For the first and only time this season, the Buffalo Bandits and Rochester Knighthawks are on a bye in the same week, so with the league at the halfway point of the calendar, let’s take a look where everyone ranks through 11 weeks.

Week 11 Review

Colorado Mammoth 13 – Georgia Swarm 12

A back and forth game of runs saw Ryan Lee score the game winner with 38 seconds left, as the Mammoth split their season series with the Swarm with a 13-12 win. Lee was the team’s leading scorer with 2 goals and 6 assists on a night where each of their goal scorers had multi-goal nights, including 2 goals and 4 assists from Connor Robinson and Will Malcom and 3 goals and 2 assists for Zed Williams, who tied the game at 12 with 4:06 left. Dillon Ward gor the win with 39 saves, including 21 in the second half. For the Swarm, Toron Eccleston had his second consecutive 4 goal game and added 3 assists. Miles Thompson (2G 3A), Shayne Jackson (1G 4A), and Lyle Thompson (5A) each had 5 points for an offense that was missing Andrew Kew.

Calgary Roughnecks 15 – Vancouver Warriors 12

After the Warriors scored twice in the first 90 seconds, the Roughnecks scored 9 of the next 12 goals to go up big, but the Warriors slowly chipped away with 7 of the next 8 goals to tie the game at 10, but Calgary was able to score the next 3 goals and then lock the game back down to improve to 7-0 all time at Rogers Arena. While the Roughnecks defense has been scrutinized at points this season, they limited the Warriors offense to 9 shots on goal in the final frame, with all of them turned away from Cam MacLeod, who got the win with 40 saves. Curtis Dickson led the way with 3 goals and 4 assists, moving into 6th all time in goals in the meantime, and Dane Dobbie had 2 goals and 4 assists. For Vancouver, Keegan Bal led with 2 goals and 6 assists, with Adam Charalambides adding 2 goals and 4 assists and each of Kevin Crowley and Riley Loewen adding 5 points.

Halifax Thunderbirds 14 – Philadelphia Wings 10

Maybe inevitable that it would be a football-looking final score at Wells Fargo Center on Super Bowl Eve, but the Thunderbirds used a 5-0 run after the game was even at 8 to pull away and pull back to .500 on the season. Once again, the transition team led the way, with 3 goals and 3 assists from Ryan Terefenko, a goal and 3 assists from Jake Withers, and a goal and 2 assists from Graeme Hossack. The trio also combined for 48 loose balls, with 20 from Withers in a 25/28 game at the dot, 18 from Hossack, and 10 from Terefenko. Mike Robinson added a hat trick to lead the forwards. For the Wings, Mitch Jones had a goal and 8 assists, with Joe Resetarits scoring 3 times and adding 3 assists, and Holden Cattoni and Brennan O’Neill, who had a goal of the year candidate, each had a goal and 3 assists. Michael Sowers had 2 goals and an assists in his NLL debut, filling in for an injured Sam LeClair.

San Diego Seals 11 – Toronto Rock 10

The final game of the weekend came down to the wire, as the Rock came out swinging to start the fourth quarter trailing by 4 to take a 10-9 lead, but former Rock star Rob Hellyer (2G 3A) tie the game with 1:16 to play, and then Wes Berg (4G) stunned the home Rock crowd with an outside runner to give the Seals the lead back and hold on to snap their losing streak. Ben McIntosh and Ty Thompson had a goal and 3 assists each. For Toronto, Mitch de Snoo had 2 goals and 2 assists out the back door to lead the Rock in scoring, while Corey Small had a hat trick and Josh Dawick and Tom Schreiber each had a goal and 2 assists.

Stats Time

Let’s do some learning:

Team	Games Played (Home | Road)	Record (Home | Road)	Win Percentage
Buffalo Bandits	6 (4 | 2)	6-0 (4-0 | 2-0)	1.000
Saskatchewan Rush	8 (4 | 4)	6-2 (3-1 | 3-1)	.750
Calgary Roughnecks	8 (3 | 5)	5-3 (1-2 | 4-1)	.625
Colorado Mammoth	10 (5 | 5)	6-4 (3-2 | 3-2)	.600
Philadelphia Wings	9 (5 | 4)	5-4 (3-2 | 2-2)	.556
Georgia Swarm	9 (5 | 4)	5-4 (2-3 | 3-1)	.556
Ottawa Black Bears	8 (4 | 4)	4-4 (2-2 | 2-2)	.500
Halifax Thunderbirds	8 (4 | 4)	4-4 (2-2 | 2-2)	.500
Vancouver Warriors	9 (4 | 5)	4-5 (3-1 | 1-4)	.444
San Diego Seals	9 (5 | 4)	4-5 (3-2 | 1-3)	.444
Rochester Knighthawks	10 (5 | 5)	4-6 (1-4 | 3-2)	.400
Toronto Rock	9 (4 | 5)	3-6 (1-3 | 2-3)	.333
Las Vegas Desert Dogs	8 (4 | 4)	2-6 (1-3 | 1-3)	.250
Albany FireWolves	9 (4 | 5)	2-7 (1-3 | 1-4)	.222

Team	Goals For %	Goals For (Per Game)	Goals Against (Per Game)	Goal Differential (Average)
Buffalo Bandits	62.75	96 (16.00)	57 (9.50)	39 (6.50)
Saskatchewan Ruch	53.93	96 (12.00)	82 (10.25)	14 (1.75)
Colorado Mammoth	52.30	125 (12.50)	114 (11.40)	11 (1.10)
Vancouver Warriors	50.83	92 (10.22)	89 (9.89)	3 (0.33)
Philadelphia Wings	50.82	124 (13.78)	120 (13.33)	4 (0.44)
Halifax Thunderbirds	50.49	104 (13.00)	102 (12.75)	2 (0.25)
Calgary Roughnecks	49.50	99 (12.38)	101 (12.63)	-2 (-0.25)
San Diego Seals	48.98	96 (10.67)	100 (11.11)	-4 (-0.44)
Albany FireWolves	48.84	105 (11.67)	110 (12.22)	-5 (-0.56)
Georgia Swarm	48.84	105 (11.67)	110 (12.22)	-5 (-0.56)
Rochester Knighthawks	48.12	115 (11.50)	124 (12.40)	-9 (-0.90)
Ottawa Black Bears	47.62	70 (8.75)	77 (9.63)	-7 (-0.88)
Toronto Rock	46.49	86 (9.56)	99 (11.00)	-13 (-1.44)
Las Vegas Desert Dogs	43.07	87 (10.88)	115 (14.38)	-28 (-3.50)

Team	Shot Attempts For %	Shot Attempts For (Per Game)	Shot Attempts Against (Per Game)	Shot Attempt Diff (AVG)	SOG For %	SOG For (Per Game)	SOG Against (Per Game)	SOG Diff (AVG)	Shooting Pct	Pct of Shots On Goal
SD	52.58	659 (73.22)	592 (65.78)	67 (7.44)	53.26	474 (52.67)	416 (46.22)	58 (6.44)	14.57	71.93
SAS	51.90	616 (77.00)	571 (71.38)	45 (5.63)	52.32	428 (53.50)	390 (48.75)	38 (4.75)	15.58	69.48
ROC	51.85	828 (82.80)	769 (76.90)	59 (5.90)	51.87	583 (58.30)	541 (54.10)	42 (4.20)	13.89	70.41
TOR	51.35	684 (76.00)	648 (72.00)	36 (4.00)	50.11	454 (50.44)	452 (50.22)	2 (0.22)	12.57	66.37
BUF	51.05	464 (77.33)	445 (74.17)	19 (3.17)	52.70	341 (56.83)	306 (51.00)	35 (4.25)	20.69	73.49
HFX	50.86	623 (77.88)	602 (75.25)	21 (2.63)	51.97	449 (56.13)	415 (51.88)	34 (4.25)	16.69	72.07
CGY	50.70	582 (72.75)	566 (70.75)	16 (2.00)	49.75	398 (49.75)	402 (50.25)	-4 (-0.50)	17.01	68.38
GA	50.62	654 (72.67)	638 (70.89)	16 (1.78)	50.06	443 (49.22)	442 (49.11)	1 (0.11)	16.06	67.74
ALB	50.37	682 (75.78)	672 (74.67)	10 (1.11)	49.54	486 (54.00)	495 (55.00)	-9 (-1.00)	15.40	71.26
VAN	49.88	637 (70.78)	640 (71.11)	-3 (-0.33)	51.96	451 (50.11)	417 (46.33)	34 (3.78)	14.44	70.80
OTT	48.25	525 (65.63)	563 (70.38)	-38 (-4.75)	47.22	348 (43.50)	389 (48.63)	-41 (-5.13)	13.33	66.29
COL	47.73	704 (70.40)	771 (77.10)	-67 (-6.70)	46.65	474 (47.40)	542 (54.20)	-68 (-6.80)	17.76	67.33
LV	47.25	550 (68.75)	614 (76.75)	-64 (-8.00)	47.62	400 (50.00)	440 (55.00)	-40 (-5.00)	15.82	72.73
PHI	45.68	618 (68.67)	735 (81.67)	-117 (-13.00)	45.71	437 (48.56)	519 (57.67)	-82 (-9.11)	20.06	70.71

Team	PP Goals / PP Attempts (Per Game)	PP PCT	PK Goals / PK Attempts (Per Game)	PK PCT	SH GF | SH GA	Special Teams Goal Differential
Albany	22/47 (2.44/5.22)	46.81	24/46 (2.67/5.11)	47.83	9 | 4	3
Buffalo	12/29 (2.00/4.83)	41.38	14/34 (2.33/5.67)	58.82	6 | 3	1
Calgary	22/42 (2.75/5.25)	52.38	14/33 (1.75/4.13)	57.78	3 | 6	5
Colorado	18/48 (1.80/4.80)	37.50	25/48 (2.50/4.80)	47.92	2 | 5	-10
Georgia	17/39 (1.89/4.33)	43.59	14/29 (1.56/3.22)	51.72	3 | 2	4
Halifax	15/29 (1.88/3.63)	51.72	17/38 (2.13/4.75)	55.26	5 | 2	1
Las Vegas	16/33 (2.00/4.13)	48.48	18/30 (2.25/3.75)	40.00	6 | 4	0
Ottawa	14/30 (1.75/3.75)	46.67	8/31 (1.00/3.88)	74.19	3 | 1	8
Philadelphia	18/29 (2.00/3.22)	62.07	18/37 (2.00/4.11)	51.35	4 | 5	-1
Rochester	19/42 (1.90/4.20)	45.24	17/42 (1.70/5.44)	59.52	5 | 4	3
San Diego	16/38 (1.78/4.22)	42.11	23/49 (2.56/5.44)	53.06	4 | 3	-6
Saskatchewan	18/48 (2.25/6.00)	37.50	9/28 (1.13/3.50)	67.86	2 | 5	6
Toronto	17/38 (1.89/4.22)	44.74	16/39 (1.78/4.33)	58.97	1 | 7	-5
Vancouver	13/36 (1.44/4.00)	36.11	20/44 (2.22/4.89)	54.55	4 | 6	-9

Week 12 Preview

Hope you enjoyed the bye. Or if you’re a Bandits fan, the many byes. There are 8 games in the NLL this weekend, including the first two of 12 in 10 weeks for the Bandits.

Friday February 14

Buffalo Bandits (6-0) @ Toronto Rock (3-6) – 7:00 pm, TSN

You know the drill at this point: 15 matchups post-COVID, Bandits have won 8 in a row and 11 of 12. While the Rock had the best game of their unfortunate 0-5 start to the season, the Bandits pulled away to make the streak keep going, but the Rock are also healthier and playing better than they were on January 10th, so it’s going to be a big test to start a big weekend for the 6-0 Bandits.

Saskatchewan Rush (6-2) @ Calgary Roughnecks (5-3) – 9:30 pm, TSN

The second half of the No Love Lost Valentine’s Day TSN Doubleheader that the league has been marketing, the Battle of the Prairies got pretty heated in Saskatoon last year, with the Rush snapping an 8 game losing streak on the second leg of a home and home last April. The Rush’s last win in Calgary was back on January 27, 2018. The two teams will play again April 4 in Saskatoon.

Vancouver Warriors (4-5) @ Las Vegas Desert Dogs (2-6) – 10:30 pm

Not a traditional rivalry, but the Warriors and Desert Dogs have played some competitive games against each other during Vegas’s first two seasons in the league, despite the Warriors holding a 4-1 lead in the all-time series.

Saturday February 15

San Diego Seals (4-5) @ Buffalo Bandits (6-0) – 7:30 pm

The second leg of the doubleheader doesn’t get much easier for the Bandits either, as while the Seals are in a similar place to the Rock, surprised to be under .500 with the expectations that they’ve come into the season with, but back-to-backs can lead to some interesting results early and late in games. It’ll be a good test too for the Seals, as they have yet to beat the Bandits head-to-head in four all time meetings, including a 12-9 win in last season’s banner raising game. They’ll also be playing next week in San Diego.

Rochester Knighthawks (4-6) @ Saskatchewan Rush (6-2) – 8:00 pm

The Knighthawks were a goal post away from forcing overtime in the first meeting with the Rush back in December, and since then, the Rush have only gotten better and found themselves as the top candidate to potentially chase down the Bandits halfway through the calendar. With Rylan Hartley back for what actually will be his first ever start against the Rush after being injured for each of the first three all time meetings, that will be a new variable to introduce to the equation. The Rush’s goaltending decisions this week will also be of note, as they will likely split Thomas Kiazyk and Frank Scigliano between this game and their game with Calgary, with the veteran Scigliano returning from paternity leave.

Philadelphia Wings (5-4) @ Halifax Thunderbirds (4-4) – 6:00 pm

The Thunderbirds will look to jump over .500 for the first time this season if they can get their second win in as many weeks against the Wings at home. The transition game will once again be something to watch for after the Thunderbirds scored 9 of their goals (including the empty netter) in transition last week.

Ottawa Black Bears (4-4) @ Albany FireWolves (2-7) – 7:00 pm

After Albany won both season matchups with the Riptide last season, another win against the now Black Bears will be critical in an attempt to potentially save any remaining aspirations towards defending their spot in the NLL Finals. After playing multiple games against each other in each of the last 3 seasons, it’s the only matchup between the previously geographical neighbors this season.

Sunday February 6

Las Vegas Desert Dogs (2-6) @ Calgary Roughnecks (5-3) – 7:00 pm

The busy weekend comes to an end with Calgary’s second home game of the weekend and some Sunday lacrosse the Sunday after the Super Bowl in each team’s second game of the weekend. It’s the third time in a row that the Desert Dogs will head to Calgary, where they lost in each matchup, including a 17-11 loss in last year’s lone matchup. They will head to Vegas in April for their second matchup of the season.

(Photo Credit: Bandits.com)