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Tyler Carlson notched his 3rd win of the NLL season with a solid performance in the Swarm's road win (Photo: Minnesota Swarm)

By now we’re used to rookies in the National Lacrosse League season but the scene in Calgary Saturday night was something we haven’t seen in a long time. Tyler Carlson got the start in net for the visiting Minnesota Swarm and went the distance in victory. But in the second quarter, Calgary veteran keeper Mike Poulin was pulled and in came Frankie Scigliano, giving the game 2 rookies in cage. When was the last time this happened in the NLL? A check on the stats didn’t reveal anything concrete, but we’re taking note of the situation because it’s so unique, especially for a position that can be so vital to a team’s success. But given the talent we’ve seen this season up and down the floor among the Class of 2012, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone. But enough, let’s get to it with Week 9 and see how all the rookies fared.

Kevin Crowley (Philadelphia): The big man scored 3 goals (on 4 shots) and also assisted on 2 others in Philly’s home loss to Rochester. The right-hander’s second goal gave the Wings a 7-6 lead but Rochester went on a 5-1 run the rest of the way put the game away. Crowley still leads all rookie scorers with 41 points (24-17).

Adam Jones (Colorado): He scored a goal for the first time in 3 games and tied Gavin Prout for the team high in assists with 6. Two of the left-hander’s assists came on goals No. 14 and No. 15, both by Derek Hopcroft, to help the Mammoth separate themselves from a 13-13 tie in the road win over Buffalo. He ups his season point-total to 38 (16-22).

Jordan MacIntosh (Minnesota): Another solid game from the steady right-hander as he carded 2 goals and 2 assists while scooping 5 loose balls and winning 10 of 26 faceoffs in the big road win over the Calgary Roughnecks.

Stephen Keogh (Rochester): The right-hander put up 2 goals and 2 assists in Rochester’s road win over Philadelphia. Three of his 4 points came in the first quarter to help Rochester build a 4-1 lead and his second assist came on a Mike Accursi goal in the fourth quarter that gave the Knighthawks the lead for good, 8-7.

Johnny Powless (Rochester): The left-hander didn’t have a goal for the first time all season, carding just 1 assist and 4 shots on goal in Rochester’s road win over Philadelphia.

Travis Cornwall (Calgary): After scoring 6 goals in 2 games prior to Saturday, the left-hander managed just 1 shot on goal and 0 points in the home loss to Minnesota. To be fair, the offense overall didn’t have its best game against the Swarm as the unit was held to a season-low 11 goals.

Dan Coates (Colorado): The right-hander scooped 6 loose balls and played penalty-free lacrosse to help the Mammoth defense in the road win over Buffalo. It was a big win for the Mammoth, showing they’re already past their first loss of the season and it’s character like that which bodes well for a team that has championship aspirations.

Tyler Carlson (Minnesota): The goaltender was back in cage for this turn in the apparent rotation with fellow rookie Evan Kirk. He made 32 saves in arguably the biggest win of the season for the Swarm, on the road against Calgary. He gave up just 4 goals in the second half after surrendering 4 in the second quarter. He also had 2 assists in raising his record to 3-2.

Corbyn Tao (Minnesota): He was 1-1 for the second straight game as the right-hander continues to show his value as a secondary scorer with the touch of a first-liner. He’s the fifth-leading scorer on the team, sandwiched between fellow rookies MacIntosh and Jay Card.

Jamie Lincoln (Colorado): The left-hander was scoreless on the 1 shot he took but he did assist on 1 goal and scooped 4 loosies in the road win over Buffalo. He’s still carrying his own as the team’s fifth-leading scorer, just ahead of fellow rookie Jordan McBride (16 points to 10 points).

Honorable mention

The Colorado Mammoth played 5 rookies in the road win over Buffalo, contributing 13 of the team’s 43 points … The Swarm played 7 rookies in their win over Calgary, with the rooks contributing 16 of the team’s 36 points … Philadelphia T Dan Deckelbaum made his NLL debut, scooping 5 loose balls and taking 2 shots on goal in the Wings’ home loss to Rochester. Originally signed by Hershey of the NALL back in November, Deckelbaum had a goal in the second quarter wiped out by a crease violation, a ruling upheld by video review … Washington D Justin Salt made his NLL debut and scored 1 goal on 1 shot in a road win at Toronto … Toronto D Jesse Gamble was scoreless on 3 shots in the home loss to the Stealth … Toronto D Scott Johnston was a late addition to the roster for D Drew Petkoff, who was put on injured reserve. Johnston had 1 assist, helping set up a Stephan Leblanc goal in the fourth quarter of the home loss to Washington. He also took on Cliff Smith in a second-quarter fight … Colorado T Cam Holding scored a goal for the second time in 3 games in the Mammoth’s road win over Buffalo … Buffalo T Jeremy Thompson scooped 4 loose balls in the home loss to Colorado … Calgary G Frankie Scigliano came on in relief of starter Mike Poulin and made 8 saves on 13 shots in just less than 15 minutes of work in the home loss to Minnesota … Minnesota D Nik Bilic had 1 assist and scooped 3 loose balls in the road win over the Roughnecks … Minnesota F Joel Henry was scoreless on 5 shots in the road win over Calgary, but he did have 5 assists, 3 of them coming in the second half … Minnesota F Jay Card was 1-1 for the second straight game after going 3 straight game without a goal … Colorado F Jordan McBride was 2-2 on 3 shots and scooped 3 loose balls in the road win over Buffalo.

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