Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. I hope you all enjoyed some much-needed down time with your families after a long and busy 2024 of box lacrosse because it’s time to get back to focusing on the National Lacrosse League.
There are six games on the schedule for Week Five of the NLL season, so there was lots of great numbers to choose from… what a way to end the calendar year. I buckled down and chose four that I think you should keep in mind during this weekend’s action.
This is By the Numbers.
1 – The Number of Goals Dane Dobbie Needs To Crack The Top 5 In Regular Season Goals All-Time
Well, we got here faster than I think many of us expected. We all knew that the Calgary Roughnecks’ Dane Dobbie was going to make a concerted effort to score a bunch of goals – his 24 goals last season was one of the lowest scoring years of his prolific NLL career. This season, Dobbie has already scored 13 goals in only two games – his otherworldly eight-goal outburst in Week Three jolted him to the top of the list of this season’s best goal scorers.
With Dobbie finding the back of the net with such frequency to start the season, he’s positioned himself to climb up the all-time goal scorers list this weekend. He is currently tied with Dan Dawson for the 5th-most regular season goals in NLL history. His next score – goal #552 – will put Dobbie in the Top 5 of the league’s best goal scorers alongside John Tavares, John Grant Jr., Gary Gait, and Ryan Benesch. That’s quite the group to be a part of.
Dobbie and the Roughnecks will be facing the Georgia Swarm in Week Five. Despite being held scoreless against them the last time he faced them (February 23rd, 2024), Dobbie has dominated the Swarm in most of their other matchups. He’s even notched two career sock tricks against the Swarm and has talked four goals against them twice.
61 – Meetings Between the Calgary Roughnecks and the Vancouver Warriors Organization After Week Five
Teams from Calgary and Vancouver don’t like each other. It doesn’t matter which sport you’re talking about. In box lacrosse, these two cities have been going head-to-head since 2014. But, the rivalry between these two organizations goes back much further than just the last decade.
The first time these two organizations squared off was January 27th, 2002. The Albany Attack (yes, way back in the day the Warriors were based in Albany) defeated the Roughnecks (who were in their inaugural season) 12-7. That season, the Roughnecks also played the Vancouver Ravens, but that was a different organization which went defunct in 2004.
Heading into this weekend’s matchup in Calgary, the Roughnecks can move to 3-0 for the first time since 2009 – this is the only time in franchise history the Roughnecks’ have started a season 3-0. The Warriors are looking to move to 2-1 on the year, which would be their best three-game start since the 2021-22 season.
84% – The Save Percentage of the Rochester Knighthawks’ Kevin Orleman
The Rochester Knighthawks’ goaltending saga has been one of the most interesting goaltending storylines over the last two seasons. From Rylan Hartley’s various injuries (he is currently listed as having a lower-body injury) to the evolution of Riley Hutchcraft, to the latest cameo by Kevin Orleman… the Knighthawks’ goaltending situation has been one to watch.
In Week Four, we saw Orleman make his real team debut – he played less than a minute against the Buffalo Bandits in Week Two and didn’t need to make any saves – in a relief appearance for Hutchcraft. This time, in between the pipes, his performance almost stole a win for his team. He played for 13:31 and stopped 11 of 13 shots on goal. Ten of his 11 saves on the night came in the fourth quarter as the Knighthawks were surging back from a 12-6 deficit.
The Knighthawks couldn’t complete the comeback, but Orleman was a key reason why the team had any business vying for a win down the stretch. Knighthawks Head Coach Mike Hasen has already said that Hutchcraft will be the starter for the team’s Week Five match against the Buffalo Bandits, but last weekend, he and the rest of us learned a little more about how helpful Orleman can be for the Knighthawks team.
106 – Games Josh Byrne & Dhane Smith Will Have Played Together After Week Five
Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne are arguably the best duo in NLL history. Between championships, MVP awards, record-setting seasons, and many other accolades, these two have helped lead the Bandits in one of their most successful stretches in franchise history.
They have already played 105 regular season games together, and we know that there are many more to come – the duo are both signed with the Bandits through the 2027-28 season. Over those 105 games together, they’ve combined for a staggering 438 goals, 851 assists, 1,289 points, and 994 loose ball recoveries. Considering they’ve “only” been playing together since December 23rd, 2017, that’s pretty remarkable.
The 106th game these two are playing together is a special one. On Saturday night against the Knighthawks, the Bandits will raise another banner to the rafters. Smith and Byrne led the way offensively during the team’s 2024 championship run. They look equally poised to take home the 2025 NLL Cup, as they are both off to flaming hot starts.