Week 2 of the 2024-2025 season rolled the dice in Las Vegas, where the hometown Desert Dogs played their first game at Lee’s Family Forum in the southern Las Vegas suburb of Henderson. A near-capacity crowd watched Jack Hannah and company fall to the Colorado Mammoth, 15-9. Hannah was downright spectacular, cashing out with four goals and three assists, but it was all for nothing as his club fell to 0-2 on the season.
Jack Hannah was on 🔥 for the @vegasdesertdogs with 4 goals and 3 assists in a loss to Colorado.
Las Vegas led 6-5 in the third when the visitors from the Rockies hit a royal flush, reeling off seven consecutive goals, flipping the cards from a one-goal deficit to a six-goal advantage. Ryan Lee, Eli McLaughlin and Zed Williams each achieved hat tricks, combining for a total of 9 goals and 10 assists, with Connor Kelly spinning the wheel for eight cumulative points (2G, 6A).
Dillon Ward was stellar in net for the team from Denver, stopping 46 of 55 shots on goal.
An Absolute Barnburner In Halifax
Saturday’s maiden matchup occurred in Canada’s Atlantic Time Zone, with the Calgary Roughnecks heading east for a battle with the Halifax Thunderbirds. The people of Nova Scotia were treated to a roller-coaster of a lacrosse game, with the local squad jumping out to an 11-4 second stanza advantage. Down but not out, the Roughnecks turned the tables blasting seven consecutive scores and evening the contest 11-11. Moving ahead to the fourth, the Thunderbirds again laid claim to a three-goal lead, only to witness the road guys rattle off five-straight goals en route to declaring an 18-17 unfathomable victory.
Curtis Dickson picked up right where he left off, helping out @NLLRoughnecks with 5 goals and 4 assists in their 18-17 win over Halifax! 🚨
The reunion tour of Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson was on full display with both veteran players scoring five and helping on four others. Jesse King added two goals and eight assists, while Tanner Cook found the back of the net on three occasions.
✅ 5 goals
✅ 4 assists
Dane Dobbie welcomed himself back to the @NLLRoughnecks IN STYLE 😎
A slew of Halifax players populated the score sheet with Randy Staats and Clarke Petterson each walking away with nine points. Dawson Theede, Thomas Hoggarth and Jason Knox combined for a whopping 11 goals, but the inhabitants of The Nest hit the showers in a very sour mood.
The Champs Hit The Ground Running
The two-time defending champion Buffalo Bandits kicked off their title defense with a 75-mile eastbound trek to their Western New York rivals from Rochester. The champs raced to a 4-1 lead, with the hungry Knighthawks fighting back to square the occasion 6-6. Just when it looked like we might have a thriller on our hands, the class of the NLL reminded everyone exactly who they were, amassing 9 of the next 10 lamplighters and cruising to a 15-7 triumph.
Dhane Smith led the charge for Buffalo, netting three goals and helping his teammates to a remarkable eight additional scores. Reigning MVP Josh Byrne posted two goals and three assists, with the always-steady Kyle Buchanan procuring a hat trick, moving him past the 600-point mark for his career. The ageless Matt Vinc once again defied Father Time, getting in the way of 54 of 61 shots.
Connor Fields and Ryan Lanchbury scored two each for Rochester, but the fellas from Banditland were fully in charge of the evening’s festivities.
Sam Firth Had Himself A Night
Saturday marked the Toronto Rock’s first regular season game at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre, the franchise’s temporary home venue in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. While the remodeling process continues in Hamilton, it was Sam Firth and his Albany FireWolves teammates who supplied the wrecking ball in the New Yorker’s 15-4 runaway win. Mr. Firth led the way with five goals and one assist, while teammates Alex Simmons and Tye Kurtz combined for six points. Rookie sensation Dyson Williams found his way into the action, contributing an assist to the cause.
Sam Firth could not be contained! He scored a third of @AlbFireWolves‘ goals in a 15-4 rout of the Rock.
Doug Jamieson, recently voted the top goaltender in the NLL, fully lived up to his stellar reputation, walling off 43 and the 47 shots that headed his direction.
Toronto, who fell to 0-2 on the early season, allowed the game’s first five goals and never mounted a charge thereafter. Josh Dawick was the only bright spot, as he garnered a hat trick in defeat.
Swarm Outlast Seals In OT Thriller
The final contest of Week 2 took place at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia where the great Lyle Thompson paced his Swarm running mates to a highly dramatic 13-12 overtime conquest over the talented San Diego Seals. Thompson stood supreme scoring four goals and helping on two others. Andrew Kew and Seth Oakes notched two tallies apiece, with Georgia’s five remaining goals coming from five different players.
On the San Diego side of the gamut, newly added Rob Hellyer, Ryan Benesch and Ben McIntosh continued their torrid starts, as Hellyer and Benesch combined for five goals and five assists, while McIntosh gave his team an 11-8 third-quarter lead before the Swarm stung their way to five of the last six celebrations.
Seals first-round pick Trent DiCicco also found his way into the news, as the Ohio St. newcomer scored his first career goal.
Tied 12-12 in the extra session, the suburban Atlanta squad could finally harvest overtime gold when the aforementioned Kew beat Christopher Origlieri 2:55 into the bonus lacrosse.
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