NLL Insider

Hard to believe we’re approaching the halfway point of this National Lacrosse League season, but here we are! Buffalo’s tearing up the East and Calgary’s setting the pace out West. Rochester’s still looking for an offense and Colorado’s offense appears to have finally arrived. Edmonton’s finally got a home game and Boston is finally playing a team other than New York or Philadelphia. So what can we expect for Week 8? Plenty, say the coaches as we prepare for seven games.

Buffalo (6-1) at Toronto (2-4), Friday at 7 p.m. (EST)

Is there really anything more to say about the Bandits? Last week’s 25-10 win over Toronto is the second time this season the Bandits have scored more than 20 goals in a game, and while Ken Montour is known as the monster in goal, Mark Steenhuis was an absolute monster on offense with his record-breaking performance that earned him NLL Player of the Week honors.

“He’s really taken a big step in making the other players around him better,” Buffalo coach Darris Kilgour says. “He’s doing a lot better job of moving the ball this year.”

Toronto coach Jamie Batley offers no argument, especially after last week’s game. “They did a great job of finding the open man on the off-ball side,” he says. “They were getting open looks all night because their guys never stopped moving and they made our defense work hard. They really didn’t give our goaltenders an opportunity to make any saves.”

Pat McCready is ready for his return to Buffalo and it’ll be a game-time decision if he plays, says Kilgour. As for Toronto, Batley and his staff have had plenty of film to study and they’re encouraged about a better result this weekend. “We weren’t too far off,” says Batley. “But then in the third quarter, the wheels just fell off.”

Boston (4-3) at Minnesota (2-3), Friday at 8 p.m. (EST)

Speaking of offense, has anyone seen the Swarm’s? General manager Marty O’Neill certainly hasn’t and he’s looking for it. “We’ve had things under a microscope,” he says of a unit that has a league-low 46 goals. “I think it’s more a thing where guys have to look in the mirror and try to figure it out. We’re hoping it’s just a passing phase.”

O’Neill thinks it’s more of a mental thing than anything else. “We have to just stop holding the sticks so tight and stop overthinking,” he says. “We have to get up and over 10 goals so we’ll get some schematics going and get guys doing things differently to shake them out of their doldrums.”

It’s quite the opposite in Boston, where coach Tom Ryan has a young team playing some fantastic lacrosse. The Blazers’ road trip (Minnesota Friday and Calgary on Sunday) will be a big test because Ryan points out that six of his team’s first seven games have been against either New York or Philadelphia.

“We’ve had some very diverse scoring threats and our defense is getting better each week,” says Ryan. “We’re playing our best team defense and overall, we have guys who are committed to this.”

On the injury front, Sean Morris could make his return this weekend and Brett Queener remains iffy. The Blazers will know more after practice Wednesday night.

Minnesota at Philadelphia (2-5), Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (EST)

If the Swarm doesn’t find its offense against Boston, it might be another challenge in Philadelphia. The Wings have given up 86 goals, fourth-most in the NLL, but coach Dave Huntley is confident that unit has found itself as evidenced by holding Boston to just eight goals last week. Problem is, the Wings scored just four goals in the game.

“Miller was terrific in goal,” says Huntley, pointing out that just four goals were surrendered in the final 55 minutes. “We just need to be more consistent on offense. Our guys know what they need to do and it’s on an individual basis.”

O’Neill points to the desperation of both teams needing a win, so both coaches expect a “spirited” contest. “We’re not taking them lightly,” he says.

New York (5-3) at Rochester (1-5), Saturday at 7:35 p.m.

This will be the third meeting between these clubs and the Titans have won both, 8-7 in Rochester and 15-9 last week at Madison Square Garden. The Titans have been every bit as advertised on offense but some letdowns on defense have popped up here and there. Still, coach Ed Comeau can’t be anything but pleased with the progress and the multi-headed monster on offense is a load for any team to handle as Casey Powell, Pat Maddalena and Mike McLellan lead the way.

In Rochester, the defense appears to have settled down a bit after some ugly losses, but the lack of an offense is the focus now. Coach Paul Gait wonders if the problems will ever be fixed as he stares at a team shooting percentage that’s second-worst in the NLL.

“We have guys learning new roles and it’s taking time to get that adjustment,” he says. “I’m not even sure some guys can make the adjustment. Some of our guys have been the second or third players on their teams and they’ve never had to face a team’s best defender. They’re struggling because it’s been a lot harder for them to get open.”

Gait says the problems have magnified the need for a go-to guy because no one on Rochester has stepped up to that role.

Despite all this and the 1-5 record, the Knighthawks aren’t completely out of the playoff picture. That’s because Toronto and Philadelphia are also struggling in the East, but Gait’s not even thinking playoffs. “We need to change and get better before we start thinking playoffs.”

Colorado (4-2) at San Jose (2-4), Saturday at 10:30 p.m.

Beating Calgary last weekend was a big step for the Mammoth, who have been trying get over the offensive hump. Beating a solid Roughnecks team will do wonders for the confidence, but coach Bob McMahon cautions against too much optimism. “That can change quickly,” he said, especially with two games this weekend.

Up first, though, is a San Jose team that’s been working to identify trends. Coach Jeff Dowling wants to end the bad trends and extend the good ones, obviously, and he knows full well what his boys are getting ready for in a Colorado team that’s got a bit of momentum.

One area of focus for the Stealth is quick goals. Giving them up, and scoring them. Dowling likes the way his team can respond in spurts to gain momentum, but troubling him is the way the defense can give that momentum right back by allowing opponents to string together a quick 2 or 3 or 4 goal run.

In Colorado, McMahon is liking what he sees on an offense that’s finally buying into the system. “We’ve got movement and we’re not packing the ball,” he says. “Everybody’s contributing and that’s what we want.”

Rookie of the Week Tyler Crompton has been a pleasant surprise as well and all of his hustle for loose balls and line changes were rewarded with a pair of goals in last week’s win. “We are really happy that a couple of goals went in for him,” says McMahon. “So he’ll be a little more confident.”

Boston at Calgary (5-1), Sunday at 5 p.m. (EST)

The second game of Boston’s road trip will have had the team on the road for the entire weekend, something Ryan hopes will build the team’s chemistry as road trips have a tendency to do. “It’s a challenge,” he says. “But the greater the challenge, the more if forces you to focus.”

Calgary’s not stinging too badly over last week’s loss and even if the Roughies were, they’ve got to get over it quick with Boston coming to town. “They’re certainly not playing like an expansion team,” assistant Dave Pym says. “They move the ball well and put pressure on the ball, and they’ve got one of the best in the business between the pipes in Anthony Cosmo (this week’s Defensive Player of the Week). It’ll be a real test for us.”

That Blazers defense will certainly be tested by a Calgary offense that’s one of the best in the NLL. The Necks lead the West with 79 goals and trail just Buffalo (105) and New York (100) in total goals, but the Bandits have played one more game and the Titans have played two more games than Calgary.

Colorado at Edmonton (2-5), Sunday at 8 p.m. (EST)

The Rush certainly entered this season with big expectations so their 2-5 record is a bit of a disappointment. Coach Bob Hamley isn’t one to make excuses, but it is of note that five of their first seven games have been on the road. To boot, they’ve also had a pair of back-to-back weekends so it’s refreshing to see their next five games are at home.

“We had 4 games in 8 days and now we have 4 games in 6 weeks,” says Hamley.

Be that as it may, the Rush have a very talented Mammoth team coming to town and the offensive guys like Dan Teat, Ryan Benesch and Andy Secore have got to figure out a way to beat Colorado goalie Andrew Leyshon. The Rush have been in single digits for three straight games, so someone’s got to wake up the offense.

“All aspects, really,” says Hamley of what there is to address in practice. “We’re one of the lowest scoring teams in the league so it’s not just one specific thing. The whole thing really needs to get better.

Speaking of Leyshon, McMahon points to his goalie as a huge factor in the turnaround of the offense “He’s come in and kept us in games,” McMahon says. “We’re not having to spend a lot of energy getting back and fighting back. The offense is a little more patient and not panicking.”

Rate This Story:

(+59 rating, 13 votes)

 Loading ...