HAPPY NEW YEAR! We start the 29th year of National Lacrosse League action with a lot of excitement. The Rochester Knighthawks made history by being the first team to three-peat in the league’s 28-year history. We also had the oldest franchise change residence as the Philadelphia Wings loaded up the trucks and headed north to the Mohegan Sun and are now the New England Black Wolves. It looks like we will have some competition for Rookie of the Year, with the top two players being Ben McIntosh and Miles Thompson. Also we will see how the Toronto Rock start the year without having Garrett Billings til about mid-season (knee surgery) and Colin Doyle who is out for the season with shoulder surgery. All these will slowly come to form, but for now, here is what to look for this week in the NLL.
Buffalo @ New England: Buffalo rebounded after an eight-game losing streak to take the Knighhawks to the mini-game before their season ended. Last season the Bandits fell to the Wings in their season opener in Buffalo and coach Cordingley stated they were beaten soundly. After that game the Bandits went on a roll. John Tavares, Dhane Smith, Ryan Benesch: can they get off to a quick start? Can Anthony Cosmo return to the old form, and rookie Brandon Goodwin, how will he do in his first regular season action? For the Black Wolves, another 11-player turnover after some of the American players stayed away last year for the field championships. What will the attendance be like for the opener, how will rookies Quinn Powless and Mark Cockerton fair in their first action? Can Evan Kirk be a true No. 1 or will Tye Belanger seize the opportunity should Kirk struggle?
Final: Buffalo 16…..New England 10
Rush @ Bandits: This is Buffalo’s back end of a weekend double header so be good to see how they rebound 24 hours later and at home. For Edmonton, all eyes will be on Ben McIntosh and how he will perform in his first regular season action, and how he and Robert Church (both Drexel Alums) play together. Also, can Mark Matthews explode and put in an early claim to be MVP this season? Can Aaron Bold make an early statement for Goalie of the Year, and can the Edmonton defense continue to be stingy?
Final: Rush 14…Bandits 12
Toronto @ Rochester: Rock start the season without Garrett Billings (knee surgery) and Colin Doyle (season-ending shoulder surgery) so seeing how the offense clicks will be a big thing. Stephan LeBlanc, can he continue with what he did last season, and can the rest of the offense pick up the slack and keep pace with the Knighthawks high powered offense? Nick Rose, Brandon Miller, which way do they go? Miller seemed to be the go to guy after the trade deadline. For Rochester, can they drop the Championship hangover, the excitement of the banner ceremony? Cody Jamieson, can he continue his scoring touch? Aaron Wilson, signed days after Buffalo released him, can he gel with this Knighthawk offense? Can Matt Vinc put up a wall and start the campaign for a fifth Goalie of the Year?
Final: Rochester 13….Toronto 8
Colorado @ Minnesota: Colorado is still a couple years from competing for the west, but what we need to watch will be John Grant Jr., Drew Westevelt, and Adam Jones and how will they do in scoring? Now with Belanger in New England, Dillon Ward seems to be the man, how will he fare against the Swarms offense and Miles Thompson? For Minnesota, Miles Thompson has been the story in preseason, can he continue this weekend in the regular season? Callum Crawford and Shayne Jackson how will they do on offense along with transition player Kiel Matisz and the transition game? Goaltending duo of Zach Higgins and Brodie MacDonald played fantastic in preseason and had the transition game moving quick. Can they continue this?
Final: Colorado 11…Minnesota 9
Vancouver @ Calgary: With the addition of Johnny Powless and Joel McCready it will add more excitement on the floor, but that’s about it. Stealth are a few years away from serious contention. Tyler Richards in net will put in a fantastic effort, Rhys Duch, Lewis Ratcliff and the new additions on offense will make some games close and they will put pressure on Colorado for the final playoff spot. Calgary is very loaded on offense with Evans, Dickson, Dobbie; be curious to see how many they put up. Can Mike Poulin re-establish himself as one of the best goalies? On transition, Travis Cornwall and Karsen Leung lead the transition game along with Geoff Snider who will dominate the faceoffs, and can also score.
Final: Calgary 17….Vancouver 11
