NLL Week Five: Minnesota Swarm vs Rochester Knighthawks

The Minnesota Swarm are riding high following a big win at home against the Buffalo Bandits last week. The Rochester Knighthawks? Not so much.

The K-Hawks come into this one sitting at 1-3, having lost three straight (two close games last weekend) after their own huge win to begin the season. However, the Knighthawks own the series 9-4, and the K-Hawks beat the Swarm in Rochester during the preseason. On top of that, Rochester will have extra motivation as they host Men's Health Night, auctioning off the jerseys from the game, and will be giving away 3000 Chris Schiller bobbleheads.

Bobblehead night is always a winner.

One of the story lines in this one will be that the Kirk brothers, Evan and Mike will play each other in their first regular season NLL game. Evan has yet to play for the Swarm, and the goalie position already has enough question marks after it in Minnesota. Nick Patterson was a healthy scratch against the Bandits, and Tyler Carlson was an absolute stud, making 39 saves and adding five assists. If Evan Kirk wants to steal that position away, it isn't going to be easy.
Cody Jamieson leads the K-Hawks in scoring with 13 goals and 14 assists, but the Swarm would be smart not to take their eyes off rookie Stephan Keogh either. Keogh sits second in rookie scoring, and first with 11 assists.

The K-Hawks will likely go with Matt Vinc between the pipes, barring any random change or freak happenings between now and tomorrow night.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Swarm bring in Transition Player of the Week, Captain Andrew Suitor and Rookie of the Week Jordan MacIntosh. Both were very impressive against the Bandits, posting some gaudy numbers, even though Suitor played only the first half due to being ejected after a bench clearing brawl to end the first half.

MacIntosh is on another level for someone with just four NLL games under his belt. Nineteen looseballs, 17 faceoff wins, a goal, and three assists against the Bandits were impressive, but what really stood out were his smarts with the ball. He did not try to force the play, and maintained possession several times rather than taking a wasted shot or trying to force himself into the play. With players like Ryan Benesch and Callum Crawford leading the Swarm, MacIntosh might be easy to overlook. That would be a massive mistake for the Knighthawks.
All in all, this should be an entertaining game, in the very least. Both sides have the potential to put up big numbers, and also have the ability to shut down the opposition if need be. If you can't be in Rochester, be sure to tune in on the NLL Network.