NLL Insider

NLL Insider

San Jose Stealth sniper Luke Wiles out six weeks

NLL Insider has learned that San Jose Stealth forward Luke Wiles broke his foot during the Stealth’s embarrassing 12-5 to the last place Edmonton Rush and will be on the shelf for at least six weeks.

Wiles apparently caught his foot on the turf at Rexall Place and limped off the floor in pain. After checking in with doctors after the game, it was determined that Wiles did in fact break his foot.

It is unclear how the team will replaces Wiles, but after the team’s dismal showing against Edmonton, many already feel the team will go with healthy vet scratches, Gary Rosyski or Peter Veltman. Neither player has seen much game time with San Jose lately and are both uninjured.

With Wiles’ projected six week layoff, the Stealth could only hope for a return partway into a potential playoff run in early May, if at all.

NLL Insider

Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down: Week 14

Is this sh** scripted or somethin’? Seriously!!

I mean like, how the hell are Edmonton and Chicago beating (and by beating I mean putting them over their knees and spakin’ their cheeks to a shade darker than Steenhuis’ kicks) the likes of San Jose and Minnesota?

Everything that could go wrong for the teams that are favored is definitely goin’ a$$ backwards wrong for ‘em, while Cody Jacobs is shootin’ the friggin’ lights out and givin’ the bottom feeders hope?!?!? Weird, but then such is life in the NLL.

Anyways, onto the thumbs… READ MORE »

NLL Girls

NLL Girls: Caelee vs. Erin

Stand up and give yourselves a hand. All you voters should be proud of yourselves, including the computer geeks who cleared their cookies so they could cast more than one vote in NLL Girl of the Week Matchup 5 that put Anne up against Elizabeth.

How dare we toss out such an accusation? Well, when we see that 1,423 votes were cast, it makes us wonder. And after we crunch a few numbers, we see that the 1,423 votes were not only five times more than the previous best turnout, it’s more votes than the previous four weeks combined! You’re a bunch of sickos! Either way, the efforts of the dorks sent Philadelphia’s Elizabeth past Calgary’s Anne by a vote count of 766-657. Very well, done, dorks. Very well done.

It gives us all plenty of voting momentum as we head into Matchup 6 that puts Caelee of Edmonton up against Erin of Buffalo.

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But before you read on and decide who gets your vote this week, we’re gonna do you a solid and provide you a quick way to refresh your memories. Just so you get an idea of who is left in this incredibly righteous tournament we’ve created, go back to Matchup No. 1 to see how Chicago’s Nikki beat Rochester’s Alanna; or Matchup No. 2 to see how Crystal edged Leisel; or Matchup No. 3 to recap Megan’s win over Angela; or Matchup No. 4 to see how Chantal topped Natalie.

READ MORE »

NLL Insider

Goalies are gold in the NLL

The last two weeks of National Lacrosse League action have produced some stunning upsets. Just when you think the playoff picture has taken shape, some results occur that tosses reasonable logic aside and casts a whole new light on what may happen in the race to the postseason.  The trades that took place over the past couple of weeks seemed to have a significant impact on recent results but more than anything, it comes down to goaltending.

Given the number of variables that can possibly affect the outcome of any NLL game, it may be hard to believe that goaltending alone can be such a major determining factor in wins and losses. After the past two weeks of critical action however, I continue to be convinced that goaltending is the number one component of a successful team.

READ MORE »

The Beat

NLL emotions run high in Rochester

When National Lacrosse League scores start to get a bit wacky, you gotta figure the emotions do, too. So as I sat there Saturday night in Rochester, watching the Knighthawks feed their lead over the Wings in the fourth quarter, I kinda figured they were feeding the tension, too.

A scrap or two is fine, even cool to see, but you never like to see the game put to shame. And here it is two days after the Knighthawks’ 20-12 win and I’ve still got a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve always been big on winning with class and losing with class and unfortunately, there wasn’t much of it at the end of the game. But the fortunate thing for us is that someone over at WingsZone.com was quick to provide a YouTube video that lets us be the judge of the sequence that started with someone getting all up in the grill of a goalie. Read on, and you’ll see it.

READ MORE »

Shanny's Power Rankings

Shanny’s Power Rankings: Week 14

Wow. Again, another surprising weekend. Chicago beats Minnesota – not a huge surprise – but you have to like Chicago’s 10 goal run after a slow start. Rochester defeats Philly — not a surprise at all. The Rochester Knighthawks are a bundle of dynamite, it’s just that they often forget the matches to light the fuse. Edmonton stifles San Jose 12-5. Now that’s a shocker, especially after Edmonton’s lackluster game in Toronto last week. Who would have thought the Rush could shut down an offense with Colin Doyle, Jeff Zywicki and Luke Wiles.

It doesn’t look like the Power Rankings have changed much but try to use your imagination to picture this. A month ago the distance between number 1 and 12 was huge – you would have to scroll down your computer a long way to go from Philadelphia to Chicago. Today the distance between 1 and 12 is much smaller. If we could we would squish them on your computer screen today. It seems that all 12 teams are jockeying to finish the season at 8 and 8. That’s parity. READ MORE »

The Beat

Edmonton Rush shut down San Jose Stealth 12-5

Despite their record, the Edmonton Rush have spent most of the ‘08 season keeping a pretty tight lid on opposition scoring and on Saturday night they brought the San Jose Stealth to a new low with a 12-5 win.

Chris McKay came to play in his first game this season, contributing one goal and three assists while scooping 12 loose balls. Jimmy Quinlan had three goals and one assist, and Dan Stroup had one and three. Curtis Palidwor turned away 35 shots.

For the Stealth, Jeff Zywicki had three goals and Colin Doyle three assists.

• Romp for Rush: Edmonton Sun
• Stealth offers little resistance: Mercury News
• Rush rocket past Stealth: Calgary Sun
• Quinlan leads Rush past Stealth: TSN
• Crashley’s name describes his game: Edmonton Sun
To comment visit the NLLForums

The Beat

Rochester Knighthawks break out against Philadelphia Wings 20-12

Seven minutes into the first quarter at the Blue Cross Arena last night the Philadelphia Wings scored two goals in nine seconds to take a 3-2 lead over the Rochester Knighthawks. That would be the first and only lead for the Wings, as the Knighthawks powered their way to a 20-12 win.

After dropping two consecutive games to the teams with the worst records in the league, the Knighthawks bounced back against the first-place Wings to keep their playoff hopes alive. John Grant had four goals and four assists, Ken Millin added three and four, and Scott Evans had two and five. Geoff Snider and Jake Bergey each had five points for the Wings.

The Wings — who have lost three of their last four and have given up at least 20 goals in each loss — will stay the sole occupants of first-place thanks to a Swarm loss in Chicago.

• Knighthawks stomp Wings with 20 goals: Philadelphia Inquirer
• Knighthawks earn must-win: R News
• Khawks end losing streak: 13 Wham
• Khawks defeat Philadelphia: D&C

The Beat

Chicago Shamrox down Minnesota Swarm 15-10

On the strength of a six-goal game from Cody Jacobs and a 45-save game from Matt Roik, the Chicago Shamrox cruised to their second win in a row Saturday night, this time defeating the Minnesota Swarm 15-10.

Minnesota jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the first quarter, but Chicago quickly bounced back to hold the Swarm scoreless in the third and fourth while racking up nine goals of their own — including five from Jacobs and two from Callum Crawford — to take a 10-5 lead heading into the fourth. Each team scored five goals in the final quarter.

Jacobs led the Shamrox with seven points while Mat Giles added six on three goals and three assists and Bobby McBride contributed one goal and four helpers. For the Swarm, Andy Secore had two goals and five assists.

• Rookie Ross winging it as latest Shamrox addition: Daily Herald

NLL Insider

NLL: Shanny’s Look at Week 14

 Is this the calm before the storm? There are only 3 games this weekend (all of them on Saturday night) as half the NLL teams have the weekend off. Next week however is a much different story as there are 9 games from Thursday to Sunday. But despite the fact that there are only very few games being played, each of tonight’s games will have a bearing on first place battles. And in the case of Rochester and Edmonton, losses will almost kill playoff hopes. READ MORE »

NLL Insider

NLL Scouting Report: Week 14

Here are some quick notes from Insider sources on tonight’s up-coming games for the week 14 schedule.

Saturday, March 29 - All Time Eastern
Minnesota at Chicago - 8:00 PM
Philadelphia at Rochester - 8:05 PM
San Jose at Edmonton - 9:30 PM

READ MORE »

The Beat

In and out and back in the line-up, by Rob Van Beek

Editor’s note: By the next time he writes a blog I will have his name in the author list.

Well they asked me back to have another go at ‘er, so here I am. I have to apologize from the start of round two because I thought I had more in mind for this blog but time sneaks up on you. As most of you know we play the Rochester Knighthawks this weekend and originally I was not in the line-up for health and coaching reasons, but with some last minute changes to the line-up I am back in! So with that sudden change, in a matter of seconds my weekend went from doing a motocycle riders course and going out with friends to getting my game face ready and packing my bags.

I have to admit it was a suprise to me. I had talked to coach earlier in the week and he had said they just wanted to change something up for the weekend and that I would be back in the line up the following week. Seeing as how I had injured myself the weekend before I thought I was okay with it and just thought if this is what it takes to win then so be it. READ MORE »

The Beat

Rochester mayor unimpressed by a new Knighthawks owner

Just when you thought it was safe to get excited about the future of the Knighthawks in Rochester, here comes mayor Mike Duffy to throw up another road block. (Too bad that road block isn’t going up at the speed of regular city-commissioned road work, then we’d have about a year and a half before it got built, AM I RIGHT?)

Maybe we needed a bit of drama injected into this happy ending, so perhaps a bitter Donner vs. City feud over an arena lease is just what the viewing public ordered. Unless you’re someone who lives in Rochester, cheers for Rochester, plays for Rochester, or has any interest in seeing Rochester stabilize. Then it sucks.

But hey, at least the team is still playing like the champions they are really wants to win tonight. (As a sidenote: you’ve probably noticed that I found the least suitable picture of Steve Toll to accompany this headline. You’re welcome.)

The Beat

In other NLL news

• If you’re going to the Shamrox game tonight please mention the Fire Department when you buy your ticket, otherwise you won’t be able to make a terrible joke about how you’re there to support (research for cancer of the) breasts. The Daily Herald
• There’s another Ratcliff rising in the ranks: Victoria News
• Lindsay Plunkett feels pressure to score: Edmonton Journal
• Wonder if it has anything to do with that playoff race? Edmonton Sun

NLL Insider

NLL Player Poll: Hardware at the Half(ish)

As promised, here are the results from the guys on who they deem the top dawgs this year.

A little different than what the Insider’s went with, but nothing too outta left field. Looks like everyone is pretty much on the same page (media and players on the same page!!!).

Either way, right now at least, nothing short of John Grant scoring ten a game from here on out will keep Athan Iannucci from winning the big one.

What I did for the players, since the survey we do with them is always multiple choice, was offered them a handful of options of who I thought would be in the running. As always, there was room for write-ins too, so anyone was fair game. READ MORE »

NLL Insider

Take a look at what the NLL is like in Buffalo Bandits Land

Yeah, I get tired of reading, too. Sometimes it’s just nice to sit there and let others do all the work for ya. Especially today when I woke up to about 7 inches of snow in my driveway. Are you kidding me? Some college lacrosse teams have played 4 or 5 games already and I’ve still got to get my snow shovel out? It’s ass.

But, complaining will get ya nowhere and I know none of you are gonna offer to help shovel my driveway. So while I’m outside cursing the weather, you just sit there and click on this link that’ll take you to the Buffalo News. Staffers there have compliled a pretty neat video of a National Lacrosse League gameday experience in Buffalo from the March 22 game against the Toronto Rock. You’ll get to see fans, the dance team, an orange pair of sneakers on the turf (although they never reveal the identity of that player … but do they have to?), and an interview with Joe Smith. Joe Smith? Yup, and not only is he a Bandits defenseman, he’s the proud owner of the most marketable name in sports. It’s so unique!

Watch the video. It’s not even 2 minutes long so even the most ADD of you out there can sit still for this. As a side note, I attempted to embed the vid so all ya had to do was click on it, but no go. So suck it up and click your mouse (gasp!) twice because when you get to the page, you’ll have to click on the Bandits link on the lower right part of the page.

NLL Girls

Dance Team Pick’ems: Week 14

Edmonton Crush

Another crazy week for the NLL Dance Team Pick’ems. Who would have thought Rochester was going to lose to Chicago? Or that Philadelphia was going to fall to New York the way they did. The Loses meant some tough 2-4, 1-5 weeks for many of pick’em participants during Week 13. One dancer who benefited? Kim, from Chicago, who’s home team love paid dividends with 5-1 record last week.  Only three games this week, all on Saturday, but there are some important playoff-affecting matchups in tow.

On to this week’s picks: READ MORE »

NLL Insider

NLL Insider’s Hardware Picks

So like I said yesterday, this week I really wanted to find out who everyone else in the game thought were this year’s favorites for all the year-end hardware.

What I did, was last Thursday sent the players out a poll asking them just that, and those results will be out later this afternoon.

I also wanted to check in with our crew here at the Insider (and we’re a nasty bunch so don’t F with us or Lauren will potentially hug you to death and Jenner might well… don’t even wanna go there but it involves him opening a door at just the right second and then claiming he didn’t know what he was doing).

Anyways, spent my morning tallying the Insider’s votes, which somehow became more difficult than it should have been, but that’s cool, just thankful all of them except Fixler got back to me (did Langtry gut ‘em already?!?!?). READ MORE »

From the Stands

The Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial

Yep, that is the proper, complete name of what Rochester Knighthawks fans revere as the “Barn Down by the River” (thank you Chris Farley), home of the defending National Lacrosse League’s reigning champs.

I was trying to come up with a unique blog topic this week as I knew the Fall of the Champs topic would be well-worn by my deadline. I decided to go where not many Rochester sports fans have gone before. That’s right, behind the scenes at the Blue Cross Arena. Nope, I didn’t find Jimmy Hoffa or even George Eastman under the arena. I did however see a lot of Rochester history and took a lot of photos of places most fans probably will never access. First and foremost, thank you to Jeff Calkins, the General Manager of the Blue Cross Arena and his staff. They were excellent tour guides and let me go practically anywhere I wanted to that didn’t involve insurance liabilities.

First, some quick history of the BCA. The Kimball Tobacco Factory (with the Genesee River behind it in this photo) was built on this spot in 1880 and a 21-foot statue of Mercury was placed atop the Factory’s smokestack. It stood there until 1951 when the original Civic Center Arena was built. Today that statue is atop the Thomson West publishing building across Broad Street from the BCA. The BCA opened as the Rochester Community War Memorial in 1955, many native Rochesterians still call it “War Memorial” to this day.

READ MORE »

NLL Insider

Don’t give up on Rush just yet

So I found myself in a moral dilemma the other night. My beloved Oilers had dropped a huge game to the Minnesota Wild and I then forced myself to watch the Vancouver Canucks vs. Colorado Avalanche game on TV.

Herein lies the problem. With both teams tied at 86 points, 3 points ahead of the Oil for 8th playoff spot, I didn’t want either team to win, (but there was no way in hell I was cheering for Vancouver). So the Avs won and got some distance between themselves and the oncoming Oilers. That got me thinking. The Oil were predicted to finish dead last in the Western Conference. With the introduction of a new owner, the slew of injuries to key guys, and some amazing play from the young guns, this year can be seen as serious progression.

Then my thoughts immediately switched to the other Edmonton team right on the cusp of the post season after everyone wrote them off.

READ MORE »