May’s Grinders Week 10

Welcome back to another edition of May’s Grinders. If you are new here, this is a weekly series where I get into some of the unsung heroes of the week of action in the NLL. You can find previous editions here.

Let’s get into it.

Justin Martin – Toronto Rock

The Rock came out on top in a physical back-and-forth battle in Calgary that was reminiscent of a playoff game. A newcomer to the Rock this year, Justin Martin, stepped up defensively and made his presence felt amongst players who were more physically imposing than him. 

A sequence that stood out occurred in the first quarter when Tom Schreiber was caught in the defensive end. The two were put in a two-man game on the right side of the floor. Calgary successfully ran a pick-and-roll getting Schreiber out of position to force a two on one with Martin in between. Martin got a stick in the lane and batted down the pass, which thwarted a prime scoring opportunity for the Roughnecks. If not for Martin, the Roughnecks would have had a 1v1 with Rosey on the crease. 

Martin then pushes the floor and the Rock get a great chance on the crease but misses. Again, the ball goes the other way for Calgary and Martin is forced to dig in for a third straight possession. Without showing an ounce of fatigue, he prevents reverse transition and even checks down on a cross crease feed to take away another prime scoring chance. This all within a minute and he never wavered.

Martin continued to make plays in the middle of the floor and in the two-man game, which propelled the Rock to success in a low scoring affair. He finished the game with 2 loose balls, 2 blocked shots, and 2 CTOs. 

Sequence of the Week – Toronto Rock Penalty Kill Offence

Halfway through the second quarter the Toronto Rock’s rag team single handedly killed 1:40 of the Roughnecks power play. It was a remarkable effort where they were able to battle for tough loose balls to regain possessions, and the keen off-ball movement created chances that allowed them to force resets. 

It started with Chris Boushy quickly getting a rebound and fighting off two Roughneck defenders to get the loose ball and evade their pressure. The next great effort came from Dan Craig to split a double team near center and get a shot that deflected of the goalie’s stick. Finally, Brad Kri made an amazing diving effort to check a Roughneck defender’s stick out of his hands who had a five-yard lead to the groundball. Kri was then able to pick up the ball and close out the penalty kill. 

All in all, the Rock had had some great one-man efforts that were championship level plays, which went a long way in the minutia of the game. 

Mathieu Gautier – Panther City

Mathieu Gautier fought hard in the offensive zone harassing Saskatchewan Rush players in the clear and for loose balls. He scooped 9 on the night and his efforts gave Panther City numerous second chance possessions. 

At the end of the first quarter, he picked off a breakout pass that would have resulted in numbers going the other way for the Rush. He was able to escape pressure and get the ball to one of his teammates while drawing a penalty. On that possession he followed up his great riding effort with an assist to Callum Crawford, resulting in instant dividends for his effort.

Plays like these are common for Gautier which is why he epitomizes a grinder. He bangs bodies in the middle, works his tail off to extend possession and makes his living working to get his teammates open. He finished the game with 3 assists along with his laundry list of loose balls. 

Owen Grant – Vancouver Warriors

The Vancouver Warriors have had an underwhelming first half of the season going 2-6 in their first eight games to put them at the bottom on the standings. Bringing in Curt Malawsky as General Manager and Head Coach, along with other keys signings such as Kevin Crowley and Matt Beers, hasn’t led to as much success as everyone envisioned. One of those newcomers who has made a tremendous impact regardless of the team’s overall success is rookie Owen Grant from the Toronto Beaches. 

The fourth overall pick in the 2022 NLL Draft has brought a level of athleticism that provides a top cover option for their defence, which has been a big need. In this past weekend’s loss to the Georgia Swarm, Grant was tasked with covering Lyle Thompson who sits fourth in the league in goals (240 and sixth in points (47). He limited Thompson to one goal, which didn’t come until under five minutes left in the game. Grant forced four turnovers and was able to match feet with Thompson, which defenders across the league have struggled with since Thompson entered the league. 

On top of his great performance limiting Thompson, Grant scored a goal, picked up 9 loose balls, and blocked a shot.