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National Lacrosse League: 10 Things To Know For Week 12

ESPN2, NLL Game of the Week on TSN Friday Highlight Seven-Game Slate as Regular Season Reaches Midway Point

PHILADELPHIA, February 16, 2023 – The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the world’s largest and most successful professional lacrosse league, features seven contests this weekend: three East intra-conference games and three West, plus one inter-conference battle. The TV highlights include linear broadcasts on Friday on ESPN2 (Saskatchewan at San Diego, 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT) and the NLL Game of the Week on TSN (Calgary at Vancouver, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT).

Here are 10 things to know about the NLL for Week 12:

  • At the midway point of the regular season schedule (exactly 50% of games will have been played by the end of Week 12 action), a few attendance notes:
  • The Calgary Roughnecks had back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, drawing a combined 25,889. Friday night’s “Battle of the Prairies” win over Saskatchewan attracted 14,070, the third highest crowd of the season behind two Buffalo Bandits games (14,923 on Feb. 4 and 14,189 on Jan. 14).
  • The Bandits’ 13,661 average leads the league so far
  • The NLL continues its bounce back from the pandemic hiatus with a 61% increase in tickets sold over last season
  • The New York Riptide on Saturday signed Lacrosse Grandmother and Nassau County Legislator Rose Walker to a one-day honorary contract prior to their game vs. Albany. The decision was based on Walker’s longtime and unwavering commitment to the sport of lacrosse and youth sports in Nassau County.
  • In addition to the two linear TV broadcasts and full coverage across ESPN+ and TSN+, six games this week will be simulcast locally in the U.S.: Albany (WYNA My4); Las Vegas (KVMY Ch. 21); Colorado (Altitude Sports); Panther City (Bally Sports SW); Philadelphia (NBC Sports Philadelphia) and Halifax (CTV2).
  • On Sunday, Buffalo Bandits players including Ian MacKay (Port Elgin, Ont.) and Brad McCulley (Victoria, B.C.) taught Williamsville’s Heim Elementary School students in grades 2-4 about the game of lacrosse. MacKay told local TV reporters that “…we have the best fans in the league by far and to be able to come out and interact with them and teach these kids a little about lacrosse and introduce the game… some of them have never even heard about it before and spark a little interest in them.”
  • The NLL continued its celebration of Black History Month with a feature on Halifax Thunderbirds assistant coach Billy Dee Smith, an NLL champion as a player and cousin of current standouts Dhane Smith (Kitchener, Ont.) and Tyson Bell (St. Catharines, Ont.).
  • The NLL remains stalwart in support of Every Child Matters, with the latest inspiring video feature on the Thunderbirds forward Cody Jamieson (Six Nations, Ont.) and other indigenous athletes discussing what the game of lacrosse means to them and the importance of mental health.
  • The NLL and sport of lacrosse are well represented in the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame’s second class, announced earlier this monthDean Hill of the Mohawk Nation (10 seasons, 247 points), Delby Powless of the Mohawk Nation (2004 first overall draft pick, Buffalo Bandits NLL champion) and Roger Vyse, Mohawk and member of the turtle clan from Six Nations (2006, 13th overall selection by Buffalo) are among the honorees.
  • Some milestones players eclipsed last week include:
  • Albany defenseman Greg Downing (Auburn, N.Y.) now has 1,003 loose ball recoveries after collecting four vs. New York
  • Calgary forward Jesse King (Victoria, B.C.) now has 207 assists after recording six vs. Saskatchewan and four more vs. Colorado
  • Colorado forward Eli McLaughlin (Surrey, B.C.) now has 200 goals after netting four vs. Calgary
  • Georgia forward Brendan Bomberry (Six Nations, Ont.) now has 100 points after recording an assist vs. Toronto
  • Halifax forward Cody Jamieson (Six Nations, Ont.) now has 708 loose ball recoveries after grabbing nine vs. Rochester
  • New York defenseman Damon Edwards (Toronto) now has 101 points after registering two assists vs. Albany
  • Toronto goaltender Nick Rose (Orangeville, Ont.) has now played in 200 games
  • Vancouver forward Shawn Evans (Peterborough, Ont.) now has 858 assists, passing Colin Doyle for fourth place all-time, after collecting five vs. Panther City
  • Some milestones players may reach this week include:
  • Albany goaltender Doug Jamieson (Ohsweken, Ont.) needs 35 minutes played for 3,000
  • Buffalo forward Dhane Smith (Kitchener, Ont.) needs 10 points to reach 900 in his career.
  • Calgary defenseman/transition player Zach Currier (Peterborough, Ont.) needs one point to reach 100 in his career.
  • Colorado forward Rhys Duch (Victoria, B.C.) needs one game played to reach 200
  • Colorado forward Chris Wardle (Victoria, B.C.) needs three goals to reach 100
  • Georgia forward Shayne Jackson (Bowmanville, Ont.) needs three points to reach 700
  • Halifax forward Ryan Benesch (Elmira, Ont.) needs six goals to become the sixth player in league history to reach 500
  • Halifax forward Clarke Petterson (Toronto) needs one assist to reach 100
  • Las Vegas forward Rob Hellyer (Lions Head, Ont.) needs five loose ball recoveries to reach 600
  • Panther City forward Callum Crawford (Ottawa, Ont.) needs five loose ball recoveries for 1,000 and seven points to pass Gary Gait for eighth place in league history at 1,166
  • Panther City goaltender Nick Damude (Fonthill, Ont.) needs 37 saves to reach 1,000
  • Philadelphia forward Ben McIntosh needs nine loose ball recoveries to reach 500
  • Philadelphia forward Matt Rambo (Glenside, Pa.) needs eight points to reach 200
  • Philadelphia defenseman John Ranagan (Yorktown, N,Y.) needs five loose ball recoveries to reach 400
  • San Diego forward Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, B.C.) needs five points to reach 800
  • San Diego forward Curtis Dickson (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) needs nine points to reach 900 in his career
  • San Diego defenseman/transition player Brodie Merrill (Orangeville, Ont.) needs one game played to pass Colin Doyle and Mark Steenhuis for fifth place on the all-time list with 267
  • Saskatchewan defenseman Matt Beers (Coquitlam, B.C.) needs five assists to reach 100
  • Saskatchewan forward Ryan Keenan (Oshawa, Ont.) needs two assists to reach 200
  • Saskatchewan forward Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ont.) needs four points to reach 900
  • Toronto forward Dan Dawson (Oakville, Ont.) needs one point to become the second player in NLL history to reach 1500 in his career (John Tavares is the other)
  • Toronto defenseman Latrell Harris (St. Catharines, Ont.) needs one loose ball recovery to reach 500
  • Toronto defenseman TD Ierlan (Victor, N.Y.) needs seven faceoff wins to reach 400
  • Vancouver forward Keegan Bal (Coquitlam, B.C.) needs four points to reach 300

Schedule – Week 12 (All Times Eastern)

Friday

Roughnecks (6-3) @ Warriors (1-8), 10pm, ESPN+, NLL Game of the Week on TSN, TSN+

Rush (4-3) @ Seals (6-1), 10:30pm, ESPN2, ESPN+, TSN+

Saturday

Desert Dogs (2-5) @ FireWolves (2-5), 7pm, ESPN+, TSN+, KMVY, WNYA

Swarm (0-6) @ Rock (7-2), 7pm, ESPN+, TSN+

Wings (3-4) @ Bandits (7-2), 7:30pm, ESPN+, TSN+, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Mammoth (4-4) @ Panther City (5-4), 8pm, ESPN+, TSN+, Altitude, Bally Sports SW

Sunday

Riptide (2-6) @ Thunderbirds (4-5), 1pm, ESPN+, TSN+, CTV2

About the National Lacrosse League

The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s premier professional lacrosse league. Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The League is comprised of 15 franchises across the United States and Canada: Albany FireWolves, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, Las Vegas Desert Dogs, New York Riptide, Panther City Lacrosse Club (TX), Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock, and Vancouver Warriors.

For the latest scores and developments in the National Lacrosse League, please visit: NLL.com and find the NLL on FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

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Media inquiries contact:

Ryan Ireland, rireland@nll.com

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