And then there was one. After five National Lacrosse League games in NLL Week 4, the Colorado Mammoth emerged from the weekend as the only remaining undefeated team in the league as the club improved to 3-0 on the young season. It shouldn’t be surprising to see them atop the ranks heading into Week 5. But where do the rest of the teams stack up? Check out the NLL Power Rankings by Brian Shanahan on IL Indoor below.
“It was back to business in the National Lacrosse League again with 5 games on the docket for Week 4,” Shanahan writes. “The Toronto Rock was the only team that played twice as they split games against their eastern rivals Buffalo Bandits and the Rochester Knighthawks, who got their first victory of the season. In Alberta, coach Derek Keenan was back behind the bench and suddenly the Edmonton Rush of 2015 looked like the Edmonton Rush who dominated the regular season last year as they dismantled the home Calgary Roughnecks 16-8. That loss drops Calgary’s record to 0-3.”
1) Colorado Mammoth (3-0) (+1): Colorado has a ridiculous 57 goals in its three games so far this season. Adam Jones led the way for the Mammoth, scoring 4 goals and 6 assists but Colorado had 9 different players scoring as it outshot the Stealth 56-36. A tip of the hat goes to Alex Turner, who scored 4 goals for the Mammoth. Next week these two teams go at it again, this time in Langley.
2) Toronto Rock (3-1) (-1): While the Toronto Rock would have loved to sweep their games on the weekend, realistically they can’t be disappointed with their efforts and the results. Friday’s home opener against the Buffalo Bandits started with a very nice pre-game tribute to the late Terry Sanderson and it was obvious that players and fans felt that this was more than just an ordinary game. The Rock turned a 7-5 first half deficit into a 13-11 victory. Toronto was led by Steph Leblanc’s 10 points as well as Josh Sanderson’s 6 second-half assists. After that win the Rock jumped on a bus a travelled to Rochester, where they lost a close defensive battle by the score of 8-6. Next week the Rock will host the winless Calgary Roughnecks on the TSN game of the week.
8) Vancouver Stealth (1-2) (-2): I don’t like the way this season is going for the Vancouver Stealth. Aside from a crazy 11-goal run in their season opening game, the Stealth has not looked good at all. Saturday night, they were owned by the Colorado Mammoth in a 20-9 loss in which they were outshot 56-36. Vancouver is missing some key defensive players but it also has to be concerned that Johnny Powless got zero points Saturday night and only has 1 goal in the first 4 games. Newcomer Corey Small scored 2 goals and 2 assists in his first game with the Stealth but they have to find some way to get some chemistry from all of their offensive lefties. Next week, the Stealth will get a rematch with the Mammoth, this time in Langley.
9) Calgary Roughnecks (0-3) (-2): The Calgary Roughnecks lost their third game in a row as the Battle of Alberta proved to be a decisive 16-8 victory for the Edmonton Rush. Sooner or later the Roughnecks are going to have a break out game but so far they share the worst goals-against record in the league (17 goals per game average) and are only No. 6 in offensive production. They look like a team that is waiting for the magic to happen but aren’t willing to play disciplined lacrosse for 60 minutes. Next week, the Roughnecks will get their chance to turn things around as they travel to Toronto to play the Rock on the TSN game of the week.
Click here to find Shanny’s full power rankings and expert analysis on IL Indoor.
