Below are some of the smaller items which made news in the National Lacrosse League in October 2001, including trades, rumors, odd facts and injury updates.

31 October 2001:
      The Buffalo Bandits have dealt defensemen Scott Frizzel, acquired less than two weeks ago in the Rusty Kruger trade, to the Calgary Roughnecks for attackers Marc Landriault and Kevin Howard. Frizzel played ten games for the Saints last season, collecting 43 loose balls but no points. Neither of the new Bandits played in the NLL in 2001, but each played in the Western Lacrosse Association this summer.
      The Montreal Express is in a trading kind of mood itself, having sent a third-round pick in next summer's entry draft to the Toronto Rock for little-used attacker Dean Harrison. Disappointed with substandard offense so far in the preseason, coach/GM Terry Sanderson is looking for more help on the attack, and a trade for journeyman Ted Dowling (who played under Sanderson in Albany the past two years prior to being dealt to Buffalo) is imminent. Additionally, goaltender Derek General (yet another former member of Sanderson's Attack) has been signed and will compete with Alain Lalumière to become Curtis Palidwor's backup. Corey Quinn was let go in order to free up space for General.
      Michael French, the do-everything member of the Philadelphia Wings organization, will be inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in a ceremony this Saturday in Vancouver. French played for the Wings in 1987, coached the team to a championship in 1994, served as general manager from 1989 to 1994 and 1998 to 1999, and is currently executive vice president and one of the team's owners. He becomes the first person inducted into both the American and Canadian halls. "It's very humbling to be recognized like this for a sport I love so much," French said. "Lacrosse has been a part of my life for more than 30 years and this is very flattering to me."

 

27 October 2001:
      Three closed-door scrimmages have been held so far this weekend at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, with a fourth slated for tomorrow morning. Summaries of each match follow:

On Friday night, the Montreal Express beat the Albany Attack, 13-11, courtesy of five goals and four assists from Aimé Caines. Joe Hiltz and Jason Crosbie added two goals apiece for the Express, which platooned netminders Corey Quinn (3 goals allowed, 31 saves) and Alain Lalumière (8 GA, 22 saves) . The Attack was paced by three goals from Jim Moss and two from Troy Cordingley.       This morning, the Toronto Rock, using primarily reserve players and rookies, topped the New Jersey Storm, 11-10. Mike Murray had four goals for the Rock, while Dean Harrison contributed a pair. These teams will meet again Sunday morning.       This afternoon, Chris Konopliff recorded six goals and three assists in leading the Ottawa Rebel to an 18-12 victory over the Montreal Express. Ryan Painter added the inverse (3G, 6A) for the Rebel, which went a league-worst 1-13 last season. Todd Richard led the Express with four goals and two assists, while Caines, Brandon Sanderson, and Mat Giles added two goals each. Bruce Alexander (seeking a trade to a western team), Tracey Kelusky (nursing a minor ankle injury), and Curtis Palidwor (practically guaranteed to be the starting goaltender) did not take part in either Express game this weekend.

 

25 October 2001:
      The Albany Attack visit the Blue Cross Arena on Saturday, 3 November for an exhibition game against the Rochester Knighthawks. Prior to the game, a charity auction and garage sale will be held, benefitting seven Rochester-area charities, and after the game, fans can go down to turf level and meet the players. Tickets are required, but are free at Rochester-area Chase-Pitkin locations or the Knighthawks office located at the arena.
      Individual tickets for the Columbus Landsharks' second season go on sale this Saturday (27 October) at 10:00 AM at the Nationwide Arena ticket office, via Ticketmaster, or by phone (614.431.3600). Prices range from $15.50 to $25.50. Season tickets are currently on sale, at the ticket office or via phone (614.246.JAWS). Eight-game packages run from $100 to $180 and all orders will be filled for lower bowl seating.
      The New Jersey Storm and Toronto Rock will scrimmage twice this weekend at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The games are slated for 10:00 AM on both Saturday and Sunday, but alas, they're not open to public. The Montreal Express' scrimmages at the Gardens this weekend (Friday night vs. Albany and Saturday afternoon vs. Ottawa) appear to be private events, as well.
      The Rochester Knighthawks have signed first-round draft pick (eleventh overall) Ted Jenner. A native of Victoria, B.C., where he plays summer lacrosse for the WLA's Shamrocks (17 goals and 14 assists in 15 games this season), Jenner attended Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., where he played on the NCAA Division II level (2001: 32 + 15 in 12 games). Terms were not disclosed.
      In other Rochester Knighthawks news, team owner Steve Donner reports he is close to signing star forward John Grant, Jr. to a long-term, dual contract with the K'Hawks and MLL's Rochester Rattlers. "Ideally, we'd like for John to move from Peterborough [Ontario] to Rochester and live here year-round," Donner told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. "If John were more visible to fans and prospective sponsors it would be easier to get him some local endorsements." Between the two teams, Grant could earn nearly $50,000 in the next year, just for playing lacrosse -- no small coin for a game most guys play as a sideline from their day jobs.

 

23 October 2001:
      Have some furniture you'd like to give to a good cause? The Philadelphia Wings are looking to furnish the accomodations they've found for four out-of-town players. If you have any old bedding, dressers, tables and chairs, or kitchen items that you would like to get rid of, or for further information, contact John Sapello at jsapello@wingszone.com.
      The Rochester Knighthawks open training camp this weekend at the Rochester Sports Garden on East Henrietta Road in Rochester. Round One of camp will run from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM on Saturday, with Round Two the following day, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

 

22 October 2001:
      The Columbus Landsharks today traded Kris Bryde and Kevin Lunnie to the New York Saints for a first-round pick in the 2002 entry draft. Bryde tallied 26 goals and 18 assists for the Ottawa Rebel in 2001, and was acquired by the Landsharks in a trade earlier this month. Lunnie was scoreless in five games for the Albany Attack last season, and landed in Columbus in July via a five-player, two-pick trade that sent Nick Trudeau to the Attack. Both Bryde and Lunnie were rookies in 2001. Because of cross-ownership, the trade required the approval of the league's board of governors.
      As reported last week, Matt Green has indeed been traded from the Washington Power to the Calgary Roughnecks. However, it comes as part of a three-way deal in which Green goes to Calgary, Jamie Raffan goes from Calgary to the Ottawa Rebel, and the Rebel's third-round selection in next summer's entry draft is transferred to the Power. Green scored six goals and assisted on eight others in 2001 for the Power, while Raffan recorded four goals and seven assists in fourteen games for Columbus (the Roughnecks had acquired him in this summer's expansion draft).

 

21 October 2001:
      The Montreal Express has released on its French web site a list of the 23 players still in camp (exactly the number which will be on the opening day roster). It's not likely to be coach/GM Terry Sanderson's final list, because there is still almost a month until rosters are due and there is the pending Bruce Alexander trade to account for. However, the final roster is likely to be similar, allowing a chance to see how Sanderson has separated the wheat from the chaff. The players named: goaltenders Curtis Palidwor, Corey Quinn and Alain Lalumière; attackers Tracey Kelusky, Mat Giles, Steve Penny, Aime Caines, Todd Richard, Darren McEwen, Peter Lough, Jason Henhawk, Ryan Grant, Joe Hiltz, Kelly Sullivan, Brian Bendig and Jason Crosbie; and defensemen Zac Aiken, Bruce Codd, Scott Forbes, Shawn Parnell, Brad McArthur, Shawn Zettel and Clay Kirby.
      It turns out that Terry Bullen isn't the only notable casualty from the Toronto Rock's defensive ranks. Darryl Gibson may have torn his hamstring during Wednesday's practice at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, and Pat Coyle is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Coyle expects to be ready for the Rock's season opener, 17 November against the Vancouver Ravens, but Gibson is awaiting a diagnosis and could be lost for a significant amount of time.
      The Jen Adams era, to no one's surprise, has ended, but the Washington Power draft pick has been hired by the team to organize the world's first women's professional indoor lacrosse game. The game would be held prior to a Power home game.

 

20 October 2001:
      The Calgary Roughnecks have added Jim Meredith and Walt Christianson as assistant coaches, joining Dave Bremner as Chris Hall's deputies. Christianson, like Bremner, had been an assistant under Hall this summer with the WLA's Victoria Shamrocks. Meredith had spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Buffalo Bandits. Dave Bryant, a Calgary native who has coached minor lacrosse, will assist the coaching staff. In related news, Hall has resigned as coach of the Shamrocks, replaced by Christianson (Bremner will likely return as an assistant).
      Eric Gervais may not be the only work-related casualty of the Montreal Express. Bruce Alexander has received a promotion at his day job, the team reports, and because the new position will limit his ability to travel, Alexander has requested a trade to a team closer to home -- making the Vancouver Ravens and Calgary Roughnecks the most likely destinations for the supersized attacker.
      Understandably interested in making a good impression on national television, the Rochester Knighthawks are looking to purchase a new playing surface in time for the start of the regular season. The Knighthawks host two regular-season games on CNN/SI, the first against Philadelphia on 15 December, but the ragged rug probably should have bit the dust anyway, following six years of use. A new carpet would cost around $100,000.
      The Toronto Rock may lose key veteran defender Terry Bullen due to a herniated disk in his back. Bullen rose from the couch too quickly on the Canadian Thanksgiving (8 October) and aggravated his back. A few hours later, he was rushed to the hospital, unable to move. Anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers have reduced the pain and Bullen can walk without discomfort, but it's unclear how he'd hold up in game action. "I'm very interested in playing because this is a great team and a great organization," Bullen told the Toronto Star. "On the other hand, I have to be concerned for my health. I want to make a wise and informed choice." Bullen had been considering retirement before his back ails, but doesn't want an injury to bring down the curtain on his career.

 

19 October 2001:
      The wheeling and dealing Buffalo Bandits made another trade today, sending Rusty Kruger to the New York Saints for Jamie Taylor and Scott Frizzel. Kruger, acquired from Rochester in a seven-player deal in May, scored ten goals and had twenty assists in fourteen regular season games (plus a goal and an assist in a semifinal loss) for the Knighthawks in 2001. Frizzel played ten games for the Saints last season, collecting 43 loose balls but no points. The key to the trade, though, is Taylor -- although his NLL experience is all of two games, he has excelled in OLA play, with 12 goals and 35 assists for the Burlington Junior Chiefs this summer. His success with the Bandits will be the primary factor in gauging who won the trade. [Edited 20 Oct 01 to correct league Taylor played in]
      Eric Gervais, the 25-year-old former Baltimore Thunder/Pittsburgh CrosseFire defenseman, will not play for the Montreal Express this season, due to work responsibilities at First National Bank Union of Baltimore. Gervais had signed with the Express as a free agent this summer, a year after being selected in the Columbus Landsharks' expansion draft.

 

18 October 2001:
      For a player who has yet to play an NLL game, Keith Cromwell sure is turning a lot of heads in the league. Originally drafted nineteenth overall by the Columbus Landsharks in August's entry draft, Crowell was quickly dealt to the Buffalo Bandits for a pair of third-rounders in the same draft. Today, Cromwell went on the move again, with a much higher price tag -- the Philadelphia Wings sacrificed their first-round pick in next summer's entry draft to acquire the Rutgers University product. "Keith is a tough and talented forward," Wings GM Marty O'Neill said. "He made numerous contributions to both the Rutgers University and Bridgeport Barrage teams. He was one of the most outstanding rookies in the outdoor game this summer and we think he'll make the transition indoors nicely." Cromwell left Rutgers as the school's alltime leading scorer, both in goals and points; he also recorded 21 points (15 goals, 6 assists) this summer in eleven games with the MLL's Barrage.
      In other Buffalo Bandits news, Ryan Powell has been resigned, to a one-year contract (terms not disclosed). In thirteen games last season, his rookie campiagn, Powell scored 17 goals and assisted on 18 others. What makes Powell's resigning interesting is the announcement that he will change his number from 2 to 22, and that he will pay the cost for fans to have "Powell 2" jerseys redone into "Powell 22" outfits. "The fans that support me and support the team shouldn't have to pay for me changing my number," Powell said. "I want to pay for them if they want to switch from 2 to my new number, 22." Fans seeking to make the change can bring their #2 jerseys to the HSBC Arena team store.
      Want to own a piece of history? The Calgary Roughnecks are offering up the #9 jersey worn by Kaleb Toth at the press conference announcing that he had been acquired by the Roughnecks, autographed by the Calgary-born star (and since this is not the design the team will sport this season, it's a one-of-a-kind item). Everyone who purchases Roughnecks season tickets between now and 12 November will be eligible to win the jersey, which Toth will present to the winner at the team's first home game, 24 November.
      A pair of small trades on the rumor mill, each reportedly just needing the ink to dry: the Rochester Knighthawks send Andrew Whipple to Buffalo for a second-round pick in the 2002 draft, and the Washington Power dispatch Matt Green to Calgary for a draft pick (round and season unknown).

 

16 October 2001:
      The Toronto Rock yesterday traded young lefthanded Matt Dwane to the Vancouver Ravens for a second-round pick in next summer's entry draft. Dwane has never played in NLL, but the 24-year-old has a background in Major-level indoor lacrosse, having recorded six goals and eighteen assists in twelve games this summer with the WLA's Burnaby Lakers. In other potential Rock-Ravens trades, Vancouver's efforts to acquire veterans Chris Gill and Dan Stroup, each of whom would like to play closer to home in British Columbia, have not yet produced a deal.

 

12 October 2001:
      The Calgary Roughnecks today announced a change of date for their second home game, originally slated for Saturday, 15 December. That game, against the Columbus Landsharks, will now be played the previous evening at 9:30 PM Eastern (7:30 PM Mountain). No reason was cited for the change.
     
 

11 October 2001:
      The NLL today officially announced the trade between the Columbus Landsharks and Ottawa Rebel which was reported here four days ago, while also disclosing a second deal between the teams. In addition to picking up a first-round pick for Rory Graham, Columbus has acquired Kris Bryde for a third-round pick in the 2002 entry draft and a player to be named later. Bryde led the Rebel in goals scored (twenty-six) in 2001, his debut season, while placing second on the team in points, with forty-four.
      Bryde's departure from Ottawa may be a signal that the Ottawa Rebel will look more like the Albany Attack than the Keystone Kops this coming season. It appears possible that none of the Rebel's top three scorers from 2001 will return this year. Bruce Alexander (36 pts) was traded to Montreal in August, Bryde (44 pts) went to Columbus today, and Del Halladay (53 pts) could be next. The NLL rumor mill has suddenly started buzzing with suggestions of an imminent trade between the Rebel and Washington Power, in which Halladay would go from one capital city to another for a first-round pick in next summer's entry draft.
      The Montreal Express increased its upcoming television presence today by announcing that French-language sports network RDS will air six to eight games this season. With several of the RDS games overlapping the six which will be shown on English-language sports channel Sportsnet, a total of ten Express games (out of a possible sixteen) will be televised this season. A schedule of RDS games was not released by the team.
      The New York Saints open training camp this weekend with Saturday and Sunday morning sessions, and continuing every weekend through November (except 3-4 November, which might have been left open for a preseason scrimmage). Each of the practice sessions will run from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM (yes, you read that right), and will be held at the Sportime at Bethpage multi-sport facility in Bethpage, NY. Practices are open to the public and admission is free.

 

9 October 2001:
      The Vancouver Ravens recently announced a third preseason benefit game to be held in the province of British Columbia. Following in the steps of the Bionda Cup (Sunday, 11 November, at Victoria's Memorial Arena) and the Northern Cup (Friday, 2 November, at the Prince George MultiPlex) comes the Okanagan Cup, a Sunday, 4 November bout at the new Greater Vernon Multiplex. Like the Northern Cup, the newly announced exhibition (how many of these games can the Ravens give titles to, anyway?) is against the Calgary Roughnecks; the Bionda Cup will pit the Ravens against the Washington Power. All three preseason games will serve as fundraisers for the Ravens Wingspan Fund, a nonprofit organization created by the expansion team to promote youth lacrosse and community issues.

 

8 October 2001:
      The Montreal Express busily made a series of changes today to its schedule for the upcoming season, punctuated by a new day and time for its home opener. Montreal's first professional lacrosse game in 26 years was originally slated for Friday, 30 November, but the Express has moved the date of that game (vs. the Calgary Roughnecks) ahead by one day, to Thursday, 29 November. The new starting time for the game is 6:30 PM. A boxing match at Molson Centre has apparently bumped the first-year team. The Express also added two preseason games to its slate, "hosting" the Albany Attack on Friday, 26 October (7:00 PM) and the Ottawa Rebel a day later (3:00 PM). Both games will be held not in Montreal, but rather at the Express' training facility, Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The team did not announce whether the matches would be open to the public, but that may be addressed tomorrow during a 12:30 PM press conference at Molson Centre.

 

7 October 2001:
      In a deal completed long ago but still not officially announced, the Columbus Landsharks have traded Rory Graham to the Ottawa Rebel for a first-round pick in next year's entry draft. The third-overall pick in the September 1998 entry draft by the Toronto Rock, Graham was selected in Columbus' expansion draft a year ago, shared the Landsharks' faceoff duties this past season, and was left in mid-Ohio in the hybrid expansion which created the Montreal Express this summer.
      Is the Washington Power going for a publicity record, or just trying to hold the world's most open tryout? Not only is University of Maryland graduate Jen Adams welcome at Power camp, opening this Friday, but Paul Suggate will be, too, reports the Toronto Sun's Mike Koreen. Perhaps you've heard of Suggate -- he has 207 career goals in the NLL. Of course, those goals came in the 1974-1975 version of NLL, for the Maryland Arrows. Throw in 251 assists in 88 regular season games, and Suggate was the all-time scoring leader for the fledgling league (458 points). This makes him a young 52 years of age, begging the question -- how did he get on Washington's radar? "Just like anybody else, I asked him to send his lacrosse resume," Steve Govett, president and GM of the Power, said. "I told [Suggate] if he pays his own way here, he's more than welcome and he said he's coming."

 

5 October 2001:
      As first reported in this column during the summer, the Montreal Express and Toronto Rock will play a pair of exhibitions in the Maritime provinces. On Friday, 2 November, Terry Sanderson's Express meet Les Bartley's Rock in a 7:00 PM (Eastern) duel at the Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The two clubs meet again two days later, in a 1:00 PM (Eastern) matinee at Mile One Stadium in St. John's, Newfoundland. "It is going to be a great experience for our teams, they'll benefit by playing a pre-season game and the fans will benefit by watching the most exciting sports action in the world of professional sports," said Rock coach and general manager Les Bartley. The games will the first-ever preseason matches for each team.
      Those of you who forgot about the first lady of professional lacrosse may wish to refamiliarize yourselves with Jen Adams of the Washington Power. Adams, drafted in the ninth round of August's entry draft, suited up for an instructional session yesterday, familiarizing herself with such details as how offense and defense differ from the field game, recovering loose balls, and taking hits. Joining Adams on the floor of Capital Centre were Power president and GM Steve Govett; Power players Gary Gait (an assistant coach with the Maryland womens' lacrosse team, for whom Adams played in college), Rodney Tapp, Hugh Donovan, and Scott Joyner; and Brad Tarr of Inside Lacrosse, which first reported on the session. "I think she will be at camp [when it opens on 12 October]," Govett said. "She has the same chance of making this team as any other ninth round pick would... We are not going to slow down our camp for her. She is a draft pick like everyone else. She will be out here Friday and we will re-evaluate where she is and what she is going to do."
      So, Steve Govett gives Jen Adams as good a chance at making the Power's roster as any ninth-round draft pick? Recent history shows that Adams may well be on her way to breaking the gender barrier. A year ago, two of nine ninth-round choices (Jamie Raffan, Columbus; Doug Hill, drafted by Philadelphia but played for Ottawa) saw game action in the NLL. Going back two years, to the September 1999 draft, yields three NLLers (Bruce Codd, Albany; Joe Ghedina, New York; Brandon Miller, Albany), one who likely will appear this season (Matt Roik, drafted by Toronto but now projected as New Jersey's starting goaltender), and one who is projected as a future NLLer once he leaves college in a year's time (Tyler Francey, selected by Buffalo). Of six realistic ninth-round draftees in 1998, two have seen game action (Scott Komer, Buffalo; Gary Rosyski, drafted by Rochester but playing for Albany) and a third is in Montreal's camp (Peter Lough, selected by Toronto). The other ninth-round pick in 1998? Another attention-grabbing selection -- the Syracuse Smash picked up sixty-something Jim Brown, an NFL Hall of Famer and Syracuse University alumnus who is regarded among one of field lacrosse's greatest players ever.

 

3 October 2001:
      The off-again, on-again relation between indoor lacrosse mogul Brad Watters and the Canadian Football League seems to be improving, with Watters' bid to bring football back to Ottawa (which lost the Rough Riders in 1996) returning to the table, to be considered by the CFL owners, perhaps as early as next week. If Watters and his fellow investors succeed, look for an aggressive cross-promotion plan between the CFL team and the NLL's Rebel, perhaps going as far as unveiling the football team's name, logo, and colors at the Rebel's season opener on 17 November.
      The starting time for the first-ever home game for the Vancouver Ravens, a Saturday, 1 December meeting with the Toronto Rock, has been pushed back one hour, to 4:30 PM Eastern (1:30 PM Eastern). No reason was given for the time change, but it could involve accomodating the Sportsnet schedule. The Canadian sports network will be showing over two dozen games this season, all live and coast-to-coast.

 

2 October 2001:
      The Buffalo Bandits open their training camp on Saturday, 20 October, with sessions that day and the next at HSBC Arena, then will shift practices to the Lakemount Sportsplex in Grimsby, Ontario, until the start of the season, where they will meet every Saturday. The HSBC Arena sessions are closed to the public, but the ones in Grimsby are open to the public.
      The Calgary Roughnecks today named Dave Bremner as an assistant coach.
      The Toronto Rock announced today that it is moving its training site from Grimsby, Ontario, to the most famous arena in Canada -- Maple Leaf Gardens. The Rock played at the Gardens in 1999 and 2000, but were displaced to the Air Canada Centre when the arena was closed to sporting events. The Montreal Express will also use the Gardens as its training facility.
      The Vancouver Ravens continued paring away at the largest preseason roster in the league, releasing Rob Buchan, Jeff Gombar, Mike Kilby and Athen Yuen. "We had originally contemplated reducing the roster to 35 players as of today, but all of the players, including those we released today, made that more difficult than we expected," Ravens coach Paul Dal Monte said of his team, currently at thirty-eight players. "We have been impressed by the level of intensity at camp and we think it bodes well for the kind of team we’ll put on the floor at General Motors Place this season."
      In other Vancouver Ravens news, kudos to team webmaster Daryl Fernquist on a fantastic new look for the team web site. The colorful new site, located at www.vancouverravens.com, replaces a plain site that mainly featured a large team logo and links to recent press releases. During the season, the Ravens' site will expand to handle team statistics using a similar platform as what Fernquist uses to run the WLA's web site, www.theboxrocks.com.