One week removed from making a colossal statement in Banditland, Calgary’s offense fell flat against the Bandits in a rematch. Tyler Pace was absent from the lineup and Curtis Dickson was held scoreless the week after posting a sock trick.
It was a disappointing step backward for a Calgary team that must navigate a grueling final stretch of the schedule. Motivation will likely be at its peak this week, as Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson will face off against the Seals for the first time since departing San Diego. A tremendous opportunity awaits Calgary on Saturday when they usher the Seals into the Saddledome. If things go right for the Roughnecks, they could potentially jump from eighth in the standings to sixth with a win and a loss by Georgia.
8. Georgia Swarm (7-6)
Lost to Albany 11-10 – Last Week’s Ranking: 7
The Swarm and close games go together like peanut butter and jelly. 7 of their 13 games have been decided by a single goal, including 4 of the last 5. Georgia is only a few bounces away from potentially being 10-3, but could just as easily be 4-9. Good teams win close games down the stretch when games count most. After erasing a three-goal deficit in the final four minutes against Albany, the Swarm fell just short of a thrilling road victory on Saturday.
🚨 LYLE! His 30th & 31st goals of the season push @GeorgiaSwarmLAX within a goal of Albany with time winding down 👀
There is still plenty of reason to be optimistic about Georgia, particularly in net with Brett Dobson having turned a corner. Still with five games to play, Georgia needs to pick up at least two more wins to keep themselves well-positioned in the playoff race. The Swarm now head to surging Vancouver on Saturday to hopefully prevent their second three-game losing streak in the last three months.
7. Vancouver Warriors (6-7)
Beat Toronto 13-8 – Last Week’s Ranking: Unranked
There is a reasonable case to be made that Vancouver should check in even higher in the Power Rankings after the team overhauled its goaltending situation at the trade deadline. The Christian Del Bianco-led Warriors are an entirely different animal than they were even two weeks ago when they nearly rallied to steal a win over San Diego. Del Bianco makes every aspect of the game easier for Curt Malawsky’s team, giving them an anchor in net, a passing threat out of the crease, more opportunities in transition, and perhaps most importantly, the confidence of a well-rounded winning team.
In his first NLL game in 328 days, Christian Del Bianco returned and stopped 48 of 56 shots on goal for the @VanWarriors.
The offense appears to have turned a corner after Malawsky challenged his team during its bye before the San Diego game. A barometer game is on tap for the Warriors this week when the always competitive and dangerous Georgia Swarm travel to Vancouver on Saturday.
6. Colorado Mammoth (8-5)
Beat Philadelphia 10-8 – Last Week’s Ranking: 8
Pat Coyle’s team showed tremendous depth over the weekend, manufacturing a win over Philadelphia with their defense. In the absence of Zed Williams and Eli McLaughlin, Ryan Lee produced what might have been his best performance of the season, netting four goals.
Dillon Ward was excellent behind a suffocating defense that enjoyed a boost from new defender TJ Comizio. The Mammoth have won three of four and have bolstered their place as a likely playoff team, but how they navigate the season’s finish while short-handed will ultimately decide where they fall. If Saturday’s win was any indicator, the Mammoth may be uniquely well-equipped to overcome significant personnel losses on offense. Colorado still plays five games and will endure a tough run that includes two games against Saskatchewan and one against Buffalo. A road win over Ottawa on Sunday would substantially widen the team’s margin for error down the stretch.
Seals vs. Desert Dogs, March 16, 2025 – Photo credit: Alexis Goeller
5. San Diego Seals (7-6)
Beat Las Vegas 20-11 – Last Week’s Ranking: 4
One week removed from an escape act against Vancouver, led by Wesley Berg’s late-game heroics, the Seals left no doubt in a blowout of Las Vegas. San Diego jumped out to a 7-0 lead and led by as many as 11 goals at multiple points in the game. The offense capitalized on a vulnerable Desert Dog defense, led by dueling sock tricks from former Vegas captain Rob Hellyer and Berg.
An afternoon to remember for Rob Hellyer, who scored a sock trick, 6 assists and the 300th goal of his career.
San Diego has a gauntlet of a schedule to finish the regular season, which made Sunday’s win all the more important. There is still a wide range of possibilities for where this Seals team finishes the regular season—they could potentially host a playoff game or fall out of the playoff picture entirely. Smart money would be on the Seals to make the postseason, having won four of their last five, but they do begin a four-game road swing in Calgary this upcoming Saturday. San Diego’s final five games feature three teams that are currently in the top eight of the standings and two against a surging Albany team that has won back-to-back games.
Rush vs Thunderbirds 03-14-2025
4. Saskatchewan Rush (10-4)
Lost to Halifax 17-9 – Last Week’s Ranking: 1
Don’t overreact to the Rush falling to fourth in the Power Rankings this week. While it was the team’s most concerning effort to date, its slide is also partially a function of Rochester and Halifax making huge statements. Even with Robert Church back in the lineup, Saskatchewan’s offense struggled to find its footing, validating some of the concerns expressed about the team’s attack last week.
Since dominating Rochester on February 15, the Rush have managed to score just 10 goals one time and have been limited to 24 total goals in their last three games. Defensively, the group out the back door noticeably lacked physicality against Halifax, and Frank Scigliano struggled immensely. Until Scigliano puts together a strong late-season push, the narrative that has followed him for much of his career as a starter will remain a concern.
The good news for Rush fans is that the only other time their favorite team lost two of three, it immediately corrected course to win five straight. We’ll have to wait a week before we learn whether or not this past week was a glaring red flag or a fluke when the Rush will host the Mammoth on March 29.
Halifax, Nova Scotia – Mar 14: National Lacrosse League game between the Halifax Thunderbirds and Saskatchewan Rush on March 14 2025 at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Thunderbirds)
3. Halifax Thunderbirds (8-5)
Beat Saskatchewan 17-9 – Last Week’s Ranking: 6
The authors of the week’s loudest statement, the Thunderbirds shoot back up the rankings after throttling last week’s top-ranked team. Warren Hill had an excellent bounce-back performance, and Randy Staats returned to the lineup to lead a startlingly explosive attack.
Randy Staats scored some beauts in @HFXThunderbirds 17-9 win over Saskatchewan, providing a hat trick and 2 assists.
Yes, the team’s loss to Toronto was disappointing, but playing without Staats against the Rock completely changed the offensive dynamic. If all the pieces continue to fit together as well as they did this past weekend, the Thunderbirds will all but assuredly be hosting a first-round playoff game, which would make their route to the NLL Finals drastically easier. Buffalo may be the clear top team at this point, but a cluster has begun to form among the three or four next-best teams. The T-Birds host the struggling Black Bears on Friday in the Nest.
Rochester Knighthawks at Ottawa Black Bears 03.15.25
2. Rochester Knighthawks (8-7)
Beat Ottawa 18-8 – Last Week’s Ranking: 3
Is there any team in the NLL playing as high-level lacrosse as the Knighthawks right now? Last week, Rochester leapfrogged into a top-three spot and this week Connor Fields and company justified the move. A second straight dominant offensive effort should serve as an eye-opener to any doubters that the Knighthawks very well may be the most dangerous non-Buffalo team in the playoffs, regardless of what the final records say. Fields is absolutely deserving of mention as a potential league MVP and Mike Hasen should be considered for the league’s top coaching honor.
Connor Fields DOMINATED the floor tonight, scoring 6 goals with 5 assists as the Knighthawks take down the Desert Dogs 21-13
It feels like a tremendously long time ago that the Knighthawks dropped four straight games and started 2-5. Since then, the group has won six of eight and now closes with three straight home games with byes between each. After a bye this week, Rochester clashes with San Diego in one of the most consequential games of the season on March 29.
CALGARY, AB – MARCH 15, 2025: The Calgary Roughnecks against the Buffalo Bandits at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday. (Photo by Jenn Pierce/NLL)
1. Buffalo Bandits (10-2)
Beat Calgary 11-6 – Last Week’s Ranking: 2
Last week, Buffalo slipped from the top spot for the first time all season following their disappointing fourth-quarter debacle in a home loss to Calgary. Needless to say, any concerns that were raised after that effort were quelled over the weekend when the Bandits dominated the Roughnecks in Calgary to secure their revenge.
What is so striking about this Bandit team is how mature of a group they are. Yes, they are two-time reigning champs and veteran-heavy, but it still is a remarkable feat to twice travel to a road arena and beat a team that bested them a week prior. John Tavares’s team has no interest whatsoever in allowing a single loss to multiply into a slide. Buffalo now welcomes the struggling Desert Dogs to Banditland on Friday.
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