Power Rankings | Week 16

8) Colorado Mammoth (7-5)

Week 15 Results: Idle
Week 16 Opponent: at Philadelphia (5-7)
Previous Ranking: 6th

Colorado is the only team in this week’s Power Rankings that sat at home during Week 15. The Mammoth have been playing a game of win-loss ping pong since mid-December, which has been a function of their frustratingly inconsistent offense. Zed Williams is officially out for the remainder of the season, which means that moving forward, the group’s offense will look a lot like it did against Calgary two weeks ago. The Mammoth have won back-to-back games only once this year but have an opportunity to do so a second time when the team travels to Philadelphia on Saturday.

7) Georgia Swarm (7-5)

Week 15 Results: Lost to Saskatchewan 8-7
Week 16 Opponent: at Albany (4-9)
Previous Ranking: 4th

Georgia lost a tight one to Saskatchewan and slid in the Power Rankings due to the inspiring efforts from Rochester, San Diego, and Calgary. Don’t think of this move as a statement of what Georgia did wrong, but rather a testament to what those three other teams did right. Yes, the Swarm’s offense struggled against Saskatchewan, which may be cause for concern moving forward. On the bright side for the Swarm, Brett Dobson turned in another stellar effort, stopping 81% of the shots that he faced. As the season continues, Dobson is getting better and better, which is important for the Swarm’s playoff dreams. They’re still in a good position to make the postseason but will want to get back on the winning side this upcoming Saturday when they head to Albany to play the FireWolves.

Halifax, Nova Scotia – Mar 07: National Lacrosse League game between the Halifax Thunderbirds and Toronto Rock on March 7, 2025 at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Thunderbirds)

6) Halifax Thunderbirds (7-5)

Week 15 Results: Lost to Toronto 15-12
Week 16 Opponent: vs Saskatchewan (10-3)
Previous Ranking: 3rd

While Randy Staats’ absence was paramount for Halifax, losing to a Toronto team that just traded away most of its defense and its franchise-anchor goaltender is not a good look. Given that the Thunderbirds were playing such tremendous lacrosse before entering the weekend, it’s tempting to excuse the loss as a one-off fluke. Goaltender Warren Hill was instrumental in the team’s five-game winning streak, but struggled against Toronto on Friday. Defensively, the Thunderbirds looked more like last year’s team that often found itself in shootouts than this year’s well-balanced and deep group. The Thunderbirds will have a chance to prove that stumbling against Toronto was merely a fluke when they welcome the Rush to the Nest this Friday.

5) San Diego Seals (6-6)

Week 15 Results: Beat Vancouver 13-11
Week 16 Opponent: vs Las Vegas (3-10)
Previous Ranking: 5th

While the bye week didn’t offer the Seals much of a reprieve from the injured list, San Diego did build upon the group’s excellent three-week run leading into the break. Despite allowing a four-goal lead to evaporate in the fourth quarter, the Seals were lifted to victory by Wesley Berg’s fourth goal of the night with under a minute and a half remaining in regulation. Ryan Benesch’s return was a huge boost to San Diego’s left side, offering the Seals three huge goals. While it’s unlikely that San Diego is super active at the trade deadline, the team could look entirely different in a couple of weeks if any of their five injured pieces return to the fold. This weekend the Seals play their final home game until the last weekend of the regular season: they’ll head out on a four-week road trip that will ultimately decide their playoff future.

4) Calgary Roughnecks (7-6)

Week 15 Results: Beat Buffalo 17-11
Week 16 Opponent: vs Buffalo (9-2)
Previous Ranking: 8th

The loudest statement of the weekend was made in Banditland by the Roughnecks, who turned in a stunning fourth-quarter effort to pull away from the hometown favorites in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,070 fans. After dropping Nick Rose’s debut performance two weeks ago, the Roughnecks dove head-first into a must-win situation, pulling out their best game of the year. With Dane Dobbie on the injured list, Curtis Dickson filled the void by scoring a sock trick. Jesse King had a robust four-goal, 10-point night, while Tanner Cook and rookie Brayden Mayea each netted hat tricks. If the Roughnecks can duplicate this incredibly diverse scoring effort while also continuing to develop in front of Rose, this team’s ceiling could be unlimited. The schedule offers Calgary no breaks down the stretch as they now welcome the Bandits into Calgary for a rematch this upcoming weekend.

3) Rochester Knighthawks (7-7)

Week 15 Results: Beat Las Vegas 21-13
Week 16 Opponent: at Ottawa (5-6)
Previous Ranking: 7th

It feels like the Knighthawks have a jet engine strapped to their backs. This team is on an absolute heater, ripping off three straight wins and four in their last five games. Following a 1-4 start, the Knighthawks are 7-3 with quality road wins over Halifax, Georgia, and Calgary. Connor Fields has been otherworldly in the last three games, pumping in 10 goals and 27 points. Ryan Smith has found his scoring rhythm, netting four goals against both Albany and Las Vegas. After this upcoming weekend’s trip to Ottawa, the Knighthawks will wrap the regular season with three straight home games, sprinkled in with two more bye weeks. At the moment, there is no hotter team in the NLL.

Buffalo Bandits’ Paul Dawson and Josh Byrne on March 8, 2025 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Calgary Roughnecks @ Buffalo Bandits. (Caroline Sherman/NLL)

2) Buffalo Bandits (9-2)

Week 15 Results: Lost to Calgary 17-11
Week 16 Opponent: at Calgary (7-6)
Previous Ranking: 1st

This week’s change at the top is less of a situation in which the Rush grabbed the top spot and more a scenario in which Buffalo gave it away. For the first time this year, the Bandits really let things get away from them in crunch time. What was a 10-9 game through three quarters cascaded into a six-goal loss. The Bandits conceded six of the game’s final seven goals, allowing Curtis Dickson to register a sock trick for Calgary and Nick Rose to get his first win in Buffalo since April 30, 2022. It feels a little bit premature to worry about Buffalo, but the Bandits have gone 2-2 since their 7-0 start and have looked vulnerable on defense. The season-ending injury to Matt Spanger is a bigger loss out Buffalo’s back door than most people realize. If the Bandits turn around and handle the Roughnecks on the road this Saturday to get back into the win column, don’t be surprised to see them return to the top spot in next week’s rankings.

1) Saskatchewan Rush (10-3)

Week 15 Results: Beat Georgia 8-7
Week 16 Opponent: at Halifax (7-5)
Previous Ranking: 2nd

For the first time this season, a team other than Buffalo occupies the top spot. Yes, the Bandits beat Saskatchewan head-to-head two weeks ago, but keep in mind that the Rush were without Robert Church. This week’s top spot is a classic case of “no wrong answers” – you would be just as right to nudge the Bandits ahead of the Rush and vice versa. The blend of young and veteran talent that the Rush boast continues to get better as it’s tested in high-pressure spots against quality opponents. Frank Scigliano was excellent in the low-scoring win over Georgia, which is tremendously good news for his team. If Scigliano can keep playing at the level he showed on Saturday, the Rush will be well-positioned for a run to the Finals. Up next is another big test as the Rush head to Halifax on Friday to play a fired-up Thunderbirds team.