Now the season gets into full swing and your favorite team will certainly be in action at some point this weekend. With the full slate of games, we will find out quickly how the teams are handling the early season success or failures. The opening game for everyone said a lot about where the team was sitting after the preseason tilts they were a part of.
The teams are focused for the long season ahead and this weekend will either put teams in a hole two games, at even where they can build off of, or ideally in the best position to move forward at 2-0. Certain players are going to be asked to carry the load, either on offense or defense. These players are not always captains, or assistants, but they will have a hand in the position their team is looking from as the weekend closes.
Philadelphia Wings:
The way the team opened up their season with a potent offense, the Philadelphia area has to be ecstatic to where the season could go. The offense is looking good with Kelusky, Hall, and Buchanan. Who do you want to watch? It is Evan Kirk.
The starting goalie is going to log a lot of time with two games on the schedule this weekend. A night in Rochester and another in Philadelphia is going to be tiring, so he is going to have to stay strong through it all. Kirk inherits the role from Brandon Miller, the All-Star who led the team while the offensive woes were apparent.
Also look at Brett Manney to be earning that “A” on his sweater. The defense held fast at 13 goals, but that is still a lot. If the offense slips at all, can Manney and the defense hold down the fort to get two wins out of the weekend? Philadelphia used to be one of the premiere programs in the league and the organization is hoping they turned the team around to brighter days. The offense is likely there with the group they assembled. Now the defense needs to right the ship with Kirk and Manney leading the way.
Rochester Knighthawks:
An easy answer here as to whom to watch. It is Cody Jamieson. The leader of the organization needs to earn his paycheck this week and begin to produce his usual. I would say five goals a game over the next couple of games will prove that he is an elite in the league and can be mentioned for the Player of the Year honors. Eight goals last week did not cut it and Dan Dawson led the team.
This is Jamieson’s team, which should be a given by the contact he signed after he left Syracuse for the professional ranks. Right now the offense is paced through Dawson, who is the former league MVP. Jamieson can shoot the lights out of the barn, but they need to connect soon so that his team can find the balance required for another run at the championship this spring.
Minnesota Swarm:
The boys in Minnesota need the rookie class of professionals to start paving their way for the future of the team. The success the team finds will rely on the success found by Logan Schuss, Cam Flint, and Scott Jones. I think Jones will be the X factor on the team this season.
This preseason Jones scored a game winner and produced at an admirable rate for the team. He needs to find his rhythm and add that secondary scoring for the Swarm to find more W’s than L’s during 2014. Schuss on the other hand was the number one pick and needs to find his way to the game that gave him that honor. At Ohio State, he was the foundation for the team, but early in this season he is missing from the score sheet like the team thought he would be. If these two can produce, and Flint can get them the ball in transition, it will be a great year in Minnesota. Shayne Jackson can get his 11 shots in a game if one of these rookies can start adding to their team’s success.
Buffalo Bandits:
If Buffalo is going to move into the win column this week, they are going to need a new points leader on the team. Going to the arena and looking for someone to watch, Mark Steenhius is it. He is an exciting and versatile player. His first obligation is to playing defense, but there is maybe no one better in the league at providing transition opportunities for his offense. Right now he leads the team in points at five. Not bad for a transition player, at least that is only what the team lists him as.
When I was working for the Wings previously, I saw Steenhius first hand and up close. He is the excitement that the league needs to captivate an audience of lacrosse players. His work is between the lines and everyone is looking for him to be the second pass away from a goal for his team. Who will step up to be the foundation for the offense? Transition opportunities can be fleeting as coaches look at the game film and see goals coming from transition provided by Steenhius. The Bandits need someone to step up and be the main offensive force.
Calgary Roughnecks:
Watching the Roughnecks is going to be more exciting as the year goes on because they are going to be a team to watch in April. That is all reliant on one thing to happen first. The defense needs to be developing quickly. The player to watch for a fan is going to be Shawn Evans. He ends the opening week of the season as the team leader in assists at seven and points in eight. Evans is a good one to keep an eye open for.
If the Roughnecks are going to be successful though, they need to be more stalwart on the defensive side of the ball. The team needs to shut down their opposition, so that the offensive output wins some games for them. Not sure if the defensive lapse is on the goalie, Mike Poulin, or not this early but the team needs to find its defensive personality very quickly.
Colorado Mammoth:
The last player of watch this weekend of note is John Grant Jr. If you are new to lacrosse, you better get a chance to see his game before he hangs it up. As a fan of the game myself, I remember the first time I saw Jr. play. It was versus UMBC in the NCAA opening round in 1999. Just the warm ups were a sight that had my jaw on the floor.
Fast-forward that 10 years later and he is still amazing audiences with his behind the back, ankle, head shots on goal. As soon as the ball hits his stick, be ready for the next ESPN top play for the weekend. He is a treat for other lacrosse players, fans, and professionals to watch. On top of it all, Grant Jr. is now deemed a United States Citizen. The new American is going across the border for the first time as an opponent of Canada’s national sport, lacrosse. I know he still gets to play as a Canadian national in the upcoming World Games, but can you imagine the discontent if he was wearing the Red, White, and Blue? The indoor game has a slightly different feel, as John Grant Jr. is now a citizen of a country more south than Canada.
My hope is that the player to watch column supports the needs of each team and the needs of the fan as well. Getting a chance to realize that Jr. is returning to Canada in a new mindset and that the Wings need to see how Evan Kirk adheres to his role as the defensive backstop for maybe the return of one of the heralded franchises in the league. Enjoy this week in the league which really is full of games to watch from Friday to Sunday.
