All season long the All Lacrosse All The Time Crew will put together their picks for the upcoming week of NLL games.
Week Seventeen Totals:
Shawn………………..3-5
Ryan…………………..5-3
“Muffler” Mike……1-7
Gary…………………..6-2
Year to Date:
Gary………………….68-34
Shawn………………62-40
Ryan…………………61-41
“Muffler” Mike….52-50
Week Eighteen:
“Muffler” Mike Kostiuk:
NY @ GA
Georgia. As much as New York would like to repay the favor of last week’s loss, I think the Swarm are (finally) starting to find their groove.
LV @ COL
Colorado. This comes down to desperation for the defending champs. The Mammoth do what it takes to remain in control of the Wild Card playoff spot.
CGY @ SD
San Diego. I think this will be the most exciting game of the week. The Seals prove a lot of naysayers wrong and show that they’ve been in the driver’s seat in the West all season.
BUF @ TOR
Toronto. A must-win for the Rock if they want the top seed in the East. The defense is up to the task of stopping Byrne, Smith, & Co.
ALB @ PCLC
Panther City. PCLC rebounds to solidify their hold on the #3 seed in the West. The FireWolves solidify their hold on the #1 pick in the Entry Draft.
VAN @ SASK
Vancouver. The Warriors have built confidence in the second half of the season, while the Rush can’t find their mojo.
GA @ HFX
Georgia. The Swarm bring their new found momentum and swagger into a difficult barn and emerge with a double dub this weekend to get back into the playoff race.
ROC @ PHI
Rochester. The Knighthawks get revenge for the OT loss 2 weeks ago and put the Wings on the ropes entering the final month of play.
Shawn Slaght:
New York vs Georgia
Pick – Georgia
Jeff Teat is staking his claim to MVP. The problem is he doesn’t have much of a supporting cast. Georgia is finding its groove and making a late charge in the standings.
Las Vegas vs Colorado
Pick – Colorado
This is too important of a game for Colorado. Lose and they have both Vegas and, to a lesser extent, Saskatchewan breathing down their throats. A win could give them a strangle hold on the wild card spot.
Calgary vs San Diego
Pick – Calgary
The Roughnecks are the hottest team in the league right now and have their eyes on first place. San Diego has been beating up on lesser teams but Calgary is a different animal.
Buffalo vs Toronto
Pick – Buffalo
I think this game is going to come down to shot selection. Unless the Rock get their outside shots going in earlier, it’s going to be a long night. I’m thinking it’s going to be hard to beat Vinc without some creativity on offence.
Panther City vs Albany
Pick – Panther City
Albany will take another step in clinching the Dyson Williams sweepstakes. Panther City has too much on the line and Albany doesn’t have much to play for at this point.
Vancouver vs Saskatchewan
Pick – Saskatchewan
The losing skid has to end at some point. There is too much talent and leadership on this Rush team for it to continue. This is one last shot to stay in the playoff race.
Georgia vs Halifax
Pick – Halifax
Georgia is going to have some tired legs heading into this one. It’s another important game when it comes to the playoffs and Halifax needs the win.
Rochester vs Philadelphia
Pick – Rochester
The Knighthawks had a hiccup last week, but they will rebound. Philly’s defence and goaltending need to be better or they will be on the outside looking in.
Gary Groob:
Georgia vs. New York
Georgia wins.
This Swarm team just needed one win to get rolling, and rolling they have done! Lyle Thompson has been sensational all year, but now has company with Andrew Kew, Shayne Jackson, and Brendan Bomberry. Look for heavy pressure to disrupt Jeff Teat’s rhythm.
Las Vegas vs. Colorado
Colorado wins.
If Colorado has any hope of staying in the playoff race, this is a MUST win for them. A lacklustre year so far, this team has all the pieces to repeat if they can make it into the playoffs. Las Vegas has made big strides recently, but this is going to be an all-out war if they hope to pull this one out.
Calgary vs. San Diego
Calgary wins.
Goaltending wins you championships, and with Christian Del Bianco in net the Roughnecks are never out of any game. San Diego has plenty of fire power, but are very inconsistent in their game. This battle for first place should be as impressive as the one in the East with Buffalo vs. Toronto.
Buffalo vs. Toronto
Toronto wins.
San Diego was able to hold the Bandits to just seven goals, and the Rock defense is ranked #1 in the league. If the Rock don’t go inside on Matt Vinc it will be a long night for the Toronto offense. They will need to make him uncomfortable if they hope to come away with the win. Buffalo has many weapons, and will need to use all of them if they want to win this game. Expect a shootout in Hamilton!
Albany vs. Panther City
Panther City wins.
Albany has all but written off this season. However, that being said, there are a number of players playing for a position on next year’s FireWolves team. Panther City has been very strong this year, and I expect this to be a convincing win again.
Vancouver vs. Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan wins.
There is too much firepower on the Rush team to not make a run for the playoffs. Vancouver is playing a lot better, and if the Rush are careless they will be talking about the game that got away.
Georgia vs. Halifax
Halifax wins.
The back end of 2 games in a weekend. This will be a big challenge for the Swarm. Halifax has been playing much better lately, and need this game to stay in fourth place. The combination of Shanks, Benesch, and Petterson all have big evenings for the Thunderbirds.
Rochester vs. Philadelphia
Rochester wins.
Rochester has been struggling recently, and really need this game to stay firmly in third place in the east. If the Wings defense isn’t at their best, it will be a long night in Philadelphia. Look for Fields, Cattoni, and Smith to have big games for the Knighthawks.
Ryan McMichael:
Georgia vs. New York
New York
Las Vegas vs. Colorado
Colorado
Calgary vs. San Diego
Calgary
Buffalo vs. Toronto
Buffalo
PCLC vs. Albany
PCLC
Vancouver vs. Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Georgia vs. Halifax
Halifax
Rochester vs. Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Don’t forget to check us out every Sunday night at 9pm (ET)
Gary Groob has been involved with Lacrosse for the majority of his life, whether playing, coaching, or covering the sport for the media.
An avid fan, with a real drive about helping to “grow the game”, Gary became part of podcasts about the game in 2010. Through the podcasts, Mr. Groob was given an opportunity to write about lacrosse, and the rest as they say, is history.
Through many miles (flying and driving) Gary has made inroads with the National Lacrosse League, Major Series Lacrosse League, the Ontario Lacrosse Association, as well as the Arena Lacrosse League, covering the leagues, their teams, and players, working for, and in concert with all of them.
In the year 2020, Mr. Groob was made the media person for the Arena Lacrosse League, voted onto the board of directors of the Brampton Excelsiors Lacrosse Club, as well as being made administrator of the Lacrosse page “Global Lacrosse” with a membership of 9000 members in over 90 Countries. Gary was also made an administrator of Lacrosse History Past Present and Future in 2022.
Mr. Groob co-hosts a weekly Lacrosse show on Spanglish Sports World, and ZingoTV channel 250, as well as writes a weekly lacrosse column for La Portada Canada News (both in print, and online).
Gary also hosts a Lacrosse talk show and podcast for The Edge of Philly Sports Network, seen live Sunday nights at 9pm (ET), and archived on the Edge of Philly YouTube page, as well as Spotify.
Mr. Groob’s other sports interests include Hockey, Football, Boxing, Wrestling, and Baseball, competing competitively in Boxing and Wrestling for many years.
