NLL Insider

The Boston Blazers are the new kids on the block of the National Lacrosse League but they’re coming in with a chip on their shoulder.

How do ya figure, you ask? How can the new kid be sportin’ any kind of attitude? “We are young and inexperienced for the most part,” says Blazers coach and general manager Tom Ryan. “A lot of guys on our team were last cuts on other teams and are guys with something to prove.” Talk about the mother of all motivators. Try having someone tell you you’re not quite good enough at what you do. Or maybe you are good enough, but your game just doesn’t jive with a vision. You gonna take that sitting down?

Of course not, and that’s what Ryan and the Blazers are counting on as they get ready for their first season in the NLL.

“Our overall plan was to find guys who have their best lacrosse in front of them,” Ryan says. “Guys who are unproven and want to compete.”

That sort of player may indeed be the face of the Blazers, but they do have a solid, solid core to attach that look to. Thanks to a dispersal draft, an expansion draft and an entry draft, the Blazers have set up themselves well and have a familiar and effective game in Dan Dawson to get the offense going. The abilities of Dangerous Dan are no secret, and it’s his stick (34 goals, 43 assists for 81 points) and presence that last season helped the Portland LumberJax make a run to the NLL title game.

“We were very fortunate to have him fall into our lap,” says Ryan. “He’s proven that he can take average or good teams to the next level. He’s a tough person to match up against because he goes into offensive opportunities with his eyes open. He can be a feeder or a goal-scorer.”

Ryan’s counting on guys like Matt Lyons (9-16_15), Brendan Thenhaus, Matt Holman to provide offense. Sean Morris (2-6 for 8 points in 3 games) is a local guy who helped carry UMass to a recent NCAA title game and Lyons got plenty of reps behind a loaded offense in Rochester. Thenhaus is “still coming into his own,” says Ryan. Holman saw limited time in Portland last season, but he was with Dawson and their familiarity with each other is a positive.

Top draft pick Daryl Veltman brings stout bloodlines and a slick shot to the left side of the offense, and Gary Bining, out of Coquitlam, will give the squad another presence on that side.

There are plenty of candidates to get the transition game going in Boston and in today’s NLL game, that’s key. “They say 5-on-5 goals are the toughest to come by,” says Ryan. “So you’ve got to be competitive in the transition game.”

The Boston defense will turn to Jack Reid to lead a young unit, probably the youngest by age in the league, says Ryan. Eric Martin, Steve Panarelli, and Mitch Belisle will work with Reid to lock up the defensive end in front of whoever wins the goaltending job. In that regard, the Blazers made some really nice moves to get Mike Poulin and Daniel Sams.

“From all accounts, Poulin has earned his chance to be a regular in this league and we all know that goaltending is the most important spot to fill,” says Ryan, who also has the option of Sams, who stepped in nicely for the Buffalo Bandits last year in injury relief.

“We’re definitely optimistic,” says Ryan. “We want to compete and you’ve got to come in with the goal of making the playoffs. It’s tough, but it’s doable.”

Off the floor, the scene in Boston is just as positive. Lacrosse is blowing up in Boston, says Ryan, pointing to the recent NCAA championships played there that drew huge crowds. Support is encouraging, says Ryan, who says the Blazers have eight full-time ticket sales reps busy with orders to the level that the team already has surpassed three other NLL teams in the number of season ticket packages sold.

Still, Ryan understands that a winning team is what draws fans and he’s doing everything on his part to ensure that happens. And it all starts with attitude and approach, even before the first official faceoff is drawn. The pressure will be great for the first-year players, but might be even moreso for a first-year coach. That’s why Ryan is so set on what type of player he wants, and it goes beyond how many goals you can score, how many loosies you scoop or how many saves you make.

“If you come to my camp and you don’t have that intensity to prove yourself, you’re trying out for the wrong team,” he says.

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