! This is going to be an exciting game
Sunday March 3rd 6pm Minnesota v Washington. Both teams very well in the thick of things in the west. A Swarm win will put them a half game behind the co-leader of the west (Stealth/Roughnecks, depending on Calgary’s game), a loss and they could be at the bottom of the west. They will have to do this and the rest of the season without their captain Andrew Suitor as he is lost with an ACL/MCL tear. Look for the youth of the team, Jackson Matisz, Sorensen and Crepinsek to step up big, along with Benesch and Crawford. Swarm also need to stop their revolving goaltender door between Kirk and Carlson. For the Stealth, they already topped last seasons win total (4 -2012). They are at home and look to take advantage of the home crowd to get another win and possibly sole possession of first place before traveling east next weekend to face the Wings. Look for Iannucci, Ratcliff, and Duch to start dialing it in against a young Swarm team. Also lets see if Tyler Richards can get closer to Championship form..
As you can see…all the games are going to be exciting….you don’t want to miss any of it! So keep checking back here at www.inlacrossewetrust.com for all your lax info, updates, rankings, and talk shows. Our goal… to make the 2013 season just as exciting as the players are on the floor.
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