Inside The Rock

NLL Tonight Week 3 – Rock Captain Colin Doyle interview

Andy McNamara — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:50:26 +0000

The ‘NLL Tonight’ on NLL Radio welcomes Toronto Rock captain Colin Doyle to the program. Doyle discusses the Rock’s mindset as defending champions, the new goaltending era in Toronto, and what needs to be done to correct their 0-2 start.

Hosts Andy McNamara and Carlan Gay review an exciting week 2 and breakdown this weekend’s batch of matchups from around the National Lacrosse League. We also have your NLL Fantasy Game fix with who you need and should avoid on your roster!

Email ‘NLL Tonight’ at nlltonight@nll.com www.nll.com

National Lacrosse League launches new flagship radio show!

Andy McNamara — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:24:21 +0000

The NLL Tonight is the flagship show on the new National Lacrosse League Radio Network. Bringing you the hottest guests, stories, NLL Fantasy, and analysis from across the best lacrosse league in the world!

Hosts Andy McNamara (play-by-play voice of the Toronto Rock on NLL Network) and Carlan Gay (pro lacrosse commentator) come to you every Monday evening at 9pm here: http://www.nll.com/page/show/434434-nll-radio or http://nlltonight.podomatic.com/

Email us: nlltonight@nll.com

Unfinished Business: Last year’s championship rematch comes to Toronto

Andy McNamara — Sat, 14 May 2011 19:42:40 +0000

The theme all season long for the Toronto Rock has been ”unfinished business”. The goal was to get back to the Champion’s Cup final and avenge their 2010 defeat, as well as sending future hall of fame goaltender Bob Watson home with a title in this his final year.

As far as revenge and redemption goes Toronto could not have asked for a better opponent to face in tomorrow’s NLL championship then the team that beat them in the finals last year 15-11. This time around it will be the Washington Stealth who will be on the road in what will surely be a rowdy Air Canada Centre. Back on April 1, the Rock squeaked out an entertaining 13-12 victory over the Stealth, however, that was without one of Washington’s key players Jeff Zywicki in the lineup. “He’s an elite player and we are very happy to have him and Kyle Sorensen on defense back in the lineup. We are healthy,” commented Washington head coach Chris Hall during the NLL weekly coaches call.

There is plenty of respect between both clubs from ownership all the way down to the players. “They are the defending champs and healthy. They were missing some key guys early in the season who they have back now,” explained Rock head coach Troy Cordingley. Glancing at the regular season standings Washington appeared to be anything but championship material, as they finished third in the West division and with 0.500 record. Those numbers turned out to be quite deceiving as coach Cordingley alluded to in that the Stealth suffered a slew of costly injuries early on, but recoved nicely to make a strong push.

Although they were the class of the NLL in 2010, Washington knew that tweaks had to be made in order for a chance at a return to glory. “This season we wanted to improve on our left hand side and in our transition,” said Hall. He continued, “Getting Cliff Smith was at the top of our list and unfortunately we had to give up two good young players to get him, but it was worth it.”

For Toronto the sub-story to gaining redemption for their loss to Washington in the Champion’s Cup a year ago is that this is Bob “Whipper” Watson’s last game in-between the pipes for the Rock. “It’s a great story to get a chance for him to win it at home and for the fans to see him one more time,” explained Cordingley. “He is a leader and the young guys look up to him. But, Bob would be the first to say that its a team game and we’ll need every guy playing their best to win.”

With both squads being so evenly matched to predict an outcome is too close to call. Coach Cordingley may have summed it up best by saying, “quite honestly it will come down to who just wants it more.”

I caught up with Toronto Rock defender and Team Canada Lacrosse member, Sandy Chapman this week to ask about Sunday’s Champion’s Cup rematch.

Q. What area do the Rock have to improve on most coming off of the close victory over Buffalo in the East finals?

A. I think the biggest thing we need to focus on is playing the entire 60 minutes. In Buffalo we got a few big leads and then allowed them to get back into the game. We definitely need to play one shift at a time and maintain our intensity until the final buzzer regardless of the score.

Q. What was the mood in practice this week heading into the Champion’s Cup versus the same team that defeated Toronto Last year? Also, what advice do you and the other veterans give to the rookies/younger players before a game of the magnitude?

A. Everyone at practice was motivated and excited to be in the finals, but I think the overall mood on the team is determination. We have all worked hard to get to this game and take back what should have been ours last year. We had that game within our grasp and it left a bitter taste in our mouths. We’re ready and we’re determined to get it done on Sunday. We are lucky that most of our guys played in that game last year and have the experience of playing in a packed arena that is exploding with energy. It’s important though, to make sure that the young guys feed off of that energy, but at the same time stay loose and keep their adrenaline and emotions in check.

Q. Who do the Rock have to specifically target on Washington to succeed?

A. Washington has a bunch of threats on their team. Rabil, Duch, Zywicki, Ratcliff. We have to stick to our defensive game plan and contain them as best as we can. With the fire power they have, we know that they are going to get chances so we need to minimize the quality of their scoring chances.

Rock Tweets of the Week

@StealthDragon “it’ll be @Lwilzey (Luke Wiles)- he can shoot the lights out will everyone is focusing on @Zywicki67′s (Jeff Zywicki) return” -in reply to who will be the breakout player for either Toronto or Washington in the game Sunday.

@NLLPR “NLL Network announcer @AndyMc81 on @FAN590 1:40pmET today, talking Rock vs Stealth in the NLL Champ Game @TorontoRockLax @KrystalNation”

@Shakes1 “@FAN590 great idea having @AndyMc81 on to talk @TorontoRockLax he should be your rock reporter plain n simple”

@GraemePerrow “I’m OK with Dickson as ROTY (Rookie of the Year), just the way the Khawks were collecting awards, I assumed he’d (Cody Jamieson) get that one too.”

Send your tweets on the Rock, the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague, or anything lacrosse to @AndyMc81

National Lacrosse League 2011 Awards

- NLL Most Valuable Player Award: Calgary Roughnecks Jeff Shattler- honoured for outstanding transition and solid all around play

- NLL Rookie of the Year: Calgary Roughnecks Curtis Dickson- led all rookies in goals (33). – Toronto’s Aaron Pascas named to NLL All-Rookie Team

2011 WORLD INDOOR LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 2011 WILC tournament in Prague, Czech Republic is fast approaching (May 21-28) and will feature the 2-time defending world champion Team Canada along with teams from USA, Ireland, England, Iroquois Nationals, Australia, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Toronto Rock players Colin Doyle, Stephan Leblanc, and Sandy Chapman will all be suiting up for Team Canada.

I wanted to thank North American tournament sponsors: Lacrosse All Stars; Gait Lacrosse; MyLacrosseVideoGame.com; and Fresh Gear. I can’t wait to get over there to do the play-by-play broadcasts!

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @: http://twitter.com/AndyMc81, keep an eye on the “Inside The Rock” blog, and visit NLL.com for all the latest Toronto Rock, National Lacrosse League, and 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships action.

He will also be the play-by-play voice of the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague, Czech Republic May 21-28 and is a representative for Team Canada Lacrosse. To enquire on sponsorship opportunities with Team Canada or the 2011 WILC tournament itself, contact Andy at andymcnamara@hotmail.com

Eastern Final heads to Buffalo: Rock vs. Bandits

Andy McNamara — Sat, 07 May 2011 01:22:18 +0000

The road to the Champion’s Cup goes through Buffalo and that is exactly where the Toronto Rock will be headed Saturday night to battle it out one more time with their arch rival the Bandits. The atmosphere is sure to be hostile in the always nasty HSBC Arena where Buffalo boasts a 2-1 regular season edge over the Rock, including spoiling Bob Watson night at the Air Canada Centre.

In the NLL coaches call this week great respect was shown between both clubs head coaches. Toronto’s Troy Cordingley and Buffalo’s Darris Kilgour used to play together, however, make no mistake, the friendship gets firmly put aside once the opening faceoff occurs. On playing the Rock for the fourth time in 2011 Kilgour commented, “we have a good idea what they’re going to do and they know what we can do.” He continued, “it will depend on what team can control themselves more; neither side wants to be in the penalty box.” The preseason brawl, which resulted in over thirty players being disciplined and the fight filled war in Toronto certainly speaks to the possibility of another extremely physical encounter.

After dropping their final trio of matches coming into the playoffs coach Cordingley was pleased with his squad in last Sunday’s contest against Rochester. “I thought we beat a real good team in Rochester, they came into the playoffs hot. It was good to see our guys bounce back like that,” he explained.

During any post season run untimely injuries can derail any dreams of a title in a hurry. Both the Bandits and Rock had some scares in their respective Eastern semi-finals. Buffalo’s legendary star John Tavares left the game for a time to have therapy, but came back in the fourth quarter to get a key goal. “He’s been battling a tight calf injury so we sent him back for some therapy. He came back to save us again and score.” Kilgour went on by saying, “there is no one else I’d rather have on my team then John Tavares.”

On the Toronto side rookie standout Aaron Pascas went down hard versus the Knighthawks with an ankle injury. Calling the game for the NLL Network I saw Pascas put no weight on that foot and visually it did not look good. Troy Cordingley had some potentially encouraging news in that Pascas was diagnosed as suffering a left ankle sprain and is listed as ‘probable’ to play Saturday. Pascas has scored a goal in all three games against the Bandits this year.

I caught up with Toronto Rock 2011 goal leader and Team Canada Lacrosse member, Stephan Leblanc, to ask him about the playoffs.

Q. What is the area that the Rock need to improve on versus Buffalo coming off of the huge win against Rochester?

A. “I believe if we battle and capitalize on our chances we’ll have success.”

Q. After the sluggish last 3 games of the regular season what impressed you most about how the Rock played as a team and who impressed you individually?

A. “Whip (Bob Watson) played unreal in net. We adjusted to the mistakes made in the later part of the season and came together.”

Q. Who are the one or two key players that the Rock have to shut down on the Bandits to be successful and why?

A. “Obviously J.T. (John Tavares) is the quarterback of that team. We shut him down and we’ll give ourselves a good chance to win.”

Rock and Bandits will decide who goes to the championship match-up Saturday at 7:30pm on TSN2 in Canada and on the NLL Network everywhere else.

ROCK TWEETS OF THE WEEK:

@musicallutheran “11-9 bandits, culp with the winner” (reply to the prediction of the Rock vs. Bandits Eastern final)

@BanditsBeat “Preseason brawl, OT winner in Buffalo, Rock win fight-filled game in Toronto, Bandits spoil Whipper’s party, and here we are. #NLL”

@shankell “We’re coming for you Buffalo!!”

@Shakes1 “Congrats to the @TorontoRockLax on the big time win today woot woot @AndyMc81 @shankell”

@briguy100 “Doyle channels his inner Garry Gaite with his 100th playoff point and then passes ties it up! #gorockgo”

NATIONAL LACROSSE LEAGUE NEWS:

NLL SEASON AWARDS- Rochester domination thus far

2011 Sportmanship Award- Rochester Knighthawks Jordan Hall. Highlights- 18 goals, 22 assists, involvement in the Rochester community and mentor to younger players on the Knighthawks.

2011 Executive of the Year & General Manager of the Year- Rochester Knighthawks owner/GM Curt Styres was honoured for his commitment to lacrosse both on and off the turf. He is the first Native North American to own a sports franchise and is involved with charities in the Rochester area.

2011 Head Coach of the Year- Rochester Knighthawks Mike Hasen is the recipient of The Les Bartley Award and is the first ever rookie head coach to win this honour.

NLL PLAYOFFS:

Western Division Final- Sat. May 7: Washington Stealth at Calgary Roughnecks

2011 WORLD INDOOR LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

I wanted to thank North American tournament sponsors: Lacrosse All Stars; Gait Lacrosse; MyLacrosseVideoGame.com; and Fresh Gear. I can’t wait to get over there to do the play-by-play broadcasts!

PLAYOFF TIME: Toronto looks to take care of ‘Unfinsihed Business’

Andy McNamara — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 16:33:36 +0000

Playoff fever is officially in Toronto as the Rock prepare to host a surging Rochester Knighthawks squad in the opening weekend of NLL playoffs.

The two clubs finished with identical 10-6 records, however, the Rock were victorious in all three regular season meetings. Although on paper the favourite looks to be Toronto, it is the Knighthawks who are red hot heading into the post season. Rochester is riding a three game winning streak, while the Rock have been on the losing side for their last trio of match-ups.

I had the pleasure to chat with Toronto Rock captain and Team Canada Lacrosse member, Colin Doyle, about Sunday’s battle versus Rochester and the 2011 season overall.

Q. What is the single greatest area that the Rock need to improve on against Rochester?

A. We need to make sure we are hungry. We seemed to have lost our desperate style of lacrosse and it has hurt us. We need to re-discover our hunger to be NLL champs.

Q. Who are the one or two key players that Toronto have to shut down on the Knighthawks to be successful?

A. We have to find a way to get to (goalie) matt Vinc. IF he gets hot, he can steal them the game himself. Other than that, the best thing about their offense is its unselfishness, so the focus will be on shutting their team down, no particular individuals.

Q. Who has been the most improved or biggest positive surprise on the Rock this season?

A. With any season, many surprises come along. For me, it has to be the play of Aaron Pascas. He came in with little or no hype whatsoever. A long shot to even make our team. He has been consistantly scoring for us, and has done all the things that have been asked of him very well. Glen Bryan also comes to mind. Many “experts” deeming him too small for the NLL, he has inserted some much needed energy and work ethic.

** Don’t be surprised if this heads into overtime. Toronto and Rochester will keep it between one and two goals the entire way with the Rock’s veteran goaltender, Bob Watson, shutting the door late to advance T.O. to the East Division finals. Pick: Toronto Rock

I have the call of this cross border battle Sunday at 3:30pm inside the Air Canada Centre live on the NLL Network.

Rock Tweets of the Week:

@Canadian09 “my picks Toronto, Boston, Washington, and Calgary” (picks for this weekend’s NLL playoff matches)

@fozzboggles “If things go right for us we definitely have a shot. We are stronger than 07. Let’s hope we are strong enough” (in regards to Team Ireland at the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships May 21-28 in Prague, Czech Rep.)

@KhawkFanVoice “No doubt! RT @AndyMc81: 4 Rookie of the Year I have to go w/ the @RocKnighthawks own Cody Jamieson. He’s been Rookie of the Week 5 times!”

@andibarnaba “hmmmm not too sure yet….but def would like to see someone from Toronto, its been a while” (in response to who the NLL MVP should be)

@Marisa_Ingemi “Lewis Ratcliff” (in response to who the NLL MVP should be)

Send your tweets on the Rock, the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague, or anything lacrosse to @AndyMc81

News from around the NATIONAL LACROSSE LEAGUE

NLL APRIL AWARDS:

Overall Player of the Month- Minnesota Swarm’s Ryan Benesch: 13 goals, 17 assists, collected 29 loose balls

Rookie of the Month- Rochester Knighthawk’s Cody Jamieson continues his stellar inaugural season with 12 goals, 10 assists, collecting 14 loose balls

NLL WEEK 16 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

Overall & Offensive Player of the Week- Minnesota Swarm’s Ryan Benesch: 3 goals, 5 assists, collected 5 loose balls in a 12-8 win over Colorado, which clinched 2nd place for the Swarm

Defensive Player of the Week- Minnesota Swarm’s goaltender Nick Patterson: 37 saves in the Colorado victory and that gives Minnesota a first round home playoff game.

Transition Player of the Week- Rochester Knighthawks Jordan Hall: 2 goals, 1 assist, collected 5 loose balls in his club’s 15-9 road win over Buffalo

Rookie of the Week- Rochester Knighthawks Cody Jamieson: 3 goals, 4 assists in the victory over the Bandits and this was his best overall statistical game

NLL weekly player awards are voted on by the league’s General Managers and Head Coaches

ROUND 1 PLAYOFF MATCHES:

Sat. April 30: Boston Blazers @ Buffalo Bandits; Colorado Mammoth @ Calgary Roughnecks; Washington Stealth @ Minnesota Swarm

2011 WORLD INDOOR LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

I wanted to thank North American tournament sponsors: Lacrosse All Stars; Gait Lacrosse; MyLacrosseVideoGame.com; and Fresh Gear. I can’t wait to get over there to do the play-by-play broadcasts!

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @: http://twitter.com/AndyMc81, keep an eye on the “Inside The Rock” blog, and visit NLL.com for all the latest Toronto Rock and National Lacrosse League action.

Regular season finale important for Toronto

Andy McNamara — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:26:03 +0000

As the playoffs loom the Toronto Rock have one final regular season game to play and will be in Edmonton against a Rush squad with something to prove. The Rock were denied the chance to secure top spot in the East Division with the defeat to Buffalo one week ago and find themselves for the first time in 2011 not number one.

Toronto is guaranteed at least second place, and will host one post season match, which will be held May 1st at the Air Canada Centre. If the Bandits lose their remaining two contests and the Rock are victorious over Edmonton then Toronto would clinch first. Coming off of two straight losses Rock General Manager/Assistant Coach Terry Sanderson voiced his displeasure, “obviously we’re disappointed and we have to right the ship to get back to the things that made us successful”. He continued, “Buffalo exploited some defensive weaknesses that we need to correct. We must score more too, six to eight goals isn’t enough.”

Edmonton has been through a disappointing year to say the least and back to back losses to Colorado coupled with a Mammoth win yesterday eliminated the Rush from advancing to the post season. During Wednesday’s NLL coaches call, Edmonton’s Derek Keenan addressed their April 9 defeat, “We were passive on defense last week. With the ball we had a ton of chances, but just didn’t shoot well.” Kennan elaborated, “seems like some of the sticks that were hot a month ago have cooled off, and hopefully they heat up again Saturday.”

The Rock could be ripe for the picking with their offensive woes as of late, “I think we have stopped doing the things on offense that made us successful. We went over film this week in practice…film doesn’t lie. We have to get better,” said Sanderson. Edmonton will be feeling loose in a spoiler only role and would love the chance to avenge their 13-7 shellacking by Toronto on the NLL opening day back in January. My prediction is that the Rock offense continues to sputter, but the output is just enough to down the Rush 9-7.

Game time is 9pm EST on TSN2 in Canada and the NLL Network everywhere else.

Rock Tweets of the Week

@BanditsBeat “Like I told @shankell earlier, the Bandits and Rock probably have not seen the last of one another in 2011…where and when? TBD.”

@KaylaFan590 “@AndyMc81 @andibarnaba @rawcomputers Great Interview with (Bob) Watson…I will send you the segment friend!”

@Gibb11 “Watching the Rock kick ass…tune on the tube to listen to the legendary @AndyMc81 doing the play by play!”

@briguy100 “Watson has one of the best High Stick Saves I have ever seen #nll #GoRockO #RockTo”

@apmckay “Watching Rock/Bandits game from home tonight. Expect @AndyMc81 to make it worth my while”

Send me your tweets to @AndyMc81 on the Toronto Rock, the NLL, the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships or anything else to be in the next Rock Tweets of the Week.

News from around the NATIONAL LACROSSE LEAGUE:

OVERALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Washington Stealth forward Rhys Duch- 5 goals, 5 assists, and collected 12 loose balls

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Boston Blazer forward Dan Dawson- 5 goals, 2 assists

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Buffalo Bandits goaltender Mike Thompson- 36 and 41 saves on back to back wins last weekend

TRANSITION PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Buffalo Bandits Tom Montour- Over the wins last week he collected a total of 15 loose balls, forced 4 turnovers, and scored a shorthanded goal

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Rochester Knighthawks forward Cody Jamieson- 3 goals, 4 assists, collected 10 loose balls totalled over their pair of games

The NLL weekly awards are voted on by the league’s General Managers and Head Coaches.

GAMES THIS WEEK

Fri. April 15: Colorado Mammoth clinch a playoff berth at home with an 11-7 romp over the Calgary Roughnecks

Sat. April 16: Boston Blazers @ Buffalo Bandits; Philadelphia Wings @ Minnesota Swarm; Rochester Knighthawks @ Washington Stealth

He will also be the play-by-play voice of the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague, Czech Republic this May and is a representative for Team Canada Lacrosse.To enquire on sponsorship opportunities with Team Canada or the 2011 WILC tournament itself, contact Andy at andymcnamara@hotmail.com

Battle for 1st: Rock vs Bandits- Round 3

Andy McNamara — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:13:50 +0000

Lets get ready to rumble! Toronto Rock vs Buffalo Bandits at the Air Canada Centre tonight brings round three of the most heated rivalry in the National Lacrosse League.

There is no hiding the legitimate dislike these two clubs have for one another, which has been well documented all year since the pre-season brawl that saw over thirty players disciplined by the league. In the low scoring Rock victory back in January, the first quarter took over fifty minutes to play due to excessive amounts of fights and penalties.

How fitting is it then that Toronto and Buffalo are so evenly matched as they have split the season series, each winning their game at home, and a mere one game apart in the standings. Adding more drama is that the first place Rock can clinch the #1 seed in the East Division with a victory, which also means home floor advantage throughout the divisional playoffs.

If that wasn’t enough it is also Bob Watson night where the Rock will honour the only starting goalie they have ever known with a pre-game tribute as ‘Whipper’ will be retiring after the 2011 campaign is done. “In my opinion Bob is the most valuable player who ever put on a Rock uniform,” said Toronto GM Terry Sanderson. He continued, “It will be an emotional night because of what he’s meant to the club. He deserves all the accolades he gets Friday. Hopefully it will give us a boost as well.”

SEASON SERIES: Game 1, Jan. 22- Toronto 14 @ Buffalo 15; Game 2, Jan. 29- Buffalo 5 @ Toronto 8

On the weekly NLL coaches call both Toronto General Manager/Assistant Coach, Terry Sanderson, and Buffalo Assistant Coach, Derek Graham, relayed how both teams could not wait for tonight’s opening faceoff. “We knew that this game could determine first place and we’ve been looking forward to getting to play them,” explained Sanderson. He elaborated, “this is huge. Who wins could finish first and that means home advantage in the playoffs. Outside of a playoff game there is not a bigger matchup then Friday night.”

Toronto and Buffalo are both coming off of losses the previous weekend as the Rock split with a win at home versus the Washington Stealth followed by a tight loss in Philadelphia. The Bandits were defeated 10-9 in overtime against a feisty Stealth squad. “You can always look back and have a bad taste, but we got all of it out in practice Tuesday. We addressed some issues and are ready to go,” said Bandits Assistant Coach Derek Graham.

In regards to their own loss in Philly the Rock’s Terry Sanderson commented, “We had that long break so we’re healthy, we’re rested, nothing is standing in our way in regards to fatigue. Philly was just better”

Some bad news on the injury front hit the Toronto Rock April 6, when it was learned that second year defenceman Drew Petkoff will be out with a knee injury for the remainder of the season. Petkoff tore his ACL in the win versus Washington last Friday evening. Tim O’Brien has been activated from the Physically Unable To Perform List to the active roster and will be ready to use his well known physicality in the Buffalo game.

Ryan Sharp underwent knee surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn ACL and MCL that he injured at the Air Canada Centre against Calgary on February 12. Ending on a good note, Phil Sanderson, who sat out the April 1st and 2nd matches with a knee injury, is healthy enough to suit up Friday.

Buffalo continues their vital weekend road trip Saturday as they ride into Rochester to war with a Knighthawks team that as of now is only two games out of top spot in the East. Toronto will only square off with the Bandits this week.

I cannot wait to call the action in this high intensity game and feel the electricity in the Air Canada Centre. I’m predicting the physicality will hold off until the second quarter and after some rough stuff we will see the scoring get into double digits. It will be close, but the Rock will be rolling on Bob Watson night and take this one 12-10. If you are unable to get to the ACC the only place on the planet you can watch tonight’s 7:30 game is with me on the NLL Network at www.nll.com!

Rock Tweets of the Week

In regards to who is the most improved Rock player this year

@shankell “oooh, ya Glen (Bryan) has done a good job. I think Pascas has been fantastic this year though. He’s a no-glam-get-job-done guy”

@apmckay “(Creighton) Reid went from rookie to gamer. He’s my most improved”

@BanditsBeat “What does the name Toronto ‘Rock’ signify?” In reply @Canadian09 said “it has to do with rock music 2000 logo CN Tower playing the lacrosse stick like a guitar with music notes on the jerseys.”

News from around the National Lacrosse League

OVERALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD: Colorado Mammoth forward John Grant- 6G, 4A over the two games last weekend

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rochester Knighthawks forward Shawn Williams- 4G, 4A in the win over Boston

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Washington Stealth goaltender Matt Roik- 48 saves in the win over Buffalo, including assisting on the game tieing goal with 20 seconds left in regulation

TRANSITION PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rochester Knighthawks Jordan Hall- 4G and collected 4 loose balls

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Minnesota Swarm transition player Andrew Suitor- career high 4G on only 4 shots, and collected 8 loose balls

The NLL Weekly Awards are decided by a vote between the league’s General Managers and Head Coaches

GAMES THIS WEEK:

Fri. April 8- Colorado Mammoth @ Calgary Roughnecks

Sat. April 9- Philadelphia Wings @ Boston Blazers; Buffalo Bandits @ Rochester Knighthawks; Colorado Mammoth @ Edmonton Rush; Minnesota Swarm @ Washington Stealth

Sun. April 10- Rochester Knighthawks @ Philadelphia Wings

He will also be the play-by-play voice of the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague, Czech Republic this May and is a representative for Team Canada Lacrosse. To enquire on sponsorship opportunities with Team Canada or the 2011 WILC tournament itself, contact Andy at andymcnamara@hotmail.com

Rock split an exciting weekend

Andy McNamara — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:00:39 +0000

In an exhilerating weekend that saw Toronto play in a pair of one goal games, the Rock came away with a split after downing Washington in Overtime 13-12 at the ACC Friday, and falling to Philadelphia 12-11 on the road Saturday.

It was a rematch of last year’s Champion’s Cup final Friday with Toronto coming up on the winning end this time around. In his second career game, Rob Hellyer (the youngest player in the league) lit up the home turf with 6 points and captain Colin Doyle also picked up career point number 1100. Stephan Leblanc was held in check for the majority of the evening, but busted through when it counted. The Team Canada Lacrosse member scored the 12th Rock goal as well as the incredible overtime winner, leaping from behind the net and popping it in.

The story was goaltending as after a rough 1st quarter Washington’s Tyler Richards stood on his head to help his squad come back. Both Bob Watson and Richards were spectacular down the stretch delivering numerous heart stopping saves much to the delight of the rowdy ACC crowd. Washington fell to under .500 and was on-route to play Buffalo Saturday.

Toronto had no time to bask in the glory of that victory as they headed into Philadelphia Saturday in what was a must win for the Wings. The Rock dominated the majority of the first half ending the 2nd quarter up 9-5. A combination of fatigue and Philly’s desperation resulted in the Wings rattling off 6 unanswered goals to take a 12-10 lead late in the 4th. Blaine Manning’s goal with Watson pulled and just over a minute to play was as close as Toronto would get. Colin Doyle and rookie Aaron Pascas each picked up a hat trick in the loss.

Philadelphia’s victory pulls them to within a half game of the struggling Boston Blazers for 4th in the East, while Toronto remains a top of the East Division, tied for the best record in the NLL with Calgary. Washington squeaking out a huge 10-9 road win over Buffalo worked out quite well for Toronto as it keeps the Bandits a full game back from their 1st place spot. The battle for playoff positioning continues to heat up as Toronto, Buffalo, and Rochester have clinched in the East, where as Calgary, Washington, and Minnesota are going to the post season for the West. The top four teams in each division will advance to the playoffs.

News from around the National Lacrosse League

Calgary sweeps NLL March Player of the Month Awards:

- Transition player Jeff Shattler the league’s Player of the Month Award scoring 10 goals and 23 assists to shuttle the Roughnecks to a perfect 4-0 record in March.

- Curtis Dickson nabbed the Rookie of the Month honours contributing 11 goals and 8 assists.

- The monthly player awards are determined by a vote of the General Managers and Head Coaches for all NLL clubs.

Games from around the NLL:

Fri. April 1- Edmonton scooped a pivotal 14-10 home win versus Colorado; Minnesota fell to the Roughnecks in Calgary 15-12

Sat. April 2- In the second game of the home and home the Swarm rebounded in Minnesota over Calgary 13-8; Rochester soared into Boston to massacre the Blazers 19-8; Washington bounced back on the road to edge Buffalo 10-9

He will also be the play-by-play voice of the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague, Czech Republic this May and is a representative for Team Canada Lacrosse. To enquire on sponsorship opportunities with Team Canada or the 2011 WILC tournament itself, contact Andy at andymcnamara@hotmail.com

Rock back in T.O. for championship rematch

Andy McNamara — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:32:47 +0000

Coming off of being dominated by the Calgary Roughnecks last week and a lengthy break before that the Toronto Rock are sure to be in a surly mood as they come back home to the Air Canada Centre Friday night.

This evening’s game is a much anticipated rematch of last season’s championship battle where of course the Washington Stealth were victorious over Toronto. The Stealth clawed their way back to .500 thanks to a narrow 9-8 win over Boston on March 25th and more importantly clinched a playoff position.

Both clubs play twice this weekend. Stealth head coach Chris Hall commented, “we are very excited to be playing the #1 and #2 teams in the East this weekend in front of huge crowds in Toronto and Buffalo. It will be a terrific challenge for us.” Hall’s squad is looking to hit its stride in the final weeks of the regular season and may have forward Jeff Zywicki back in the lineup. “He is day-to-day, if he feels comfortable he will play,” explains Hall, “good news is that there is no long term damage.” Toronto heads in to Philadelphia for their 2nd match up Saturday.

As mentioned, Toronto will try to get back in the win column as they fell 14-9 to the Roughnecks in their previous outing. “Anytime you get schooled the way we did you try to learn something. Calgary was better on all aspects of the game,” says Rock general manager/assistant coach Terry Sanderson. When asked during the weekly NLL coaches call about how his team will rebound from the defeat Sanderson stated, “we really have to take stock in what is going on with our club and we have addressed some things.” He continues with, “It is a wake up call. We stumbled after our break last year as well.”

The Rock definitely need a hot start this evening at home to get the crowd into it early as well as to build quick overall confidence. Look for rookie Rob Hellyer to get some touches as he exploded with 1 goal and 3 assists in his only game this season, which came at the Air Canada Centre. Converting on the powerplay has been a year long challenge for Toronto and they will have to deliver some success with the man advantage to stifle this feisty Stealth club.

Faceoff is at 7:30pm on TSN in Canada and I have the call everywhere else only on the NLL Network.

Rock Tweets of the Week:

@Shakes1: “Will Watson or any players rest a game to ensure at least 1 win? #NLL #Toronto #Rock #lacrosse”

@shankell: “After last weeks tough game, what’s the strategy going into a back-to-back weekend?”

@KungPowLau: “@AndyMc81 I love that you overheard GO riders chattin’ all things @TorontoRockLax. That would brighten any morning! #Rock #Stealth”

Send along your tweets on the Toronto Rock, the NLL, or world lacrosse to @AndyMc81 on Twitter.

News from around the National Lacrosse League:

NLL OVERALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK and OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK- Edmonton Rush forward Zack Greer had a career night with 5 goals and 2 assists

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK- Rochester Knighthawks defenceman Scott Campbell got his first career hat trick and collected 5 loose balls

TRANSITION PLAYER OF THE WEEK- Calgary Roughnecks Jeff Shattler scored 3 goals, 4 assists, and collected 7 loose balls.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK- Calgary Rougnecks forward Curtis Dickson tallied 3 goals and an assist

GAMES AROUND THE NLL:

Fri. April 1: Colorado Mammoth @ Edmonton Rush; Minnesota Swarm @ Calgary Roughnecks

Sat. April 2: Toronto Rock @ Philadelphia Wings; Calgary Roughnecks @ Minnesota Swarm; Rochester Knighthawks @ Boston Blazers; Washington Stealth @ Buffalo Bandits

Andy McNamara is a sports broadcaster for the Toronto Rock lacrosse on the NLL Network (www.nll.com), along with collegiate and minor league hockey, baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, and OCW pro-wrestling across the GTA on Rogers TV, Cogeco, and Durham College/UOIT. He will also be the play-by-play voice of the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague, Czech Republic this May and is a representative for Team Canada Lacrosse.

Calgary roughs up Toronto

Andy McNamara — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 13:41:52 +0000

One 5 game winning streak ended while another was gained as the Toronto Rock fell 14-9 to the Roughnecks in Calgary. It was a battle of the two best teams in the National Lacrosse League with Toronto coming off of a two week hiatus. The Rock looked unstoppable going into their extended break, but appeared sluggish early in this contest, which gave the West leading Roughnecks a chance to pounce.

Calgary’s victory ends the season series with the Rock tied at one a piece and brings both clubs to a 9-3 record.

Roughneck forwards Jeff Shattler and Dane Dobbie were monsters on the turf, popping 7 points each. Rock penalty trouble allowed the Calgary powerplay to continue to click and made the visitors pay, while Toronto looked to be overall outhustled. Now don’t get me wrong, the Rock are well conditioned machines, however, a two week layoff with only practices is not the same as in-game action, especially facing a top tier squad like Calgary.

Good news for the Rock is that the usual suspects for offensive production stepped up, as captain Colin Doyle picked up a hat trick along with goal contributions from Garrett Billings and Stephan Leblanc.

Next Friday, April 1, Toronto returns home to the Air Canada Centre where they are undefeated this year. I certainly do not envy the visiting defending NLL champion Washington Stealth as the Rock will certainly be in a crusty mood and the coaching staff will have them more than prepared. This is a rematch of last season’s NLL Champion’s Cup final and an important game for Washington who look to keep their momentum going from the win versus Boston last night. Make sure to catch my call of the game at 7:30pm on the NLL Network.

Other Rock News

- On Thursday March 24, legendary Toronto Rock goaltender and future NLL hall of famer, Bob Watson, officially announced that he will retire after the 2011 campaign. After 15 seasons, 5 championships, 2 Goaltender of the Year awards, and 1 Champion’s Cup Final MVP Watson had decided at the beginning of the year to hang up the pads. He is the only starting goalie the Rock have ever known, and as coach Troy Cordingley put it, there is only one ‘Whipper’. “He’s been the backbone of this organization for so many years and he’s the best goaltender to ever play the game,” beams Cordingley. Watson has one and only goal left…to win a final championship. April 8 at the Air Canada Centre will be a special evening as an on floor presentation is going to take place for Whipper along with the first 10,000 fans receiving paper Watson goalie masks and the first 3,ooo entering the arena will get a limited edition Bob Watson trading card.

- Toronto Rock players will be representing Team Canada Lacrosse at the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague this May. Colin Doyle, Sandy Chapman, and Stephan Leblanc will compete in the red and white. I will be doing the play-by-play broadcasts for the tournament. Stay tuned for Team Canada player profiles, stories, etc. on this exciting event where Team Canada is two-time defending champions.

Rock Tweets of the Week: In reply to the question of if the Rock can win in Calgary after 2 weeks off

@Shakes1: “Calgary is doing well but the Rock will continue their success before the break and leave a /W\”

@BeansSr: “@toronto_rt @Shakes1 @AndyMc81 @FAN590 YES…#GO ROCK GO!!!”

@CalgaryPlaza: “No! But it will be a great game we’re bringing 10ppl to cheer at the dome!”

Send your Rock or lacrosse tweets to @AndyMc81

News from around the National Lacrosse League

- Minnesota can clinch a playoff berth with a win this weekend, while Buffalo needs a victory plus a Philadelphia loss to gain access to the post season. Washington clinched their playoff position as they defeated Boston 9-8 Friday. Toronto and Calgary have already secured a playoff spot.

-NLL playoffs begin the weekend of April 29 – May 1 and will run for 3 straight weeks with the higher ranked team hosting. The championship game will be one of the days during the May 13 - 15 weekend, and remember these are single elimination matches.

Games around the NLL:

Fri. March 25- Minnesota Swarm lose a tight 14-13 was in Edmonton against the Rush. The Washington Stealth clinch a playoff berth by edging out visiting Boston Blazers 9-8.

Sat. March 26- Philadelphia Wings @ Rochester Knighthawks, Boston Blazers @ Colorado Mammoth

Sun. March 27- Buffalo Bandits @ Minnesota Swarm