Every NLL team was in action this past weekend, so there were lots of grinders to choose from. But I narrowed it down to just four in the end. Let’s get right into it.
Owen Down, Colorado Mammoth
The Colorado Mammoth were humming on both sides of the ball to in their comeback win over the Albany Firewolves. They found themselves down 8-1 partway through the second quarter and put together a 5-0 fourth quarter to complete the comeback.
Owen Down was one of those Mammoth defenders who stood out during the comeback. With a backend filled with big, physical defenders, Down fits the Mammoth mold. Listed at 6’5” and 190 lbs, Down uses that size to his advantage.
He plays a physical brand of lacrosse dishing out heavy crosschecks, laying the body at every opportunity, and never shies away from a scuffle. Not only is he a physical force, but much like Mammoth Captain Robert Hope, has great feet which allow him to move well and lock up opponents with his frame.
Down did it all Saturday night finishing the game with an assist, 4 loose balls, 2 blocked shots, and a caused turnover.
Mathieu Gauthier, Calgary Roughnecks
One of the many former Panther City Lacrosse Club players who is making an impact on their new team, Mathieu Gautheir has been a great addition to the left side for Calgary.
With Dhane Dobbie out, the Roughnecks were looking for people to step up. Calgary has plenty of big names to do the heavy lifting, but Gauthier stepped up in a way that allowed their stars to shine.
He lived on the inside, setting great picks and seals that created opportunities for his teammates to capitalize. Midway through the first quarter, Gauthier set a seal on the backside, driving his defender towards the middle. That opened up the skip lane for Tyler Pace to find Tanner Cook who had time and room to step into one from the shooter spot.
The next possession the Calgary had on offence, Gauthier forced a crucial turnover in the ride. He made a nifty one-handed wrap around check to dislodge the ball from a Philadelphia Wings defender who ran out of the crease. Gauthier fended off two Wings defender to scoop of the loose ball and on the very next possession, against a tired defence, Haiden Dickson stepped into one right away to regain the lead.
While on the powerplay, he sets strong picks up top to free up his teammates on the perimeter. Calgary’s powerplay went 4-for-5 in their matchup against the Wings, which Gauthier played a large role in.
Even though Calgary came out on the wrong side of the game, Gauthier is a bright spot for their franchise. He finished the game with 1 assist and 3 loose balls.
Liam Patten, Philadelphia Wings
Keeping with the theme of Panther City alumni making waves in their new threads, Liam Patten has been a huge addition to this Wings roster.
After missing the playoffs the past two seasons, it was time for a change in Philadelphia. With new bench boss Ian Rubel taking over for Paul Day, who relinquished the role this offseason to focus his attention towards his duties as General Manager, there has been new life to this Wings roster.
The Wings scooped up number of players from Panther City during the dispersal draft. All of them have been crucial in Philadelphia’s resurgence.
Patten stood out on Saturday for numerous reasons. His tenacity in the back end to fight relentlessly for loose balls, pushing the pace in transition to create chances, and his overall energy that he brings to the floor.
He jumps off the screen with his presence.
A play that stood out was during the first quarter when he single handedly ended a Roughneck offensive possession. Patten had his stick in the passing lane and deflected a pass into the corner. While being shoved by a Roughneck player on his way to the ball, he thwarted off the pressure and seamlessly scooped the ball with one hand.
That play continued all night. He finished the game with 2 assists, 6 loose balls, and 2 CTOs.
Mitch De Snoo, Toronto Rock
Fans who tuned into the Toronto Rock vs Buffalo Bandits game were in for a treat with 10 ties and 10 lead changes through the night.. The rivalry game in Bandit Land had it all; goals, big time plays, physicality, and plenty of action.
The former Bandit, Mitch De Snoo, left it all out on the floor, displaying why he’s one of the best defenders in the league.
De Snoo is on the Rock’s first penalty kill, first ball team, first five out the d-door in any special situation, and takes nearly every defensive shift.
Out of the 13 loose balls that he picked up, most of them required a extra effort to get away from pressure. De Snoo fought tirelessly in the defensive end to secure loose balls to end possessions by using his size to come out of tough scrums with the ball or get away from pressure. Preventing secondary chances for Buffalo’s offence is a key point of emphasis with all their weapons.
His goal with 5:31 to go in the fourth encapsulated his impact.
With the game tied at 12, De Snoo and his teammates stepped up. They killed a penatly kill, another five-one-five possession, and after coming up with a loose ball to end the possession the play got call back for a moving pick. De Snoo and his defence hunkered down to fight off another onslaught from Buffalo’s offence, and after forcing an early turnover he went end-to-end to score a beautiful sweeping goal in transition.
You could write a whole story on how impactful De Snoo was on friday night as he finished the game with 1 goal, 13 loose balls, 3 blocked shots, and 3 CTOs.
The Rock have leaned on him much throughout the start of the season with many key players missing time. If they can dig their way out of their first 0-5 start in franchise history, De Snoo will have his fingerprints all over it.
i love liam patten.