Stephen Stamp from IL Indoor has released his NLL Three Stars of Week 2 following four action-packed games on Saturday night. There have been plenty of early-season surprises so far with Colorado, New England and Toronto unbeaten and last year’s powers of Calgary, Edmonton and Rochester all still seeking their first win. So which players made a difference? Check out a glimpse below of the full story on IL Indoor.
“The surprises just kept coming in Week 2 of the National Lacrosse League season, Stamp writes. “Did anyone see Toronto putting up 20 goals on the road in Vancouver? How about Minnesota scoring 9 goals in one quarter against last year’s top defensive team, Edmonton Calgary and Colorado going to overtime was no surprise: that’s what they do these days (Saturday was the fourth straight game between the teams to go to extra time). Probably the biggest shocker for most people was the New England Black Wolves dumping the three-time defending champs by 10 goals, clobbering Rochester 17-7.”
Second Star
Shawn Evans, Calgary Roughnecks
5 goals, 5 assists
Evans has 18 points through Calgary’s first two games. It’s astonishing that the Roughnecks have scored 30 goals and they’re 0-2. The blame for the winless start certainly can’t be laid at Evans’ feet. He’s become best known for his ethereal passing, and that was on display again in the loss to Colorado, but Evans make his biggest impact in this game with his shooting. Because he’s such a good passer it can be easy to forget how dangerous Evans can be when he shoots. With the game in the balance, Evans poured in four goals in the fourth quarter to give Calgary a lead that it took a tremendous Joey Cupido goal and John Grant Jr.’s overtime heroics to overcome.
Third Star
Kevin Crowley, New England Black Wolves
6 goals, 4 assists
After the first two stars went to a pair of players who excel despite their size, our third star is a big guy who uses his size to good effect. Crowley is just a couple of points behind Evans, third in the league in scoring (tied with Grant and Rob Hellyer). He was instrumental in the Black Wolves dominance of Rochester Saturday, orchestrating the offence with aplomb. He’s getting plenty of help from Kyle Buchanan, Pat Saunders and others, but Crowley is the straw that stirs the drink and he is rewarding team management’s faith in putting him in that situation.
Honourable Mentions
John Grant Jr. (Colorado): 3g, 4a. The overtime goal was classic Grant, using his strength to create some space and his still remarkable shooting to bury a laser…Rob Hellyer (Toronto): 6g, 4a. Every time we think Hellyer has shown us how good he can be, he steps up and plays even better…Zach Higgins (Minnesota)…
Find the NLL Three Stars on IL Indoor including this week’s top performer along with more honorable mentions by clicking here. Photo by Jack Dempsey.
