NLL Insider

Although some may initially think back to his alleged early season off-floor dustup with Toronto Rock Head Coach Glenn Clark when they reflect on Sean Pollock’s impact on the game in 2008, if that’s all they remember about the Minnesota Swarm forward, then they obviously weren’t paying enough attention to what Pollock brought to the table last year.

The fiery red head mighta sent Toronto fans into a tirade after getting tossed in the team’s opening game at the ACC last year, but it was everything Pollock did past that that made 2008 a pretty memorable one for him.

Pollock tied league MVP Athan Iannucci for the league lead in game winners with five last winter. He was also a leader in NLL Insider’s Money Ballers, our rundown of the top clutch performers in the game, looking past just that lone game winning goal. Pollock finished behind only Iannucci, Josh Sanderson and Dan Dawson. Not a bad three guys to be behind for a kid who routinely doesn’t get the ink his game definitely deserves.

Pollock’s game leading nine points against Rochester last year was maybe his most impressive performance of 08. Pollock not only scored the game winner in that one, in OT no less, but also scored the game tying goal at the end of the fourth, cutting into an improbable 12-3 run by Rochester, totally altering the momentum of the game and icing it six minutes into the extra frame. It was one of last year’s biggest clutch showings.

So next year, when you’re scanning the league’s scoring charts and stop just short of Pollock’s name on the countdown, do yourself a favor and peak a couple lines down. That way, when the Swarm send you packing in 09 and the PA announcer calls Pollock for the game winner, you’ll be able to put a face to the name of the guy that gutted more teams last year than just about anyone else in the NLL.

Does Pollock belong in the NLL Insider Top 50? Hit the boards and let us know what your Top 50 looks like heading into the 2009 NLL season…

#50 Matt Roik, San Jose Stealth
#49 Jon Sullivan, Minnesota Swarm
#48 Billy Dee Smith, Buffalo Bandits
#47 Steve Toll, Rochester Knighthawks
#46 Jarett Park, New York Titans
#45 Bruce Murray, Colorado Mammoth
#44 Shawn Evans, Rochester Knighthawks
#43 Peter Lough, Toronto Rock
#42 Matt Vinc, New York Titans
#41 Jeff Shattler, Calgary Roughnecks
#40 Craig Point, Minnesota Swarm
#39 Scott Ranger, Calgary Roughnecks
#38 Brian Langtry, Colorado Mammoth
#37 Sean Pollock, Minnesota Swarm

Hit this link for NLL Insider’s Top 50 archive and keep checkin’ back every week as we countdown the top 50 best in the pro game, with #1 being named just before the NLL season kicks off.

Rate This Story:

(+11 rating, 3 votes)

 Loading ...