NLL Insider

Q&A

Jr. A Q&A with Coquitlam Adanacs Captain Matt Wilson

With less than one week to go until the start of the season, the buzz about the Burnaby Lakers being knocked from their BC Junior A throne is building. Leading the charge? Matt Wilson and the Coquitlam Adanacs. A top defender with a punishing presence and an impressive lexicon of Junior A information, Wilson talks bouncing back from his knee injury, how he sees the standings shaping up, and whether or not there really is extra incentive to beat the Burnaby Lakers.

First and foremost, how is your knee doing?
My knee is good, really good. I tore my ACL in the last game of the regular season last year and it’s been about seven months since surgery. I’m playing with a brace right now, the doctors have told me to play with a brace but it’s also a mental thing for me–I’m a lot more comfortable knowing that I have some extra support there. I get chirped a lot about it but it’s definitely necessary. READ MORE »

Q&A

NLL Q&A with the Philadelphia Wings’ Athan Iannucci

With a home game on the way, his Wings pulling themselves out of a slump, and a little thing called the single-season scoring record, Philadelphia forward Athan Iannucci has plenty to celebrate tonight in addition to his birthday. (26 today!) The second-year standout talks record breaking, what went wrong with the Wings, and the corny rhyme that can take a little credit for his big success.

At what point this season did you start to seriously think you could break Gary Gait’s record?
It didn’t really cross my mind until after about the third game somebody said to me ‘oh man, if you stay on this pace you’ll break the record.’ Once someone told me that if I stayed on pace I could do it, it made me think it might be possible. I knew I’d already had my production at that level so if I could keep it there then why not? I just had to work to keep it there. READ MORE »

B.C. Junior A, Q&A

B.C. Jr. A Q&A with Burnaby Lakers GM Richard Appels

In his first year as the General Manager of the dynasty Junior A Burnaby Lakers, Richard Appels is well aware of the size of the shoes he’s expected to fill. With less than two weeks to go until the first face-off of the ‘08 season, the Burnaby boss talks his 12 graduated players, the Alex Gajic rumours, and the loss of Mr. Lacrosse.

Last year the Burnaby Lakers were 19-2, which landed you a first place finish and a trip to the Minto. Are your expectations for the ‘08 season that lofty?
Well of course they’re as high, we want to go to the Minto. But because we lost 12 players last year what we’re hoping for is third place, fighting for second. We’ll probably end up in third but we figure we might end up in second. READ MORE »

Q&A

NLL Q&A with Chicago Shamrox goalie Matt Roik

While contraction of the National Lacrosse League spared no team from tough decisions, there was perhaps no one as notably hit as the Philadelphia Wings, where last year’s All-Star starter became this year’s odd man out. So when a mid-season move sent Matt Roik to the struggling Chicago Shamrox, the veteran goaltender quickly made the best of it. And then he quickly made it better. With the Shamrox on their first winning streak since last season, Roik discusses his new mindset, his old fans, and the writing on the wall in Philadelphia.

Were you surprised to see the Wings pick up Rob Blasdell in the dispersal draft last November?
Yes and no. I thought maybe Philadelphia could use another defenseman if they were going to be missing players like Taylor Wray and Shawn Nadelen [due to NCAA coaching gigs], but to pick up a goalie like Blasdell I thought it was a bonus. I had the opportunity to play with Blazer in Barrie and with his experience and so forth I thought it was a definite plus, especially in a tough position like goaltending, you can never have too many goaltenders, really. I think it really solidified the position and I was looking forward to it. READ MORE »

Ontario Junior A, Q&A

Jr. A Q&A with Kent Squire-Hill

With the past four years having seen the Six Nations Arrows with four league titles and four appearances in the Minto, it’s now pretty easy to classify the 2007 Minto Cup champions as a perennial powerhouse. It’s no coincidence that top-ranked transition piston and Syracuse recruit Kent Squire-Hill (#7) has spent all four of those years on the Arrows roster. Here he discusses roster additions, the pressure to win, and taking it one game at a time.

Last year, of course, the Six Nations Arrows won the Minto and the entire season it just seemed like there was no stopping you. Is that how you guys felt?
Not really, we took it game by game. We never really felt unstoppable, we just felt like if we play our game then we’ll win. READ MORE »

Q&A

Q&A with Stealth Rookie, Steve Panarelli

This week we chatted with former Syracuse All-American defender Steve Panarelli, from the San Jose Stealth, about his rookie season thus far in the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

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Q&A

NLL Q&A with Colorado Mammoth defender John Gallant

A tough stay-at-home defender with an imposing presence and the intelligence to match, the Mammoth’s John Gallant has been an important cog in a Colorado system that’s kept its team near the top of the National Lacrosse League. With a week off to get back on track, the ‘07 All-Star discusses the recent Mammoth downslide, the importance of playing smart, and why you can say whatever you want about him on the internet.

With the trade deadline having recently passed, are you surprised the Mammoth didn’t make many moves?
Not really, we have a very good team and we believe in the players and personnel that we have. We are on a little bit of a down-slope here right now but at one point we were 5-0. We’ve got a veteran team, it’s not like we have a lot of young guys, we have a lot of guys that have experience here and we’re comfortable with the way we’re playing.

I think the one deal that we did make to get another left-handed player to help Dan Carey was a very big move. [Chris] Gill was instrumental in us winning the championship two years ago so I’m sure he’ll do a great job when he gets here. READ MORE »

Ontario Junior A, Q&A

Jr. A lacrosse Q&A with Corey Hallman

With the National Lacrosse League in full swing — complete with an increasingly intense playoff race — you’re forgiven if you forgot there’s other lacrosse out there. Here’s your wake-up call.

With just a few weeks to go before Junior A training camps open, who better to kick off our coverage than Corey Hallman, GM of the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves and Chairman of the Junior A Board of Governors. A new-school big-wig with an impressive vision and a plan to match, Hallman talks the KW Braves, recruiting Americans, where the league needs to go, and how the NLL can help them get there. READ MORE »

Q&A

NLL Q&A with Ian Rubel, the newest member of the Minnesota Swarm

With the National Lacrosse League trade deadline rapidly approaching, hard-nosed defender Ian Rubel has found himself a somewhat surprising beneficiary of the wheeling and dealing. The newest piece of the Minnesota Swarm puzzle, Rubel has a quick conversation about moving up in the standings, what he hopes to bring to the team, and what the Toronto Rock told him about why he wasn’t playing.

I guess we’ll get the most obvious question out of the way first: were you surprised to be traded?
Yes and no. I kind of had a feeling that something was going on but it was surprising. I’ve been with Toronto for seven years and I thought possibly I was going to end my career there but, you know, things happen.
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Q&A

Q&A with New York Rookie, Mitch Belisle

Making the jump to National Lacrosse League (NLL) as a rookie is never easy, especially when box lacrosse isn’t the game you grew up playing.

But Cornell’s former All-American defender Mitch Belisle (pronounced Bell-ile) seems to be making the adjustment well with the New York Titans.

In this edition of our weekly Rookie Q&A, Mitch talks about how he’s handled making the cross-over from field to box, and his advice to other young field players hoping to make the pro ranks.

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