IL Indoor

New book explores history of lacrosse, plus links with NLL and WLA news

Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y., is home to some of the greatest moments in lacrosse history. But even the players there know the game had history long before it arrived at this campus. And one former Statesmen player has taken upon himself to share the knowledge of that history. Jim Calder, who played for Hobart from 1975 to 1979 and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2003, returned to campus to unveil his new book: Lacrosse: The Ancient Game. The book was co-authored by Ron Fletcher and Cayuga Faithkeeper Delmor Jacobs. “I have been with the game for 45 years. It’s amazing how little people know about the history and culture of the game,” said Calder at Knighthawks.net. “It has been gnawing at me six years ago when I saw a lack of awareness out there.” READ MORE »

Colorado Mammoth sign goalie Chris Levis to two-year contract

Colorado goaltender Chris Levis had his best statistical National Lacrosse League season in 2011 and the Mammoth have rewarded the 35-year-old with a two-year contract. Levis posted a 9.99 goals-against average, good for fourth in the league and nearly a goal and a half lower than his career mark. His five wins was a career high and he was also fourth league-wide in save percentage at .784.

ILIndoor caught up with Levis to talk about his career year, his new teammates and how it feels to be staying in Denver. See what he had to say after the jump. READ MORE »

Washington Stealth sign entire draft class and free agent goalie, plus the links

The Washington Stealth have signed all five of their  picks from the 2011 National Lacrosse League entry draft as well as free agent goaltender Brandon Noble.

Noble came through the Burlington Chiefs and Barrie Lakeshores Junior A programs and spent this summer with Brampton. He got into four games for the Excelsiors, putting up an .810 save percentage while allowing less than 7 goals per game. He’ll compete with Chris Seidel and Zack Boychuk for the backup role behind Tyler Richards. Noble will be joined at the Stealth’s training camp by forwards Mike Mallory, Trevor Moore (pictured, right) and Brett Hickey and defenders Adam McGourty and Justin Salt. You can read the Stealth’s full press release for details. READ MORE »

Top Draft Pick Profiles: Why the Wings won when they picked Kevin Crowley

The draft is over. Teams have new players and players have new teams. What now for the picks from the 2011 National Lacrosse League entry draft? Who are these guys that the clubs have decided they want to be a part of their organizations moving forward?

ILIndoor will answer that question and many more for you about all the first-round selections, plus the first pick from the three teams that didn’t have a first-rounder, in profiles of the guys teams are banking on to make an impact. We’ll feature one player every weekday. After the jump, we start at the top. Keep reading to find out more about Kevin Crowley and why Wings fans should be excited for the 2012 season to begin. READ MORE »

Roughnecks McBride, Carnegie and Snider swap shoes for a good cause, plus the links

Like other pro athlettes, National Lacrosse League guys are quick to help the community. But Andrew McBride, Scott Carnegie and Geoff Snider have taken outreach to a whole new level. As tough as these guys are, they traded their turf shoes in for high heels last week to help raise money for the YWCA of Calgary. At Calgary’s Olympic Plaza, the Riggers trio kept their balance and took part in the Walk A Mile In Her Shoes event to raise funds for the organization, which helps to make positive changes and break the pattern of domestic violence. The event that included other notable Calgarians raised $278,000 for the cause. What else is going on around the NLL? READ MORE »

Hershey Rounds out North American Lacrosse League’s inaugural quintet

The Hershey Haymakers will be announced today as the final piece to the puzzle of the North American Lacrosse League’s first season. The Haymakers round out the league’s initial five franchises, along with the previously-announced Wilkes-Barre Shamrocks, Charlotte Copperheads, Jacksonville Bullies and Kentucky Stickhorses.

They’ll play their six home games in Hershey’s Giants Centre plus host a game against Team USA. Joe Pilon, a former executive with Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league affiliate the Lakewood Blueclaws, will serve as team president. The club is owned by Tom Cataldo, Jack Manzella, Aaron Musselman and Ted Glynn.

Look for more league news in the NALL Notebook to debut next Tuesday at IL Indoor. We’ll continue to be your source for all the breaking NALL developments.

2011 ‘Inside Lacrosse’ Laxies: Time to vote

It’s that time of year again, time to cast your vote in the 4th annual Inside Lacrosse Laxie Awards. The ballot’s full of lacrosse highlights from across the country, including a few National Lacrosse League entries. Three of the 5 finalists for IL Player of the Year have NLL experience; Ned Crotty (Philadelphia), Paul Rabil (Washington) and Casey Powell (Rochester), although the award takes into account their MLL work this summer as well. Matt Vinc, Jeff Shattler, Brodie Merrill, Rhys Duch and Ryan Benesch are up for NLL Player of the Year and Connor Martin is a finalist for Personality of the Year. And don’t forget about Bob Watson, who is up for Individual Game Performance of the Year. Click the link and vote today.

NALL unveils name of its fourth franchise: The Kentucky Stickhorses

ILIndoor.com has learned that Louisville, Kentucky will be announced as the fourth North American Lacrosse League franchise later today, joining the Wilkes-Barre Shamrocks, Charlotte Copperheads and Jacksonville Bullies.

The Kentucky Stickhorses will play 6 regular season home games plus an exhibition game against Team USA. Their home base will be Freedom Hall. Their owner is Tony Chase, the CEO of Qualitas Hospice Management and a successful health care company developer.

Anthony Caruso is the North American Lacrosse League’s new commissioner

ILIndoor.com has learned that the North American Lacrosse League has a new commissioner. League Counsel Anthony Caruso will take over as Acting Commissioner for Phil Evans, who was terminated by the league’s Board of Governors.

Caruso is a sports and entertainment attorney probably best known for his successful defense of Amy Polumbo against the threat of losing her Miss New Jersey title because she was being blackmailed with the threat of releasing some supposedly incriminating photos of her. Caruso handled the strategy in which he and Polumbo appeared on the Today Show to reveal the photos themselves. The approach worked brilliantly because the photos were shockingly unscandalous. READ MORE »

ILIndoor roundtable: How will NLL rules changes for 2012 affect games we watch?

As the 26th National Lacrosse League season dawns, we’re all filled with excitement and optimism. New players bring an element of mystique to rosters and new seasons always have fans hoping for the best. But this year, we’ve got something else to anticipate: Some new rules in the NLL. In short, teams can now score 3 goals on a major power play (instead of 2) before it’s released, teams have 8 seconds to get the ball across the center line (instead of 10), players will be called for a delay-of-game minor penalty if they don’t place the ball on the rug immediately after a change of possession is called, goalies lose 1-inch of width on their equipment and subbing players must keep both feet (instead of 1) in the sub area in front of the team bench before entering play. What will these new rules mean? ILIndoor.com staffers Bob Chavez, Stephen Stamp and Ty Pilson debate it. READ MORE »