PK’s NLL Power Rankings - Week 20

1.      San Diego Seals – 12-4 (Last Week: #1)

The Seals stay atop of the rankings this week after their 14-10 win over Panther City. PC held a 10-9 lead with 7:28 remaining until the Seals scored the final 5 in 4:57 to take the win and secure a top 2 seed. Austin Staats put in 4 while Wes Berg added a 3/3/6 night. Trevor Baptiste might have had his best performance as a Seal going 2/1/3 with 20 LB and 1 CTO going 25/27 at the FO Dot. In net, Chris Origlieri went 35/45 to keep pace in the Goalie of the Year race. The Seals will head to Saskatchewan Saturday night with a chance to keep the Rush out of the playoffs.

2.      Toronto Rock – 13-3 (Last Week: #2)

Toronto took down Albany 10-7 and have now officially clinched a top 2 seed in the playoffs. They used a 6-goal 2nd to do just that. Tom Schreiber went 1/11 shooting but dished out 5 helpers. Mark Matthews has a 2/2/4 night while Corey Small cashed in a goal with 3 assists. Mitch de Snoo put his name back in contention for Defender of the year scoring 1 to go with his 10 LBs, 2 Blocked Shots and 2 CTO. But it was the play once again of Nick Rose going 48/55 in net to keep his name on that Goalie of the Year trophy. The team heads to Rochester on Saturday with a chance to clinch the top seed throughout the playoffs with a win or a San Diego loss.

3.      Buffalo Bandits – 9-7 (Last Week: #4)

Buffalo was 4-5 vs the Mammoth in the regular season and playoffs the last 3 years but were on a 2-game winning streak that extended to 3 after their 13-11-win Friday night. It was a back-and-forth game, but the Bandits used timely goals to snag their 9th in of the year and inch within 1 game of clinching a playoff spot. Dhane Smith led the way with 5 goals while Josh Byrne went 3/4/7 and Chris Cloutier went 2/4/6 on the night. Matt Vinc was solid once again making 32/43 saves and has been on another level since returning from injury. But it was the play on the other end of the floor which stood out to me. 15 CTO and 10 BS with Cam Wyers, Steve Priolo leading the way combining for 5 BS and 6 CTO on the night. If this team can fix their streaks of no goals and address the special teams, they will be a team no one wants to face come playoff time. They host a win and in game vs Calgary Saturday night.

4.      Georgia Swarm – 10-7 (Last Week: #5)

Georgia used a 7-goal 2nd half to take the close game vs Vegas and clinch a playoff spot. It was the top dogs on offense that got the job done. Shayne Jackson went 4/1/5, Andrew Kew saw 3/3/6 night, Lyle Thompson went 2/3/5 while Bryan Cole went 2/2/4. It has been a known this this year. When their top players are performing on offense, they are tough to beat. In net the sophomore Brett Dobson went 47/56 and allowed just 3 2nd half goals. The Swarm are on bye prior to finishing their season against Rochester. 

5.      Halifax Thunderbirds – 9-8 (Last Week: #3)

The latest victim to the Warriors as Halifax blew another 2nd half lead on their way to a 15-13 loss. The Thunderbirds led 4-1 after the 1st and 8-5 at half only to see Vancouver score 10 of the 15 2nd half goals. Randy Staats (4/1/5), Austin Shanks (3/4/7) and Clarke Petterson (2/4/6), Combined for 9 of the teams 13 goals. In net Warren Hill went 33/48. This is one of those reasons why people have not been able to put their full trust in Halifax. They have just come up short time and time again. They now sit 6th in the standings after they had a chance to clinch playoffs with a win. They head into their final bye week before finishing the season vs Colorado. They do have a chance to clinch playoffs this week with losses by Vancouver and Calgary.

6.      Albany Firewolves – 10-6 (Last Week: #6)

Some teams hit their stride just in time for the Playoffs. And Albany has 2 weeks to find that very thing. A 10-7 loss to Toronto puts their losing streak at 4 and their hope for a home playoff game hangs in the balance. A 6-goal 2nd quarter saw the Rock take a commanding lead they would not relinquish. Ethan Walker had just 1 assist with 10 LBs but also gave up 10 TOs. Sam Firth netted 2 goals while Alex Simmons went 2/17 in shooting. But it was Doug Jamieson going 45/54 in net to give the team a chance. Even with the losing streak and the offense drying up, the team can clinch the 3rd seed with a win in the final 2 games. They get their first chance Sunday vs Panther City.

7.      New York Ripitde – 8-8 (Last Week: #9)

NY used a 7-goal run between the 2nd and 3rd to take the game vs Rochester 14-9 in a game they needed to have with the team behind them winning their games. Jeff Teat kept pace in the scoring title race going 4/5/9 with 14LB while one of the best pick ups of the year in Stephen Keogh went 3/2/5. 6 other players left the night with multiple point games. In net Cam Dunkerley was in full control making 49/58 saves against one of the leagues better offenses by average. It’s another must win game for the club who gets Vancouver on the road and have a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win and some help.

8.      Vancouver Warriors – 7-9 (Last Week: #10)

The run Vancouver is on, no one saw coming. With their 15-13 win over Halifax, the Warriors have now won 5 of their last 6 games and 4 straight to give themselves a real shot at playoffs. They scored 10 of the 15 goals in the 2nd half to that the win. Keegan Bal continues his insane run scoring 5 while Ryan Martel went 4/1/5 on the night. Aden Walsh looks more and more like the face of the net for years to come going 43/56 in net. The team gets NY on Saturday night. If they win, they will pull even for a playoff spot. With a loss they are eliminated. It’s a must watch game for NLL fans.

9.      Panther City Lacrosse Club – 8-8 (Last Week: #7)

Their final back-to-back weekend of the year saw Panther City go 1-1 on the weekend. It started with a late 4th quarter lead over the Seals that saw SD score the final 5 of the game to win 14-10. Callum Crawford went 3/3/6 while Will Malcolm dished out 5 assists in his 6-point night. Nick Damude went 40/54 in net giving PC a chance right until the end. Flash forward to Sunday where PC eliminated the Wings from playoff contention with a 12-10 victory. This time it was Panther City that came from behind scoring the final 3 of the game. Rookie Jason Knox had the best game of his young career going 4/4/8 on 17 SOG. Crawford (2/3/5), Malcolm (1/5/6) and Jonathan Donville (2/2/4) helped in their way to the win to put them back at .500 on the year. It was another 40 save performance for Damude who went 43/53 in net. The team has a chance to clinch playoffs this week with a win over Albany and a SAS and CAL loss.

10.  Calgary Roughnecks – 7-9 (Last Week: #8)

A home and home weekend for the Roughnecks vs the Rush saw the home teams win the matchups while both teams go to 7-9 holding onto their playoff chances with 2 games left. The Roughnecks entered the 4th up 9-4 and were able to withstand the comeback efforts winning 12-10 despite being outscored 6-3 in the fourth. Tanner Cook had the offense go through him going 1/7/8. Jesse King finished 2/4/6 while Tyler Pace went 2/3/5. But it was Christian Del Bianco saving the day making 52/62 saves. One day later saw the team go down early in this one trailing 9-5 at half. They would score 4 of the 7 2nd half goals but the comeback attempt was too late. Jesse King went 2/4/6 with help from Haiden Dickson going 2/2/4. Tyler Pace and Tanner Cook struggled shooting going 2/25 on the night. Del Bianco went 31/43 in net. The team travels to Buffalo Saturday night in a must win game.

11.  Saskatchewan Rush – 7-9 (Last Week: #12)

Right behind Calgary in the standings and here in the rankings are the Rush after splitting the home and home weekend with the Roughnecks. Calgary scored the 1st four and led 9-4 in the 4th. Despite scoring 6 of 9 in the fourth, Rush fell short of their comeback falling 12-10 in game 1. The scoring was spread out with 8 players providing 2 or more points. Frank Scigliano was not his sharp self in this one making just 29/41 saves. Flash forward one night as the Rush got their revenge. Rush used a 9-5 first half lead to take their part of the home and home 12-9. Zach Manns (3/4/7), Ryan Keenan (2/3/5), and Robert Church (2/6/8) led the way for the offense. Mike Messenger was a monster going 1/1/2 with 17 LB including going 21/24 at the FO dot. Scgiliano bounced back making 42/51 saves to get them to 7-9 with 2 games left. The Rush host the Seals Saturday night in a must win game.

12.  Rochester Knighthawks – 6-9 (Last Week: #11)

The trend is still alive. This might be the thing I’m most interested in track in the final 2 weeks. Can the pattern finish the season? 3 wins, 6 losses, 3 wins and then 6 losses once again. A 7-goal run for NY put them ahead for good as ROC losses again 14-9 and their 3rd straight game of scoring under 10 goals. Ryan Lanchbury led the way with a 3/2/5 night. Kyle Waters had a 2/2/4 game while Connor Fields was off shooting 1/15 in the defeat. With Riley Hutchcraft going on IR and Rylan Hartley not ready for game action yet, Doug Buchan started for the first time in years going 35/46 in net. Rochester will head north Saturday and take on the Rock. If they lose, they have a chance to be eliminated from playoff contention.

13.  Colorado Mammoth – 5-10 (Last Week: #13)

A back-and-forth game in the loud house saw the Mammoth go silent in a 13-11 loss that sees their very slim playoff chances slip even further. Colorado led twice in the 4th, but Buffalo would score within 2 minutes both times to tie the game up before the Mammoth offense would go quiet in the final 9:58 of the game. Connor Kelly (4/1/5) and Zed Williams (3/2/5) led the way on offense collecting 7 of the 11 goals. Dillon Ward made some great saves to keep the team in it making 30/42 saves but it was not enough. Colorado host Philly Friday night in a game they must win and have NY lose in Vancouver and the Rush lose vs the Seals to have a shot.

14.  Philadelphia Wings – 5-11 (Last Week: #14)

Any chance the Wings had at a run to the playoffs were dashed Sunday with their 12-10 loss to PC. Scoring 5 of the first 6 in the 2nd half saw Philly take a 10-9 lead with 9:06 left in the game. But PC would score the final 3 to take the Win. Joe Resetarits went 3/1/4 while Mitch Jones went 2/3/5 in the game. At this point you have to feel for Zach Higgins, who played incredible just to be let down by his team once again this year. He went 54/65 in net. You have to wonder if they should have sent him to a contender before the deadline and given the rookie Deacan Knott the run to see what they have. They look to put the final nail in the Mammoth coffin Friday night.

15.  Las Vegas Desert Dogs – 4-12 (Last Week: #15)

Tied 6-6 at half before Georgia scored 7 of the 10 goals to finish the game. Scoring was spread around with Casey Jackson, Dylan Watson, Charlie Bertrand and Zack Greer meeting 2 each while Jack Hannah handed out 6 assists. Landon Kells manned the net making 39/52 saves in the losing effort. Vegas will face off vs the Mammoth in their 2nd of 2 games of the weekend with yet another chance to meet last year’s win total and break out of their 6-game losing streak.