Tavares adds to legend

Add yet another page to the list of heroics by John Tavares.

Tavares, the all-time leading scorer in the history of the National Lacrosse League, scored with 2:12 left in Saturday's game with the Boston Blazers. The score held up as the game-winner, as the Bandits took a 12-10 decision to the delight of the 16,347 on hand in HSBC Arena.

The goal capped a four-goal, two-assist performance that put him back in the top 10 in the league in scoring with 48 points this season -- not bad for a man of 42.

"He never seems to get old," Bandits coach Darris Kilgour said. "I told him I've loved watching him for the past 20 years, and I hope I get to watch him for three or four more."

"He keeps surprising me," teammate Tom Montour said. "He does things out there that I can't do, and I'm 11 or 12 years younger than he is."

The Blazers had tied the score at 10-10 with 3:38 left on a power-play goal by Josh Sanderson to set up Tavares' dramatics.

"It was a great pass by [Mark] Steenhuis. It was hard enough that I could get the inside line," Tavares said. "[Kyle] Rubisch had been playing me all game, and I knew eventually I'd take him underneath. I had a lane, and I was tripping on the play -- I stubbed my toe on the turf. I made it look like I was diving, and I saw the goalie [Nick Rose] falling with me. So I obviously put it back short side. I just kind of lobbed in there. I was just trying to stay out of the crease before the ball went in."

 To read the rest of the story  by Budd Bailey of the Buffalo News please click here http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/article365771.ece

Snider brother may face off Sunday

When Washington Stealth transition player Bob Snider goes to the center circle for the first faceoff tonight against the Calgary Roughnecks, he will most likely be going up against a familiar face.
That would be a former teammate in Philadelphia, who also just happens to be his brother Geoff.
Calgary's Geoff Snider, 29, has been one of the NLL's most successful faceoff men for years and his brother Bob, 25, has established himself this season as an up and comer with the same skill. Last season, playing for the Philadelphia Wings, Bob got his share of playing time, but it was Geoff who took the majority of the faceoffs.
A year later the Snider brothers have new teams and Bob has moved into the role of faceoff specialist with the defending NLL champion Stealth.
Calgary coach Dave Pym said in a Wednesday conference call that Geoff is day-to-day after suffering a head injury last week, but when asked about the game on Thursday, Geoff said, "right now I'm playing."
To read the rest of the story by Aaron Lommers of the Herald click here http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110313/SPORTS/703139918/1004/SPORTS

Great story on Leblanc

Here's a great read from Jordan Maxwell of NLL.com.


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Like most kids in Ontario, or even Canada for that matter, Stephan Leblanc grew up playing hockey in the winter and lacrosse in the summertime, learning both games from his father, Guy Leblanc.
"I always planned that if I had boys, they would play lacrosse," said his father. "He started playing lacrosse at four in Burlington. He was tall and could run and hit hard but didn't have the stick skills."
Fast forward years later, and Leblanc's crash-and-bang style has made him a pivotal part of head coach Troy Cordingley's offense, as well as a dependable player to both his teammates and coaching staff. But it didn't come without its fair share of obstacles and a dash of hard work.
Guy began to sniff out the best places to play lacrosse in order for Stephan to learn the game. His inquires led Stephan to the tutelage of Mike Brock, a brilliant lacrosse mind and coach who taught Stephan how to handle the stick.
As Leblanc's game began to develop, another serious challenge was thrown his way years later: knock-knees. Osteotomic surgery helped him to straighten them out and Guy said that Stephan fought his way back from the injury with sheer will and determination.
"We had a stationary bike and it was hard for him to do revolutions on the bike at first," said Guy. "But I tell you, he would not get off that bike until he could do it. From that point on, his legs got stronger and more powerful. It was unbelievable to watch him overcome and take something out of the injury."
His hard work and dedication led to his recovery and a scholarship to play lacrosse at Queen's University in Charlotte, NC, where he credits Taylor Wray - a former defenseman for the Philadelphia Wings - for mentoring him and helping to establish his game while making the transition to field lacrosse.
To read the rest of the story click here http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=4908

Wray eager to return to Roughnecks

Devan Wray can hardly wait to return to the lacrosse floor.

In the meantime, the Calgary Roughnecks defender will be satisfied with simply attracting a bit less attention at the gym.

After spending two weeks in hospital with a serious infection in his leg, Wray had been working out with an outpatient IV in his arm and a medical pack slung over his shoulder.

“Yeah, I got a few sideways looks at the gym,” Wray said. “Once I left (the hospital), the doctors said it was alright to resume some light physical activity. I maybe went a little bit more than light physical activity, but they said light physical activity was good, so I did just a little bit more than that.

“I’ve been doing what I could, getting on the treadmill and riding the bike just to stay in shape.”

Wray’s outpatient IV was removed Wednesday, and the 30-year-old has been cleared to return to action with the National Lacrosse League club.

The West Division-leading Roughnecks (7-3) are headed to Everett, Wash., for Sunday’s showdown with the Stealth (5-5), although Wray isn’t expecting to make the trip. With the Riggers on a two-game winning streak, head coach Dave Pym is understandably hesitant to tinker with his lineup.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?” Wray said. “The guys have been playing great, on a bit of a roll here, and the bottom line is — and I had this conversation with Coach Pym — that if there’s a spot that opens up or somebody goes down or they just want to switch things up and give other guys reps, I’ll be ready to go.”

Considering his scenario a month ago, that’s a major improvement.

After a routine cut on his shin developed into a life-threatening infection, Wray was admitted to Foothills Hospital, where he was treated for two weeks. At one point, his leg was swollen to twice its normal size.

Wray was released from hospital just a few days before Riggers owner Brad Banister announced the club was in dire financial straits, but the eight-year NLL veteran insists he wasn’t worried that the club would fold before he had a chance to return to the fold.

 To read the rest of the story by the Calgaray Sun's Wes Gilbertson click here http://www.calgarysun.com/sports/othersports/2011/03/10/17571611.html

Thompson NLL Player of the Week

Buffalo Bandits goaltender Mike Thompson is the National Lacrosse League's Overall Player of the Week for the games played on March 4-6, Week #9 of the 2011 regular season. 
Thompson had a tremendous weekend in net for the Bandits by posting two wins. In his first game, he made 40 saves on 48 shots in an 11-8 victory against the visiting Rochester Knighthawks. He continued his strong play less than 24 hours later in Sunday's game against the Boston Blazers. Thompson only let up 8 goals against one of the league's top offenses. He made 27 saves, including a number of big ones in the game's final minutes to preserve a Bandits 9-8 road victory. These wins move the Bandits into sole possession of second place in the Eastern Division with a 6-3 record. 
Washington Stealth defenseman Mike Grimes has been awarded the Defensive Player of Week. Grimes picked up 11 loose balls and forced 2 turnovers in the Stealth's 18-10 rout of the Rush in Edmonton. He also added 2 goals and 1 assist in the win.
Lewis Ratcliff of the Washington Stealth has been named the Offensive Player of the Week. Ratcliff fueled the Stealth offense in a convincing road win over the Rush. He recorded a total of 9 points with 4 goals and 5 assists, while adding 4 loose balls. 
For the second consecutive week, Jordan Hall of the Rochester Knighthawks has been named Transition Player of the Week. Hall recorded a season-high 6 points in Rochester's game on Saturday. He posted 3 goals, 3 assists, and 6 loose balls in a close, but losing effort against the Buffalo Bandits. 
Toronto Rock forward Rob Hellyer was awarded Rookie of the Week honors for his play this past week. In his NLL debut, Hellyer recorded 4 points and picked up 3 loose balls in a 15-10 win over the Philadelphia Wings. He scored a highlight reel goal and dished out 3 assists.

Salmonbellies net Zywicki

In a move that adds to an already solid line-up, the New Westminster Senior Salmonbellies announce the acquisition of Jeff Zywicki in a CLA transfer.

“Adding a quality veteran goal scorer like Jeff Zywicki to play alongside the likes of Alex Gajic, Kevin Crowley and Jordan McBride, quite frankly, makes our right side look very good," Salmonbellies’ president and general manager  Dan Richardson said. "We are very happy to bring a player like Jeff into our lineup, we really think he's going to help our young snipers with their two- man game,”  .

While he hasn’t played box lacrosse in Canada in over 18 months and never in BC, Zywicki’s name will be familiar to WLA fans. He is a member of the NLL’s Washington Stealth and has been since their days in San Jose. In 76 career regular season games, he has scored 180 goals and had 182 assists for a combined total of 362 points. He is also credited with 414 career loose balls. 

In 2010, Zywicki put up 9 goals and added 4 assists in three playoff games to help the Stealth take home the Champion’s Cup. In 2011, Zywicki has dressed for only one 5-point game, having been sidelined for injury since.

Currently playing with Craig Conn, Curtis Hodgson, Ian Hawksbee, Matt Roik, Martin Cummings and Tyler Richards in Washington, Zywicki will be a familiar face to many in the ‘Bellies’ dressing room. He also played alongside new teammate Jordan Hall when the two won the World Field Championships in 2006 and is set to suit up for Team Canada again at this year’s World Box Championships in Czechoslovakia where he will join fellow Salmonbellies, Hall and Rory Smith.

“Jeff’s ability as a very skilled and intelligent player – and more importantly as a leader of exceptional character – is an exciting addition to the club,” coach, Ken Thomas said.

Brodie Merrill apologizes

There was much discussion about the lack of a post-game handsshake between teh Washington Stealth and Edmonton Rush this weekend. As a result, captain Brodie Merrill offers up this apology on the Rush Facebook page.


"On behalf of the Edmonton Rush, I would like to offer an apology for walking off the floor on Saturday, March 5th, without participating in the customary post game hand shake. There were some early signs that a couple isolated and minor altercations could escalate into something more serious; potentially putting both teams in a compromising position. We thought it was best to step away from the situation and let cooler heads prevail. It is in no way a reflection of the respect we have for the Washington Stealth, or the game of lacrosse. The Edmonton Rush will continue to reinforce strong sportsmanship decisions on and off the floor."

Sincerely,

Captain, Brodie Merrill


Here's the video footage

Francis vs. Bonterre

I had to post this bottom skirmish because it just looked funny

Mann Cup champs schedule released

The Peterborough Lakers announced its 2011 Major Series Lacrosse schedule on Saturday.
The defending Mann Cup champions open their 2011 campaign on the road against the Kitchener/Waterloo  Kodiaks on Sunday, May 22, while their home opener is Thursday, May 26 against the Brampton Excelsiors. 

Season tickets go on sale at the Memorial Centre box office on March 12 at 9:30 a.m.

If anyone has a master schedule for the entire MSL season, send it on over so we can post it.

HOME SCHEDULE
Brampton at Peterborough 26-May-11 8:00 Thursday
Six Nations at Peterborough 02-Jun-11 8:00 Thursday
Ajax at Peterborough 09-Jun-11 8:00 Thursday
Brooklin at Peterborough 16-Jun-11 8:00 Thursday
KW at Peterborough 23-Jun-11 8:00 Thursday
Six Nations at Peterborough 28-Jun-11 8:00 Tuesday
Brooklin at Peterborough 30-Jun-11 8:00 Thursday
Ajax at Peterborough 07-Jul-11 8:00 Thursday
KW at Peterborough 17-Jul-11 7:00 Sunday
Brampton at Peterborough 21-Jul-11 8:00 Thursday

AWAY SCHEDULE
Peterborough at KW 22-May-11 7:00 Sunday
Peterborough at Brooklin 29-May-11 2:00 Sunday
Peterborough at Ajax 03-Jun-11 8:00 Friday
Peterborough at Brampton 05-Jun-11 7:00 Sunday
Peterborough at Brooklin 17-Jun-11 8:00 Friday
Peterborough at Six Nations 02-Jul-11 1:00 Saturday
Peterborough at KW 05-Jul-11 8:00 Tuesday
Peterborough at Six Nations 09-Jul-11 7:00 Saturday
Peterborough at Brampton 14-Jul-11 8:00 Thursday
Peterborough at Ajax 15-Jul-11 8:00 Friday

Zash traded to Wings

The Rochester Knighthawks traded defenseman Matt Zash to the Philadelphia Wings Saturday (though the move was officially dated Sunday on the transactions page of NLL.com) in exchange for their 5th and 6th round picks in the 2011 Entry Draft. Zash hasn't played for the Knighthawks since January.

In four games with Rochester this season he had 1 assist and 18 loose balls.

To make room on their roster, the Wings released defenseman and team captain Taylor Wray.

Taking Zash's place on the active roster is Holdon Vyse who signed with the Knighthawks yesterday. Vyse was Buffalo's fourth round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft but was released by the Bandits prior to the start of the season in December. In his NLL debut against Buffalo last night, he had one loose ball.

Holdon is the younger brother of Buffalo's Roger Vyse

NLL life on the road - All-Star edition

Crammed into the back of a limousine -- with four other lacrosse players -- and driving for six hours isn't exactly the stuff dreams are made of.
Neither is spending half a day in an airplane.
However, the travel itinerary to, and from, the National Lacrosse League All-Star Game last weekend in Verona, N.Y., was worth it in the end according to Scott Ranger.
"It's a five-and-half hour flight from Vancouver to Toronto," said Ranger who is into his fifth season as a Calgary Roughneck. "And a six and a half-hour drive with five guys in the back of a limo wasn't the most comfortable situation -- it sucked."
"But it was a great experience."
Ranger, who calls Nanaimo, B.C., home from Monday to Friday, hitched a ride with fellow NLL players Lewis Ratcliff, Nick Patterson, Chris Levis, and Mike Grimes, and made his all-star debut last weekend. The 27-year-old forward represented the Roughnecks on the West Division team which fell 30-26 to the East team along with Jeff Shattler and captain Andrew McBride. Riggers transition player Geoff Snider was supposed to attend, but opted out of the game to deal with a lower-body injury.
"You get to play with guys you generally battle and hate on the floor," Ranger said. "You get to learn quite a bit about the guy. When you see them outside of lacrosse, you gain a lot of respect for them. And you almost have a lot in common.
"All the travel aside, I think everyone had a good time."


To read the full story by Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald please click here   http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/star+journey+worth+travel/4388174/story.html#ixzz1FkDeXino

Behind the scenes - Greer presented Rush jersey

For those of you not on Twitter, or were too busy, or not by a computer or your smartphone, I thought I'd share this picture.
Upon his arrival at Rexall Place Friday, Edmonton Rush captain Brodie Merrill presents new teammate Zack Greer his jersey.
Merril, Greer and the Rush will host the Washington Stealth tomorrow.

Great 1-on-1 with Kevin Crowley

Kevin Crowley has been getting plenty of ink, especially in the last couple of months. 

And for good reason.

Not only is Crowley a great lacrosse player but he's become a great quote and is very candid. Here's another great example as he speaks with Adam Newman of The Patch.

____

Patch: As the No. 1 overall draft pick of Major League Lacrosse, you already have your first after-college job set up. How do you stay grounded and focused on the task at hand?

Kevin Crowley: To be honest, I really don't think about that too much. Right now, I'm worried about this season and making sure we get better. 
  
Patch: Did any of the guys have some fun with you after being the No. 1 pick in the draft?

KC: The guys were real congratulatory. It's exciting to be able to share it with my friends.

Patch: You're closing in on many of the all-time records at Stony Brook. What do you think your legacy will be? 

KC: I just want to be known as a good person and a good teammate.  Someone who made the people around me better.

To read the full interview click here http://threevillage.patch.com/articles/seawolves-crowley-talks-focus-future

Roughnecks get help from anonymous individual

Here's a Calgary Roughnecks from Neil Stevens of Lacrosse Magazine.

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The cash-starved Calgary Roughnecks, whose owner Brad Banister says might not be able to afford to complete their 16-game National Lacrosse League schedule, is getting some help to get to a game in Philadelphia on Saturday.

An individual who chose to remain anonymous responded to Banister's public plea for financial support by helping to cover travel costs to get the team to its ninth game.

Calgary's 10th game is at Washington on March 13. If Banister can get that far, his team's next three games are at home: March 19 versus Edmonton, March 25 versus Toronto and April 1 versus Minnesota.

The Roughnecks are then to play at Minnesota on April 2, at home against Colorado on April 8 and at Colorado on April 15 to complete their schedule.

The collective bargaining agreement between the NLL and the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association provides for a $100,000 escrow fund to be created annually for use in the event a club defaults in its payroll obligations to players.

A player can ask to be declared a free agent if he doesn't get paid. He first has to give his club written notice of default. The club then has 10 days to pay up or submit the matter to arbitration.

If pay is still not forthcoming, a player can petition the league for immediate free agency.
An example of this happening in the past was when the New York Saints folded following the 2003 season. Players hadn't received full pay and some applied for free agency. Gavin Prout got it and, after being pursued by several teamsm signed with the Colorado Mammoth.

18-year-old gets shot with Rock tonight

The Toronto Rock have made a couple of roster moves in preparation for Friday night's game against Philadelphia at Air Canada Centre.

Rookie forward Rob Hellyer has been signed to the active roster after spending the first 10 games of the season on the Rock practice roster.

Hellyer will be the youngest member of the Rock roster at just 18 years old.  Not only will he have that distinction in the Rock locker room, but he also becomes the youngest player currently on an NLL active roster.

He spent last summer as a member of the Orangeville Northmen in the Ontario Jr A Lacrosse League and helped them win an Ontario Championship.  Previous to that, he played a year of Junior B in Owen Sound and captured the West Division Rookie of the Year Award.

The Rock selected the talented right-handed shooter in the 2010 NLL Entry Draft in the 3^rd round with the 30^thoverall pick.

The Rock had a roster spot to fill after forward Tim O'Brien had been moved to the Physically Unable to Perform List.