IL Indoor

Back in the Day, IL Indoor

Wamper walks 10 hours to get to a game: lacrosse lunacy or extreme devotion?

Larry Power, better known as Wamper.

We all love lacrosse. But maybe nobody loves it more than Larry Power. The name may not ring a bell, but if you’re a regular reader of IL Indoor you’ll likely recogize the man by his nickname and his work. Wamper is the creator, tender and writer of Power’s Bible of Lacrosse. For lacrosse writers and fans it is the indispensible source of statistics in Canadian lacrosse. It is also much more. It has history, pictures, press clippings, interviews, videos. It even has Christmas letters by Wamper’s girlfriend Twyla, who lives in Texas. As with most of Wamper’s life, there’s a story behind that. And now IL Indoor will be getting to share in the stories. Each month Wamper will bring us something about the history of the game. To kick things off, though, a story about Wamper that shows his commitment to the game and reveals the lengths to which he’ll go for the sport. And as another legendary Ontario lacrosse fanatic, Paul Whiteside, points out, it also shows Wamper’s eccentric side. After the jump, hear about the time Wamper walked for 10 hours to get to a lacrosse game, just to show he could do it after a stroke and heart surgery. READ MORE »

Calgary Roughnecks, Minnesota Swarm, National Lacrosse League

Calgary Roughnecks run away from Minnesota Swarm in fourth quarter

Jeff Shattler had six points to lead the Roughnecks over the Swarm in NLL action last night. (Photo: Larry Palumbo)

The Calgary Roughnecks scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to beat the Minnesota Swarm 15-10 last  night. At one point in the final period the score was tied at 10 and each team had taken 40 shots, but then everything went Calgary’s way. Geoff Snider had an amazing night for the Riggers, scoring three goals and two assists, scooping 28 loose balls and winning all 28 faceoffs he took. Jeff Shattler had three goals and three assists for Calgary and Curtis Dickson also added a hat trick and one helper. Shawn Evans scored a short-handed goal for Calgary, had three assists and picked up seven loose balls. Mike Poulin stopped 39 of the 49 shots he faced.

The Swarm, playing without Head Coach Joe Sullivan and leading scorer Ryan Benesch, may well look to their power play as the main culprit in their loss. Minnesota had 12 chances and only managed to connect twice, plus gave up Evans’ shorty. Jordan MacIntosh, Joel Henry and Corbyn Tao each scored a pair of goals for the Swarm. Kevin Ross scored once and had four helpers while Callum Crawford added four assists. READ MORE »

Editorial, IL Indoor, National Lacrosse League

ILIndoor Roundtable: Was blowout weekend a sign of things to come in NLL?

Matt Beers (2) and Washington dropped 20 goals on Evan Kirk and the Swarm on Sunday. (Photo: Dan Brodie)

It was another crazy weekend in the National Lacrosse League. The Edmonton Rush finally won a close game, while the Calgary Roughnecks and Washington Stealth flexed their offensive muscles in a pair of blowouts. And Bandit Nation was left reeling after a beatdown of epic proportions. And hey, tonight we get to do it all over again! Gotta love the NLL. Check it out as ILIndoor staffers Stephen Stamp, Bob Chavez and Teddy Jenner join me in a discussion of a few issues we saw emerge during last weekend’s 6-game slate. READ MORE »

IL Indoor, National Lacrosse League

Dirty Dozen: The NLL’s big winners, big losers; Junior’s back in Rochester; and Teddy Jenner’s collection of rubber ducks

Chad Culp and the Buffalo Bandits have won big, and lost big this season. (Photo: Ward Laforme Jr.)

We’re 12 weeks into this 2012 National Lacrosse League season so we have a pretty good handle on what’s up, right? If you said yes, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. Predicting weekly winners has never been tougher and that’s not just an outside perspective. More than 1 NLL coach has expressed bewilderment when trying to figure out what’s going on, so we’re gonna break it down on 1 level to see if it helps explains things. What we’re looking at is margins of victory and margins of defeat. Which teams have won big this season, and which teams have lost big. The answer? Every. Single. One. Of. Them. READ MORE »

Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Edmonton Rush, Minnesota Swarm, National Lacrosse League, Pick 'Em, Rochester Knighthawks, Toronto Rock, Washington Stealth

National Lacrosse League Week 13 Picks

Jeff Shattler and the Riggers have two tough contests this weekend, facing the Minnesota Swarm and then the Washington Stealth. (Photo: Dan Brodie)

You smell that? That’s the scent of Week 13, coming at you like a bat out of hell, bringing you some serious National Lacrosse League action. This season has been downright intense, and that’s made for a less-than pleasant Pick ‘Em experience for the ILIndoor.com crew.

But so what? This is what we crave. This is what we love. Action. Surprises. Insanity. Champing at the bit over our Godforsaken staff picks and NLL Fantasy results each week. READ MORE »

IL Indoor, Minnesota Swarm, National Lacrosse League

Swarm’s Ryan Benesch out with concussion

Swarm forward Ryan Benesch, right, suffered a concussion in last week's loss to Washington. (Photo: Alex Carroll)

ILIndoor has learned that Minnesota Swarm forward Ryan Benesch is on the shelf with a concussion. It’s not immediately clear how many games the team’s leading scorer (25 goals, 29 assists for 54 points) will miss, but he is out for the Swarm’s 2 games this weekend, tonight at home against Calgary and Saturday night at Edmonton. They’re important games for the Swarm, who have lost 2 straight and have just a 2-game lead over Washington and Edmonton in the National Lacrosse League’s West division. Benesch’s absence obviously leaves a big hole in the offense, notably on the left side, where the next highest scorers are Kevin Ross (30 points) and Joel Henry (12).

Business Time, IL Indoor, National Lacrosse League

2012 NLL Television Schedules, Round-up

The NLL is hoping for big exposure with its new TV deal.

It’s part of an extended lacrosse offering by CBC Sports Network which also televises Major League Lacrosse (MLL), and an extensive slate of college games that kicks off March 30. In all, CBS Sports Network airs 39 games this season. The NLL gets eight of those time slots. READ MORE »

Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, National Lacrosse League

Buffalo’s Irving gets one-game suspension, Priolo a second game misconduct and McFetridge’s GM rescinded after review

Travis Irving

The National Lacrosse League has reviewed the incident from near the end of Calgary’s 17-6 win over Buffalo last Saturday and announced its supplementary discipline decisions. Travis Irving received a one-game suspension for his role. Irving ripped the helmet off the head of Calgary’s Geoff Snider and began punching Snider. Irving has since appealed the suspension, so he is eligible to play in Saturday’s home game against Toronto. Steve Priolo was assessed a game misconduct during the game and has been assessed a second one after the league’s review. The first was for fighting after the initial fight and the second was for continuing to chase Peter McFetridge after it became clear that McFetridge did not wish to engage in a fight with him. The game misconduct assessed to McFetridge during the game has been rescinded because it was clear that he did not engage in a fight. Buffalo’s Brandon Francis and Calgary’s Ryan McNish each received game misconducts for fighting after the initial fight. Those penalties did not change after the NLL review.

IL Indoor, National Lacrosse League

John Grant Jr. is set to make his return to Rochester with Colorado Mammoth for first time since trade, plus the news links

Returning to Rochester will bring back plenty of memories for John Grant Jr. (Photo: Colorado Mammoth)

Colorado Mammoth coach Bob Hamley said John Grant Jr. has been talking about Saturday since the 2012 National Lacrosse League schedule came out. And when Junior talked with ColoradoMammoth.com, he proved Hamley right. On Saturday afternoon, Grant will return to Rochester for an NLL game for the first time since he was traded to the Mammoth before the 2011 season. “I’m sure I’ll reminisce,” Grant told the team’s website. “The whole time I’m back there, I’ve got to decide: do I go back to the restaurants that I would eat at on game-days that would make me play better? Would I stick to the same rituals?” Grant and the Mammoth are in first place and have clinched a playoff spot. The Knighthawks have not. But there’s sure to be no shortage of emotion from Grant, and from Rochester fan, who cheered the forward on for 10 NLL seasons. READ MORE »

IL Indoor, Minnesota Swarm, National Lacrosse League

Showtime at the Downtowner: Mitch Belisle

First-year Minnesota Swarm player Mitch “Mr. Luxurious” Belisle makes his debut on Callum Crawford’s show. Hear what he has to say about “the hit” he’s become known for, how it goes down in Swarm practices, and what he does when he’s not balling for the Swarm.