NLL Power Rankings: Contenders Aplenty Through Week 3

A banner went up this weekend, while the No. 1 team in last week’s National Lacrosse League power rankings went down. Thus is the nature of this league, which appears to have its fair share of contenders worthy of an NLL Cup through the first few weeks.

1. Toronto Rock (1-0)

The Rock moved up to the No. 1 spot despite having the weekend off thanks to a defeat of San Diego by Bufffalo. Toronto returns Friday when it travels to Panther City. Last week: 1

2. Halifax Thunderbirds (2-0)

Randy Staats returned to the T-Birds lineup after dealing with an injury that kept him out Week 1. He immediately led the team in production with six points in a 14-6 victory against New York. Staats was one of six Halifax players with three or more points, with Cody Jamieson and Clarke Petterson right on his tail with five each. Warren Hill held the Riptide scoreless in the final 23 minutes. Last week: 3

3. Rochester Knighthawks (2-0)

The Knighthawks had the weekend off and next play Saturday when they host Vancouver. Last week: 4

4. Buffalo Bandits (1-1)

The Bandits made sure there were no mixed feelings from the night they lifted their fifth championship banner and received their snazzy rings. Strong defensive adjustments helped Buffalo hold San Diego to three second-half goals, while Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne each notched seven points in a 12-9 triumph. All of Smith’s points came on assists, including the eventual game-winner which capped off a 5-0 run. Last week: 5

5. Albany FireWolves (3-0)

The FireWolves may have themselves a Rookie of the Year, as well as a team ready to compete for the playoffs. Alex Simmons added to his red-hot start with eight more points as Albany bested rival Philadelphia 15-10 to already match last year’s win total. The difference came in the second half, as Albany broke a 6-6 tie with an 8-1 run. Simmons and teammate Ethan Walker — who also accounted for eight points — are tied atop the league’s scoring chart. Last week: 6

6. San Diego Seals (1-1)

The Seals went nearly 14 minutes between goals in the third quarter, seeing a 7-5 lead evaporate into a 10-8 deficit. Trevor Baptiste dominated at the faceoff X, winning 22 of 25, but San Diego wasn’t able to do much with that advantage. Curtis Dickson led the way offensively with six points. Last week: 1

7. Panther City Lacrosse Club (1-1)

PCLC had the weekend off and returns Friday to host Toronto. Last week: 9

8. Vancouver Warriors (1-1)

Ryan Martel had a career-high nine points, while seven each came from Adam Charalambides, Kevin Crowley and Keegan Bal, in the Warriors’ first win of the Curt Malawsky era. After going into the break up just one, Vancouver stretched the lead to a 15-7 final, securing the team’s first home triumph since March and third since the start of last season.

9. Georgia Swarm (1-1)

The normally stellar Brett Dobson faced adversity in the second half against the Warriors, eventually getting replaced by Dustin Hill. Shayne Jackson tied the contest at 4 to start the third quarter, but Vancouver responded with two straight and never trailed again. Last week: 8

10. Philadelphia Wings (1-2)

The Wings are just looking to survive these next few weeks after suffering a serious blow to the offense. The team announced mid-week it will be without Blaze Rioden for 4-6 weeks and Holden Cattoni for 3-4 weeks. The absences resulted in a performance in which Philadelphia needed two garbage-time goals in the final minute to reach double digits. Last week: 7

11. Colorado Mammoth (0-1)

The Mammoth return Friday when they host the Georgia Swarm. Last week: 11

12. Calgary Roughnecks (0-2)                                 

The Riggers enjoy a bit of a break to reset prior to a Dec. 30 home matchup with Las Vegas. Last week: 12

13. Saskatchewan Rush (1-2)

Talk about a get-right game. The Rush never trailed in a 17-5 trashing of Las Vegas, starting out with an 8-0 run and really burying their foes with a 6-0 game-closing stretch. Saskatchewan shut out the Desert Dogs for the final 21 minutes, a nice confidence boost for Frank Scigliano after a shaky start in the prairies. Ryan Keenan had 10 points, while Patrick Dodds had his best performance since being traded from Panther City with seven assists. Last week: 15

14. Las Vegas Desert Dogs (1-2)

The Saskatchewan defeat was the most lopsided loss in the Desert Dogs’ history. Unfortunately for the franchise, it came in front of home fans. Rob Hellyer and rookie Sean Westley each had three points. Last week: 10

15. New York Riptide (0-2)

The Riptide have struggled in the early stages of the franchise’s history, but Jeff Teat has remained a positive constant. With only two goals through two games, his lack of production thus far is troubling to New York fans. As noted by Adam Levi on IL Indoor, he’s shooting just north of 5 percent. Is it too early to mention the Riptide don’t have their draft pick? Last week: 14