NLL Insider

Minnesota Swarm starting tender Nick Patterson lives in a war-zone during the winter months.

Patterson mans the cage of one of the most under pressure nets in all of lacrosse, facing a league leading 779 shots, all while maintaining more than respectable keeper stats across the board.

The over 900 minutes, again league leading, that Nick spent between the Swarm’s pipes last winter are the most single season minutes played by a keeper since both Gee Nash and Pat O’Toole lead the league four years ago with minutes in excess of that rarely touched 900 mark.

Some doubted whether the still relatively young (26-years old) Patterson would survive without Matt Disher sharing minutes with him, but after the Swarm sent Disher to Edmonton during 2007’s off-season, not only did Nick manage the extra minutes with relative ease, he was arguably the second best keeper behind only goalie of the year, Bob Watson, last winter.

When asked about being given the reigns as Minny’s legit #1 go-to tender, Patterson told NLL Insider’s Lauren Ward;

It definitely helps a lot because you always know you’re playing so it gives you a different attitude mentally, but also when there’s two goalies you may play a game and then have a week break and then he gets a start and you end up going two or three weeks without a start. That definitely hurts you. In junior and my first year in senior I played pretty much every game so that’s what I got used to and I like it a lot more. Obviously, I guess. Everyone likes playing.

Part of the reason why Patterson sees so many shots is that the Swarm play a very up-tempo, constant pressure, go-for-broke style of ball that sometimes can create as many chances for them as it does for the team on the other side of the court. It’s an exciting and intense brand of lacrosse, and without a keeper like Patterson manning the cage, it wouldn’t work.

Patterson’s ability to make the big, outta left field stops are what make him really special though and with Minnesota going 4-0 in OT game in 2008, with another one goal win over Chicago thrown in there too, you better believe Minny fed off of Patterson’s momentum shifting stops.

So don’t get too hung up on the numbers when grading Patterson’s game, cuz it’s everything else that makes Nick one of the best keeps in the game today.

(Photo Courtesy Dave Sanders)

Does Patterson 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
#36 Jake Bergey, Boston Blazers
#35 Pat O’Toole, Rochester Knighthawks
#34 Kyle Sweeney, Philadelphia Wings
#33 Luke Wiles, Toronto Rock
#32 Ryan Boyle, New York Titans
#31 Chris White, Buffalo Bandits
#30 Jordan Hall, New York Titans
#29 Shawn Nadelen, Philadelphia Wings
#28 Cam Woods, Toronto Rock
#27 Mike Accursi, Buffalo Bandits
#26 Dan Carey, Colorado Mammoth
#25 Pat Maddalena, New York Titans
#24 Andy Secore, Edmonton Rush
#23 Ryan Ward, Minnesota Swarm
#22 Tracey Kelusky, Calgary Roughnecks
#21 Josh Sanderson, Calgary Roughnecks
#20 Shawn Williams, Rochester Knighthawks
#19 Blaine Manning, Toronto Rock
#18 Nick Patterson, 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.

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