- 03/31/15 - In Lacrosse We Trust - Trade Analysis: Powless in Minnesota
- 03/31/15 - The Province.com - Less is more as Stealth deal star Powless
- 03/31/15 - Jersey Numbers for the New Players
Every player has a favorite number they like and the Swarm had to juggle a bit to accomodate all the players. With Cameron Flint being traded today, it opened up #12 which was quickly snatched up by Bradman. 12 is the number that Bradman excelled wearing as the top Division III player at Salisbury and with LXMPro. He looked like a fish out of water wearing #11 but I really think you will see a big boost in Bradman's game as he is now #12. Superstitious, yes indeed.
Joel White then is able to get his favorite #11 made famous at Syracuse and with the Rochester Rattlers and Johnny Powless gets his familiar #93 for his birthyear and his great junior days with Six Nations. It will be a bit bittersweet seeing Powless wearing #93 in Blue and Gold because Nick Patterson wore it for eight years in net as the best goaltender in team history.
- 03/31/15 - Flint Traded to Colorado
In the last Swarm move before today's trading deadline at 2:00 pm central, the team traded Cameron Flint to the Colorado Mammoth for the Mammoth's second and third round picks in the 2016 NLL Entry Draft. Flint was drafted fourth overall in the 2013 NLL Entry Draft by the Swarm and played in 11 games with a goal and assist in 2014. Flint lives in Denver where he went to college at Denver University and his new post-graduate job prevented him from playing for the Swarm in 2015, so a move to the Mammoth should be able to give Flint the chance to restart his NLL career. With Flint and Schuss traded today and Scott Jones released in training camp, it leaves only Jason Noble as the only one of the four first round Swarm 2013 NLL Entry Draft picks remaining with the team today with Jordan Houtby also with the team still taken in the fourth round.
- 03/31/15 - Lefty Young Guns Traded - Schuss for Powless
Your and mine favorite local professional indoor lacrosse team, the Minnesota Swarm, continue to make moves up to the NLL trade deadline. This trade appears be for player convenience as two of best young lefty forwards in the NLL have been moved for each other:
The Minnesota Swarm get:
The Vancouver Stealth get:
- 03/30/15 - In Lacrosse We Trust - Swarm, New England Swap Captains in ShockerSwarm Lose Fan Favorite in Suitor
- 03/30/15 - LaxMagazine.com - Swarm, New England Swap Captains in Shocker
Neil Stevens of Lax Magazine talks about the Andrew Suitor-Joel White trade and one quote bothers me:
Swarm owner John Arlotta said it was a difficult trade to make but "our record the past two seasons has not met the expectations of our organization."
Considering the moves made the past two seasons like trading Ryan Benesch and Andrew Watt for players not even yet drafted or trading Tyler Hass for a player that won't even report in Mike Grimes, letting Jeff Gilbert go for free via unrestricted free agency, trading Nik Bilic and a pick that became Robert
Church in order to pick Cameron Flint who probably will not play again for the Swarm or not hiring a qualified person to be the team's general manager, those and many other decisions got the team to a point that they are not meeting "expectations of our organization". Instead, one may read into that statement that John Arlotta is making Andrew Suitor the scapegoat for the woes of the last two years of Swarm lacrosse. Reading a statement like that does not instill too much confidence in the direction of the franchise on the floor.
- 03/30/15 - Captains Switch Ships - Swarm Captain Suitor Traded
Your and mine favorite local professional indoor lacrosse team, the Minnesota Swarm, have made the most controversial and hated trade according to Swarm fans in team history just one day prior to the trade deadline:
The Minnesota Swarm get:
- T Joel White
- Second round pick in the 2017 NLL Entry Draft
The New England Black Wolves get:
- 03/29/15 - Swarm Slay Black Wolves at High Noon
Your and mine favorite local professional indoor lacrosse team, the Minnesota Swarm, win, that is affirmative, they win snapping a six game losing streak in a very opportunistic 13-9 victory over division rivals, the New England Black Wolves, in Uncasville, CT on Sunday afternoon in front of 5,014. The victory is the 75th in Minnesota Swarm regular season history. While the Black Wolves controlled much of the possession, they could not capitalize while the Swarm made good things happen when they finally did the get ball. Also, the Black Wolves bounced off the white wall of Zach Higgins who stopped 50 of 59 shots on goal. Jordan MacIntosh led the Swarm with three goals and two assists. Miles Thompson also had a hat trick with three goals. Shayne Jackson continues to lead the team in scoring with 53 points after notching 2 goals and 4 assists. Andrew Suitor, Logan Schuss, Shane MacDonald and Callum Crawford each got a goal while Greg Downing's first goal of the year was the game winner in the third quarter. The two teams meet this Friday for the fourth and final time of the year at Ho-Chunk Nation Field at The Hive as both continue to fight to remain in playoff contention.
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Minnesota Swarm
(4-8 H 1-3 A 3-5) |
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New England Black Wolves
(3-7 H 2-4 A 1-3) |
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- 03/28/15 - Preview - Swarm at Black Wolves
High Noon on Sunday in Uncasville, Connecticut, your and mine favorite local professional indoor lacrosse team, the Minnesota Swarm, will meet the host, New England Black Wolves, in a showdown that would make Gary Cooper cringe. Both teams will be meeting for the third time this year, the second time this month and for the first of two between the teams this week. The visiting team has won the first two games in the season series and since they both have hosted once each that means the season series is tied at one. This time, the Swarm are the visitors and since they score nearly four more goals per game on the road (12.14) than at home (8.25), I see the Swarm ending their six game losing streak and keeping their razor slim East Division playoff chances alive.
Prediction: Minnesota Swarm 12 New England Black Wolves 10
Minnesota Swarm
(3-8 H 1-3 A 2-5)
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New England Black Wolves
(3-6 H 2-3 A 1-3)
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Sunday, March 29, 2015 - 12:00 pm CST
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Connecticut
- 03/26/15 - YouTube -
NLL: Minnesota Swarm's Andrew Suitor vs. New England Black Wolves' Bill O'Brien fight on March 14, 2015
- 03/21/15 - Roster Moves Before Tonight's Game
The Minnesota Swarm made some big moves (effective today) before tonight's 12-8 loss to the Bandits. Kiel Matisz was placed on the 2nd Level Injured Reserve list for his injured (my hunch broken) right arm sufffered on March 14th against New England. 2nd Level IR is for at least 21 days, which looks like Matisz will be available for the April 18th home game against Calgary. Logan Schuss missed tonight's game due to work again and was placed on the hold out list and this could be happening on and off the rest of the season.
Those moves left two active roster spots open taken by David Earl and Ian Crawford. Earl was activated after serving time on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury suffered against New England on January 24th. The Swarm were 2-1 when Earl was placed on injured reserve. I. Crawford played his only game against Vancouver on February 28th and has been up and down from active to practice roster and back to accomodate Earl and Schuss.
- 03/21/15 - Swarm Lose Sixth Straight and Nearly Sight of Playoffs
The Minnesota Swarm fell 5-0 within six minutes of the start of the game and spent the rest of the night vainly trying to comeback only to finally succumb 12-8 in Buffalo to the Bandits. With the loss, the Swarm have lost six straight games and have lost an extremely important season series to the Bandits. The loss will make it nearly impossible for the Swarm now to make the playoffs. Also, the offense is in a deep freeze as they have been to held to nine or fewer goals in six of their last seven games. Callum Crawford made his return to the lineup after missing three games and had two goals and two assists as did Miles Thompson and Shayne Jackson. Dean Hill and Corbyn Tao had one goal each to finish the scoring for the Swarm. Zach Higgins and Brodie MacDonald split time in net, with Higgins starting and finally finishing the game. Dhane Smith and Mark Steenhuis had three goals each for the Bandits, with Anthony Cosmo saving 44 of 52 shots and former Swarm Jay Thorimbert dominating the face off circle going 20 of 24.
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Minnesota Swarm
(3-8 H 1-3 A 2-5) |
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Buffalo Bandits
(7-6 H 5-1 A 2-5) |
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- 03/21/15 - Minnesota Swarm Playoff Chances
The Swarm have eight games left. They have two each, one at home and one on the road, against division rivals Rochester, Buffalo and New England, the three teams the Swarm are chasing for a playoff spot. They have five of eight and their last four at Ho-Chunk Nation Field at The Hive. The Swarm probably need to win all their games against Buffalo and New England, one of the games against Rochester and one of the two against West Division teams Calgary and Edmonton to have a realistic chance to make the playoffs at least.
- 03/20/15 - Preview - Swarm at Bandits
The Bandits have won six straight against the Swarm in Buffalo and if they win Saturday night, they will clinch the season series and an extremely critical playoff tiebreaker as they currently hold the third and last playoff spot in the East Division.
BASICALLY, THE SWARM MUST WIN TO KEEP ANY REALISTIC PLAYOFF CHANCES ALIVE. LOSE AND THEY WILL NEED THE MOTHER OF ALL MIRACLES TO OCCUR TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS.
Prediction: Minnesota Swarm 13 Buffalo Bandits 12
Minnesota Swarm
(3-7 H 1-3 A 2-4)
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Buffalo Bandits
(6-6 H 4-1 A 2-5)
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Saturday, March 21, 2015 - 6:30 pm CST
First Niagara Center
Buffalo, New York
- 03/19/15 - Peterborough Examiner -
A week of big changes for Bobby Keast
Bobby Keast talks about the last week and his future in lacrosse and this is what what was said about his time with Swarm:
Keast was informed March 12 by Swarm head coach/assistant GM Joe Sullivan, who was recently let go as Lakers coach/GM, he was being let go as defensive coach. Keast was the only member of the staff released.
"I'm obviously disappointed," Keast said. "I don't think anybody likes to be let go from any job. I was very passionate about the Minnesota Swarm and the group of guys who are there. They're young and eager to learn. I really enjoyed coaching there."
Keast was in Minnesota for 3 1/2 years.
"I'm thankful for the opportunity," he said. "I'll definitely be back in the NLL some day and better for it."
Sullivan couldn't be reached for comment.
- 03/19/15 - YouTube -
Minnesota Swarm's Miles Thompson First Half Season Highlights
- 03/18/15 - WCCO This Morning - Minnesota University Helps Sports Teams Prevent Concussions
- 03/16/15 - Review - Swarm 8 Mammoth 12
The Minnesota Swarm began a three game road trip tonight in Colorado against the Mammoth but like the last the four games, this one also ended in a loss as
the Swarm fell 12-8 in front of 13,045 at the Pepsi Center. With the loss, the Swarm have lost five straight and are two games out of the last playoff spot in the East Division. Miles Thompson had two goals and assist including the 2,000 Swarm regular season goal in team history. Zach Higgins had another solid game this weekend with 40 saves on 51 shots. Logan Schuss returned to the lineup but both Callum Crawford and Kiel Matisz missed the game due to injury. In the first NLL Battle of the Nobles, Jason of the Swarm was overshadowed by twin brother Jeremy in his NLL debut which saw he get 2 goals and 5 assists.
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Minnesota Swarm
(3-7 H 1-3 A 2-4) |
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Colorado Mammoth
(5-5 H 3-2 A 2-3) |
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- 03/15/15 - Preview - Swarm at Mammoth
Just like last night, the two teams playing tonight have been losing more than winning of late, so one of these teams will get back to winning for at least one game. Even with last night's loss, I think the group that played did pretty well considering and with a game together in hand, will do even better tonight. They do have a big test against John Grant, Adam Jones and the very vocal and hostile enemy crowd to overcome but I think they can scrap and fight through for a very much need victory.
Prediction: Minnesota Swarm 11 Colorado Mammoth 10
Minnesota Swarm
(3-6 H 1-6 A 2-3)
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Colorado Mammoth
(4-5 H 2-2 A 2-3)
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Sunday, March 15, 2015 - 7:00 pm CST
Pepsi Center
Denver, Colorado
- 03/15/15 - Swarm are Hawaii 10-9'd by the Black Wolves
With a line up missing big names before and more during the game, the even younger Minnesota Swarm put forth a spirited effort and nearly came back to tie at the end but fell 10-9 to the New England Black Wolves in front of 8,912 on Hawaiian Night at Ho-Chunk Nation Field at The Hive. Dean Hill had three goals to lead the team with Zach Higgins turning a stellar performance with 41 saves. Logan Schuss and Callum Crawford missed the game and Kiel Matisz left the game early due to injury. The Swarm have lost four straight but have extremely little time to reflect as they travel to Denver to play the Colorado Mammoth tonight at 7:00 pm on WatchESPN.
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Minnesota Swarm
(3-6 H 1-3 A 2-3) |
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New England Black Wolves
(3-5 H 2-3 A 1-2) |
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- 03/14/15 - Preview - Swarm vs Black Wolves
Huge divisional matchup for the Minnesota Swarm as they return home after a month's absence against the New England Black Wolves to start the doubleheader weekend which ends Sunday night in Colorado. The team is looking forward to the probable but not yet confirmed return of Callum Crawford and David Earl. With the firing of Bobby Keast occuring yesterday, the team is on notice to bring it strong starting tonight. Against a team that is struggling also in the Black Wolves, I see the Swarm have a great opportunity to right the ship and the shake up mentioned above, I see an reinspired team win for the Swarm on Saturday night.
Prediction: Minnesota Swarm 14 New England Black Wolves 12
Minnesota Swarm
(3-5 H 1-2 A 2-3)
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New England Black Wolves
(2-5 H 2-3 A 0-2)
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- 03/13/15 - 1500ESPN.com - On Demand - Callum Crawford
- 03/08/15 - Swarm Nearly to 2,000 Regular Season Goals
The Minnesota Swarm are nearing 2,000 regular season goals in their history. They will enter Friday night's game at Ho-Chunk Nation Field at The Hive against New England with 1,989. They have averaged eight goals per game at home this season and 11.6 per game overall this season, so look for goal 2,000 in the fourth quarter more than likely on Friday.
For more milestone goals through the team's history go to this page.
- 03/06/15 - Thompson Named NLL Rookie of the Month for February 2015
Minnesota Swarm 2014 first round pick draft pick Miles Thompson was named the NLL Rookie of the Month for February 2015.
The second overall pick had three goals and eleven assists in four February games. He is battling Ben McIntosh of the Edmonton Rush, who was the January 2015 winner, for NLL Rookie of the Year.
- 03/04/15 - Boxla Beat - Interview with Kiel Matisz
- 03/01/15 - What Else Can Go Wrong Tonight for the Swarm
A game on Saturday night where most everything went well for the Stealth while most everything went wrong for the Swarm. With the team's leading scorer, Callum Crawford, out with an injury, Brodie MacDoanld with his wife in labor and Corbyn Tao looking out of place on the bench in goaltending equipment, it felt that the Swarm were behind before the game even started. They fell even further behind quickly into the game down 7-3 after the first quarter and never got within three goals the rest of the way. It got so bad that even Tyler Richards, the Stealth goaltender, scored on an empty netter. The defense really needed a big game to help out Zach Higgins but they just couldn't find a way to stop the rejuvenated Stealth who have won 3 of their last 4 games. Logan Schuss had three goals and five assists and Shane MacDonald had his first NLL hat trick to go along with an assist. Andrew Suitor, Shayne Jackson and Jordan MacIntosh had two goals with Miles Thompson, Kiel Matisz and Dean Hill getting one each. The Swarm are now a game out of the playoffs and have a week off to regroup before they return to Ho-Chunk Nation Field to host the New England Black Wolves on Saturday, March 14th.
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Minnesota Swarm
(3-5 H 1-2 A 2-3) |
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Vancouver Stealth
(4-4 H 3-2 A 1-2) |
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