Games of the Year #8- Washington vs Edmonton

In what was one of the matchups of the year in the NLL, the Washington Stealth faced off vs the Edmonton Rush in a game to determine the best of the west. Washington was coming off a first round blowout of Minnesota, and Edmonton a win over Calgary. Edmonton and Washington had fought all season for the #1 spot in the west, and while Washington ended up there Edmonton fell to third. But positioning did not matter in this game, as they were two of the best in the NLL, facing off for a berth in the Champions Cup.
Washington started the game off on a high note, with Paul Rabil scoring 3:39 into the game, followed by goals from Jeff Zywicki and two from Luke Wiles. Washington was able to hold a 4-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Cam Sedgewick and Rabil scored quickly into the second quarter, giving them a strong 6-1 advantage over the Rush. But Edmonton would not go away, scoring three unanswered goals in the second to cut the lead for Washington with 1:46 left. Rhys Duch of Washington was able to give the Stealth a bit more breathing room with his late period goal.
The Rush were motivated going into the third, scoring two straight goals to open the new half. But once again the Stealth had an answer, with Zywicki opening up the score to 8-6. Duch scored again seconds later, to make the score 9-6 going into the pivotal fourth quarter.
The Rush had beaten the Stealth twice in their three matchups this season, their two wins one goal wins. The Stealth knew the Rush had the ability to come back late in games. The Rush and Stealth traded goals to start the period, with Luke Wiles scoring his third of the night. Brodie Merrill was able to make the score 11-9 with 3:39 left in the quarter. The Rush pulled their goaltender Matt Disher for the final two minutes, and 55 seconds in Corey Small scored to make the score 11-10. With 20 seconds left Andy Secore tied the score at 11, and the final buzzer sounded with a tie. “I thought we were a little unlucky in the last four minutes,” said Stealth Head Coach Chris Hall. “We talked at halftime about it getting scrappy and intense down the stretch. We managed to stay poised and battle through it.”
Overtime lasted a mere eight seconds, as the Rush watched their hope melt away at the stick of Paul Rabil. Jamison Koesterer won a big faceoff for Washington, which trickled to Rabil who scored past Disher for the Washington win, and a chance to compete in the Champions Cup.

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Top 15 Lax Games of the Year... Plus Lax Links

Starting this week, we will be counting down the top 15 college and pro lacrosse games of the year. If you have any recommendations, please post them in the comments.
We will also have a player feature on Matt Benesch and have an NLL season preview. For now, Lax Links.

Who is Ben Davies?- NLL Insider

Seven questions until college lacrosse- Lacrosse Magazine

Rush get new lease- NLL.com

Stealth add new coaches- NLL.com

Lax Links- 9/17

We have only two editions left of the NLL Previews, and those are Minnesota and Buffalo. I hope to get those up next week.

Lax Links

Knighthawks name Mike Hasen head coach- Lacrosse Magazine

Rush release McElroy- NLL Insider

Stealth and Wings make trade- NLL Insider

The Boston Cannons season in review- Lax United

NLL Preview: Washington Stealth

The NLL season is now only a few months away, and it's time to preview them.

The Stealth won their first ever championship last season, defeating the Toronto Rock in the Champions Cup. The Stealth held the best record all season, and when threatened by teams like Edmonton and Calgary, they hung on. The Stealth got clutch production all season long, and look like the favorites again in the west going into 2011.
The Stealth season started with one of their biggest trades in franchise history, trading Colin Doyle to Toronto for Lewis Ratcliff. Ratcliff responded to the move by becoming the second leading scorer in the NLL.
The Stealth had plenty of scorers in the top twenty along with Ratcliff, Rhys Duch, and Jeff Zywicki, who they just traded to Edmonton.
The Stealth played their first season in Washington as an up and coming team. They had made the playoffs the previous year, but were still under .500. The Roughnecks looked like the team to beat in the west. And many people were stunned when the Stealth traded Doyle, the face of the franchise for so long. The Stealth came out of the gate strong, and continued it until the end to win their championship.
The Stealth look a little different this year, trading away Jeff Zywicki and acquiring Jeff Moelski. But the Stealth don't look to let up, as they still have Paul Rabil, Cam Sedgewick, and Brian Carroll. Also in the mix is playoff hero Mike Grimes, a defensman.
The Stealth put a lot on young goaltender Tyler Richards last season, and he delivered. Richards, the Stealth's third round pick in 2007, was spending his third year in the league and was looking to make a big leap. Richards spent time as the Stealth's backup in 2009, playing in ten games with a save percentage of .803%. He was 3-1 that season. The Stealth named him their starting goaltender in 2010, and Richards played in every game. He went 5-4 with a .771%. Though Richards did not rank high in the goaltender rankings, he won the world championship.
The Stealth are one of the favorites again this season, keeping much of their team together.

NLL Champions Cup Preveiw: Stealth vs Rock

It's time for the National Lacrosse League Champions Cup. This years matchup features the team with the best regular season, the Washington Stealth. They face a team in the Toronto Rock who look to tie the Philadelphia Wings record of six championships. Fresh off his rookie of the year, Stephen Leblanc look to knock off Rhys Duch and the Washington Stealth.

Leading Point Scorer(Playoffs): Was:Rhys Duch, 14 pts
Tor: Stephen LeBlanc, 12 pts

Goaltender: Was: Tyler Richards
Tor: Bob Watson

Injuries: Was: Travis Gillspie
Tor: None

Game Notes:

* The Rock look for their sixth championship in a year that was meant for rebuilding.

* A sub-plot in this game will be the return of Colin Doyle to the Stealth. Both Lewis Ratcliff and Doyle, the two center pieces in that deal, have not done much these playoffs

* The Stealth held the Rush to one goal in thirteen shots on Saturday

* The Rock were 0-4 on their power play

* The game can be seen Saturday night at 10:30 on NLL.com, or Sunday at 2pm on Versus. I will have an open thread to chat tomorrow night and Sunday.

A look back at the trade that shaped the Champions Cup

The face of the Stealth had been Colin Doyle all the way back to when they were the Albany Attack. He was the captain of the Stealth franchise and stood for everything for it. But last off season the Stealth traded Doyle to the Toronto Rock for Lewis Ratcliff, Joel Delgarno and Tyler Codron. The center piece for the Stealth was obviously Ratcliff, who went on to lead the NLL in goals with 46. Delgarno, a rookie, scored sixteen points in the first half of the season. Codron did not see much action this season due to a knee injury.
Early it looked like the Rock got the better part of the deal. Doyle was a great addition to a Rock team that was supposed to be in rebuilding. An interesting story line this series is Doyle faced the Toronto Rock in the 2002 Champions Cup as a member of the Attack.
Read more about this story here
The Champions Cup will air live on NLL.com and TSN2 in Canada. You watch the game via tape delay the next day on Versus at 2pm.

Controversy?

There was some controversy in last week's Bandits-Rock game. Blaine Manning and Steve Hoar went down with injuries late in the fourth quater, but came right back out before an offical stoppage of play. Here is the rule:
Rule 28: INJURED PLAYERS
INJURED PLAYER DEFINITION – An injured player shall be defined as a player hurt requiring the official to stop play. The injured player may not return to the floor until the next non technical stoppage of play. Violation will result in a bench minor penalty

When Hoar came back onto the field, it was after the 30 second shot clock violation. Is that an offical stoppage of play? The refs thought so, and Hoar was able to come back out.
In Manning's case, he was hurt on a cross-check penalty. He needed the help of an athletic trainor to get off the field, but was back 28 seconds later to assist on Stephen LeBlanc's game winning goal.

You make the call.

Other news: Tomorrow the divison finals games between the Rock and Titans, and Rush and Stealth will air on NLL.com. You can follow and chat about the games here.

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NLL Playoffs Round One: Recaps

What an exciting night in the NLL! I was there first hand to see the Orlando Titans beat out the Boston Blazers in a thriller, 12-11. Here are your recaps:

* Toronto beat Buffalo, 13-11

* Edmonton beat Calgary 11-7.

* Washington beat Minnesota 14-10

* The Titans did a great job of containing Dan Dawson all night, only allowing one goal from the Blazers superstar. Meanwhile, Casey Powell scored five goals and lit up the Blazers defense.

* Matt Disher stopped 60 shots for Edmonton, leading them to their first playoff win ever.

* Ryan Ward had eight assists for the Rush

* Rhys Duch scored six goals for the Stealth.

* Stehphen LeBlanc scored five goals for Toronto.

* Games next week will be Toronto @ Orlando at 7:35 pm and Edmonton @ Washington at 10:30.

* Predictions: Edmonton and Toronto win.

Lax News

The biggest news this week was finding out that the NLL championship game will be aired on Versus May 16 at 2pm. Now, we don't know if it will be tape delay or live. It depends on how the hosting team wants to do it.

Final stats: Lewis Ratcliff of the Washington Stealth won the regular season scoring title with 46 goals. That's the fewest to win a title since 41 in 2000.

Geoff Snider of the Wings won 295 faceoffs this season, bringing his all time faceoff record to 1,075 wins in his four seasons.

The only NLL team to score over 200 goals this season is Washington with 211.

Darris Kilgor, coach of the Buffalo Bandits, has the all time coaching wins now after passing Les Bartley.

Ref controversies: You all know what happened with Jon Durno of the Blazers and Wilie B, the public address announcer. Well, the league is reviewing the incident, but it is believed that the Colorado Mammoth already fined him.

NLL Playoffs Scehdule and more

The NLL playoffs begin Saturady and I will be at the Blazers-Titans game, so the live thread will be without me this week.
Here is your playoff schdule:
Rush @ Roughnecks 3:00 pm
Blazers @ Titans 7:35 pm
Bandits @ Rock 7:35 pm
Swarm @ Stealth 10:30 pm

Here are my picks for these games, you can make yours in the comments:
Blazers over Orlando- The Blazers have the Titans number all season
Rush over 'Necks- I really like the Rush this year
Rock over Buffalo- This pick seems easy
Stealth over Swarm- Another gimmie

I pick the Rush to beat the Rock for the NLL championship game, which, by the way, will be aired on Versus according to an NLL press release.

NLL Playoffs Set

The NLL playoffs where finalized last night, with Buffalo and Boston getting the final bids. Buffalo beat Boston 13-9, clinching them a playoff spot and a shot at the Toronto Rock. The Blazers clinched when the Washington Stealth beat Rochester 14-9, knocking the K'Hawks out. The matchups are as they follow:

Buffalo(3) @ Toronto (2) Saturday
Boston(4) @ Orlando (1) TBA

Edmonton(3) @ Calgary(2) Saturday
Minnesota(4) @ Washington (1) Saturday

The Edmonton Rush made the playoffs for the first time in their history. The Roughnecks are the defending champions, and the Titans the defending East Division champs.

NLL Week 16 Picks

I missed last night's games, with Orlando and Calgary winning. I would have picked those two teams anyways.
Tonight- Boston @ Buffalo- Boston
Orlando @ Minnesota- Orlando has nothing to play for, and they can't risk injury, while Minnesota would look to enter the playoffs on a high note- Minnesota
Rochester @ Washington- Rochester

Chat about the Games here!

NLL Power Rankings

Here are your NLL Blog power rankings going into the last week of the season:

1. Orlando Titans: The Titans clinched the #1 seed in the East this week with a win over the Bandits.

2. Washington Stealth: The Stealth missed out on a chance to clinch #1 seed in the west, with Edmonton still in the hunt.

3. Calgary Roughnecks: The Roughnecks defeated Edmonton in OT to have a chance to finish second or even first.

4. Toronto Rock: The Rock won last week to clinch a playoff spot. They have come a long way from their 1-6 start.

5. Edmonton Rush: The Rush won one of their games this weekend, meaning they still have a chance at the #1 seed in the west.

6. Boston Blazers: The Blazers won a huge game vs the Mammoth to keep their playoff hopes alive. Props to Nick Rose for finishing the game in net.

7. Buffalo Bandits: The Bandits lost a heartbreaker to Orlando, meaning next weeks game vs the Blazers is a must win.

8. Rochester Knighthawks: The K'Hawks lost to the Rock, meaning that a win and Boston loss gets them into the playoffs.

9. Philadelphia Wings: The Wings beat a struggling Minnesota team, but have not shot at the playoffs.

10. Minnesota Swarm: The Swarm have been losing lately, but Colorado's loss means they back into the playoffs.

11. Colorado Mammoth: The Mammoth lost their game to Boston, so they are now out of playoff contention.

NLL Game Recaps

The Blazers won a key game this weekend with Rochester and Buffalo losing. A win or Rochester loss next week gets them into the playoffs. The Orlando Titans clinched the number one seed in the east, while The Mammoth where officially eliminated. The rock clinched a playoff berth.

Notes:

* The Rush beat the Stealth in OT, which means a Roughnecks and Stealth loss next week gives them the number one seed in the west. They finish their season 10-6.

* Geoff Snider scored four goals for the Wings in their win over the Minnesota Swarm. John Christmas had the hat trick for Minnesota.

* Buffalo suffered a tough loss to Orlando, which means next week's game vs Boston is a must win.

* Toronto absolutely dominated Rochester, which means they clinch a playoff spot. A win and a Buffalo loss, and the Knighthawks make the playoffs.

* Nick Rose, the backup goalie for Boston, was spectacular at the end of the game. Anthony Cosmo was ejected for illegal equipment in the third quarter.

*Josh Sanderson scored the hat trick and a game winner in OT for the roughnecks vs the Rush.

Next week is the last week of the regular season! Boston plays Buffalo, Orlando plays Philly, Calgary plays Colorado, Rochester plays Washington, and Orlando plays Minnesota.

Week 15 NLL Picks

Here are my predictions for this week's games:

Buffalo Bandits @ Orlando Titans
This is an interesting game. Buffalo could use the win, and Orlando can clinch a playoff spot. I say Buffalo pulls this out. Bandits

Boston Blazers @ Colorado Mammoth
Again, this is a game the Blazers need. Colorado is fighting Minnesota for a playoff spot though. I say Boston wins. Blazers

Rochester Knighthwaks @ Toronto Rock
The Knighthawks could easily find themselves in a playoff position with a win. I say Toronto wins a tough game in OT. Rock

Calgary Roughnecks @ Edmonton Rush
I love the Rush. They've played well, so I'll take them over the newly clinched Roughnecks. Rush

Philadelphia Wings @ Minnesota Swarm
The Swarm are falling out of playoff contention fast. I say they're swoon continues with a loss to Philly. Wings

Edmonton Rush @ Washington Stealth
A good matchup here. I think the Stealth win here. Stealth

Make your predictions at the comments.

This Week's NLL Schedule

Here is this week's NLL Schedule:

Friday: Rochester @ Toronto 7:30
Buffalo @ Orlando 7:35
Boston @ Colorado 9:00
Calgary @ Edmonton 9:00

Saturday: Philadelphia @ Minnesota 8:35
Edmonton @ Washington 10:30

There will be game previews for each game throughout the week. You chat about all the games at the NLL GameNight Chat Thread.

NLL Game Preveiws and Chat Post

Here are your NLL games for today:
Minnesota Swarm @ Boston Blazers
The Blazers are looking for a win today to stay in the playoff chase. With a loss Rochester would jump into the playoff picture, and they play the Wings today, a chance for a win, so the Blazers need to win to stay afloat.
Minnesota lost to the Knighthawks last night, so they need a win and Colorado loss to clinch a playoff berth.

Toronto Rock @ Buffalo Bandits
The Bandits could use a win as well, in the same situation as Boston. The Rock look to clinch a playoff berth with a win.

Washington Stealth @ Orlando Titans
The two top teams in each division, the Stealth look to clinch a first round home game. The Titans look to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Philadelphia Wings @ Rochester Knighthawks
The Wings need a win to keep their small playoff hopes alive, while the Knighthawks can put themselves in a good position.

Colorado Mammoth @ Calgary Roughnecks
A win here would get the 'Necks in the 2010 NLL playoffs. But a loss would keep the Mammoth in it.

Talk about the games here tonight!

NLL Game Preveiw: Mammoth @ Rush

photo credit: NLL.com
Preveiw: The Edmonton Rush, who last week clinched a playoff spot, look to the beat the Colorado Mammoth. With a win, the Rush will move ahead of the Washington Stealth in the West. Along with a Roughnecks loss, they will clinch a home game in the playoffs. For the Mammoth, a loss and a Minnesota Swarm win would eliminate them from playoff contention.

Leading Scorer: Edmonton: Ryan Ward 60 pts
Colorado: Jamie Shrewchuk 48 pts

Goaltender: Edmonton: Matt Disher 12.84 GAA, .754 S%
Colorado: Andrew Layshon 13.39 GAA, .716 S%

Injuries: Edmonton: Chris McElroy (Questionable)
Colorado: Ilija Gajic (Illness)

Notes: * The Mammoth are 0-5 in games where they score less than 10 goals

* The Mammoth have lost four one-goal games this season

* Edmonton penalty killers gave up four goals on five Stealth PP attempts last week

* The game can be heard on CFRN 1260 AM in Edmonton. You can watch the game at NLL.com

* The game is in Rexell place in Edmonton

* The Rush lost the lose ball battle in Minnesota, 105-85

This week's NLL Blog Power Rankings

Here are this week's Power Rankings:

1. Edmonton Rush-- The Rush won both games of a weekend series, beating the West leader Washington Stealth and the playoff contender Minnesota Swarm.

2. Toronto Rock-- The Rock won both their games, beating the Roughnecks and Wings.

3. Orlando Titans-- The Titans won a big game vs the Boston Blazers to separate a little.

4. Washington Stealth-- The Stealth are still the league's top team, but the Rush have tied them, leaving some Stealth fans worried. The loss of Jeff Zywicki does not help them either.

5. Minnesota Swarm-- The Swarm lost a heart breaker to the Rush, but still look for that playoff spot.

6. Calgary Roughnecks-- The Roughnecks lost a tough one to Toronto, but rebounded nicely vs the K'Hawks.

7. Boston Blazers-- The Blazers needed a win, but didn't get. The lack of scoring in the second half has to be a concern.

8. Buffalo Bandits-- With a win the Bandits could've moved ahead of Boston, but could not beat Colorado.

9. Rochester Knighthawks-- The K'Hakws could've used a win vs Calgary, as it would've moved them into a playoff spot.

10. Philadelphia Wings-- After a nice win vs Boston a week ago, the Wings could not keep the momentum going against the Rock.

11. Colorado Mammoth-- Even with a win vs the Bandits, the Mammoth will not be a playoff contender this year.

NLL Game Reveiws

Last night five NLL games took place. The Orlando Titans beat the Boston Blazers, 13-10, the Toronto Rock beat the Philadelphia Wings, 13-6, the Calgary Roughnecks beat the Rochester Knighthawks, 11-9, The Edmonton Rush beat the Minnesota Swarm, 14-13, and the Colorado Mammoth beat the Buffalo Bandits, 12-11. Two games went to overtime, with the Rush and Mammoth prevailing. Here are the notes from a fun night in the NLL.

Current Standings after this weekend:

East:
Orlando 8-4 (4 games remaining)
Toronto 8-6 (2) 1 game back
Boston 6-7 (3) 2.5
Buffalo 6-7 (3) 2.5
Rochester 5-7 (4) 3
Philadelphia 4-9 (3) 4.5

Toronto swept their weekend, which got them out of their six game funk. They beat Calgary and Philadelphia to move ahead of Boston and one game behind the Titans. Orlando won to extend their lead over Boston. Buffalo lost in OT to the lowly Mammoth, missing an opportunity to move up in the standings. With Rochester's loss, they themselves missed an opportunity with both Boston and Buffalo losing.

West:
Washington* 9-4 (3 games remaining)
Edmonton* 9-4 (3)
Calgary 7-6 (3) 2
Minnesota 5-7 (4) 3.5
Colorado (4) 5.5

Colorado won on a night that Minnesota lost, and now move two games behind them. Minnesota and Colorado both have four games remaining, that's a game in hand over Edmonton and Washington. The Swarm losing does not help them, as they would have had a chance to clinch. Calgary split their weekend, winning last night in Rochester. Edmonton tied Washington for first place in the West.

Notes: *Dan Dawson (5) scored half of the Blazers goals himself.

* The Rush tie the Stealth for first place.

* Alex Gajic continued his tear with four goals for the Mammoth.

* Colorado won for the first time in seven games.

* The Blazers scored only one goal in the fourth quarter.

* Philadelphia did not score in the first quarter.

* The Knighthawks have lost four staright home games.

* The next action in the NLL is Friday when the Knighthawks go to Minnesota, and the Mammoth take on the Rush.