NLL Edition: The Money Ballers
April 29th, 2008 by Paul Tutka
Well, the final numbers came in, and…
Athan Iannucci killed it.
Nooch won our first ever Money Ballers this year, and it wasn’t even close. READ MORE »
Archive for April, 2008
NLL’s non-playoff clubs have plenty of reasons for optimism in 2009
April 29th, 2008 by Bob Chavez
There are 8 National Lacrosse League teams that can barely wait to get at it this weekend.
Those not so lucky to be among the 8 have to wait a full 8 months or so to get back on the floor and you can bet they’re champing at the bit. You don’t need to be a lacrosse genius to figure this out, which is probably why it’s so clear to me. Just look at the list of non-playoff teams. The defending champion Rochester Knighthawks are out of the playoffs for the first time since their inception in 1995, thanks in large part to 5 one-goal losses. The Toronto Rock are another non-playoff team, but they’re already talking of ways to revitalize the offense that let them down this season.
Out West, the Edmonton Rush got out of the gate with 5 straight losses, but a new coach who wasn’t shy to pull the trigger on trades and deals restored confidence in the club. The Rush even made a serious run for a playoff spot down the stretch before fading, but Bob Hamley’s got that team set up with some solid draft picks for the next two seasons.
And in Chicago, the Shamrox won 5 of their final 8 games, getting a big spark from the arrival of goalie Matt Roik, who thought his season was over until he got “the call” early in March. Throw in the offfense of Cody Jacobs and Brad Self, and the Shammies were able to pull of some eye-popping wins over the likes of Rochester, Philadelphia and Toronto down the stretch.
Yeah, it’s a long wait to get back on the floor for these clubs, but there’s no reason to think they all won’t be back in 2009 with a vengeance, eager to get in on the postseason party that kicks off this weekend with the 2008 playoff teams.
- Roughnecks eye Mammoth upset: Calgary Herald
- Megan vs. Chantal: Who is your pick? NLLInsider.com
NLL Girl of the Week, Round 2: It’s Megan vs. Chantal
April 28th, 2008 by Bob Chavez
Last week, we told ya that we were taking a break from our first-round matchups to let the NLL Girls of the Week selection process catch up with us. Well, it looks like we’re caught up.
The National Lacrosse League let me know that our forray into the second round was right on schedule because, as it turns out, all the selections for the season are finished. So what’s that mean? It means we’re in the process of creating our Final Four. And with Crystal’s close win over Nikki last week, it looks like the Titans have playoff reps playing lacrosse and cheering for it. Not a bad year for the franchise, eh?
This week’s matchup, our 10th of the season, puts San Jose’s Megan up against Toronto’s Chantal. Backing up just a wee bit, it was tough not to notice the vote total of last week’s matchup, and since it came in at a precious 311, we’ve included a bonus video tribute to one of our favorite bands of all time … something you can see after the jump.
Loading ...You know the drill by now. Take a look at the pics provided, cast your vote and make haste. Poll closes at midnight on Sunday.
Some Random Thoughts as the NLL Regular Season Comes to an End
April 28th, 2008 by Chris Hall
As usual, the NLL’s regular season has brought us a fair share of excitement, surprise, outstanding performances, parity, and ups and downs. Now that the regular season schedule is complete, I thought I’d share some thoughts and observations about this weekend’s games, playoff expectations and a former great player.
Let’s start with the Minnesota/Chicago home and home. In my weekly picks I got the split right here but had the wrong nights. Apparently, home floor advantage meant nothing between these two as they each won in the other’s building. The Shamrox finish the season on a pretty good note looking forward (at least from a competitive stance), even though they won’t see postseason action. They went 5-3 in their last 8 and beat some tough divisional opponents along the way. The Roik acquisition played huge dividends and once the Rox were healthy they showed they can play with anyone in the league.
The Swarm finished a franchise-best 10-6. That opening season sweep of the Rock went a long way to help achieve the record. In their last 8, they’re a more reflective 4-4. Their goals for (GF) and goals against (GA) are a mere 3 apart. This is a team that can beat you anytime but can also be beaten. Thing is, that looks to be the theme of this year’s playoffs so the Swarm is solidly in the hunt.
Shanny’s Power Rankings: Week 18
April 28th, 2008 by Brian Shanahan
Last week I said it was possible, but unlikely, that five teams in the East would end tied at 9-7.
Well, that didn’t happen but it’s just as surprising that four teams finished at 10-6. And yes, the unthinkable happened: The defending champs, the Rocherster Knighthawks are out of the playoff picture. Don’t point to their loss on Saturday as the reason they are out. They played great lacrosse down the stretch and a number of coaches recently told me that despite their record, they wouldn’t be surprised if the Knighthawks had won out the rest of their games all the way to another championship.
Instead, the Knighthawks will be watching because of lackluster efforts mid-season when they lost games against the Edmonton Rush and the Chicago Shamrox.
But that’s enough talk of Rochester. We are starting the new season next week and if it’s anything like the regular season, we’re in for a great ride.
Veltman closes NLL career with loss
April 28th, 2008 by Bob Chavez
So much of lacrosse is played on the fly. You rarely get more than a spilt second to make your decision and more often than not, you’ve got to live with the consequence of your decision, good or bad.
Yet there were no surprises, really, at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday. Well, there may have been some eyebrows raised at how well the Toronto Rock played against the Philadelphia Wings in the regular-season finale for the National Lacrosse League. But in the end, it all wrapped up true to form for the 2008 season, and the Wings defeated the Rock 15-14 in what was the final game for Jim Veltman of the Rock.
There was plenty of pomp and circumstance for Veltman, whose teammates all wore No. 32 jerseys during warmpups. Yet it didn’t look good early as the Wings built an 8-2 lead in the first half before the Rock rallied to make a game of it in front of more than 10,000 fans. And as the final seconds ticked away, the Toronto fans stood and chanted “Thank you Jim, Thank you Jim.” In the moments that followed, Veltman’s teammates stepped back from the traditional lap around the floor, letting Veltman take a solo trip.
“It felt like you’re at you’re own funeral,” Veltman said afterward to the Canadian Press. “I don’t know if that’s kind of morbid or what but, you know, it’s sort of like everybody is giving these accolades and … the nice thing is you’re alive to experience it and to feel it.”
And so the playing career of Jim Veltman has come to pass, but it’s not like he’s dropping out of sight. He plans to be on the bench as an assistant coach for the Rock next season. He’ll be part of a staff that’s got lots of work to do to fix the season that went awry, but there’s no doubt he’ll be up to the challenge.
Kinda lost in this shuffle is how well the Wings played in the victory, but we figure Philly fans will understand. Gotta give some final love to the respected Veltman and besides, Philly’s gonna get some ink later this week as it prepares for a playoff showdown with Buffalo.
- No fairy tale ending for Rock: The Star
- It was wrong, all wrong: National Post
- Another look at Scoop: The Star
- Veltman’s final scoop: TorontoSun.com
- A final look at the regular season numbers: NLL.com
NLL playoff schedule
April 27th, 2008 by Lauren Ward
After a wild weekend of elimination action the division finals are set and here’s a look at the schedule:
Saturday, May 10
New York Titans at Buffalo Bandits, 7:30 PM EST
Portland Lumberjax at Calgary Roughnecks, 9:30 PM EST
The winners of this weekend’s match-ups will advance to the Champion’s Cup, which will be held the weekend of May 16-18.
First round results:
14-12 Buffalo over Philadelphia
11-8 New York over Minnesota
15-13 Calgary over Colorado
18-16 Portland over San Jose
Speaking of heroes
April 27th, 2008 by Lauren Ward
- Rock legend’s scooping up his final game: Toronto Star
- Bidding adieu times two: Toronto Sun
- John Fernandez should not have been playing lacrosse Saturday: Associated Press
Titans in, Knighthawks out with 12-11 New York win
April 27th, 2008 by Lauren Ward
For the first time, the New York Titans are on their way to the playoffs. And for the first time, the Rochester Knighthawks aren’t.
With a strong second half and an emptynet goal from Jarret Park with 33 seconds remaining that would prove to be the 12-11 winner, the Titans punched their ticket to the postseason with a third place finish.
Brendan Mundorf snapped in four goals and one assist while Pat Maddalena had five helpers and in addition to his game-winner Park added an assist and scooped 15 looseballs. Goaltender Matt Vinc made 30 stops.
For the Knighthawks, Shawn Williams had three goals and four assists, Scott Evans two and four, and Shawn Evans two and three.
- Knighthawks miss playoffs by one goal: RochesterHomepage
- Knighthawks eliminated: 13wham
- Titans end Knighthawks’ run: R News
Buffalo Bandits and Minnesota Swarm earn home-floor advantage
April 27th, 2008 by Lauren Ward
With last night’s 14-10 win over the Portland Lumberjax, the Buffalo Bandits have secured not only the Eastern division title but also home-floor advantage for the duration of the playoffs.
The Bandits were led by John Tavares with four goals and four assists, with three of those goals coming in natural hat-trick form to turn a 9-9 tie into a 12-9 advantage for Buffalo. Brett Bucktooth, Cory Bomberry and Roger Vyse had four points each. Mike Thompson made 46 saves in the win. Rookie Pete Jacobs led the Jax with four goals.
- Bandits top Lumberjax: wkbw.com
The Minnesota Swarm secured themselves a home game in the playoffs on the strength of a 12-11 win over the Chicago Shamrox.
Ryan Ward scored four for the Swarm while Sean Pollock added two goals and three assists and Rory McDade pitched in one and four. Nick Patterson stopped 42 of 53. For the Shamrox Mat Giles had four goals, Brad Self one goal and four assists, and Jason Clark one and three.
