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2015 NLL season

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2015 NLL season
LeagueNational Lacrosse League
SportIndoor lacrosse
DurationJanuary 2 – June 5, 2015
Number of games18
Number of teams9
Regular Season
Top seedToronto Rock
Season MVPCanada Shawn Evans
Top scorerShawn Evans
Playoffs
Eastern championsToronto Rock
  Eastern runners-upRochester Knighthawks
Western championsEdmonton Rush
  Western runners-upCalgary Roughnecks
Finals
ChampionsEdmonton Rush
  Runners-upToronto Rock
Finals MVPCanada Mark Matthews
NLL seasons

The 2015 National Lacrosse League season, the 29th in the history of the NLL, began on January 2, 2015,[1] and ended with Game 2 of the Champion's Cup Finals series on June 5, 2015.[2] In the finals, the Edmonton Rush defeated the Toronto Rock two games to none to win their first-ever Champion's Cup.

Teams

[edit]
East Division West Division
2015 National Lacrosse League
Division Team City Arena Capacity
East Buffalo Bandits Buffalo, New York First Niagara Center 19,070
Minnesota Swarm Saint Paul, Minnesota XCEL Energy Center 18,064
New England Black Wolves Uncasville, Connecticut Mohegan Sun Arena 7,074
Rochester Knighthawks Rochester, New York Blue Cross Arena 10,662
Toronto Rock Toronto, Ontario Air Canada Centre 18,800
West Calgary Roughnecks Calgary, Alberta Scotiabank Saddledome 19,289
Colorado Mammoth Denver, Colorado Pepsi Center 18,007
Edmonton Rush Edmonton, Alberta Rexall Place 16,839
Vancouver Stealth Langley, British Columbia Langley Events Centre 5,276

Milestones and events

[edit]

Pre-season

[edit]
  • August 5, 2014: The Philadelphia Wings announced that they have been purchased and will be moving to Connecticut, to play at the Mohegan Sun arena.[3] In September, it was announced that the team would be known as the New England Black Wolves.[4]
  • September 21, 2014: The league announces the winners of 2014's annual awards. Winners include Cody Jamieson (MVP), Logan Schuss (Rookie of the Year), Matt Vinc (Goaltender of the Year), and Derek Keenan (Les Bartley Award and GM of the Year)
  • September 22, 2014: The league announced that the Champion's Cup finals will expand to a best-of-three series for 2015. In 2014, a two-game series with a deciding "mini-game" was used.[5]
  • September 22, 2014: The Rochester Knighthawks traded young star Johnny Powless along with Joel McCready and two 2014 draft picks to the Vancouver Stealth for two 2014 draft picks and first round picks in 2015 and 2017.[6]
  • October 23, 2014: The Vancouver Stealth announced that team captain Kyle Sorensen would miss the entire 2015 season due to knee surgery.[7] Less than a week later, the Toronto Rock announced that their captain Colin Doyle would also miss the season due to a shoulder injury.[8]
  • November 21, 2014: Scott Ranger announced his retirement from the NLL after eight seasons.[9]
  • November 27, 2014: Toronto Rock GM Terry Sanderson died of a heart attack at age 62.[10]
  • December 7, 2014: Former league commissioner Jim Jennings died of long-standing cancer at age 53.[11]
  • December 11, 2014: Stealth forward Johnny Powless is announced as a finalist in the voting for the Lou Marsh Trophy, given annually to Canada's top athlete. In 2014, Powless won the NLL Championship with the Rochester Knighthawks, the Mann Cup with the Six Nations Arrows, and the Minto Cup with the Six Nations Arrows.[12]
  • December 15, 2014: The Edmonton Rush announced that head coach and GM Derek Keenan would be taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons.[13] Keenan's wife Wendy had suffered from cancer for a year, and died on January 3, 2015.[14]
  • December 21, 2014: Former Vancouver Stealth and Calgary Roughnecks head coach and NLL Hall of Famer Chris Hall died of cancer. Hall missed the entire 2012 season due to his illness, but returned in 2013. He retired after the 2014 season and was named to the NLL Hall of Fame in the Class of 2014.[15]

Regular season

[edit]
  • January 21, 2015: The Edmonton Rush announce that Derek Keenan would resume his head coaching duties beginning with their game in Calgary on January 24.[16]
  • March 28, 2015: The Toronto Rock clinched a playoff berth with a 12–10 road win against the Calgary Roughnecks which gave them an 11–3 record.[17] It is the sixth straight playoff appearance for the Rock.
  • March 30, 2015: The Minnesota Swarm traded captain Andrew Suitor to the New England Black Wolves in exchange for their captain Joel White as well as a 2017 second round draft pick.[18]
  • April 4, 2015: With a record of 11–4, the Toronto Rock clinched no worse than home-floor advantage for the division semifinals when the Buffalo Bandits lost at home to the New England Black Wolves, 12–11.[19]
  • April 4, 2015: The Edmonton Rush clinched a playoff berth and no worse than home-floor advantage for the division semifinals with a 17–10 road win over the Vancouver Stealth which gave the Rush a 9–4 record.[20] It is the fourth straight playoff appearance for the Rush.
  • April 4, 2015: With a record of 8–6, the Colorado Mammoth clinched a playoff berth when the Vancouver Stealth lost at home to the Edmonton Rush, 17–10.[20] It is the fifth straight playoff appearance for the Mammoth.
  • April 10, 2015: With a record of 8–6, the Colorado Mammoth clinched no worse than home-floor advantage for the division semifinals when the Vancouver Stealth lost, 14–7, on the road to the Toronto Rock.[21] It will be the first home playoff game for the Mammoth since 2012.
  • April 11, 2015: The Rochester Knighthawks clinched a playoff berth with a 14–5 win at home against the Colorado Mammoth which gave the Knighthawks a 10–4 record.[22] It is the fourth straight playoff appearance for the Knighthawks.
  • April 11, 2015: The Minnesota Swarm was eliminated from playoff contention when its record dropped to 5–10 with a 12–9 home loss to the Buffalo Bandits.[23] It is the second straight season the Swarm has missed the playoffs.
  • April 18, 2015: The Edmonton Rush clinched the top seed in the West Division and a bye to the West Division Finals with a record of 11–5 when it beat the Colorado Mammoth at home, 13–12.[24] It is the second consecutive first-place finish for the Rush.
  • April 18, 2015: The Rochester Knighthawks clinched no worse than home-floor advantage for the division semifinals when they improved their record to 11–5 with a 13–9 win on the road against the Vancouver Stealth.[25]
  • April 25, 2015: The New England Black Wolves were eliminated from playoff contention with a 14–6 road loss to the Rochester Knighthawks that dropped their record to 4–11. The Black Wolves' loss clinched a playoff berth for the Buffalo Bandits with a record of 8–7.[26] Seven minutes later, the Bandits improved to 9–7 when they completed a 17–9 home victory over the Vancouver Stealth.[27]
  • May 1, 2015: The Toronto Rock clinched the top seed in the East Division, a bye to the East Division Finals and the best overall record in NLL with a 10–7 road victory over the New England Black Wolves in their final regular-season game.[28]
  • May 2, 2015: The Calgary Roughnecks defeated the Vancouver Stealth on the road, 14–13, in a game that decided the final playoff berth in the West Division on the final day of the regular season. Jeff Shattler's goal with 5:11 remaining broke a 13–13 tie and provided the winning margin.[29] After an 0–6 start to their season, the Roughnecks went 7–5 in their final 12 games to secure the playoff berth.

Playoffs

[edit]
  • April 29, 2015: With Rexall Place unavailable for the weekend of May 21–24, the Edmonton Rush had requested permission to host Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday, May 20, and that request was approved by NLL. However, the Rush announced that, in the interest of the team's fans, it would give up its home-floor advantage and host Game 1 on Friday, May 15, with its opponent hosting Game 2. This means that if the series is tied, 1–1, after two games, the Rush's lower-seeded opponent would host the deciding mini-game.[30]
  • May 8, 2015: The Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Buffalo Bandits at home, 14–11, in an East Division Semifinal game.[31] After the Bandits took the lead 26 seconds into the game, the Knighthawks answered with five straight goals in a span of less than nine minutes. The Bandits cut the Knighthawks' lead to one goal at 7–6 late in the second quarter. But Rochester responded with a goal 23 seconds later to take a two-goal lead to halftime. After a Buffalo power play goal early in the third quarter cut the Bandits' deficit to one goal at 8–7, the Knighthawks got three straight goals from Joe Resetarits in a span of less than six minutes to increase their advantage to 11–7. The Bandits never got closer than two goals the rest of the way. Resetarits finished with four goals and was named the game's first star. Cody Jamieson had two goals and seven assists and picked up nine loose balls for the Knighthawks to earn second star honors. Dhane Smith had three goals and four assists and picked up six loose balls in a losing effort and was named the third star. Matt Vinc had 44 saves in earning the win for the Knighthawks.[32] The Bandits had won four straight and seven of their previous nine games entering the contest.
  • May 9, 2015: The Calgary Roughnecks defeated the Colorado Mammoth on the road, 11–6, in a West Division Semifinal game.[33] With the score tied, 1–1, in the latter part of the first quarter, the Roughnecks scored four straight goals to take a 5–1 lead less than five minutes into the second quarter. Two Mammoth goals cut the Colorado deficit to two. But Calgary responded 28 seconds later with the first of two goals in a 37-second span to take a 7–3 halftime lead. The teams exchanged two goals each in the third quarter, and after the Mammoth scored early in the fourth quarter, the Roughnecks held a 9–6 lead. Calgary held Colorado off the scoreboard the rest of the way while the Roughnecks scored two goals of their own to complete the victory. The game was delayed 26 minutes with 7:06 remaining in the fourth quarter by a power surge caused by inclement weather in the Denver area that resulted in the arena lights going out. Roughnecks goaltender Frankie Scigliano had 45 saves to earn the win and first-star honors. Mammoth goaltender Alex Buque entered the game with 2:15 remaining in the second quarter and the Roughnecks leading, 7–3. He saved 19 of the 23 shots he faced and was named the second star. Shawn Evans had three goals and two assists and picked up eight loose balls to take third-star honors for the Roughnecks.[34]
  • May 15, 2015: The Edmonton Rush defeated the Calgary Roughnecks at home, 10–8, in Game 1 of the West Division Finals.[35] The Rush shut out the Roughnecks in the first quarter and led 4–0 early in the second quarter. Calgary responded by scoring six of the next nine goals and trailed by only 7–6 after three quarters. After a power play goal put the Rush ahead, 8–6, the Roughnecks scored two goals in just over three minutes to tie the score at 8 with 3:12 to play. Just over a minute later, Ben McIntosh put the Rush ahead, 9–8, with 2:10 remaining. Edmonton added an insurance goal 37 seconds later to complete the scoring.[36] Mark Matthews had three goals and four assists and picked up five loose balls to take first-star honors for the Rush. Winning goaltender Aaron Bold had 29 saves and was named the second star. Zack Greer had three goals and one assist for Edmonton and was the game's third star.
  • May 16, 2015: The Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Toronto Rock at home, 10–9, in Game 1 of the East Division Finals.[37] After the Rock opened the scoring, the Knighthawks responded with a run that put them in front, 5–1, early in the second quarter. Toronto regrouped and scored three goals in the final 4:12 of the first half to cut the deficit to 5–4. The final Toronto goal was scored as time expired in the half and was initially ruled good by the referee. Rochester challenged saying that the goal came too late. A review of the replay proved inconclusive, and the call on the field stood.[38] The Rock tied the score early in the third quarter. Then the Knighthawks twice took one-goal leads only to see Toronto respond and tie the score. Rochester went ahead by two goals, 9–7, when Craig Point completed his hat trick with 7:24 remaining. But Brett Hickey replied for the Rock with two goals to give him a hat trick of his own and tie the score at 9 with 3:59 to play. Dan Dawson scored the winner for the Knighthawks with 36.1 seconds remaining.[39] Brad Self had three goals and three assists and picked up 16 loose balls for the Knighthawks to earn first-star honors. Winning goaltender Matt Vinc had 35 saves and was named the game's second star. Brandon Miller had 47 saves in a losing effort and was the third star.
  • May 23, 2015: The Toronto Rock defeated the Rochester Knighthawks, 11–8, and then went on to win the tiebreaker mini-game, 8–2, to win the East Division Championship in Toronto.[40] In Game 2, the Rock took a 3–0 lead less than four minutes into the game. When Brett Hickey completed his hat trick late in the second quarter, the Rock had an 8–2 advantage. The Knighthawks played with an empty net in the closing moments of the first half and scored a goal to cut the deficit to 8–3. After Toronto opened the second half scoring, Rochester scored four straight goals and trailed by only 9–7 early in the fourth quarter. Less than two minutes after the Knighthawks had cut the Rock's lead to two goals, they surrendered a shorthanded goal scored by Josh Sanderson. Another goal by Stephan Leblanc completed his hat trick and gave the Rock an 11–7 lead. Stephen Keogh's sixth goal of the game on a late power play completed the scoring.[41] In the ensuing tiebreaker mini-game, a roughing penalty assessed to Keogh with 45 seconds remaining in Game 2 carried over, and the Rock converted the power play 29 seconds into the game. In all, the Rock scored five goals on six shots in the first 4:13 against Matt Vinc who was pulled in favor of Angus Goodleaf. Goodleaf surrendered two more goals before the Knighthawks got on the board with two of their own. Patrick Merrill scored for the Rock on a penalty shot in the final minute to complete the victory.[42] Brandon Miller had 48 saves over the two games for the Rock and was named the first star. Sanderson had three goals, two in the mini-game, and five assists on the night to take second-star honors. The third star was Rob Hellyer who had two goals and two assists in the mini-game and added another six assists in Game 2 for Toronto.
  • May 23, 2015: The Edmonton Rush won the West Division Championship with a 4–1 road victory over the Calgary Roughnecks in the tiebreaker mini-game after dropping Game 2, 12–9.[43] In Game 2, after the Roughnecks took a 3–0 lead in the first 7:26, the Rush responded with seven straight goals in the final 8:05 of the first quarter. Calgary dominated the second quarter, scoring six goals while holding Edmonton off the scoreboard, to take a 9–7 halftime lead. After the Rush scored the only goal of the third quarter, the Roughnecks restored their two-goal advantage when Shawn Evans completed his hat trick with less than seven minutes remaining. Just 1:21 later, Robert Church completed a hat trick of his own to cut Calgary's lead to 10–9. Curtis Dickson followed with his third and fourth goals of the game to complete the Roughnecks' victory.[44] Goaltender Mike Poulin who entered the game in relief for the Roughnecks and had 31 saves while allowing only two goals was named the first star. Andrew McBride's defensive play and four loose balls earned him second-star honors. Dickson added two assists to his four goals and was the third star. In the ensuing mini-game, the Roughnecks opened the scoring inside the first two minutes. The Rush responded with two goals 46 seconds apart and took the lead before the five-minute mark. Edmonton added an insurance goal with less than three minutes remaining and an empty-net goal in the final minute to complete the victory.[45] Mark Matthews had two goals and one assist in the mini-game to earn first-star honors. Rush goaltender Aaron Bold had six saves and was the second star of the mini-game. Dane Dobbie scored the Roughnecks' lone goal of the mini-game and was the third star.
  • May 30, 2015: The Edmonton Rush won Game 1 of the Champion's Cup Finals on the road, 15–9, over the Toronto Rock.[46] After the Rock scored two early goals to open the game, the Rush responded with five straight goals to close the first quarter and another to start the second quarter to take a 6–2 lead. Toronto answered with two goals in less than three minutes. But Edmonton again closed the quarter strong with three unanswered goals to take a 9–4 halftime lead. In a tight third quarter, the Rock managed to score four goals but surrendered three and still trailed, 12–8, heading to the final period. The Rush scored three goals in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter capped by Robert Church's goal which completed his hat trick. The Rock answered with a goal just over two minutes later but was unable to score again over the final seven minutes of the game.[47] Mark Matthews had a hat trick and three assists for the Rush and was named the game's first star. Winning goaltender Aaron Bold had 39 saves and an assist to take second-star honors. The third star was Church who contributed three assists along with his hat trick.
  • June 5, 2015: The Edmonton Rush completed its sweep of the Toronto Rock in the Champion's Cup Finals with an 11–10 home victory in Game 2 that gave the team its first-ever NLL title.[48] During the first 29:59 of the game, the Rock took a one-goal lead four times, but the Rush answered with a goal to tie the game each time. Mark Matthews gave the Rush its first lead with a power play goal and Edmonton employing an extra attacker just before halftime. Less than two minutes into the third quarter, Matthews scored again to give the Rush a 6–4 lead. After the teams exchanged goals, the Rock scored three straight goals in a span of 3:23 to take an 8–7 lead. Less than two minutes later, Robert Church scored his second goal of the game to tie the score at 8 at the end of three quarters. Rob Hellyer scored his second goal of the game to give the Rock its sixth one-goal lead of the game, 9–8. But Matthews scored the next two goals, the first on a power play and the second, his fifth of the game, shorthanded, to give the Rush a 10–9 lead. Colin Doyle's second goal of the game with 2:18 remaining tied the score at 10. With just 1:02 left on the clock, Matthew Dinsdale scored the Champion's Cup-winning goal.[49] The five goals and three assists registered by Matthews earned him first-star honors. Hellyer added four assists to his two goals and was named second star. Kyle Rubisch played stellar defense for the Rush and added and assist to take the third star. Matthews had a total of eight goals and six assists in the finals and was named Champion's Cup Finals Most Valuable Player. He also led all players in postseason points with 27 and goals with 13.[50]

League business

[edit]

Final standings

[edit]

Reference: [52]

East Division
PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Toronto Rock – xyz18144.7780.07–27–2230185+4512.7810.28
2Rochester Knighthawks – x18126.6672.07–25–4205173+3211.399.61
3Buffalo Bandits – x18117.6113.07–24–5236208+2813.1111.56
4Minnesota Swarm18612.3338.03–63–6185226−4110.2812.56
5New England Black Wolves18414.22210.02–72–7186249−6310.3313.83
West Division
PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Edmonton Rush – xy18135.7220.06–37–2241177+6413.399.83
2Colorado Mammoth – x1899.5004.06–33–6212218−611.7812.11
3Calgary Roughnecks – x18711.3896.04–53–6212217−511.7812.06
4Vancouver Stealth18513.2788.03–62–7211265−5411.7214.72

x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played
W: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed
Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game

Overall seeds

[edit]
Team Wins Losses Pct. Seed
Toronto Rock 14 4 .778 1
Edmonton Rush 13 5 .722 2
Rochester Knighthawks 12 6 .667 3
Buffalo Bandits 11 7 .611 4
Colorado Mammoth 9 9 .500 5
Calgary Roughnecks 7 11 .389 6
Minnesota Swarm 6 12 .333 7
Vancouver Stealth 5 13 .278 8
New England Black Wolves 4 14 .222 9

Playoffs

[edit]
Division semifinals Division finals (3-game series) Finals (3-game series)
         
E1 Toronto 2
East Division
E2 Rochester 1
E2 Rochester 14
E3 Buffalo 11
E1 Toronto 0
W1 Edmonton 2
W1 Edmonton 2
West Division
W3 Calgary 1
W2 Colorado 6
W3 Calgary 11

Division Finals and Champion's Cup Finals individual game results

[edit]

East Division Finals

[edit]

Saturday, May 16 - Game 1 at Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York: Rochester Knighthawks 10, Toronto Rock 9[37]
Saturday, May 23 - Game 2 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Rock 11, Rochester Knighthawks 8[40]
Saturday, May 23 - Game 3 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Rock 8, Rochester Knighthawks 2[40]
Toronto wins series, 2–1.

West Division Finals

[edit]

Friday, May 15 - Game 1 at Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta: Edmonton Rush 10, Calgary Roughnecks 8[35][West 1]
Saturday, May 23 - Game 2 at Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta: Calgary Roughnecks 12, Edmonton Rush 9[43][West 1]
Saturday, May 23 - Game 3 at Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta: Edmonton Rush 4, Calgary Roughnecks 1[43][West 1]
Edmonton wins series, 2–1.

Champion's Cup Finals

[edit]

Saturday, May 30 - Game 1 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Edmonton Rush 15, Toronto Rock 9[46]
Friday, June 5 - Game 2 at Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta: Edmonton Rush 11, Toronto Rock 10[48]
Edmonton wins series, 2–0.

Notes:

  1. ^ a b c The Edmonton Rush gave up home-floor advantage in the West Division Finals in the interest of the team's fans instead of hosting Game 2 on Wednesday, May 20, since Rexall Place was not available on the weekend.

Regular-season results table

[edit]

Reference:[53]

Abbreviation and Color Key:
Buffalo Bandits - BUF • Calgary Roughnecks - CAL • Colorado Mammoth - COL
Edmonton Rush - EDM • Minnesota Swarm - MIN • New England Black Wolves - NE
Rochester Knighthawks - ROC • Toronto Rock - TOR • Vancouver Stealth - VAN
Win  • Loss  • Home
Club Match
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Buffalo Bandits NE EDM VAN TOR MIN ROC CAL ROC ROC COL TOR TOR MIN NE MIN VAN NE NE
8–12 9–8 14–13 11–13 15–12 11–17 15–14 (OT) 10–15 12–13 (OT) 14–10 15–12 10–11 (OT) 12–8 11–12 12–9 17–9 20–9 20–10
Calgary Roughnecks VAN COL EDM TOR BUF VAN VAN ROC EDM ROC NE TOR COL COL EDM EDM MIN VAN
14–18 16–17 (OT) 8–16 11–12 14–15 (OT) 9–13 16–13 11–12 12–11 (OT) 7–13 20–9 10–12 8–9 (OT) 14–9 9–8 9–11 10–6 14–13
Colorado Mammoth MIN CAL VAN VAN EDM EDM NE BUF TOR MIN VAN VAN CAL CAL ROC ROC EDM EDM
20–13 17–16 (OT) 20–9 13–16 7–11 7–13 14–12 10–14 9–17 12–8 14–11 12–6 9–8 (OT) 9–14 5–14 11–10 12–13 10–13
Edmonton Rush BUF MIN CAL NE COL COL TOR CAL VAN TOR ROC VAN VAN CAL CAL COL MIN COL
8–9 10–14 16–8 18–9 11–7 13–7 15–16 (OT) 11–12 (OT) 19–7 11–9 16–3 15–14 (OT) 17–10 8–9 11–9 13–12 16–12 13–10
Minnesota Swarm COL EDM NE BUF ROC TOR TOR VAN NE COL BUF NE NE ROC BUF CAL EDM ROC
13–20 14–10 19–13 12–15 7–6 (OT) 4–16 9–14 15–21 9–10 8–12 8–12 13–9 12–8 2–10 9–12 6–10 12–16 13–12 (OT)
New England Black Wolves BUF ROC MIN EDM ROC TOR COL MIN CAL MIN MIN BUF VAN TOR ROC BUF TOR BUF
12–8 17–7 13–19 9–18 10–15 12–13 (OT) 12–14 10–9 9–20 9–13 8–12 12–11 9–11 12–15 6–14 9–20 7–10 10–20
Rochester Knighthawks TOR NE TOR BUF MIN BUF NE BUF CAL CAL EDM TOR MIN COL COL VAN NE MIN
12–13 7–17 8–6 17–11 6–7 (OT) 15–10 15–10 13–12 (OT) 12–11 13–7 3–16 11–7 10–2 14–5 10–11 13–9 14–6 12–13 (OT)
Toronto Rock ROC VAN BUF ROC CAL MIN MIN NE EDM COL BUF BUF EDM CAL ROC VAN NE NE
13–12 20–11 13–11 6–8 12–11 16–4 14–9 13–12 (OT) 16–15 (OT) 17–9 12–15 11–10 (OT) 9–11 12–10 7–11 14–7 15–12 10–7
Vancouver Stealth CAL TOR BUF COL COL CAL CAL MIN EDM COL COL EDM EDM TOR NE ROC BUF CAL
18–14 11–20 13–14 9–20 16–13 13–9 13–16 21–15 7–19 11–14 6–12 14–15 (OT) 10–17 7–14 11–9 9–13 9–17 13–14

Player statistics

[edit]

Scoring leaders

[edit]

The following players lead the league in regular season points at the conclusion of games played on May 3, 2015.[54]

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM LB
Shawn Evans Calgary Roughnecks 18 47 83 130 39 96
Mark Matthews Edmonton Rush 18 53 62 115 6 64
Ryan Benesch Buffalo Bandits 18 55 58 113 6 99
Dhane Smith Buffalo Bandits 18 39 68 107 11 75
Rhys Duch Vancouver Stealth 18 41 62 103 10 63
Josh Sanderson Toronto Rock 18 19 83 102 10 90
Mark Steenhuis Buffalo Bandits 17 36 59 95 25 68
Curtis Dickson Calgary Roughnecks 18 48 46 94 16 58
Adam Jones Colorado Mammoth 16 51 42 93 16 73
Robert Church Edmonton Rush 17 37 55 92 4 75

Leading goaltenders

[edit]

The following goaltenders lead the league in regular season goals against average at the conclusion of games played on May 3, 2015.[55]

Player Team GP MP W L GA SV SV% GAA
Aaron Bold Edmonton Rush 18 1016:54 12 5 160 565 .779 9.44
Matt Vinc Rochester Knighthawks 18 1003:58 10 6 161 655 .803 9.62
Nick Rose Toronto Rock 18 432:52 6 2 70 285 .803 9.70
Brandon Miller Toronto Rock 18 654:10 8 2 113 431 .792 10.36
Frankie Scigliano Calgary Roughnecks 18 734:02 6 6 136 463 .773 11.12

Awards

[edit]

Annual awards

[edit]
Award Winner Other Finalists
Most Valuable Player Shawn Evans, Calgary[56] Mark Matthews, Edmonton
Ryan Benesch, Buffalo[57]
Goaltender of the Year Matt Vinc, Rochester[56] Aaron Bold, Edmonton
Brandon Miller, Toronto[58]
Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Rubisch, Edmonton[56] Chris Corbeil, Edmonton
Steve Priolo, Buffalo[59]
Transition Player of the Year Joey Cupido, Colorado[56] Brodie Merrill, Toronto
Karsen Leung, Calgary[60]
Rookie of the Year Ben McIntosh, Edmonton[56] Jeremy Noble, Colorado
Miles Thompson, Minnesota[61]
Sportsmanship Award Kyle Buchanan, New England[56] Jordan Hall, Rochester
Curtis Hodgson, Vancouver[62]
GM of the Year Terry Sanderson, Toronto[56] Steve Dietrich, Buffalo
Curt Styres, Rochester[63]
Les Bartley Award John Lovell, Toronto[56] Mike Hasen, Rochester
Derek Keenan, Edmonton[64]
Executive of the Year Award Bruce Urban, Edmonton[56] Scott Loffler, Buffalo
Lewis Staats, Rochester[65]
Tom Borrelli Award Steve Ewan, The Province[66]

Monthly awards

[edit]

Awards are presented monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.

Month Overall Rookie
January[67] Josh Sanderson Ben McIntosh
February[68] Rob Hellyer Miles Thompson
March[69] Aaron Bold Jeremy Noble
April[70] Ryan Benesch Ben McIntosh

Stadiums and locations

[edit]
Buffalo Bandits Minnesota Swarm New England Black Wolves Rochester Knighthawks Toronto Rock
First Niagara Center Xcel Energy Center Mohegan Sun Arena Blue Cross Arena Air Canada Centre
Capacity: 19,070 Capacity: 17,954 Capacity: 7,700 Capacity: 11,200 Capacity: 18,819
Calgary Roughnecks Colorado Mammoth Edmonton Rush Vancouver Stealth
Scotiabank Saddledome Pepsi Center Rexall Place Langley Events Centre
Capacity: 19,289 Capacity: 18,007 Capacity: 16,839 Capacity: 5,276

Attendance

[edit]

Regular Season

[edit]
Home Team Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance[71]
Colorado Mammoth 9 14,787 133,091
Buffalo Bandits 9 14,316 128,847
Calgary Roughnecks 9 11,642 104,785
Toronto Rock 9 10,011 90,102
Minnesota Swarm 9 8,699 78,291
Rochester Knighthawks 9 7,051 63,465
Edmonton Rush 9 6,578 59,207
New England Black Wolves 9 3,914 35,234
Vancouver Stealth 9 3,734 33,610
League 81 8,970 726,632

Playoffs

[edit]
Home Team Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance[72]
Colorado Mammoth 1 16,027 16,027
Calgary Roughnecks 2 12,785 25,570
Edmonton Rush 2 9,982 19,965
Toronto Rock 3 9,892 29,677
Rochester Knighthawks 2 6,167 12,335
League 10 10,357 103,574

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2015 NLL schedule announced". NLL.com. August 28, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  2. ^ "National Lacrosse League". NLL.com. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  3. ^ Fogg, Jon (August 5, 2014). "NLL's Philadelphia Wings to move to Connecticut, play at Mohegan Sun Arena". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  4. ^ "Mohegan Sun introduces New England Black Wolves for 2015". NLL.com. September 19, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  5. ^ "League expands playoff format". NLL.com. September 22, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  6. ^ "Knighthawks trade Powless & McCready to Stealth, swap picks". NLL.com. September 22, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  7. ^ "Stealth's Sorensen out for 2015". NLL.com. October 23, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  8. ^ "Rock captain Doyle to miss entire 2015 NLL season due to injury". NLL.com. October 29, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  9. ^ "Longtime Roughneck Scott Ranger retires after decade in NL [sic]". NLL.com. November 21, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  10. ^ "League mourns passing of Rock general manager Terry Sanderson". NLL.com. November 27, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  11. ^ "Former NLL Commissioner Jim Jennings passes away at age 53". NLL.com. December 7, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  12. ^ "Stealth's Powless finishes as one of five Lou Marsh Award finalists". NLL.com. December 11, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  13. ^ "Rush announce GM & head coach Keenan to take leave of absence". NLL.com. December 15, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  14. ^ Stamp, Stephen (January 3, 2015). "Wendy Keenan succumbs to pancreatic cancer". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  15. ^ "League mourns loss of NLL Hall of Famer Chris Hall". NLL.com. December 21, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  16. ^ "Rush's Keenan to resume coaching duties". NLL.com. January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  17. ^ "X-Factor: Rock Clinch with 12-10 Win over Roughnecks". NLL.com. March 28, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  18. ^ "Trade: Swarm sends Suitor to Black Wolves for White". NLL.com. March 30, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  19. ^ "Packed Up: Black Wolves Down Bandits on Road, 12-11". NLL.com. April 4, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Church Key: Rush Top Stealth 17-10 to Clinch Playoff Spot". NLL.com. April 4, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  21. ^ "Best of Seven: Rock Double Up Stealth, 14-7". NLL.com. April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  22. ^ "Postseasoned: Knighthawks down Mammoth, 14-5". NLL.com. April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  23. ^ "Buzzer Beaters: Bandits Eliminate Swarm, 12-9". NLL.com. April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  24. ^ "First Division: Rush Holds Off Mammoth, 13-12". NLL.com. April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  25. ^ "Flying V: Knighthawks Down Stealth, 13-9". NLL.com. April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  26. ^ "Sent Packing: Knighthawks Eliminate Black Wolves, 14-6". NLL.com. April 25, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  27. ^ "Buffalo Brave: Bandits Clinch with 17-9 Win over Stealth". NLL.com. April 25, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  28. ^ "Getting Bye: Rock Beat Black Wolves 10-7 to Clinch East". NLL.com. May 1, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  29. ^ "Knockout: Roughnecks Top Stealth 14-13, onto Playoffs". NLL.com. May 2, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  30. ^ "League Statement on Edmonton Rush Home Playoff Game". NLL.com. April 29, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  31. ^ "Thruway Stop: Knighthawks Send Bandits Home, 14-11". NLL.com. May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  32. ^ "Buffalo 11, Rochester 14". NLL.com. May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  33. ^ "Lights Out: Roughnecks Surge past Mammoth, 11-6". NLL.com. May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  34. ^ "Calgary 11, Colorado 6". NLL.com. May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  35. ^ a b "Defense First: Bold, Rush Shut Down Roughnecks, 10-8". NLL.com. May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  36. ^ "Calgary 8, Edmonton 10". NLL.com. May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  37. ^ a b "Top 10: Dawson's Dagger Helps K-hawks One-up Rock, 10-9". NLL.com. May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
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  39. ^ "Toronto 9, Rochester 10". NLL.com. May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  40. ^ a b c "They the East: Rock Stop K-Hawks, Headed to Cup Finals". NLL.com. May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  41. ^ "Rochester 8, Toronto 11". NLL.com. May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  42. ^ "Rochester 2, Toronto 8". NLL.com. May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  43. ^ a b c "Rush to the Cup: Edmonton Tops Calgary to Win the West". NLL.com. May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  44. ^ "Edmonton 9, Calgary 12". NLL.com. May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  45. ^ "Edmonton 4, Calgary 1". NLL.com. May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  46. ^ a b "Rush Ahead! Edmonton Takes Game 1 from Toronto, 15-9". NLL.com. May 30, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  47. ^ "Edmonton 15, Toronto 9". NLL.com. May 30, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  48. ^ a b "City of Champions! Edmonton Rush Win First NLL Title". NLL.com. June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  49. ^ "Toronto 10, Edmonton 11". NLL.com. June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  50. ^ "Rush's Matthews Named Champion's Cup Finals MVP". NLL.com. June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  51. ^ "Swarm Announce Relocation to Metro-Atlanta Area". NLL.com. May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  52. ^ "NLL Standings". NLL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  53. ^ "Schedule". NLL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  54. ^ "National Lacrosse League Pointstreak Stats". National Lacrosse League.
  55. ^ "National Lacrosse League Pointstreak Stats". National Lacrosse League.
  56. ^ a b c d e f g h i "2015 NLL Season Awards & Hall Of Fame Ceremony". NLL.com. September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  57. ^ "2015 NLL Most Valuable Player". NLL.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  58. ^ "2015 NLL Goaltender of the Year". NLL.com. June 18, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  59. ^ "2015 NLL Defensive Player of the Year". NLL.com. June 16, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  60. ^ "2015 NLL Transition Player of the Year". NLL.com. June 17, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  61. ^ "2015 NLL Rookie of the Year". NLL.com. June 24, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  62. ^ "2015 NLL Sportsmanship Award". NLL.com. June 15, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  63. ^ "2015 NLL GM of the Year". NLL.com. June 23, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  64. ^ "2015 NLL Head Coach of the Year (The Les Bartley Award)". NLL.com. June 22, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  65. ^ "2015 NLL Executive of the Year". NLL.com. June 19, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  66. ^ "2015 NLL Media Person of the year: Steve Ewan". NLL.com. July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  67. ^ "NLL announces January player awards". NLL.com. February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  68. ^ "NLL announces monthly awards for February". NLL.com. March 6, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  69. ^ "Rush's Bold, Mammoth's Noble win March awards". NLL.com. April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  70. ^ "League announces April player awards". NLL.com. May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
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  72. ^ "National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".
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