Below are some of the smaller items which made news in the National Lacrosse League between December 2005 and March 2007, including trades, rumors, odd facts and injury updates.

21 March 2007:
      The NLL trade deadline passed quietly yesterday with only one deal. Surprise, surprise -- it was another player-for-pick trade, and the Toronto Rock was involved. The Rock, who made two such trades last week, has dealt Rusty Kruger to the Chicago Shamrox, getting a conditional 2008 fourth- or fifth-round entry draft pick in return. Kruger has three goals and one assist in five games this season. Teams now have until Thursday afternoon to make any final roster changes.

 

16 March 2007:
      The Toronto Rock today traded defenseman Phil Sanderson to the Buffalo Bandits for a 2007 first-round entry draft pick. Sanderson is an eight-year veteran who has recorded 86 points and 825 loose ball recoveries in 114 career games. Prior to joining the Rock, Sanderson played for San Jose, having followed the team west from Albany. In related roster moves, Toronto promoted defenseman Bryan Riddell from the practice squad, while Buffalo released forward Tony Henderson.
      In another Toronto Rock transaction, the club has traded a 2008 fourth-round entry draft pick to the Minnesota Swarm for forward Jamie Taylor. The six-year veteran began his career with the Rock in 2001, moving on to play for Buffalo, Rochester and Minnesota. Taylor fills the roster spot vacated by forward Sean Kimpinski, who has been placed on injured reserve. Minnesota, meanwhile, has signed forward Rory McDade to replace Taylor.
      The Chicago Shamrox yesterday signed forwards Jonas Derks and Kevin Leveille. Derks, who was released by Arizona late last season after representing the team in the All Star Game just weeks before, has scored 146 goals and dishedout 134 assists in 91 career games. Leveille, a notable field player out of the University of Massachusetts, will be seeing his first NLL action with the Shamrox.

 

28 February 2007:
      Earlier this week, the NLL announced two changes to the Western Division roster for the 10 March All Star Game at Portland. LumberJax defenseman Brodie Merrill, elected as the starting transition player, will miss the game with a hamstring injury; fellow 'Jax defenseman Richard Morgan takes his place on the roster, and (while still not official) the word is that Colorado's Josh Sims will take Merrill's place in the starting lineup. Also, Edmonton forward Chris Gill has prior family commitments, and has been replaced on the roster by Rush teammate Jim Quinlan.

 

11 February 2007:
      Curtis Palidwor, curiously left unprotected by Calgary in last summer's Expansion Draft and quickly snatched up by the New York Titans, is heading back to Alberta, but it won't be to play for the Roughnecks. Instead, the Titans have traded Palidwor and a conditional 2008 fifth-round entry draft pick to the Edmonton Rush for the Rush's first-round pick in the 2007 draft. Palidwor appeared in five games for the Titans, posting a 73.2 save percentage and a 16.15 goals-against average. Palidwor made it to Edmonton in time for last night's game against Arizona, claiming an 11-9 win in relief of starting goaltender Pat Campbell.

 

8 January 2007:
      As expected when NLL announced this year's class of inductees, the 2007 Hall of Fame Weekend will be built around a game between Philadelphia and Buffalo. (The inductees are former Wing forward Tom Marechek, Wings co-owner Mike French, former Bandits forward and current head coach Darris Kilgour, and Buffalo News writer Tom Borrelli -- could Hall of Fame Weekend really include any other teams?) The induction ceremony takes place Friday, 16 February, at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia (9:30 PM Eastern; tickets available via NLL office, $100 US per person), with the Hall of Fame Game the following night at Wachovia Center. The game will be aired as part of Versus' Game of the Week package.
      A few interesting "firsts" from the Chicago Shamrox' 15-12 win Saturday night against New York: first goal, Jason Clark (2:17 of 1st quarter); first assists, Tom Montour and Brandon Miller (on Clark's goal); first hat trick, Chris Panos (completed 4:14 of 3rd quarter, also accomplished later by Bill McGlone and Josh Wasson-McQuigge); first penalty, Cam Woods (checking from behind, 0:18 of 1st quarter).
      While we're on the subject, the New York Titans also were playing for the first time in that game at Chicago, with the following firsts: first goal, Gewas Schindler (1:20 of 1st quarter); first assists, Casey Powell and Ryan Boyle (on Schindler's goal); first penalty, Powell (roughing, 2:17 of 1st quarter).

 

5 January 2007:
      The Philadelphia Wings today signed first-round draft pick Geoff Snider, who had been sitting out because he didn't want to jeopardize his day job in Denver. Snider, the fourth-overall selection out of the University of Denver, set an NCAA record last spring with 194 ground ball recoveries and ranked second in the country with a 68.4 percent success rate on faceoffs. The signing gives Philadelphia four active players selected in the top ten in September's draft, along with Ian Llord (5th), Athan Iannucci (8th), and Kyle Wailes (9th). Defenseman Dan Finck was released to make room for Snider on the active roster.
      Rochester Knighthawks forward John Grant has elected not to appeal a one-game suspension for concussing Colorado defenseman John Gallant with a cross-check to the back of the neck last week. Ken Millin will take Grant's place in the lineup. By sitting out tonight's game at San Jose, Grant will be able to play next week at home against Toronto; had he appealed and lost, he would have missed the Rock game.

 

4 January 2007:
      Proving that crime doesn't pay (or perhaps proving that it does, depending on your point of view), Rochester Knighthawks forward John Grant has been suspended for one game following an incident at the end of Saturday's loss at Colorado. Grant cross-checked Mammoth defenseman John Gallant in the back of the head as time expired, causing a concussion and earning a game misconduct for intent to injure. That triggered an automatic one-game suspension. Apparently, the league has decided not to tack on additional games (as some were expecting), but Grant is nonetheless considering an appeal. Stay tuned.
      The Minnesota Swarm has ended thoughts of hosting a game immediately following a Minnesota Wild hockey game, moving its Saturday, 24 March date with the Toronto Rock forward one day to Friday, 23 March. The nightcap of the Wild-Swarm twinbill had a nominal start time of approximately 10:30 PM Central, but realistically, the teams were looking at a faceoff closer to midnight after changeover time is factored in. They'll now drop the ball at 7:00 PM Central (8:00 PM Eastern).
      The Philadelphia Wings have signed defenseman Damien Davis, who most recently played for Portland last season. In a three-year pro career (which also includes a stop with the Anaheim Storm), Davis has no goals, six assists and 109 loose ball recoveries. "Damien is an excellent one-on-one defender," Wings assistant GM Chris Sanderson said. "He's a talented athlete and will bring experience and toughness to our back end." The Wings cleared roster space for Davis by releasing forward Kevin Nee.

 

24 December 2006:
      Congratulations go out to Portland LumberJax owner Angela Batinovich and defenseman Adam Bysouth, who are engaged and planning an August wedding, The Oregonian reports today. Batinovich and Bysouth have been an item pretty much since the LumberJax franchise was created a year and a half ago, successfully keeping business separate from pleasure -- while Bysouth is also the team's community relations director, he doesn't report directly to Batinovich, and she in turn remains mostly hands-off when it comes to the lacrosse operations. That might be moot by the time they tie the knot, however, as Bysouth is considering retirement after the upcoming season.

 

20 December 2006:
      Ryan Powell scored three fourth-quarter goals Saturday night to lead the Portland LumberJax past the Minnesota Swarm, 15-13, in preseason action at Victoria, BC. Minnesota held a 7-6 lead at halftime, then held for a 10-9 advantage heading to the fourth quarter. Portland responded with six goals in the final period, including Powell's aforementioned hat trick. Peter Morgan added four goals for the LumberJax, while Spencer Martin did the same for Minnesota. The second half, as in all preseason games this year, was played four-on-four.

 

16 December 2006:
      Led by four goals each from Dan Dawson and Andrew Lazore, the Arizona Sting routed the Colorado Mammoth, 16-9, in an exhibition game this afternoon at the E-Center in West Valley City, Utah. It was the first professional lacrosse game ever played in the Beehive State. Arizona led 10-5 at halftime, but Colorado pulled to within 10-9 midway through the third quarter in the experimental four-on-four format being used in the second half of every preseason game. Mike Attwood then shut out the Mammoth over the final 23 minutes, as the Sting tacked on six unanswered goals.
      In what could turn into one of the feel-good stories of the 2007 season, 38-year-old Scott Anderson has made the Calgary Roughnecks' 23-man active roster. Anderson, a letter carrier from Prince George, B.C., will become one of the league's oldest rookies ever if he dresses for a game. He was first scouted by the Riggers at the President's Cup (Canadian Senior B national championship) tournament in August, after spending most of the summer playing in a local senior-level league. "We thought all along he could play in this league, he was just under the radar for quite awhile in Prince George," Roughnecks coach Chris Hall told the Prince George Citizen. "He just confirmed what we thought originally, that he could be an impact player in this league."

 

13 December 2006:
      The NLL announced today a new feature from its online broadcasting partner, B2 Networks, offering "B2 Power Play," a premium service featuring free access to select games, exclusive weekly highlights, and access from any cell phone or handheld PDA running a Windows Mobile Operating System. Power Play is priced at $20 per month or $75 for the whole season, while the mobile-access B2toGO service run $7 per month as a stand-alone product ($25 if paid in full) and $20 for the season if purchased with Power Play. Visit b2now.com to sign up or for more information.
      The Calgary Roughnecks have placed first-round draft pick Kyle Wailes on the holdout list and are conceding that he is unlikely to play for the team this season. Wailes, the ninth-overall pick in this year's entry draft, has a high-level job in New York's financial district, making it next to impossible for him to commute to Calgary. "We understand the situation, and as that job is putting food on his table, we will just have to wait and see what happens," Roughnecks GM Kurt Silcott said. ""Kyle has been up front with us in all our discussions, and we're hopeful to bring him into the fold or arrange a trade sometime down the road."

 

11 December 2006:
      Colin Doyle scored with 57 seconds left in regulation Saturday night, pushing the Toronto Rock past the Minnesota Swarm, 13-12, in exhibition action at MTS Centre in Winnipeg. Toronto led 6-4 at halftime, but the Swarm rallied for a 6-6 tie in the third quarter before falling behind by three goals. Twice in the fourth quarter, Minnesota crawled to within a goal, including a Kasey Beirnes tally after the Doyle marker, but despite having a last-second scoring chance, the Swarm could not force overtime. Aaron Wilson, Rusty Kruger and Chris Driscoll had hat tricks for the Rock, while Sean Pollock did likewise for Minnesota.

 

9 December 2006:
      A six-goal second-half run was more than enough to lift the Calgary Roughnecks past the Edmonton Rush, 19-16, in exhibition play last night at Rexall Place. That was actually the Riggers' second long scoring streak, after vaulting to a 7-0 lead less than eight minutes in. Edmonton, though, rallied for a 10-10 halftime tie and led for much of the third quarter. Chris Gill netted five goals for the Rush, including the final three goals his team scored. Taylor Wray and Jesse Phillips had hat tricks for Calgary.

 

6 December 2006:
      The Minnesota Swarm, perhaps still a bit lightheaded after making the playoffs a year ago, have signed Twin Cities sportscaster Eric Perkins to a one-year contract. "I am thrilled to be getting an opportunity with this playoff caliber team," Perkins said. "I'll do anything I can to help the Swarm win... anything." Before anyone mourns the passing of Swarm general manager Marty O'Neill's common sense, keep in mind that Perkins has a popular Tuesday-night feature on KARE-TV's newscasts, "Perk at Play," in which he tries out sports as far-flung as ski-jumping, bullfighting, and demolition derby. A stint with the local lacrosse team, undoubtedly, now will be fodder for a future segment.
      The Philadelphia Wings today named Frank Miceli as their Chief Operating Officer, tapping the longtime Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) COO to do double duty at the Sports Complex. Miceli, a native of South Philadelphia, will oversee the day-to-day Wings operation, including sales, advertising, and public relations. He previously served the same role for Comcast-Spectacor's three minor league baseball teams, until they were sold late last month.
      Earlier this week, the Chicago Shamrox unveiled their home and road jerseys, going with a fairly conventional look -- white is the base color for the home jerseys, and black for the aways. Both jerseys feature the Shamrox logo on the front, with green shoulders and silver, green and orange trim on the sleeves and waistline. Perhaps the 'Rox are saving potentially-garish green or orange jerseys for future use as an alternate top?

 

1 December 2006:
      The Arizona Sting completed a long-anticipated trade today, sending goaltender Mike Miron to the Rochester Knighthawks for a conditional 2007 entry draft pick (no word on the condition or on which draft pick is in play). Miron played his entire five-year career with Arizona, dating back to the franchise's time in Columbus. In 68 career games, Miron has a 13.00 goals-against average and a 74.8 save percentage. The trade was made possible because Arizona retained franchise player Rob Blasdell as its starting goaltender, signed Mike Attwood as a free agent and drafted two other netminders.
      The Arizona Sting began life after Mike Miron by rallying from an 8-6 fourth-quarter deficit to record an 11-8 win over the Toronto Rock in preseason action at Oshawa, Ontario. Arizona led 5-3 at intermission before allowing the Rock to score all three third-quarter goals. Toronto's Colin Doyle led all scorers with four goals, while Dan Dawson, Craig Conn, Lindsay Plunkett and Matt Brown all struck twice for the Sting. The second half, like in all preseason games this year, was played under the experimental four-on-four rules.

 

30 November 2006:
      The Toronto Rock has traded defensemen Brian Beisel and Brad MacDonald to the Arizona Sting for defenseman Darren Halls, the fourth-overall pick in the 2004 entry draft. Beisel is an eight-year veteran with 34 goals and MacDonald, who requested this trade for personal reasons, has seven goals in 34 career games. Halls has modest offensive stats in his 19 pro games, two goals and four assists. Toronto also receives a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2007 entry draft.

 

27 November 2006:
      In exhibition action at Halifax, the Toronto Rock defeated the Philadelphia Wings, 10-8, Saturday night. Toronto led 5-2 at halftime before the Wings rallied for six second-half goals under the experimental four-on-four rules. Athan Iannucci, one of Philly's three first-round entry draft picks, led all scorers with four goals, while Toronto's Colin Doyle and Josh Sanderson scored three goals each. This was the first of seven official preseason games around the NLL; Toronto will appear in three of them, including a tilt this Friday night in Oshawa, Ont., against Arizona.

 

19 November 2006:
      Proving that the NLL just can't leave well enough alone, word came out this week that the second half of each preseason game (beginning with Saturday's game in Halifax between Philadelphia and Toronto) will be played four-on-four. As mentioned in this column in August, the league has been considering removing one player per team from the floor, as a way to open space for skill players. "The Competition Committee looks at ways to enhance the game, and any potential changes that could do that, whether that’s more scoring, or stricter penalties for high contact hits to the head, or the number of players on the floor," NLL vice president of operations Brian Lemon said. "The committee continues to look at, discuss, and evaluate these possibilities, and will do so throughout the preseason."
      Earlier this week, the Philadelphia Wings traded defenseman Bryan Barrett to the New York Titans for a fourth-round pick in the 2007 NLL Entry Draft. "Bryan didn't fit with our defensive plans," Wings head coach Lindsay Sanderson said. "This trade will give him the chance to play and gives us another pick in next year's draft." Barrett did not appear in any games for the Wings last season. He has four goals and ten assists in 52 career games, dating back to 2002.

 

27 October 2006:
      In one fell swoop earlier this week, Team Canada filled its management and bench staff positions for the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships next spring, drawing from numerous NLL clubs. Colorado head coach Gary Gait will hold down the same role for the Canadians, with Arizona coach Bob Hamley and Rochester skip Ed Comeau as his assistants. Gait's Mammoth boss and longtime buddy Steve Govett was named as general manager, while Edmonton coach Paul Day and New York assistant GM Jeff Dowling assisting in the role.
      In other WILC news, Team USA has selected former Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia player Tom Ryan as head coach, while Team England has opted for Calgary coach Chris Hall. Other teams headed to Halifax for the 14-20 May 2007 tournament include Australia, Czech Republic, Ireland, Iroquois Nationals, and Scotland.

 

29 September 2006:
      In addition to the Winnipeg game announced about a week ago (see 21 September 2006), the Toronto Rock has booked two other exhibition games. Toronto will meet the Philadelphia Wings on Saturday, 25 November, at the Metro Centre in Halifax, then will face the Arizona Sting on Friday, 1 December, at the Oshawa Sports & Entertainment Complex in Oshawa, Ontario. The preseason matchups reprise past NLL Championship Game showdowns (2001 and 2005, respectively).

 

25 September 2006:
      In a potentially expensive PR move, the New York Titans today acquired much-ballyhooed forward Casey Powell and recent draft pick Greg Peyser from the Portland LumberJax for forward Tyler Heavenor and a conditional 2008 first-round entry draft pick (no word on the condition, but the worse the first-year Titans fare this season, the better that pick becomes). Powell (the first-overall pick in the 1998 entry draft and only an occasional NLLer for years) and Peyser both have jobs on the East Coast, limiting their availability to play out west. Heavenor, a rookie last season, tallied six goals and eight assists for Edmonton before being selected in the Expansion Draft.

 

21 September 2006:
      The Colorado Mammoth today traded transition player Scott Stapleford to the Portland LumberJax for a third-round pick in the 2007 NLL Entry Draft. In three seasons with Colorado, Stapleford scored eight goals and dished out 22 assists. In a four-year career, Stapleford has also logged playing time with the Toronto Rock and New York Saints.
      The New York Titans continued their piece-by-piece reconstruction of the old New York Saints earlier this week by signing defensemen Brian Spallina and Blake Miller to one-year contracts. In three NLL seasons, Spallina has struck for five goals and six assists in addition to scooping up 229 loose balls. Miller, a seven-year vet, has 39 goals, 23 assists and 239 loose ball recoveries in his career.
      Looking to expand its options for Life After Watson, the Toronto Rock has signed goaltender Mike Poulin. The 21st-overall selection by Buffalo in last year's NLL Entry Draft, Poulin was released in March without appearing for the Bandits. He joins Jay Preece and Phil Wetherup in the battle to back up 36-year-old Bob Watson, whose pending retirement is rumored almost every year around this time (we reckon that one of these years, the rumor will be true).
      In other Toronto Rock news, Glenn Clark's club will play an exhibition game against the Minnesota Swarm on Saturday, 9 December in Winnipeg. It will be the second time the Manitoba city has hosted a preseason game, but the first for the MTS Centre (Toronto defeated Ottawa, 11-7, four years ago in a game at old Winnipeg Arena). Tickets range from $12.50 to $39.50 (Canadian) and are available at all Ticketmaster locations, via ticketmaster.ca, or by calling 204.780.3333.

 

1 September 2006:
      The Buffalo Bandits have resigned assistant coach Troy Cordingley, adding the role of assistant general manager to his responsibilities. In both positions, he works under coach/GM Darris Kilgour, with whom Cordingley guided the Bandits' defense to a league-best (and franchise record) 10.4 goals allowed per game in 2006. Cordingley spent seven seasons with the Bandits, winning championships in 1993 and 1996, and later played for Albany and Rochester. He has been on the Bandits' coaching staff since 2003.
      The still-unnamed New York franchise signed another four players yesterday, all of them defensemen with NLL experience. The quartet is led by Joe Ghedina, who took faceoffs for the New York Saints from 2001-2003 and for Anaheim in 2004 (winning almost 55 percent of his draws, in addition to recording 12 goals and 17 assists in 52 career games). Tyler Francey (7 goals and 10 assists in 35 career games with Columbus/Arizona and Buffalo), Keevin Galbraith (4 goals and 5 assists in two seasons, both with Philadelphia), and Nick Polanco (1 goal and 4 assists for New York in 2003) also signed on to play in the Big Apple.

 

27 August 2006:
      In a thoroughly dominant performance, the Philadelphia Barrage pounded the Denver Outlaws, 23-12, this afternoon in the Major League Lacrosse championship game, Philadelphia's second title in three years. The game was played in front of 5,374 fans at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Roy Colsey (newly signed in NLL by New York) earned Game MVP honors with six goals (two of them from beyond the arc) and two assists, while Matt Striebel put down four goals (including a two-pointer) and four assists. Paul Cantabene, as he often was in his NLL days, was lethal on faceoffs for Philadelphia, winning 27 of 36 draws. Brenden Mundorf led Denver with three goals and an assist.

 

24 August 2006:
      Apparently, the National Lacrosse League can leave well enough alone. In today's Toronto Sun, Ryan Wolstat reports that while the league has begun experimenting with four runners per side instead of the usual five, there's not nearly enough support for the idea to go anywhere any time soon. The idea behind four-on-four lacrosse is that it would open up space for skill players (more to the point, American skill players, many of whom skip the indoor circuit, viewing it as too violent). The problem is that the league sells itself on the very same aggressiveness and physical play which four-on-four would eliminate.
      The New York expansion franchise (still no name!) signed another five players today, including Expansion Draft selections Jeff Spano and Mike McLellan. Spano, a five-year veteran, has 20 goals and 57 assists in 60 career games, all with Philadelphia. McLellan, the 14th-overall pick in last year's Entry Draft, has just one pro game to his credit, tallying no points with Arizona. New York also signed Chris Passavia, Peter Vlahakis and Tom Zummo, none of whom have any NLL experience.

 

23 August 2006:
      The New York expansion franchise added a definite American flair, signing five players from south of the border. Leading the way is forward Roy Colsey, a former member of the New York Saints, who has 215 goals and 168 assists in a nine-year pro career but who hasn't played since 2004. The still-unnamed club also inked former Philadelphia defenseman Rich Brzeski (83 loose balls over the last five seasons), former Saints defenseman Armando Polanco (31 loose balls in two seasons, 2002 and 2003), forward Brian Tower (19 goals in 19 games for Philadelphia, 2003 to 2004), and transition defender Bobby Horsey (10 goals with Washington in 2002, and 9 goals for New Jersey the following year).

 

18 August 2006:
      The Philadelphia Wings, still struggling to find the heir to Dallas Eliuk, today traded a third-round pick in next month's entry draft (30th overall) to the Buffalo Bandits for goaltender Ken Montour. Acquired in a midseason trade with Arizona, Montour posted a 1-1 record last season in about 117 minutes of work, allowing 25 goals on 111 shots. He played almost eighteen minutes of the 2006 NLL Championship Game, stopping twelve of fourteen shots faced as the Bandits tried (and failed) to rally past Colorado. Montour broke into the league with the Bandits in 2002, but was soon traded to Columbus and followed when that team moved to Arizona in 2004.
      Normally, we limit our coverage of the Canadian summer leagues to the national championships and news directly affecting NLL teams, but we simply can't resist mentioning Thursday night's thriller in the decisive Game Seven of a Western Lacrosse Association semifinal series. A Dan Dawson (Arizona) goal at 2:42 of the second overtime gave Victoria a 3-2 victory over Coquitlam. Do not adjust your monitors -- three to two, in a game long to be remembered for stellar defense. Anthony Cosmo (San Jose) made 51 saves in the victory, while Dallas Eliuk (Portland) gave added meaning to the term "hard-luck loser," allowing the elimination goal after stopping 50 of the first 52 shots he had faced. In case you're wondering, the five combined goals is less than half the NLL record for fewest goals in a game (11: Toronto 7, Albany 4 in 2001) and only twice in MILL/NLL history has a team scored three goals or fewer (Pittsburgh, 3, 1992; Philadelphia, 2, 1999).

 

17 August 2006:
      A couple months after quitting as the Calgary Roughnecks' assistant coach, Jeff Dowling has resurfaced in New York, as assistant general manager and director of player personnel. In three seasons, Dowling helped guide the Riggers to a 26-19 record, including the 2004 championship. Prior to that, Dowling was an assistant coach with Columbus and Anaheim. He never played in MILL/NLL.

 

8 August 2006:
      The Minnesota Swarm today added second- and third-round selections (23rd and 31st overall) in next month's NLL Entry Draft by trading defenseman Nolan Heavenor to the Calgary Roughnecks. Heavenor tallied three goals, one assist and fourteen loose ball recoveries for Minnesota last season, his rookie campaign. Ironically, two of the three goals came in a 12-8 Swarm victory over Calgary in January. Heavenor was Minnesota's second-round selection (17th overall) in last year's draft.

 

27 July 2006:
      The Arizona Sting added size and faceoff skill Wednesday, acquiring forward Brad Dairon from the Edmonton Rush for a third-round selection in the 2008 entry draft. Dairon scored fifteen goals, handed out 21 assists, scooped up 86 loose balls and won 113 of 233 faceoffs for the Rush last season. "We’re very pleased to be adding Brad to our roster," Sting coach/GM Bob Hamley said. "He’s a proven draw man in this league and gives us some size up front." Dairon previously played for Toronto, New York, and (after a three-year absence from the league) San Jose during his six professional seasons.

 

16 July 2006:
      The Minnesota Swarm has bought back the two players it lost earlier this week in the expansion draft, reacquiring defensemen Jon Sullivan and Eric Pacey from the New York No-Names for the Swarm's first- and third-round picks in this year's NLL Entry Draft. Sullivan, one of four players to appear in every Swarm game in 2006, tallied two goals, five assists and 61 loose balls last season. Pacey had two goals, three assists and 45 loosies in thirteen games.
      After three years away from the Calgary Roughnecks, Shawn Cable is coming back. The Riggers announced Friday that they have traded a third-round entry draft pick (29th overall) to the Portland LumberJax for the lefthander. Cable appeared in thirteen games for the LumberJax last season, tallying nine goals and sixteen assists.

 

13 July 2006:
      The Buffalo Bandits today acquired forward Kevin Dostie from the Calgary Roughnecks for forward Jeff Shattler and a second-round pick in the 2007 Entry Draft. Dostie has 52 goals and 55 assists in a four-year career, the last three seasons of which were spent with the Roughnecks. Shattler was the tenth-overall selection in the 2005 Entry Draft, but only appeared in one game for the Bandits over the past two seasons. "Jeff never got his shot last season in Buffalo," Roughnecks GM Kurt Silcott said. "I'm confident that once he gets acclimated to the NLL game he will produce."

 

23 June 2006:
      Despite the lack of official word from the NLL head office, it's obvious New York will join the league as an 2007 expansion entry -- the clincher came when the Associated Press put the big news in today's Sports Transactions wire report. Clearly, the unnamed team is not ready to go public, but we hear that it does have a general manager and head coach lined up, both of whom bring past connections to the Philadelphia Wings.
      And while the door may be closing on expansion for 2007 (or maybe not, as the league apparently continues to entertain a few late entries), former NBA and NFL team executive Bob Whitsitt has applied to bring Seattle on board for 2008, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. "I'd say his chances of getting a franchise in Seattle are pretty good," NLL commissioner Jim Jennings told the paper. Before the league can green-light Whitsitt's application, he must prove that the team can succeed financially and must secure a lease at either KeyArena in Seattle or the Tacoma Dome.

 

23 May 2006:
      The Toronto Rock today filled the second half of the vacancy created with the firing of coach/GM Terry Sanderson earlier this month, hiring Mike Kloepfer as director of lacrosse operations. Kloepfer, also the president and general manager of the Barrie Lakeshores (OLA Major Series Lacrosse), joins new head coach Glenn Clark, the former Rock defenseman and current coach of the Lakeshores. The Rock also named Matt Sawyer and Greg Van Sickle as assistant coaches. Sawyer, a holdover from Sanderson's staff, will run the offense, with Van Sickle handling the defense.

 

30 April 2006:
      The National Lacrosse League's annual end-of-season awards parade begins Monday with the selection of the Bowflex Sportsmanship Award winner and climaxes Thursday, 11 May, when the Most Valuable Player is named. Other awards to be handed out include: Belmont.com Defensive Player of the Year (Tuesday), RBK Goaltender of the Year (Wednesday), Les Bartley Award for Coach of the Year (Thursday), Vonage General Manager of the Year (Friday), Executive of the Year (8 May), Tom Borrelli Award for Writer of the Year (8 May), the Edge Active Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie Team (9 May), and the Dodge All-Pro Teams (10 May).

 

20 April 2006:
      Thanks to a favorable ruling today by arbitrator Ramona Gallagher, the Colorado Mammoth will have the services of captain Gavin Prout for Saturday's playoff game against Calgary. Prout had been suspended one game for leaving the bench during a fight in last weekend's game at Calgary, but Gallagher agreed with Prout's appeal that the fight was over before he came onto the playing field. "On a positive note, at least Colorado will be at full strength this weekend and we want it no other way," Calgary GM Kurt Silcott said. "In the playoffs, teams should be able to play their top line-ups and now that is what is going to take place." An ironic quote, since...
      The Calgary Roughnecks could be without forward Jason Wulder for the trip to Colorado. Wulder was suspended for one game after the league determined that there was intent to injure on Wulder's illegal cross check of Colorado's Dave Stilley during last Saturday's game. Wulder is expected to appeal; the Professional Lacrosse Players Association has 72 hours to do so on his behalf, and the arbitrator has 48 hours after that to rule. In the meantime, Wulder can play..
      And it looks like the fallout from that game isn't over. Denver Post writer Theresa Smith reports that the league office is still reviewing another eleven -- eleven! -- incidents, ten of them involving those naughty Calgary Roughnecks. One in particular involves Calgary's Ryan McNish following Dave Stilley to the bench and ripping his helmet off. This weekend's game, playoffs be damned, looks like it could be a bloodbath. Stay tuned.

 

17 April 2006:
      The Colorado Mammoth likely will be without the services of captain and leading scorer Gavin Prout for Saturday's Western Division semifinal against the Calgary Roughnecks. In this past Saturday's game, also against Calgary, Prout left the bench during a fight, earning him a misconduct and an automatic one-game suspension. Naturally, there's more to this story -- Prout will appeal, because, in the words of Mammoth GM Steve Govett, "Gavin left the bench after the altercation to speak with the officials, which is his prerogative as team captain."
      Speaking of Steve Govett, he and several other Colorado Mammoth executives were removed from the press box during the fourth quarter of Saturday's game at the Saddledome, Ty Pilson reported the other day in the Calgary Sun. It seems that someone complained that the group was yelling and cheering, a no-no for press row.

 

16 March 2006:
      With the trade deadline passing earlier this week, and the deadline to sign players following soon after, NLL teams have been plenty busy this week finalizing their 23-man rosters. Read on:

Arizona Sting: Signed forward Curt Malawsky to the active roster. Signed goaltender Cole Murray and defenseman Garrett Burnett (a former NHLer) to the practice squad. Released forward Jason Clark and defenseman Jon Niziol.       Buffalo Bandits: Traded forward Lindsay Plunkett and a 2007 fourth-round pick to Arizona for forward Jason Crosbie. Signed forward Kyle Schmelze to the practice squad. Released forward Jamie Rooney.       Calgary Roughnecks: Traded forward Andrew Biers to Minnesota for 2006 second- and third-round picks. Activated defenseman Jesse Phillips from injured reserve. Placed forward Ted Dowling on injured reserve. Signed forward Jamie Rooney.       Colorado Mammoth: Acquired forward Andrew Burkholder from Rochester for a 2006 third-round pick. Released forward Gewas Schindler.       Edmonton Rush: Signed forward Jason Clark and defenseman Rob Williams. Released forward Shane Pederson, then re-signed him to practice squad. Placed defenseman Peter Gut on injured reserve.       Minnesota Swarm: Traded defenseman Darryl Gibson and a 2007 second-round pick to Toronto for a 2008 first-rounder and a 2006 second-rounder. Signed defenseman Shawn Summerfield. Promoted forward Dean Hill from the practice squad. Signed defenseman Kyle Ross to the practice squad. Released forwards Tony Henderson and D'Arcy Berthiaume.       Philadelphia Wings: Signed goaltender Nick Schroeder to the practice squad.       Rochester Knighthawks: Signed forward Blake Miller.       San Jose Stealth: Signed forwards Scott Ranger, Drew Virk, and Rob Digiovanni to the practice squad.       Toronto Rock: Placed forward Matt Shearer on injured reserve. Signed defenseman Cory Leigh to the practice squad.

 

21 February 2006:
      Two players were added to the All Star Game rosters yesterday as injury replacements. Minnesota defenseman Darryl Gibson fills in for Rochester's Marshall Abrams on the Eastern Division team, while Edmonton's Cam Bergman substitutes for teammate Andrew Turner in the West lineup.
      In other All Star Game news, the league announced that Toronto forward Jim Veltman and Arizona defenseman Peter Lough will serve as captains on Saturday. Buffalo forward John Tavares and Rochester defenseman Steve Toll will be the alternate captains for the East, with Calgary forward Tracey Kelusky and Colorado forward Gavin Prout wearing the 'A' for the West. The captains were selected by the All Star Team coaches.
      In a break from the usual format, the All Star Weekend Skills Competition will be held the night before, at halftime of the Philadelphia-Toronto game. Three events this year, with participants in parentheses: Shooting Accuracy, with players attempting to score on four shots in the quickest time (Gavin Prout (COL), Tracey Kelusky (CAL), John Tavares (BUF), and Steve Toll (ROC)); Hardest Shot (Kaleb Toth (CAL), Craig Conn (ARZ), John Grant (ROC), and Shawn Williams (ROC)); and Breakaway Creativity, in which players will be judged on creativity, style and accuracy (Jonas Derks (ARZ), Brodie Merrill (POR), Dan Carey (COL), Mark Steenhuis (BUF), Tavares, and Grant).
      The Buffalo Bandits shuffled their goaltending today in separate trades with the Arizona Sting and Calgary Roughnecks. Buffalo traded Ryan Avery to Calgary for a 2006 first-round pick and sent a 2006 first-rounder to Arizona for Ken Montour and a 2007 third-rounder (Same pick? Unclear.) Montour, who played six games for Buffalo in 2002, has not appeared in 2005. Avery played 30 minutes for the Bandits this season, making 24 saves on 30 shots faced.

 

15 February 2006:
      Toronto radio station Fan 590, flagship station of the Toronto Rock, reported this evening that the NLL will officially welcome Chicago as its twelfth member franchise at a press conference Thursday. As reported by the Outsider's Guide last week, NLL has been expected to announced expansion to Chicago and New York for the 2007 season.

 

9 February 2006:
      The Toronto Rock yesterday traded forward Mat Giles to the Edmonton Rush for a 2006 second-round entry draft pick, reducing a bit of a logjam on the Rock's roster and adding offensive skill to the scoring-deprived Rush. Giles had just one goal and one assist in four games this season, but for his 89-game career, he has tallied 100 goals and 82 assists. In Edmonton, he will be reunited with Rush coach/GM Paul Day, his coach when he played in Rochester. Giles is expected to play against his former teammates Saturday when the Rush hosts Toronto at Rexall Place.
      With defenseman Pat Cougevan out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon, the Rochester Knighthawks have signed Bill Greer to shore up their back line. Greer split last season between Arizona and Anaheim, scoring three goals, handing out fourteen assists and scooping up 63 loose balls. Originally a first-round draft choice by Columbus in 2001, Greer followed the team to Arizona and played there until his trade to the Storm in March 2005.

 

7 February 2006:
      The National Lacrosse League formally announced the coaches for the 2006 All Star Game, to be held later this month in Toronto. The selection of Rochester Knighthawks head coach Ed Comeau to lead the East and Arizona Sting boss Bob Hamley to guide the West was made, as previously announced, by their teams' status as the division leaders after the games of Week Five. The Knighthawks are 4-1, the Sting 3-1. Comeau will be assisted by Philadelphia skipper Lindsay Sanderson, who has the Wings in second place in the East at 3-1, while Hamley's assistant will be Calgary Roughnecks coach Chris Hall (the Riggers, 3-3, won a tiebreaker over Colorado and San Jose, by virtue of a better divisional record).

 

4 February 2006:
      Friday night's NLL action featured some of the highest scoring in recent NLL history, with the Colorado Mammoth edging the Arizona Sting in an 18-17 overtime barnburner. It was highest scoring game this season and the first with at least 35 goals since Rochester defeated Buffalo, 19-16, in a playoff game last season; it was the highest winning score since last year's Champions Cup Final (Toronto 19, Arizona 13) and the highest losing score since Philadelphia beat Minnesota, 18-17, last February. It was also the highest scoring overtime game since the controversial triple-OT game in January 2004 (Arizona 19, Anaheim 18), somehow, considering the offense, the longest game in league history.
      Then again, Friday's action also featured some of the lowest scoring ever -- Minnesota Swarm 7, Edmonton Rush 6. While there were a few 8-7 games last year (and who can forget the 8-6 Champions Cup Final in 2003?), the last thirteen-goal game came all the way back in April 2001 (Philadelphia 9, Albany 4) and only once did we go lower than that, a 7-4 snoozer earlier that same year (Toronto over Albany). The Swarm tied Toronto's record for the lowest winning score, while the Rush's six matches Minnesota (12-6 loss to Rochester two weeks ago) for the worst goal total this season. The last time a team went lower than that was March 2004 (Arizona 14, Rochester 4).

 

2 February 2006:
      The Minnesota Swarm finally found a buyer for forward Ryder Bateman, who followed up an All-Rookie season in 2005 with zero appearances so far this season (an availability issue, we hear), by trading him today to the Portland LumberJax for forward Scott Stewart. It hasn't been a great season for Stewart, either -- two goals and two assists in four games. They're both former first-round draft picks: Bateman 6th overall in 2004 (by Minnesota), Stewart 6th in 1999 (Albany) and 3rd in 2001 (New Jersey).
      In another noteworthy move by the Edmonton Rush promotions department, Canadian hip-hop group Swollen Members will perform at halftime of Friday's game and will appear at a private VIP party after the game (visit edmontonrush.com for a chance to attend that bash). Swollen Members? Makes ya wish NLL would return to more wholesome entertainment, like Philadelphia's Toilet Seat promotion and the strippers on trampolines.
      Toronto Rock forward Jim Veltman, the undisputed NLL king of loose balls, is nearing his 2000th professional scoop, a milestone he almost certainly will reach this Sunday in Calgary. Veltman, who won the loose ball crown in each of his thirteen seasons and is the runaway leader in career scoops, currently has 1,998 loosies since breaking in with the 1992 Buffalo Bandits.

 

26 January 2006:
      Fan balloting for the 2006 NLL All Star Game (Saturday, 25 February, at Toronto) has begun on NLL.com. Fans are able to vote for the starters for the Eastern Division and Western Division teams -- three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender per side. The fan balloting counts one-third toward the selection of the starting lineups, with balloting by the NLL general managers and head coaches and by league media each counting one-third.
      His various injuries healed, Calgary Roughnecks defenseman Jesse Phillips has been activated from injured reserve and is expected to play this weekend in Arizona and Portland. "Jesse is the heart and soul of this team," Roughnecks GM Kurt Silcott said. "With Jesse in the lineup, I am in no doubt that we will step up our level of play." To make room for Phillips on the active roster, top draft pick Callum Crawford has been moved to injured reserve.
      In need of some left-handed scoring, the Colorado Mammoth signed forward Gewas Schindler earlier this week. Schindler, a six-year veteran, had been out of the league since the middle of last season, when he was cut loose by the Arizona Sting. In 65 career games, he has scored 98 goals and handed out 120 assists. He broke in with Philadelphia in 2000, then played in New York for a season and a half before joining the Columbus Landsharks in 2002; two years later, he followed the team west to Arizona.

 

19 January 2006:
      The 2006 NLL Champion's Cup Final will apparently be televised live on ESPN2, Saturday 13 May, from 6:00 to 8:30 PM Eastern. This comes from a search of the ESPN International Viewer Website, which does not currently list any other NLL telecasts on the Worldwide Leader in Sports. However, sources suggest that ESPN2 may also televise next month's All Star Game (Saturday 25 February). Stay tuned.

 

7 January 2006:
      The Buffalo Bandits have reached a deal with WWKB 1520 AM to broadcast the Bandits' entire 2006 season live. WWKB is a 50,000-watt station, the strongest allowed by law, so the signal should reach far beyond Buffalo. John Gurtler is back for his third season handling the play-by-play, while former Bandit Randy Mearns returns as the color analyst.
      The Minnesota Swarm signed Mark Miyashita yesterday, giving the young forward his third team in as many season. After breaking in with Vancouver in 2004, Miyashita played for Colorado last year, scoring ten goals and handing out seven assists in ten games. In other roster moves, the Swarm has activated D'Arcy Berthiaume from the Physically Unable to Perform List and released defensemen Travis Hill and Shawn Summerfield.

 

1 January 2006:
      Prior to Friday night's home opener against Philadelphia, the Colorado Mammoth retired Gary Gait's number 22, cementing the fifteen-year star's legacy in Denver. Gait retired after last season as the NLL's alltime leader in goals (596) and points (1091) and second alltime in assists (495), capping a career which began with the 1991 Detroit Turbos and included five seasons with Philadelphia. Gait's final eight seasons came with the Mammoth franchise, which also played in Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Washington during his tenure with the team. After the tribute, Gait moved behind the bench to assume his new role with the Mammoth -- head coach.
      Tim Soudan, an original Rochester Knighthawk, announced his retirement Friday, ending a career which began in 1991 with the New England Blazers. Soudan joined the Knighthawks for their inaugural season (1995) and, in eleven seasons there, tallied 156 goals, 161 assists, and 317 points in 125 games. With Soudan's retirement, Regy Thorpe becomes the last remaining active Knighthawk from that 1995 team and Portland goaltender Dallas Eliuk is all alone as the NLL's most-tenured player ever, at sixteen seasons (both feats effective upon their first game played in 2006).

 

24 December 2005:
      Remote control alert! Colorado forward Jay Jalbert and NLL commissioner Jim Jennings will appear Monday on CBS' "The Early Show", a national morning show which airs weekdays from 7:00 to 9:00 AM Eastern. They will appear twice in the second hour, to discuss the upcoming season, the league's twentieth; toss around a lacrosse ball on-air; and meet with NLL fans in attendance.
      ...Oh, but there's more where that came from! At the same time that Jalbert and Jennings chat on broadcast TV, Portland owner Angela Batinovich will be on cable, visiting "Cold Pizza" on ESPN2. The show airs weekdays from 8:00 to 10:00 AM Eastern, with Batinovich schedule to appear at 8:30 AM. She'll be talking about the expansion LumberJax and her position as the youngest team owner in American professional sports (for those who've not been paying attention this offseason, Miss Batinovich is the ripe old age of 24). Don't worry about missing Angela on account of that other NLL-friendly morning show - "Cold Pizza" repeats at 10:00 AM Eastern, putting Batinovich back on the air at 10:30.
      Random thought: Anyone else wondering if Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer are battling for an exclusive interview with Buffalo Bandits forward (and soon-to-be alltime scoring leader) John Tavares?

 

3 December 2005:
      The Portland LumberJax drew an exceptional crowd of 10,509 for Thursday night's intrasquad scrimmage, a game which ended up in overtime. The Jax offered free admission and free parking, and tossed in various food specials, including $1 hot dogs and $1 sodas. The team also handed out poster calendars, many of which were autographed by the players after the game.
      A scheduling conflict at HP Pavilion has forced the San Jose Stealth to reschedule two home games. The Friday 3 February game against the Calgary Roughnecks has been moved to Saturday 18 March, at 7:30 PM Pacific (10:30 PM Eastern). The Stealth's previously scheduled game for that night, against the Portland LumberJax, will be played on Friday 7 April (also 7:30 PM Pacific).