NLL Insider

O'Neill

You gotta have faith, right? That’s what George Michael sang to us in 1988 and it’s what Minnesota Swarm general manager Marty O’Neill has been practicing with his National Lacrosse League team. A 1-4 start certainly tested that faith, but the Swarm players have repaid that trust with 2 straight wins that started with an impressive 16-12 win 2 weeks ago against an then-undefeated Washington Stealth. “The guys are starting to build something together, O’Neill says. “You just gotta have faith.” That’s the attitude that’s put the 3-4 Swarm back into the West playoff picture after the slow start, and the Swarm have no plans to alter their approach while riding this momentum.

1. Two straight wins after a 1-4 start has got to have you feeling good.
“We’ve been headed in the right direction for a while, actually. But sometimes, you have to give teams credit where credit is due. Against Washington (two weeks ago), the guys played really well. The best game of our season. We worked hard and fought through some adversity, but we just couldn’t get the ball past (Matt) Roik. We finally did at home (the following week).”

2. You’ve got 31 goals in the last 2 games. What turned the offense around?
“Our offense started to be our Achillies’ heel. We were doing what we were supposed to do, but we just couldn’t get the ball to fall. It’s taken a while, but the guys are still getting to know each other. Against Washington (at home), the guys started to find the corners of the net instead of the chest pad … and I expect Colorado to be a different team this weekend (after Minnesota’s 15-5 home win last week). They’re a young team too with lots of talent. They’ll find their rhythm sooner or later.”

3. Keeping the faith in the system appears to be paying off. How much longer was that patience going to last?
“We only had a game or so left that we could lose before we would have had to start exploring a different chemistry.”

Swarm GM Marty O'Neill likes his team's direction, but says the penalty killers can be better. (Photo: Dan Weaver)

4. With 3 goals in each of his last two games, it looks like Ryan Benesch has found his game.
“Yeah, he had the flu and could have been the difference in the Colorado game (an OT loss on Jan. 22) and then in the loss to Washington, he had at least 5 naked looks on cage but no goals. He was making the right plays and wasn’t panicking. He just wasn’t scoring.”

5. And Tim Campeau?
“He is the heartbeat of our team. He’s really come on. He’s a kamikaze kind of guy who gets us going. He’s a good passer and a great all-around player.”

6. Callum Crawford?
“He’s been great at working the 2-man game with (Sean) Pollock and (Aaron) Wilson. He’s been consistent and really pouring it on.”

7. What’s the goalie situation with Kevin Croswell and Nick Patterson?
“Nick would be the first to tell you he had a rough game against Colorado (Jan. 22) and that was a little alarming. Everything we gained against Calgary (the week before), was set back. We went with Kevin and he did a good job so we left him in. We weren’t pointing fingers, but we’ve gone back to Nick and he’s done well too. We need a No. 1 goalie and Nick’s got to be that guy.”

8. Lots of pressure on rookie Zack Greer coming in as the No. 3 overall draft pick, but stats don’t tell the whole story as to how he’s doing, right?
“Would we like to have more points from him? Sure, but to be honest, he’s been a target from the start. Every team seems to be coming after him and he’s been getting the crap kicked out of him. He’s been holding the stick a little tight and I don’t know that he was prepared for teams to come after him that hard. But he’s been drawing penalties and doing a lot of other things better.”

9. What area is your priority for improvement?
“Penalty kills. We’re dead last in the league (18-for-33, 45%). We’ve had quite a few 5-minute kills and those are harder to kill, but we’ve also had some brain cramps and have taken some tough short-handed shots that didn’t fall and that gives the ball back to the other team. The goalies have also had some completely stoppable shots that got through, too. Special teams are the biggest part of this league and we’ve just got to be smarter and better.”

10. What has Aaron Wilson brought to the team?
“He’s such a calming influence and our QB on offense. Even without the ball, he’s so sure of himself and helps pull the younger players along. To give you an idea, he played just 10 games with us last year, but the guys voted him team MVP.”

11. Ever give any thought to signing that TV guy, Eric Perkins, again to help boost the offense during its struggles?
“Haha. No. He’s retired, where he should be.”

12. So all in all, it’s a good thing going in Minnesota right now.
“I do feel we should be 1 win better but I do like our chances. We have a team built for the long haul and the offensive guys we have here are here for a reason. They’re starting to produce.”

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