Nll Three Stars: Week 8

With four games on the National Lacrosse League schedule, there were tons of NLL pros who stepped up and stood out among the world’s best lacrosse players this past weekend. Which ones shined the brightest? Find the Three Stars of NLL Week 8 by Stephen Stamp on IL Indoor.

Second Star
Cody Jamieson, Rochester Knighthawks
4 goals 1 assist
A number of players could have landed in this spot. Jamieson gets it because of the timing of his performance. Rochester trailed by three with less than five minutes to play. Jamieson passed the ball to Cory Vitarelli, who completed his hat trick to pull them within two. Then Jammer ran off a natural hat trick to tie the game and then win it. Clutch, clutch, clutch.

Third Star
Kevin Buchanan, New England Black Wolves
3 goals, 7 assists
Again, plenty of competition for this spot, as you’ll see from the strong list of honourable mentions this week. Buchanan gets the slight edge for a play he made in the fourth quarter of the Black Wolves eventual overtime loss to Toronto. After being released from serving a penalty, Buchanan raced back into the New England defensive zone and stripped a Rock ball carrier, causing a loose ball William O’Brien picked up and turned into a game-tying goal by whipping it up the floor to Kyle Buchanan, who put it home.

Honorable Mentions
Adam Jones (Colorado): 4g, 3a. Jones’ big first half propelled the Mammoth to a lead they were able to ride to the win…Rhys Duch (Vancouver): 4g, 4a. It seems like the only way for Duch to be kept out of this column is for the Stealth to have a bye weekend…Dhane Smith (Buffalo): 3g, 3a. Ditto for Smith and this column. He’s established himself as a regular…Rob Hellyer (Toronto): 2g, 6a. It’s getting close to the time to really wonder: what exactly will happen if and when Garrett Billings returns to the Rock lineup?…Brett Hickey (Toronto): 4g. I mean, really? Who do you sit among Hellyer, Hickey and veteran off-ball wizard Kasey Beirnes? Hickey’s leading the team in goals…Kyle Buchanan (New England): 5g, 6a. The Nepean native was a pleasant surprise as a late-round rookie who put up 22 points for the Stealth in 2013. Now he’s clearly a legitimate and consistent threat for the Black Wolves…Kedoh Hill (Buffalo): 3g, 1a. Hill has always been dangerous when he gets running or has space to shoot. He’s also gradually getting the hang of the whole defence thing, as attested by his continuing to lead the league in caused turnovers…Dillon Ward (Colorado): 49 saves, .803 save percentage. Did you notice that New England outshot Colorado fairly significantly Sunday? Ward was…

Click here for First Star and full list of Honorable Mentions from Stephen Stamp’s Three Stars on IL Indoor.