2011 NLL season

2011 NLL season
LeagueNational Lacrosse League
SportIndoor lacrosse
DurationJanuary 2011 – May 2011
Number of games16
Number of teams10
Season MVPJeff Shattler
Top scorerRyan Benesch
Eastern championsToronto Rock
  Eastern runners-upBuffalo Bandits
Western championsWashington Stealth
  Western runners-upCalgary Roughnecks
Finals championsToronto Rock
  Runners-upWashington Stealth
Finals MVPBob Watson
NLL seasons

The 2011 National Lacrosse League season, the 25th in the history of the NLL, began January 8, 2011, and ended with the Championship game, won by the Toronto Rock 8-7.

Team movement

The Orlando Titans announced in July 2010 that they would not participate in the 2011 season, due to financial troubles.[1] Some players were granted free agency while others were involved in a dispersal draft.

Teams

East Division West Division
2011 National Lacrosse League
Division Team City Arena Capacity
East Boston Blazers Boston, Massachusetts TD Garden 17,850
Buffalo Bandits Buffalo, New York HSBC Arena 18,690
Philadelphia Wings Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wachovia Center 19,537
Rochester Knighthawks Rochester, New York Blue Cross Arena 10,662
Toronto Rock Toronto, Ontario Air Canada Centre 18,800
West Calgary Roughnecks Calgary, Alberta Scotiabank Saddledome 19,289
Colorado Mammoth Denver, Colorado Pepsi Center 18,007
Edmonton Rush Edmonton, Alberta Rexall Place 16,839
Minnesota Swarm Saint Paul, Minnesota XCEL Energy Center 18,064
Washington Stealth Everett, Washington Comcast Arena at Everett 8,513

Final standings

Reference: [2]

East Division
PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Buffalo Bandits – xy16106.6250.04–46–2169159+1010.569.94
2Toronto Rock – x16106.6250.07–13–5187168+1911.6910.50
3Rochester Knighthawks – x16106.6250.04–46–2176159+1711.009.94
4Boston Blazers – x1688.5002.04–44–4166155+1110.389.69
5Philadelphia Wings16511.3125.02–63–5143179−368.9411.19
West Division
PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Calgary Roughnecks – xyz16115.6880.06–25–3198181+1712.3811.31
2Minnesota Swarm – x1688.5003.05–33–5187180+711.6911.25
3Washington Stealth – x1688.5003.03–55–3203198+512.6912.38
4Colorado Mammoth – x16511.3126.03–52–6151172−219.4410.75
5Edmonton Rush16511.3126.04–41–7175204−2910.9412.75

x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played
W: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed
Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game

Playoffs

Divisional Semifinal Divisional Final Champion's Cup Final
         
E1 Buffalo 11
E4 Boston 10
E1 Buffalo 11
Eastern Division
E2 Toronto 12
E2 Toronto 10
E3 Rochester 8
E2 Toronto 8
W3 Washington 7
W1 Calgary 10
W4 Colorado 6
W1 Calgary 8
Western Division
W3 Washington 10
W2 Minnesota 8
W3 Washington 14

Milestones and events

Pre-season

  • July 30, 2010: The league announced that the Orlando Titans would not be participating in the 2011 season.[3]

Regular season

  • John Tavares scores the first goal of the game against the Philadelphia Wings at the Wells Fargo Center in a 16–7 win, marking the first player in league history to reach 700 goals scored.
  • The following week at home against the same team, Tavares would become the first person to tally 1,500 career points.

Awards

Annual

Award Winner Team
Most Valuable Player Jeff Shattler[4] Calgary Roughnecks
Goaltender of the Year Matt Vinc[5] Rochester Knighthawks
Defensive Player of the Year Pat McCready[5] Rochester Knighthawks
Transition Player of the Year Jeff Shattler[5] Calgary Roughnecks
Rookie of the Year Curtis Dickson [6] Calgary Roughnecks
Sportsmanship Award Jordan Hall[7] Rochester Knighthawks
GM of the Year Curt Styres [8] Rochester Knighthawks
Les Bartley Award Mike Hasen [8] Rochester Knighthawks
Executive of the Year Award Curt Styres [9] Rochester Knighthawks
Tom Borrelli Award Budd Bailey [7]  

All-Pro teams

First Team

Second Team

All-Rookie team

Weekly awards

The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best overall player, best offensive player, best transition player, best defensive player, and best rookie.

Month Week Overall Offensive Defensive Transition Rookie
January 1 Bob Watson Scott Ranger Mike Poulin Paul Rabil Aaron Pascas
2 Ryan Benesch Ryan Benesch Nick Patterson Mark Steenhuis Cody Jamieson
3 Stephan Leblanc Luke Wiles Nick Patterson Brodie Merrill Cody Jamieson
4 Brandon Miller Dane Dobbie Bob Watson Jeff Shattler Curtis Dickson
February 5 Shawn Evans Dan Dawson Tyler Richards Jordan Hall Cody Jamieson
6 John Tavares John Tavares Anthony Cosmo Paul Rabil Aaron Pascas
7 Bob Watson Garrett Billings Jeff Moleski Ryan Hotaling Curtis Dickson
8 Colin Doyle Colin Doyle Sandy Chapman Jordan Hall Cody Jamieson
March 9 Mike Thompson Lewis Ratcliff Mike Grimes Jordan Hall Rob Hellyer
10 Jeff Shattler John Tavares Chris Corbeil Jeff Shattler Curtis Dickson
11 Dane Dobbie Dane Dobbie Nolan Heavenor Jeff Shattler Curtis Dickson
12 Zack Greer Zack Greer Scott Campbell Jeff Shattler Curtis Dickson
April 13 John Grant Shawn Williams Matt Roik Jordan Hall Andrew Suitor
14 Rhys Duch Dan Dawson Mike Thompson Tom Montour Cody Jamieson
15 Kevin Buchanan Kevin Buchanan Chris Levis Brodie Merrill Kyle Rubisch
16 Ryan Benesch Ryan Benesch Nick Patterson Jordan Hall Cody Jamieson

Monthly awards

Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.

Month Overall Rookie
January Bob Watson Curtis Dickson
February Garrett Billings Kyle Rubisch
March Jeff Shattler Curtis Dickson
April Ryan Benesch Cody Jamieson

Statistics leaders

Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.

Stat Player Team Total
Goals Ryan Benesch Minnesota 46
Assists Dan Dawson Boston 59
Points Ryan Benesch Minnesota 95
Penalty Minutes Geoff Snider Calgary 74
Shots on Goal John Grant, Jr. Colorado 203
Loose Balls Brodie Merrill Edmonton 187
Save Pct Matt Vinc Rochester .794
GAA Anthony Cosmo Boston 9.81

Attendance

Regular Season

Home Team Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance[10]
Buffalo Bandits 8 17,095 136,765
Colorado Mammoth 8 15,865 126,927
Calgary Roughnecks 8 10,384 83,074
Boston Blazers 8 8,712 69,696
Philadelphia Wings 8 8,661 69,294
Toronto Rock 8 8,513 68,108
Minnesota Swarm 8 8,287 66,302
Edmonton Rush 8 7,151 57,214
Rochester Knighthawks 8 5,331 42,648
Washington Stealth 8 3,226 25,808
League 80 9,322 745,836

Playoffs

Home Team Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance[11]
Toronto Rock 2 12,358 24,716
Buffalo Bandits 2 11,811 23,622
Calgary Roughnecks 2 10,108 20,217
Minnesota Swarm 1 5,878 5,878
League 7 10,633 74,433

See also

References

  1. ^ Tutka, Paul (July 28, 2010). "Source: Orlando Titans out, handful of players seeking unrestricted free agency". NLL Insider. Archived from the original on August 1, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  2. ^ "National Lacrosse League - 2011 Regular Season - Standings". NLL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  3. ^ "Titans Look To Change Ownership Structure". NLL.com. July 30, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  4. ^ "Shattler Wins Most Valuable Player Award". NLL.com. May 12, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "Shattler, McCready, & Vinc Honored". NLL.com. May 9, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  6. ^ "Calgary's Dickson Wins Rookie of the Year". NLL.com. May 10, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Hall, Bailey Win First Two Awards of 2011". NLL.com. May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Rochester Sweeps GM & Head Coach Awards". NLL.com. May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  9. ^ "Curt Styres Named Executive of the Year". NLL.com. May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  10. ^ "National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".
  11. ^ "National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".