Minnesota Swarm vs Rochester Knighthawks: Game Recap

Two days ago, the Minnesota Swarm locked antlers with the Edmonton Rush, the top defensive team in the NLL. It was a low scoring affair that, at the half, was tied at five. It wound up 10-9, with the Swarm winning in over time. Coming into last night's game, if you had said it would be tied at four at the half, and end in a 9-6 final, you may have been locked up for your own protection.

For the bulk of the NLL world, this was likely seen as a throw away game. One that is on the schedule, but not one to be closely watched. Both teams are young, and following the chatter around the NLL, no one was talking much about this matchup. Just another game between two teams in the middle of the pack.

Enter Evan Kirk.

The Swarm dropped a bit of a bomb when it was announced Evan Kirk would get his first NLL start. With the Swarm at home, and having pulled to .500, the talk on Friday was of having not proven anything until they were above even. With Tyler Carlson playing well, it would have been expected to put him back in. Expected is not what the Swarm do, apparently.

Kirk would wind up with 46 saves, many of them impressive and a handful with no one but him back for the Swarm. He looked poised and ready for anything, not backing down at any point in the game. As is the case in team sports, Kirk deflected the praise to his defense, a Swarm defense tagged as the sole weakness for this team just two weeks ago.

All of this, in front of his big brother Mike, who plays for the K-Hawks. Evan did mention that he didn't get to talk to his brother much since Mike plays D, and is normally out at the other end of the field, but did say it was "a privilege to grow up playing the sport together."

Mike Lines called the performance "phenomenal," and mentioned Kirk knew he would be starting this game for two weeks. Andrew Suitor called it "incredible," saying "talk about making a statement. The kid's for real. I think he showed it tonight that he's the real deal."

The Swarm defense has come along way since Lines labeled them as a weakness. Last night he said they had "turned a corner and played great." He noted many of the shots from the K-Hawks were from outside, and credited the defense with "boxing out," something he says they failed to do in the game in Rochester.

The game itself was what you might expect a low scoring NLL game to look like. Big saves from Kirk and Matt Vinc, some tough, physical defense from both sides that led to missed passes and big turnovers. Tied four to four at the half, it was clear the game was not going to be the same as the first match up between these two teams.

With chances limited, none of the goals were what you might consider highlight real quality, save for what seems to have become Suitor's signature of a laser beam low shot while falling to the turf that gave the lead back to the Swarm late in the third. That goal was part of a 3-0 run by the Swarm that saw the K-Hawks go scoreless for over 19 minutes.

As the game wound down, the K-Hawks began to march to the penalty box, including a five minute major to Tyler Burton that left them shorthanded until they had just 11 seconds of game time to work with. At the final buzzer, Mike Kirk was issued an unsportsmanlike penalty and ten minute misconduct, not that they mattered much at that point.

With the win, the Swarm finished off a perfect doubleheader at home, winning both games. Swarm coach Mike Lines called it a "huge weekend." The Swarm also improve to 3-0 at home, and 2-1 against the East after going 1-11 from 2010-2011. They improve to 3-2 on the season, and into a tie for second place in the West. They host the undefeated West leading Colorado Mammoth on Saturday.

The K-Hawks fall to 2-4 on the year, and remain in last place in the East. They face the 1-4, last in the West Washington Stealth next weekend.

As always, stay tuned to In Lax We Trust for all your NLL news.