Power Rankings | Week 5

8) Vancouver Warriors (1-1)

Last Week: Idle

Previous Ranking: 8

The Warriors hold off Philadelphia for the final spot in this week’s Power Rankings despite spending the weekend at home. Curt Malawsky’s group rebounded from an opening-night loss to the Mammoth by beating Rochester two weeks ago. This upcoming Saturday will offer Vancouver the team’s first statement opportunity since losing to Colorado during Faceoff Weekend. Vancouver heads to Calgary to face the unbeaten Roughnecks in a “prove it” game for both sides. Vancouver’s offense has not impressed to this point. Still, Calgary has surrendered many goals, meaning that the Warriors have an opportunity to finally develop an offensive rhythm that they can carry into their January 10th showdown with San Diego. If the Warriors return home with a 2-1 record, their status in the Power Rankings will be solidified, potentially offering a chance to climb. 

7) Albany FireWolves (1-2)

Last Week: Idle

Previous Ranking: 6

The FireWolves slipped one spot this week after Colorado’s win over Halifax. Albany will be favored this weekend when the FireWolves travel to Halifax on Saturday night to take on the winless Thunderbirds. As noted last week, Albany has been a perfect illustration of how narrow the margins are between victory and defeat in the NLL. The FireWolves are 2 goals away from a perfect 3-0 start and should be treated as the dangerous unit that they are. With San Diego off this week, the FireWolves have an opportunity to climb at least one spot should they take care of business in Nova Scotia.

6) Colorado Mammoth (3-1)

Last Week: Beat Halifax 19-14

Previous Ranking: 7

Last week, Pat Coyle explained that the Mammoth were still trying to figure out how all of the pieces fit together on offense. Will Malcom, specifically, was a player that Coyle suggested was beginning to find his way and on the verge of a breakout. Coyle’s words materialized into reality on Saturday night when Malcom tied his career-high with a 7-goal cascade against the Thunderbirds. Connor Kelly continues to glide under the radar as one of the league’s emerging stars. His 4-goal, 7-point effort raised his season total to a team-best 25 points. In his return to the lineup, Ryan Lee hasn’t been asked to carry an outsized portion of the offensive load, which is excellent news for Mammoth fans. Colorado has yet to pass a major test this year but will have an opportunity to shoot up the Power Rankings this week. The Mammoth host the undefeated Swarm on Sunday afternoon, giving Colorado a phenomenal chance to make the League’s loudest statement of the year to this point.

5) Calgary Roughnecks (2-0)

Last Week: Idle

Previous Ranking: 5

The Roughnecks hold steady this week after another bye week. With San Diego off for the holidays, a Calgary win over Vancouver on Saturday will catapult them ahead of the Seals and into the top half of the Power Rankings. Calgary is still littered with defensive question marks, having conceded 29 goals in two games. Cam MacLeod needs to step up between the pipes if Calgary is going to build upon the franchise’s surprise start to the season. Dane Dobbie’s 13 goals in two games has him tied with Zach Manns for most total goals in the League this season. The formula that the Roughnecks have ridden to a 2-0 start has relied heavily on the veteran sniper and likely will continue to ask a lot of Dobbie.

4) San Diego Seals (2-2)

Last Week: Lost to Georgia 11-8

Previous Ranking: 3

The Seals slide one spot but are saved from falling further by the fact that they already own a convincing win over Colorado and neither Calgary nor Albany played this weekend. San Diego’s hold on a top-four spot is slipping, but it also isn’t fair to penalize them too harshly for losing to the second-ranked team this week. The Seals visibly missed Trevor Baptiste at the face-off dot and were generally undisciplined on both ends of the floor. Ryan Benesch accounted for half of San Diego’s 8 goals, which is cause for concern. The balance that had come to characterize the Seals’ attack vanished when it was needed most. The Seals are still an exceptionally talented team with a deep roster at virtually all positions. Two hiccups in three weeks against the Swarm are not encouraging for Seal fans, but those results also may ultimately say more about Georgia than San Diego.

3) Saskatchewan Rush (3-0)

Last Week: Beat Rochester 14-12

Previous Ranking: 4

Saskatchewan climbs one spot this week after out-lasting Rochester on the road and watching San Diego slip up against Georgia. The Rush and the Swarm are now the only two 3-0 teams in the League, as Saskatchewan is enjoying its best start to a season since the 2017-18 campaign. After two middling offensive performances to start the season, the Rush attacked a vulnerable Rochester back end, pumping in a season-high 14 goals. Zach Manns continued his dynamite start to the season with a third straight hat trick, running his season goal total to 13. Last week we raised some concerns about secondary scoring behind Manns, but Austin Shanks answered those questions brilliantly with a 4-goal, 7-point performance. Frank Scigliano had his quietest night of the season to date with 35 saves, but still made a series of key stops down the stretch to fend off any possibility of a Knighthawks comeback. One item of intrigue to follow: the emergence of face-off man Jake Naso. The Rush rookie had by far his best night of the young season, going 25-for-30 at the dot and raising his season mark to 59.5%.

2) Georgia Swarm (3-0)

Last Week: Beat San Diego 11-8

Previous Ranking: 2

The Swarm posted the biggest statement win of the weekend, traveling to San Diego to beat the Seals for the second time in three weeks. Georgia is off to the franchise’s best start since the 2017 season when they won the NLL Championship. Ed Comeau was adamant that he wanted to see a better performance from the Swarm’s power play unit, and his offense certainly delivered. After going a paltry 2-for-9 on the extra-man in their first two games, the Swarm converted 3-of-5 power plays against the Seals. After a dead-even first half, the Swarm surged after halftime to take a 3-goal lead in the third quarter that San Diego was unable to overcome. Brett Dobson had another stellar performance in net for the Swarm, as Georgia limited the Seals to a season-low 8 goals. Unfortunately, the Swarm and the Bandits aren’t scheduled to meet until the final week of the regular season, meaning that the debate atop the Power Rankings will only get more complicated in future weeks. Up next for the Swarm is a trip to the Loud House for a Sunday afternoon meeting with the 3-1 Mammoth in what may be the most compelling matchup of the weekend.

1) Buffalo Bandits (2-0)

Last Week: Idle

Previous Ranking: 1

The back-to-back champs retained their spot atop the Power Rankings, having enjoyed a bye week before welcoming Rochester to Banditland this upcoming Saturday for the Bandits’ banner-raising ceremony. The Bandits pulled away from the Knighthawks several weeks ago for a 15-7 win over their in-state rivals. Rochester enters the holidays at 1-3, meaning that the Knighthawks have quite a bit to prove this week against the Bandits. Buffalo has been the clear top team to this point in the season, but now the Bandits will have to contend with a desperate group that features an explosive offense. Another dominant victory for the Bandits would put any questions about the two-time reigning champs to bed.

Just Missed:

Philadelphia Wings (2-1)

Last Week: Beat Las Vegas 15-9

Previous Ranking: Unranked