NLL Power Rankings: Rock-Steady Toronto New No. 1

The standings remain intriguing on both sides of the National Lacrosse League after Week 12. The West got tighter thanks to Saskatchewan dropping the Seals, while three teams at the top of the East are within a half-game of one another.

With San Diego’s defeat, a new team sits atop this week’s power rankings:

1. TORONTO ROCK (8-2)

Corey Small continued his stellar run of late, leading the way with nine points in Toronto’s 16-7 win against Georgia. Small, in his first year with the Rock, has 28 points in his last four games. Tom Schreiber was close behind with eight points, while Dan Craig had seven in Toronto’s seventh straight victory. The team hasn’t lost in over two months. Last week: 2

2. BUFFALO BANDITS (8-2)

Brad McCulley had a career night for Buffalo, recording four goals and five assists in his team’s 13-12 overtime win against Philadelphia. McCulley scored the Bandits’ final goal of regulation, while Dhane Smith finished the job by beating Zach Higgins on a cut to the goal in the extra frame. Smith finished with 10 points on five goals and five assists for Buffalo, winners of four straight. Last week: 3

3. SAN DIEGO SEALS (6-2)

The Seals have gone 2-2 in their last four games after starting the season 4-0, falling this weekend 16-11 to Saskatchewan. That’s the most goals San Diego has allowed any team to score this season and marks the first time the team has lost at home. Dane Dobbie scored five times and added an assist, but it wasn’t enough. Last week: 1

4. ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS (7-2)

The K-Hawks had the weekend off and return Saturday when they host New York. Last week: 4

5. CALGARY ROUGHNECKS (7-3)

Jesse King led the way with eight points, while Haiden Dickson had his most productive game of the season with seven points, as the Riggers secured a season sweep of Vancouver with a 14-9 finish. Trading for Josh Currier midseason continues to pay off. He added five points. Calgary is 7-3 for the first time since 2012. Last week: 5

6. SASKATCHEWAN RUSH (5-3)

The Rush had San Diego on the ropes about a month ago, going up 10-3 before the Seals miraculously turned things around for a 13-12 overtime victory. This time, Saskatchewan was able to finish the job by outscoring their West rivals 10-6 in the second half. Mark Matthews had six points, Robert Church added five and three more had four points each for the Rush, now just a game back of the Seals. Last week: 6

7. PANTHER CITY LACROSSE CLUB (6-4)

PCLC is 3-0 with Callum Crawford in the lineup, with the talented veteran contributing a hat trick and four assists in the team’s 13-7 win against Colorado. The young guns were on point as well, with Jonathan Donville securing seven points and Will Malcom adding six, for a team that’s thrust itself into the West playoff race. Last week: 7

8. HALIFAX THUNDERBIRDS (5-5)

The T-Birds held on despite two ties in the fourth quarter, escaping the Riptide 13-12 to snap a two-game losing streak. Clarke Petterson called the win ugly, but Halifax will take it in this up-and-down season. Ryan Benesch broke a tie at 11 to give Halifax the lead for good, while Cody Jamieson added an insurance tally that helped the team endure a final New York goal with 1:25 remaining. Last week: 10

9. LAS VEGAS DESERT DOGS (3-5)

Things are starting to gel in the Sin City. The Desert Dogs have won two straight and three of the last four after besting Albany 12-10. Landon Kells shut the FireWolves out in the fourth quarter, allowing Las Vegas to go on a game-ending four-goal run to erase a two-point deficit. Rob Hellyer had seven points, his sixth straight game with five or more. Last week: 13

10. COLORADO MAMMOTH (4-5)

Alarm bells are going off for the defending champions, who have now lost three straight and four of their last five. The offense simply hasn’t been there — Colorado has scored in the single digits in each of their last four losses, with this week’s total of seven marking a new low during the stretch. The top four teams in the West are all at least two games above .500, so the Mammoth have work to do. Last week: 8

11. PHILADELPHIA WINGS (3-5)

The Wings led after each of the first three quarters, going into halftime up three and the final 15 minutes of regulation up 11-10, but couldn’t hold on. Blaze Riorden responded with the final equalizer of the game after Buffalo took a 12-11 advantage in the fourth, but that was the end of the scoring for the visitors to Banditland. Last week: 9

12. NEW YORK RIPTIDE (2-7)

Jeff Teat had nine points, including four in the early stages, as New York took a 5-3 advantage on Halifax. The Thunderbirds rebounded, yet the Riptide still managed to equalize twice in the fourth quarter before Halifax strung two goals together for the win. Last week: 11

13. ALBANY FIREWOLVES (2-6)

The FireWolves took command in the third quarter against Las Vegas, outscoring their foes 5-1 to enter the final 15 minutes up 10-8. That effort was squandered by the offense disappearing in the fourth, resulting in a fourth straight defeat. Kieran McArdle had seven points for a second straight game. Last week: 12

14. VANCOUVER WARRIORS (1-9)

Vancouver scored in single digits for the sixth time this season — one away from its total from all of last season — as the team was outscored 4-1 in the fourth quarter. Reid Bowering snagged a season-high 21 loose balls, his second 20-plus performance of the season. Last week: 15

15. GEORGIA SWARM (0-7)

The Swarm are inching closer to matching last season’s loss total before recording their first win of the year. Lyle Thompson brought Georgia within 6-4 early in the second half, but that was followed by a crushing nine-goal Toronto run. Thompson earned a point on five of the team’s seven goals. Last week: 14