What We Learned: Week 10

Saskatchewan: The Final Frontier

Now boasting a 6-2 record and the number two spot in the League’s power rankings, the Saskatchewan Rush owe their win over San Diego on Saturday to their control over space on both sides of the ball. The Saskatchewan defenders excel in off-ball communication and are even quicker to switch and reestablish their matchups, eager to pressure out on the ball and the adjacent pass. By shutting down the quick escape and forcing the ball carrier to re-assess or keep their feet moving, they eat up time on the shot clock and bury them in the corner away from the rest of the play. This was like kryptonite for the Seals’ pass, seal and dodge offensive set, dictating their forwards over top and down the middle into double coverage and Thomas “Stops” Kiazyk. While the Seals were trying to get back to the party, the Rush forwards were working to stay away. By dragging and sealing their defenders off the ball, the Rush were able to isolate the on-ball San Diego matchup and drag the adjacent slide away from the dodger, emptying the middle and forcing a late slide from the low defenders. In the two-man game, the Rush were also able to create space top side by passing and picking down, then re-picking up and burying their defender on the crease, freeing space for the ball carrier to sweep over top and bury it.

You Love to Hate ‘Em 

If there was anyone who could take down the terrifying Buffalo Bandits, I would have bet my money on last year’s runner-ups. Even with their rollercoaster of a record so far, the FireWolves, in my mind, would have been the David to slay the Goliath. But as the Bandits maintain their perfect string of victories, even the most casual of fans may start to wonder if there even is a team that can put a blot on their record. Albany opened up the scoring in game two of the Tucker Out Lymphoma Cup, but Buffalo was quick to reciprocate and break away, putting up six goals in the first quarter. Albany settled in for a long ride, finding mixed success in the first and very little in the second, keeping the ball moving to pull the Bandits’ defenders out of their shape and looking for quick assists to catch Matt Vinc off his pipes. But the Bandits tripled down, outshooting, out-scoring and outrunning the FireWolves, with Banditland only getting louder as the gap widened. But despite it all, you just can’t hate ‘em. The Bandits are so exciting to watch, no matter who they play. They look for a new way to blow the horn every shift, and they celebrate each goal like it’s their first or it could be their last. They’re a team that wins with every single one of their players; sure, there are stars and overachievers, it wouldn’t be a complete game without 20 combined points from Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith, but no one gets left in the shadows. 

Don’t Let the Rock Get Numbers

With their third straight win over Colorado after an 0-5 start, the Toronto Rock now stand high and mighty at the number three spot in the League power rankings. The Mammoth didn’t let them go quietly, of course, holding the lead for the second and third quarter, but a few key transition opportunities put the Rock back in the running and ultimately earned them the win. Toronto entered the third quarter trailing Colorado 6-3, but a quick loose ball swat from Josh Jubenville to captain Challen Rogers put the Rock on the board first in the half. Later in the quarter, Josh Dawick put the Rock just a little closer, scoring in a two-on-one quick transition opportunity, shooting over a screen set by Justin J. Martin. That was when simple mistakes from the Mammoth began generating extra looks for Toronto. After losing a body for cross-checking, the Mammoth shaved off thirty seconds of the Rock’s power play, but a mis-cradle in transition by Will Malcom put the rock right back in the stick of Mitch de Snoo, assisting a goal by Dan Craig to put Toronto within one to end the quarter. While a quick cross-play skip pass from Eli McLaughlin to Ryan Lee would put a little more distance on the scoreboard, another power play in the fourth allowed the Rock to put it back within one, and a quick assist from TD Ierlan to Tom Schreiber off the face-off sent it into overtime. Dawick sealed the deal six minutes into extra time, dragging his defender high and splitting underneath a hard back pick from Rogers, drawing no slides and shooting with little coverage.

‼️ GOODNIGHT FROM COLORADO ‼️

Josh Dawick walks it off in OT for the @TorontoRockLax‘s 3rd straight win! pic.twitter.com/Us3PX0ZeGn

— NLL (@NLL) February 2, 2025

Georgia Declares a High Noon Shootout in Sin City

Game three of the Tucker Out Lymphoma Cup quickly evolved into an all-out shootout, with both the Swarm and the Desert Dogs averaging 3.5 goals a quarter. Saturday at Lee’s Family Forum gave us a glimpse of the Swarm offense at full power, this being Miles Thompson’s second game back on the floor and Adam Wiedemann’s first since both being returned to the active roster from the injured reserve. Las Vegas put on quite a show as well, hammering in two goals to take the lead early for the hometown crowd, taking their first and only lead of the contest. But as anyone who’s played the Swarm knows, you don’t get by without bruising a few (Georgia) peaches. As the game continued and the scoring became more back-and-forth through the second half, players on both sides began getting a little more liberal with their levels of physicality, living up to the Swarm’s infamous levels of ferocity and forcing the Desert Dogs to respond in kind. The two racked up a staggering (but still impressive) combined 30 penalty minutes in the fourth quarter alone, but it was the smaller penalties early in the game that made the most difference for Georgia and Las Vegas. Jack Hannah’s two power-play goals late in the second and early in the third kept the Desert Dogs within arm’s length of the Swarm, keeping the fire fanned through regulation. On the other hand, M. Thompson’s two power-play goals in the second half helped maintain Georgia’s lead and keep Las Vegas in the rearview.

Ottawa Makes One Pass Too Many

Calgary and Ottawa found themselves in similar situations for this weekend’s matchup, both looking to add a tally in the win column after tough losses in Week 9, and eager to shore up their game. Calgary took the lead early and consistently throughout Friday’s contest, powering through an uncommunicative Ottawa defense and turning the ball back in transition. While hard-nosed defensive efforts from Brent Noseworthy and captain Jeff Teat kept them on the scoring end, the Black Bears’ offensive selflessness kept them on the catch-up through the third quarter. Ottawa’s ball movement has become a notable part of their game in their inaugural season but seems to have become a detriment to their shot selection, at times opting to make one more pass instead of shooting, resulting in dropped passes and quick transition opportunities for the Roughnecks. The Ottawa forwards found the most success in the fourth quarter by keeping the ball movement simple; one or two passes to a shot, opening up the defense and preventing them from readjusting or remarking in settled situations, but were ultimately unable to fully close the gap between Calgary.