NLL 2012 - A View from Above (aka: The Official 2012 NLL Thread) [Archive]

EagleFan

12-01-2011, 07:32 PM

Tried an NLL thread a couple years ago in the main forum. It's obvious that there is not much following within this forum so I thought I would take a different approach. The NLL season as seen by a season ticket holder.

Background

I used to have 4 season tickets along with 3 of the poker guys. Three of us were a constant for that time frame, the 4th was split up between four different guys throughout the years (three of them are in the poker group and a 4th lost his battle to cancer a few months after the one season he went, RIP John).

We had tickets from 1989 until 2001 and sat 2 rows behind the visiting team's bench. In those 12 years we saw 6 championships and a lot of action (like the infamous Wings/Turbos game back in 94 which was called at the end of the 3rd due to the bench clearing brawls breaking out, the Turbos wanted to be the Pistons of the 80's). It was a great way to work off some steam. The atmosphere back then was like a Roman Coliseum with about 15 thousand blood thirsty fans at every game.

I stopped picking up the tickets as time began to change for us all with families being started and jobs changing. I used to love going to the games and watching in general but made a clean break from going.

About 4 years ago I picked up tickets again. Wasn't able to get the group together much and had the tickets for two seasons. I did start taking my oldest daughter and she loves it. I was able to get seats in the same section but a few rows higher.

The atmosphere had changed a lot and the numbers were down to around 10 thousand a game, tops.

I didn't get tickets last season but did manage to go to two games and had club box seats for those game. That spoiled me. It's not the same as club box seats for a Flyers game but it's still quite nice.

Situation

Fast forward to this year. Was able to get 2 seats this year and went with Club Box seats. Will split the other ticket between inviting some of the poker guys and inviting my oldest daughter.

In addition I have booked my youngest daughter's birthday party there for a game. She began playing last year, oldest daughter has been playing for a couple years. Her birthday falls in season.

I figure this could be an entertaining angle for discussing the season and let my fandom show.

The season starts in early January but I will slowly begin to post about the teams leading up to the start of the season.

Young Drachma

12-01-2011, 08:04 PM

Cool. Used to love watching NLL as a kid on ESPN.

EagleFan

12-01-2011, 11:05 PM

http://www.tvover.net/content/binary/NLL_Logo.jpg

League Setup

The league has taken a hit with a few teams folding recently. The Boston franchise has suspended operation for the 2012 season. That leaves the league with 9 teams (2 divisions, one with 4 teams and one with 5 teams).

The top 8 teams will make the playoffs (if the 5th place team in the west has a better record than the 4th place team in the east they will make the playoffs).

East
Buffalo Bandits
Philadelphia Wings
Rochester Knighthawks
Toronto Rock

West
Calgary Roughnecks
Colorado Mammoth
Edmonton Rush
Minnesota Swarm
Washington Stealth

EagleFan

12-01-2011, 11:30 PM

EagleFan

12-01-2011, 11:33 PM

The rookie gets schooled... :)

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OUPJUdMy8VM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

EagleFan

12-01-2011, 11:42 PM

Only this would make me cheer Dallas...

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MbtngZm2tWs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

EagleFan

12-01-2011, 11:43 PM

Just a few videos for primer. :)

EagleFan

12-04-2011, 05:18 PM

Tired of the whining in the Wings' forum about lack of coverage for the league. The league has recently announced that CBS Sports will air games starting later in the season and into next year. It will be on the CBS Sports station which usually has college sports (high number channel).

To me that is a great thing. Recently the coverage has been mostly online telecasts (which is nice for finding a road game to watch no matter where I am) and a small Versus contract but that had tape delayed games at weird hours.

This will be live games on a known sports channel, during prime time. For a small league which is not widely known or followed there needs to be a first step somewhere.

Next up the Wings announce that games will be aired on a small local radio station. Again, a small station that won't draw much but it is something. They are offering tickets through giveaways which I think is a great thing as it could lead to someone coming to a game that wouldn't normally have. Any chance to draw a new fan is a good thing.

This is getting more whining. Why do the Union get coverage but the Wings don't? Blah, blah, blah...

It's not everyone on the site but a lot of the high profile posters and it really got under my skin. Told that it is what it is, deal with it or keep whining like a two year old (got fed up to where diplomacy wasn't an option that I went with).

Sorry, it's just that on one hand you have the most popular sport in the world and on the other hand you have a subset of a fringe sport. Yes, it is growing with more schools having lacrosse teams but this is not going to happen overnight. How long did it take soccer to get any coverage? Schools have played soccer for decades but it is not starting to get coverage. It's not going to happen overnight for lacrosse, let alone indoor lacrosse.

Another part of the issue is that not all peopel who like lacrosse will support indoor lacrosse (they see it similar to football versus arena league football). That itself means there will be more trouble getting coverage as just because people start accepting lacrosse doesn't mean that they will accept indoor lacrosse. An example would be my daughter's lacrosse team. I tried to get them to organize a fund raiser by getting tickets to a game and, while there are some parents that love the Wings games it seems many of the coaches look down on indoor and refused to go that route. The arguement was that they didn't want the kids to see the game played the "wrong way".

Sorry, just wanted to rant somewhere which won't stir up that crowd.

As I said, it is what it is. Accept what we can get as coverage and take it from there.

bbgunn

12-04-2011, 08:29 PM

Forgive me for being dense, but I just want to clarify. This is based on real-life? Sounds cool either way; I'll be following!

EagleFan

12-04-2011, 09:38 PM

Forgive me for being dense, but I just want to clarify. This is based on real-life? Sounds cool either way; I'll be following!

Yep, based on real life. Figured I would squeeze the thread in here since the one I tried in the off-topic forum didn't get much action. Added the twist of basically posting my experiences of being a season ticket holder and my emotions/reactions to the games.

Will post some pictures and probably some videos as well.

EagleFan

12-04-2011, 09:54 PM

I missed out on the Season Ticket holder party today which was at McFaddens in Citizen Bank Park. There was a meet the team and they gave out the Season Ticket holder gifts.

I'll pick my gift up at the first home game of the season. Sounds like they are decent this year (usually it wasn't much but it's the thought that counts). Sounds like it's a nice team glass. I didn't order my tickets soon enough or I would have gotten the additional gift which was a Spectrum brick. Think it has the Wings logo engraved on it too, will see if I can find a picture of it to post.

EagleFan

12-04-2011, 09:56 PM

http://www.wingslax.com/MediaContent/2011/07/08/11/brick_73239.jpg

EagleFan

12-04-2011, 09:58 PM

Found that picture, not sure if it is the real thing or not. It's more about having a piece of history with a piece of the Spectrum, which would be kind of cool after all the events and concerts that I used to go see there. Wish I was able to make that deadline.

EagleFan

12-17-2011, 10:22 PM

Going to start a season preview, based entirely on my judgement so this is not anything official. :)

The league isn't always up to date on the web site during the offseason so I am going with what I know as far as the rosters go.

EagleFan

12-17-2011, 10:48 PM

http://www.guidoeverywhere.com/uploads/Toronto%20rock%20logo.gif

Toronto Rock (http://www.torontorock.com/main/index)

2011 Record: 10-6 (tied for best record in the East though they lost their final 3 games)

The Rock were the 2011 NLL Champions as they turned around a late season slide and won out in the playoffs to win the title over the Washington Stealth. They played in three very exciting games in the post season as their 3 victories were by a combined total of 4 goals.

Toronto has an interesting mix of veterans and newcomers as they have 8 players with at least 10 years of experience and 12 players with 2 years of experience or fewer.

Key Players

F Colin Doyle - The 1998 rookie of the year, 2005 Most Valuable Player, Championship Game MVP in 1999, 2002 and 2005. He came back to Toronto in 2010 after playing 3 season in San Jose. In 209 career regular season games he has scored 433 goals and added 686 assists for 1119 career regular season points.

F Blaine Manning - 2002 Rookie of the Year. In 160 career games he has scored 293 goals with 501 assists for 794 career points in the regular season.

F Stephen LeBlanc - 2010 Rookie of the Year. In his two years he has played in 31 regular season games (missing just one game) with 69 goals and 89 assists for 158 career regular season points.

F Josh Sanderson - A 14 year vet. Shares the NLL record for assists in a season with 74 in 2009 whil playing for Calgary. In 192 regular season games he has 346 goals and 671 assists for 1017 points. Played for Boston in 2011 and saw his numbers drop from back to back 100+ point seasons to 63 in 2011.

My Prediction

They have scoring potential and solid leadership but they have a huge question mark in goal this season. They are left with two goallies that went 3-2 and 0-2 in limited action for their teams in 2011.

I think they are not going to be the Rock of the past decade but will be vulnerable to teams with sharpshooters.

EagleFan

01-03-2012, 09:24 PM

http://handsonsports.net/_/images/logos/Knighthawks-LogoOpt.jpg

Rochester Knighthawks (http://www.knighthawks.net/home/)

2011 Record: 10-6 (Lost to Toronto in the 1st round of the playoffs)

Not only does Rochester have the most annoying roster page in the league (just try to read it, I dare you) but they have a relatively young team with only 5 players with over 10 years of experience and 13 players with 4 years or fewer.

Key Players

G Matt Vinc - Entering his seventh season in the league and second with Rochester. He has been the NLL goaltender of the year for the past two season and was the team MVP last season (his first with the team).

T (Transition) Brad Self - Entering his sixth season in the league but he took the past 5 seasons off from lacrosse and played pro hockey in Germany. One time draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres.

F Cody Jamieson - Entering his second year in the league after being selected with the number one overall pick in 2010 by the Knighthawks. He signed the longest contract in the history of the league with a 10 year deal after being selected. Named to the all-rookie team in 2011 and led all rookies in points. Led the Knighthawks in goals in 2011.

My Prediction

This team will play a lot of defense and Vinc will anchor them and keep them in all of their games. They need someone to step up offensively to be the go to guy and only time will tell if Jamieson is that player.

They have the defense to keep them in the race for the division and a goaltender that can steal them a few victories (though his time playing in New York and having to hear the idiotic PA announcer calling out Veeeeennnnnooooo after every one of his saves makes it hard for me to say something good about him, granted he had no control over that idiot).

EagleFan

01-03-2012, 09:48 PM

http://content.sportslogos.net/logos/25/1702/thumbs/6716.gif

Buffalo Bandits (http://www.bandits.com/home.asp)

2011 Record: 10-6 (Beat Boston 11-10 in the opening round of the playoffs before loging 12-11 to Toronto in the Semi-Finals)

Buffalo has a storied history in the league having spent most of the 90's battling head to head with the Philadelphia Wings for top spot in the league.

Key Playerrs

F John Tavares - The NLL's all time leading scorer. Entering his 21st season with the league and he has been the ultimate leader. When they need a goal they turn to him. Last season he had 32 goals and 46 assists for 78 points in 16 games.

T Mark Steenhuis - The orange shoed enigma. Entering his 11th season in the league. Just three seasons ago he has a personal high with 51 goals and 101 points in 16 games and looked like he was about to explode to be the next big thing. Last season he had just 22 goals in 16 games and has not been given the same amount of offensive playing time that he once received. This Sideshow Bob look-alike could be a force if he worried more about playing the game and less about trying to get facetime on the camera or highlight reel.

G Michael Thompson - Entering his 7th season in the league. Had his first real season as starter in 2011 and posted a 10-3 record. He looks solid but is not going to win a game single handed.

My Prediction

Hard for me to say but they are the team to beat in the East. They have more than enough offense and also know how to play defense. Some of the new rules should really help them this year, such as the shorter time to get the ball across the half and the three goal release on major penalties (and what seems to be a desire to call even more penalties).

I can seem them running away with the East but this league can be very hard to predict sometimes. Toronto looked like they were going to run away with it last year and then collapsed at the end of the season but turned it around 180 degrees to roll through the playoffs to a championship.

EagleFan

01-03-2012, 10:08 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/15/Philadelphia_Wings_logo.svg/300px-Philadelphia_Wings_logo.svg.png

Philadelphia Wings (http://www.wingslax.com/)

2011 Record: 5-11 (missed playoffs)

Had another bad season as they have made the playoffs only one time in the past 9 seasons after being one of the premier teams in the league in the previous decade plus.

Key Players

G Brandon Miller - Entering his 12th season in the league. Had a good season in 2011 but received no help from the defense as he was left one on one far too often. He has flashes of brilliance but also moments of head scratching frustration when he will let a couple soft goals in. Could be one of the best in the league if he could put together a string of complete games where he keeps his head in the game.

F Dan Dawson - Triple D, Dangerous Dan Dawson. He has 31 goals and 59 assists in 2011 for now defunct Boston and was picked up in the dispersal draft by Philly. He will be playing with his brother Paul, a defender, who came to Philly in 2011. He is entering his 11th season in the league and has been a past MVP of the league.

F Kevin Crowley - A rookie and top pick in the 2011 draft. He was the Midfielder of the Year in 2011 in college and was the 2010 NCAA Player of the Year. Should be interesting to see how he can gel with DDD.

T Brodie Merrill - Entering his 7th season in the league. Was traded from Edomonton in the offseason. Has been a transition player of the year and fans are hoping that he can return to form.

F Drew Westervelt - Entering his 5th season in the league. For a 6'5", 238 pound player he plays more like a smaller skilled player. He can be a highlight reel in the making but his unwillingness to play tough inside frustrates fans, especially on a team which has not had an inside presense for several seasons.

My Prediction

This is a hard one to make. I want to say they will contend but I have seen too much bad lacrosse in Philly lately. They have a new coach and a lot of new players. They should compete and will improve this season. If they don't make the playoffs this season they may never make them (8 of the 9 teams will make the playoffs).

EagleFan

01-04-2012, 08:20 PM

http://www.feathermerchant.com/content/image/sports/sports_lacrosse_national-lacross-league_calgary-roughnecks.gif

Calgary Roughnecks (http://www.calgaryroughnecks.com/)

2011 Record: 11-5 (beat Colorado before losing to Washington in the Semi-Finals)

Key Players

F Shawn Evans -Entering his 7th season in the league. Needs to rebound from an off year last year to return to 30 goal form.

F Jeff Shattler - Entering his 7th season in the league. Had a breakout all-star season last year with 29 goals and 46 asssts, almost doubling his career average.

T Geoff Snider - Entering his 6th season in the league. One of the best faceoff men in the history of the league. Had an off year last season with just 9 goals and 7 assists after averaging over 40 points a season in his first 4 seasons when he played in Philly. Considered one of the toughest players in the league.

F Darryl Veltman - In 2009 he had 34 goals and 43 assists with now defunct Boston in his rookie season. If he can return to form he will give Calgary a very tough offensive spread.

My Prediction

They will fight with Washington for the division and will win it in the regular season but will again struggle in the playoffs and be unable to beat Washingon when it matters.

EagleFan

01-04-2012, 08:21 PM

http://files.leagueathletics.com/Images/Links/5213/3243.jpg

Colorado Mammoth (http://www.coloradomammoth.com/)

2011 Record: 5-11 (lost to Calgary in the opening round)

Key Players

D Jarrett Park - Entering his 6th season. Plays strong defensively with intense hustle and speed.

F Ilija Gajic - Entering his 3rd season in the league. The middle of three brothers. Will be playing without his brothers this season, will see if he has the same chemistry with others.

F John Grant Jr. - Entering his 12th season in the league. In 140 regular season games he has 433 goals and 461 assists for 894 points. He was a one time rookie of the year and set an NLL record in 2007 with 15 points in one game.

My Prediction

A rebound season which sees them compete with Washington and Calgary for the division.

EagleFan

01-04-2012, 08:23 PM

http://www.ilindoor.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/edmonton_rush_logo2.jpg

Edmonton Rush (http://www.edmontonrush.com/index-main.php)

2011 Record: 5-11

Key Players

F Ryan Ward - Entering his 10th season in the league.

D Chris Corbeil - Entering his 3rd season in the league.

My Prediction

A long season for Edmonton that ends with them as the sole team out of the playoffs.

EagleFan

01-04-2012, 08:25 PM

http://www.seeklogo.com/images/M/Minnesota_Swarm-logo-2050A2AB91-seeklogo.com.gif

Minnesota Swarm (http://www.mnswarm.com/)

2011 Record: 8-8 (crushed by Washington in the opening round)

Key Players

F Kevin Ross - Entering his 5th season in the league.

F Jamie Shewchuk - Entering his 5th season in the league. Should contribute around 30 goals in the season. All-around player.

G Nick Patterson - Entering his 10th season in the league. He should be busy and needs to play over his head to keep the team in games.

My Prediction

They will sneak their way into the playoffs by any means required. One of the dirtier team in the league over the past few seasons.

EagleFan

01-04-2012, 08:26 PM

http://www.ilindoor.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/washington_stealth_logo2-300x191.jpg

Washington Stealth (http://www.stealthlax.com/)

2011 Record: 8-8 (beat Minnesota and Calgary before losing to Toronto 8-7 in the Final)

Key Players

T Paul Rabil - Entering his 4th season in the league. He holds the record for the hardest shot. A gold medalist in 2010 with Team USA in the World Lacrosse Championshoips in England.

F Lewis Ratcliff - Was second in the league in scoring in 2011 with 92 points and third in goals with 41.

My Prediction

This team has offense and defense but will have a question mark in goal as they lost their goaltender in the offseason. They will contend for the division and are always dangerous in the playoffs where one win advances. They will make the finals again.

EagleFan

01-04-2012, 09:30 PM

The season starts this weekend for the league with one game as Calgary travels to Toronto on Sunday.

Calgary Roughnecks at Toronto Rock - 2012 Regular Season (http://www.nll.com/game/show/2189755?subseason=58066&referrer=398476)

EagleFan

01-04-2012, 09:45 PM

Not sure if this is good or bad press. The Wings have a couple charity jersey auctions during the season with special jerseys that they wear for that game. There have been pink jerseys and green jerseys. This year they are going with a different approach for one of the games. A jersey with twitter handles in place of names.

http://www.iqmediacorp.com/ClipPlayer/default.aspx?ClipID=9f4bb836-a754-4b51-afe3-a8003c967c73&TE=mIUtEbPNIwEBX+gWptB3j+tqQ%2FT8YEgP5iQAsdCkwUQt%2FpkFM%2F%2F%2F9Q%3D%3D&PN=knAdm5ZmNA9ignlucXtDRA%3D%3D&source=facebook

It has actually made a little press for them but many of the mainstream fans aren't very happy about it. I'm not overly thrilled with it as I don't know if this press will actually get anyone to look them up but I guess time will tell.

EagleFan

01-04-2012, 09:48 PM

A version of the jersey...

EagleFan

01-08-2012, 05:45 PM

Seasn Opener on tonight...

http://new.livestream.com/calgaryroughnecks

EagleFan

01-08-2012, 05:45 PM

Seasn Opener on tonight...

Calgary Roughnecks on the New Livestream. Live. Redefined. (http://new.livestream.com/calgaryroughnecks)

EagleFan

01-09-2012, 11:24 AM

The season started out with the Rock looking like the defending champions as they built a 5-0 lead by the end of the 1st quarter. Then Calgary slowly began chipping away as they outscored Toronto 12-4 the rest of the way and won the game 12-9 in front of a silent and shocked crowd.

It seems that two things led to the defeat. The most obvious is that Calgary made an adjustment after the first and tightened up defensively. Toronto seemed to have no answer for that. Additionally Calgary started shooting from everywhere and the Tornoto weekend in goal started to show.

The rest of the East had to stand up and take notes on this game as it seems the last three quarters were the blueprint for how to beat the Rock.

For Calgary Dane Dobbie led the scoring with 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points. Curtis Dickson added 1 goal and 4 assists whil Jeff Shattler had 1 goal and 3 assists.

Toronto saw 9 different players score 1 goal. Colin Doyle led their scoring sheet with 1 goal and 3 assists.

Calgary faceoff specialist and transition player Geogg Snider led everyone with 12 loose balls.

EagleFan

01-09-2012, 11:32 AM

East W L Pct GF GA
Buffalo 0 0 --- 0 0
Philadelphia 0 0 --- 0 0
Rochester 0 0 --- 0 0
Toronto 0 1 .000 9 12

West W L Pct GF GA
Calgary 1 0 1.000 12 9
Colorado 0 0 --- 0 0
Edmonton 0 0 --- 0 0
Minnesota 0 0 --- 0 0
Washington 0 0 --- 0 0

EagleFan

01-09-2012, 11:35 AM

Week 2 Games

Rochester (0-0) @ Philadelphia (0-0) 7:00 EST *** Home opener, will be there and will post pictures (and hoipefully some video)
Toronto (0-1) @ Buffalo (0-0) 7:30 EST
Minnesota (0-0) @ Colorado (0-0) 9:00 EST
Calgary (1-0) @ Washington (0-0) 10:30 EST

EagleFan

01-09-2012, 11:36 AM

My Week 2 Predictions...

Philly 15 Rochester 9
Buffalo 11 Toronto 9
Colorado 13 Minnesota 8
Washington 11 Calgary 10

EagleFan

01-09-2012, 11:40 AM

Web telecasts for the Week 2 Games:

Rochester @ Philly (http://new.livestream.com/rochesterknighthawks)

Toronto @ Buffalo (http://new.livestream.com/torontorock)

Minnesota @ Colorado (http://new.livestream.com/minnesotaswarm)

Calgary @ Washington (http://new.livestream.com/calgaryroughnecks)

EagleFan

01-14-2012, 01:02 AM

Opening Day this evening for the Wings!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q_Wg7bU7Z0c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

EagleFan

01-14-2012, 01:02 PM

Game Day!

Jersey... check
Camera... check
Extra batteries for the camera... check
Tickets... check
Parking Pass... check

Sounds like I'm ready! First to spend the afternoon with the girls and then will be leaving in about 3 hours.

EagleFan

01-14-2012, 11:55 PM

Very disappointed in the way the team played tonight. They began that game flatter than flat can be. After the first quarter they trailed 6-1 and it was looking quite ugly.

Then they gave us all false hope as they scored 5 goals in the first 5 minutes of the second quarter to tie the game 6-6. After allowing Rochester to score two goals to make it 8-6 they had a goal disalowed which would have made it a one goal game and almost immediately they gave up another goal to make it 9-6 which is where it stood at the half.

Rochester then would score the first 3 goals of the third quarter to make it 12-6 and it was looking ugly again when the Wings scored two to make it 12-8 and left us feeling like maybe they could make another run. Then a couple stupid penaltties led to a series of power plays and Rochester would score the final goal of the third to make it 13-8.

The first 4 minutes of the 4th quarter would be almost all a power play for Rochester and they would score 6 times to make it 19-8 and pretty much seal the game. They would go on to lose 22-12. The final minute of the 4th quarter would be filled with brawls and would see 174 minutes of penalties in the final 26 seconds of the game. While it was fun to watch I wish the team had that kind of fight in them before the game was out of hand.

EagleFan

01-15-2012, 04:34 PM

After a night to soak in the lousy game a few thoughts...

First the positives (not many):
- Number one draft pick Kevin Crowley with 3 goals and 5 assists in his first game. That it is a good sign.
- Drew Westervelt added 3 goals and 1 assist but still shows no willingness to go inside unless it is a quick slash into free space so he can dive across the crease. So this is a mixed review.
- Dan Dawson had 1 goal and 6 assists. He showed moments of returning to his dominant form but seems like it will take a few games for him to get truly in sync with the team. If they can gel quickly Crowley/Dawson/Westervelt could become one of the most dominant trios in the league.
- They ended the game with enough heart to give the remaining fans a little something to cheer about. Sadly though I wonder what that spirit could have done if they came out with it earlier in the game. Hopefully that will be one of those moments later in the season that we can look back and say "that is when then became a 'team'".

Now for the negatives:
- Defense, they looked so unprepared defensively that it was a joke. Too many open players and too many open shots.
- Goaltending, Miller had a LOUSY game. Granted the defense didn't help but he also allowed a few extremely soft goals.
- Goaltending part 2, overshadowed by Miller's lousy play was the pure ineptness of the backup. He allowed some of the worst goals I have seen.
- Coaching, it seems like it has been a long time since the Wings have been coached well. They started out the game wanting to play like an outdoor team, all passing around the perimeter until the shot clock was almost run down and then a late desperation shot to beat the clock (we have seen that for the past 9 years).
- Fans, another low attendance number and fans that were jumping on the team early in the game. Plus I hate that I may be sitting behind one of the most annoying a-holes in the stadium. His wife and her friend were yapping about who cares what the entire game, he was complaining about everything and getting louder as the game went on. Add to that the fact that he looks like an arogant prick in general and it pretty much cements my opinion of the guy.
- Referees, this is easily the least important of the list but they did a lousy job of handling this game for both teams. The new rules were not being inforced with regularity (example: the new delay of game rule which was put in place to keep players from rolling the ball away from the play after a whistle to keep the other team from restarting the play; there was a player called for it after he accidentally tripped over the ball, he was looking elsewhere and stepped on it, or another who stopped the ball that the other team had rolled towards the corner just before a shot clock violation, he stopped it as it was near the ref so the ref wouldn't have to chase it to the corner and got a penalty for his trouble).

Now for the negatives that have nothing to do with the team or the actual game but the atmosphere:
- Opening intro song; usually there has been a good pump up song but this was some guitar only instrumental that really did nothing for the crowd. The video being played has always shownaction clips but now they added clips of the mascot... really that is supposed to pump us up?
- Pregame; what on earth was the mascot doing in the team huddle prior to the game starting? That looked extremely bush league.
- Music during the game; the positive is that they have lowered the volume so it is background music only and not something that you notice. What I did notice is that now it feels like they are playing freaking dance music, WTF?

EagleFan

01-15-2012, 11:51 PM

Other results from week 2...

Buffalo 14 Toronto 10
Toronto led 6-5 at the half ad Buffalo scored three straight to start the third quarter to take an 8-6 lead. Toronto scored twice in a 12 second span to tie the game at 8 but Buffalo upped the ante shortly after by scoring twice in 11 seconds to lead 10-8 after the third quarter. Buffalo scored the first 3 goals of the 4th to extend the lead to 13-8. Toronto added two goal to make it 13-10 with under 3 minutes left but a late Buffalo goal made the final 14-10. John Tavares of Buffalo, the ageless one, led the scoring with 1 goal and 7 assists.

Calgary 13 Washington 10
This game was close with Washington leading 6-5 after three quarters of play. Scoring was fast and furious in the 4th quarter as Calgary scored the first 4 goals of the quarter and 7 of the first 8 to take a 12-7 lead. The teams exchanged a goal to make it 13-8 before Washington scored the final 2 and fell short 13-10. Washington forward Rhys Duch led the way with 4 goals and 3 assists.

Colorado 20 Minnesota 14
Another close game at the half as each team scored 3 goals in the 1st and 4 in the 2nd to make it 7-7 at the half. Colorado scored 5 of the first 6 goals in the third to make it 12-8 before Minnesota added 2 to make it 12-10 after the 3rd. The first 5 goals in the 4th alternated (Minn/Col/Minn/Col/Minn) to make it 14-13 with about 11 minutes left as the game looked like a thrilling end could be in store. Over the next 6 minutes Missesota scored 6 goals to make it 20-13 before Colorado added a late goal for the 20-14 final. John Grant Jr. led Colorado with 4 goals and 7 assists. For Minnesota Callum Crawford scored 4 goals ad added 5 assists.

EagleFan

01-15-2012, 11:55 PM

East W L Pct GF GA
Buffalo 1 0 1.000 14 10
Rochester 1 0 1.000 22 12
Philadelphia 0 1 .000 12 22
Toronto 0 2 .000 19 26

West W L Pct GF GA
Calgary 2 0 1.000 25 19
Colorado 1 0 1.000 20 14
Edmonton 0 0 --- 0 0
Minnesota 0 1 .000 14 20
Washington 0 1 .000 10 13

EagleFan

01-15-2012, 11:58 PM

My Week 2 Predictions...

Philly 15 Rochester 9 L
Buffalo 11 Toronto 9 W
Colorado 13 Minnesota 8 W
Washington 11 Calgary 10 L

Looks like just 2-2 with the predictions.

EagleFan

01-16-2012, 12:34 AM

http://www.theeaglefan.com/NLL/IMG_1345.JPG

http://www.theeaglefan.com/NLL/IMG_1346.JPG

EagleFan

01-16-2012, 12:37 AM

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EagleFan

01-16-2012, 12:38 AM

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EagleFan

01-16-2012, 12:41 AM

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EagleFan

01-16-2012, 12:43 AM

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EagleFan

01-16-2012, 12:45 AM

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EagleFan

01-16-2012, 12:47 AM

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EagleFan

01-16-2012, 12:50 AM

The Poker Friend I brought this game.
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http://www.theeaglefan.com/NLL/IMG_1416.JPG

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EagleFan

01-16-2012, 12:52 AM

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EagleFan

01-20-2012, 04:35 PM

Week Three Games & Online Video Links

Friday
Colorado (1-0) @ Edmonton (0-0) (http://new.livestream.com/coloradomammoth)

Saturday
Washington (0-1) @ Philadelphia (0-1) (http://new.livestream.com/washingtonstealth)
Buffalo (1-0) @ Rochester (1-0) (http://new.livestream.com/buffalobandits)
Colorado (1-0) @ Calgary (2-0) (http://new.livestream.com/coloradomammoth)

EagleFan

01-20-2012, 04:38 PM

My Picks - Week 3

I was 2-2 in week 2.

Edmonton 11 Colorado 9
Philadelphia 13 Washington 11
Buffalo 14 Rochester 11
Calgary 18 Colorado 13

EagleFan

01-21-2012, 02:54 PM

Tonight's Wings game will have a charity jersey auction afterwards. They will auction off the special jerseys for the Wounded Warrior Project.

EagleFan

01-22-2012, 04:22 PM

Last Night's Game

That was one of the best games I have seen them play in a long time. They bounced back well from last week's disaster. There was a time where I thought they were in trouble but they turned it around quickly.

They started out jumping to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Rookie sensation Kevin Crowley had the hat trick in that quarter. Then things got a little touch and go. Washington scored the only 3 goals of the second to have the game tied 3-3 at the half. Really had an issue with the refs on one of those goals as there were two questions about a goal (if the ball actually crossed the line and if the player was in the crease). The replay clearly shows the player in the crease but they reviewed it and ruled it a goal.

The third quarter didn't start out well as Washington scored 2 goals in just over the first 2 minutes to take a 5-3 lead. Drew Westervelt would score two goals for the Wings with one Washington goal from Paul Rabil sandwiched in between to make it 6-5 which is how the third quarter ended.

The Wings came out strong and scored the first three goals of the 4th to take an 8-6 lead. Two quick penalties on the Wings would put them down 2 men and Washington would capitalize with a goal to make it 8-7. Crowley would then score his 4th of the game while shorthanded to give the Wings a 9-7 yead with about half of the quarter remaining. Washington would score twice to tie the game at 9-9 with just over 3 minutes remaining. The Wings looked in trouble for a couple posessions but goallie Brandon Miller would come up huge to keep the game tied. A bad giveaway with about 20 seconds remaining would give Washington a chance to pull their goallie and look forthe last shot but the Wings would play good defense and kept them from getting a good chance ad we head to overtime.

Several posessions would go by and each goallie would make a couple good saves. I was trying to video the Wings when they had the ball to capture the game winner if they got it. Wouldn't you know the one time I didn't start taping Crowley would score his 5th of the night to win the game 10-9!

The small turnout got to see a great game.

Positives
- Great bounceback game after the lousy season opener. They came together and didn't let a few bad calls get them down.
- They really tightened up their defense and you could see a huge difference in the way they hustled.
- Crowley did it again with 5 goals and 1 assist for 6 points.
- Brandon Miller was outstanding, making 49 saves on 58 shots.

Negatives
- Low turnout again.
- They need to avoid the bad quarter syndrome which has plagued them over the past several years.

EagleFan

01-22-2012, 04:24 PM

Charity Auction

There was a good turnout for the charity auction. They earned about 25K for the Wounded Warriors Project.

I ended up with a winning bid on one of the jerseys (granted it wasn't one of the popular ones so it wasn't one of the higher bids but it is going to a good cause). The jerseys are actually pretty nice.

EagleFan

01-22-2012, 08:11 PM

Rest of Week 3

Colorado 13 Edmonton 12

After falling behind 4-2 after the first Colorado scored 5 in the second to take a 7-4 lead into the half. Edmonton narrowed the gap to 10-9 after the third. Colorado scored first in the final quarter to make it 11-9 before Edmonton scored three times to take a 12-11 lead with a little over 5 minutes left in the game. John Grant Jr. would then tie the game with a little over 3 minutes remaining and would score the winning goal with 15 seconds left. Joh Grant Jr. led the way for Colorado with 5 goals and 4 assists.

Buffalo 12 Rochester 9

In the 1st Buffalo would score first and Rochester would tie it, as it would end 1-1. The second would continue with the teams scoring every other goal but Buffalo would get 3 and Rochester 2 as they go to the half with Buffalo up 4-3. In the third Buffalo would score first but Rochester would then add 3 to take a 6-5 lead. Buffalo would score the final two of the quarter to take a 7-6 lead heading into the final quarter. Buffalo would score 5 of the first 6 goals of the final quarter to take a 12-7 lead with about 8 minutes left. Rochester would add 2 to make it 12-9 with about 4 minutes left but that would be the final.

John Tavares would lead the way for Buffalo with 4 goals and 4 assists.

Colorado 13 Calgary 12

Colorado would look tired early as Calgary would jump to a 5-2 lead before Colorado adds a late first quarter goal to make it 5-3 after one. Each team would score 4 in the second to make it 9-7 at the half as it looks like a shootout. Calgary would score the first two of the third to take an 11-7 lead before Colorado would score the final two of the third to make it 11-9 going into the final quarter. Calgary would score first in the 4th to take a 12-9 lead but Colorado would score the next three to tie it 12-12 with just under 3 minutes remaining. Neither team would score and it would go to overtime tied 12-12. Colorado would score on the first shot of overtime for the win.

EagleFan

01-22-2012, 08:16 PM

East W L Pct GF GA
Buffalo 2 0 1.000 26 19
Rochester 1 1 .500 31 24
Philadelphia 1 1 .500 22 31
Toronto 0 2 .000 19 26

West W L Pct GF GA
Colorado 3 0 1.000 46 38
Calgary 2 1 .667 37 32
Edmonton 0 1 .000 12 13
Minnesota 0 1 .000 14 20
Washington 0 2 .000 19 23

EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:12 PM

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EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:13 PM

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EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:13 PM

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EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:13 PM

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EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:14 PM

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EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:14 PM

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EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:14 PM

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EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:15 PM

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EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:23 PM

Week 4 Games

Friday
Rochester (1-1) @ Toronto (0-2) (http://new.livestream.com/rochesterknighthawks)
Philadelphia (1-1) @ Buffalo (2-0) (http://new.livestream.com/philadelphiawings)

Saturday
Buffalo (2-0) @ Minnesota (0-1) (http://new.livestream.com/buffalobandits)
Rochester (1-1) @ Colorado (3-0) (http://new.livestream.com/rochesterknighthawks)
Toronto (0-2) @ Calgary (2-1) (http://new.livestream.com/torontorock)
Edmonton (0-1) @ Washington (0-2) (http://new.livestream.com/edmontonrush)

EagleFan

01-27-2012, 05:25 PM

My Week 4 Picks

I'm 4-4 for the season.

Toronto 17 Rochester 11
Buffalo 15 Philly 11 (hurts to pick that)
Minnesota 15 Buffalo 14 (only because of the travel)
Rochester 14 Colorado 12 (Colorado is not a 4-0 team, I won't admit it at least)
Calgary 17 Toronto 13
Washington 18 Edmonton 10

EagleFan

02-02-2012, 07:50 PM

Week 4 Results

Friday

Rochester @ Toronto

The game was close as it was tied 2-2 after the 1st and 5-5 at the half. In the 3rd Rochester scored the first two goals to take a 7-5 lead but Toronto scored with under 3 minutes remaining in the quarter to make it 7-6 which is how the 3rd would end. Rochester would again score the first two goals of a quarter to take a 9-6 lead. Toronto would go on to score 6 goals over about an 8 minute span to take a 12-9 lead with under 3 minutes remaining. Rochester would score two more with a Toronto goal sandwiched in between for what ended as the 13-11 final.

Philadelphia @ Buffalo

After the first the home Bandits would lead 4-3 but the Wings would flip that around by taking the second 4-3 to go into the half tied 7-7. The third looked bad for the Wings as they would be blanked and allow two as Buffalo would lead 9-7 after the third. In the 4th the Wings would score 2 goals in an 18 second span to tie the game 9-9 just a little over 3 minutes into the quarter. Two minutes later the Bandits would respond with a goal to take a 10-9 lead on a goal that should have been disallowed as the shooter was clearly in the crease but the Wings had no remaining challenge as their coach pulled an Andy Ried and used it for a bad challenge earlier in the game. Just two minutes later Dan Dawson would score to tie the game and then he put the team on his shoulders as QB'd the team to 3 more goals as he was primary assist on all three as the Wings stun the Buffalo crowd with a HUGE 13-10 road victory. They may be coming together as a team as it was great to see them not roll over after the rough third quarter. Dan Dawson had 1 goal and 7 assists for 8 points for the Wings.

Saturday

Buffalo @ Minnesota

The Bandits did not have their legs as Minnesota and the ugliest jerseys in the league jumped to a 4-1 lead after the first. They made it 10-5 at the half and then outscored Buffalo 7-0 in the third to take a commanding 17-5 lead. The Bandits managed to win the final quarter 6-2 but the Swarm coast to a 19-11 victory.

Rochester @ Colorado

Colorado jumped on Rochester, taking a 5-2 lead at the end of the first and 9-4 at the half. Rochester made it close with a 5-2 third quarter which make it 11-9. They would trade goals in the 4th with Colorado adding a late extra goal to take the 14-11 victory.

Toronto @ Calgary

Neither team could sustain the momentum in this one and it would be even at 3 at the end of the first, at 6 at the end of the half and at 11 at the end of the third. Calgary would score twice in the first three and a half minutes of the 4th to take a 13-11 lead. With under 2 minutes to go in the game Toronto would score to make it a 1 goal game, 13-12. With just 11 seconds left Toronto would tie the game and it would head to overtime at 13-13. On the second possesion of the game Toronto would score the game winner, 14-13.

Edmonton @ Washingon

I don't even understand how this game happened. Edmonton jumped out to a 5-0 lead on their way to a 6-2 lead after the first quarter. At the hald they led 11-4 and weren't done as it was 14-5 after the third. They added two more in the final quarter for a 16-5 victory against my favorite to win the West.