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2015 NLL season

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

A lacrosse game between Edmonton Rush and Toronto Rock in 2010.

The 2015 National Lacrosse League season was the 29th time the league played its games. It started on January 2, 2015, and finished on June 5, 2015, when the Champion's Cup Finals ended. During this season, teams competed to become the league champions. The Edmonton Rush beat the Toronto Rock in the finals, winning two games to none. This was the first time the Edmonton Rush had ever won the Champion's Cup, making it a very exciting and memorable season for their fans.

Teams

Map of teams

2015 National Lacrosse League
DivisionTeamCityArenaCapacity
EastBuffalo BanditsBuffalo, New YorkFirst Niagara Center19,070
Minnesota SwarmSaint Paul, MinnesotaXCEL Energy Center18,064
New England Black WolvesUncasville, ConnecticutMohegan Sun Arena7,074
Rochester KnighthawksRochester, New YorkBlue Cross Arena10,662
Toronto RockToronto, OntarioAir Canada Centre18,800
WestCalgary RoughnecksCalgary, AlbertaScotiabank Saddledome19,289
Colorado MammothDenver, ColoradoPepsi Center18,007
Edmonton RushEdmonton, AlbertaRexall Place16,839
Vancouver StealthLangley, British ColumbiaLangley Events Centre5,276

Milestones and events

Pre-season

The Philadelphia Wings moved to Connecticut and became the New England Black Wolves. The league announced award winners from the previous season, including Cody Jamieson as Most Valuable Player. The Champion's Cup finals were changed to a best-of-three series for 2015. The Rochester Knighthawks made a trade, and several team captains were expected to miss the season due to injuries. There were announcements of retirements and passings of former league personnel.

Regular season

The Edmonton Rush resumed coaching duties, and the Toronto Rock secured a playoff spot. Several teams made trades and clinched playoff positions throughout the season. The Calgary Roughnecks secured a playoff berth on the final day of the regular season.

Playoffs

The Edmonton Rush requested to change the schedule for the Western Conference Finals but decided to forgo home-floor advantage for their fans. The Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Buffalo Bandits, and the Calgary Roughnecks defeated the Colorado Mammoth. The Edmonton Rush defeated the Calgary Roughnecks, and the Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Toronto Rock. The Toronto Rock won the East Division Championship, and the Edmonton Rush won the West Division Championship. The Edmonton Rush won Game 1 of the Champion's Cup Finals. The Edmonton Rush completed a sweep of the Toronto Rock in the Champion's Cup Finals to win their first-ever NLL title.

League business

The Minnesota Swarm announced its relocation to the Atlanta metropolitan area, where it will be known as the Georgia Swarm. The team agreed to play its home games at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.

Final standings

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

Overall seeds

East Division
PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Toronto Rock – xyz18144.7780.07–27–2230185+4512.7810.28
2Rochester Knighthawks – x18126.6672.07–25–4205173+3211.399.61
3Buffalo Bandits – x18117.6113.07–24–5236208+2813.1111.56
4Minnesota Swarm18612.3338.03–63–6185226−4110.2812.56
5New England Black Wolves18414.22210.02–72–7186249−6310.3313.83
West Division
PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Edmonton Rush – xy18135.7220.06–37–2241177+6413.399.83
2Colorado Mammoth – x1899.5004.06–33–6212218−611.7812.11
3Calgary Roughnecks – x18711.3896.04–53–6212217−511.7812.06
4Vancouver Stealth18513.2788.03–62–7211265−5411.7214.72
TeamWinsLossesPct.Seed
Toronto Rock144.7781
Edmonton Rush135.7222
Rochester Knighthawks126.6673
Buffalo Bandits117.6114
Colorado Mammoth99.5005
Calgary Roughnecks711.3896
Minnesota Swarm612.3337
Vancouver Stealth513.2788
New England Black Wolves414.2229

Regular-season results table

Abbreviation and Color Key:
Buffalo Bandits - BUF • Calgary Roughnecks - CAL • Colorado Mammoth - COL
Edmonton Rush - EDM • Minnesota Swarm - MIN • New England Black Wolves - NE
Rochester Knighthawks - ROC • Toronto Rock - TOR • Vancouver Stealth - VAN
Win  • Loss  • Home
ClubMatch
123456789101112131415161718
Buffalo BanditsNEEDMVANTORMINROCCALROCROCCOLTORTORMINNEMINVANNENE
8–129–814–1311–1315–1211–1715–14 (OT)10–1512–13 (OT)14–1015–1210–11 (OT)12–811–1212–917–920–920–10
Calgary RoughnecksVANCOLEDMTORBUFVANVANROCEDMROCNETORCOLCOLEDMEDMMINVAN
14–1816–17 (OT)8–1611–1214–15 (OT)9–1316–1311–1212–11 (OT)7–1320–910–128–9 (OT)14–99–89–1110–614–13
Colorado MammothMINCALVANVANEDMEDMNEBUFTORMINVANVANCALCALROCROCEDMEDM
20–1317–16 (OT)20–913–167–117–1314–1210–149–1712–814–1112–69–8 (OT)9–145–1411–1012–1310–13
Edmonton RushBUFMINCALNECOLCOLTORCALVANTORROCVANVANCALCALCOLMINCOL
8–910–1416–818–911–713–715–16 (OT)11–12 (OT)19–711–916–315–14 (OT)17–108–911–913–1216–1213–10
Minnesota SwarmCOLEDMNEBUFROCTORTORVANNECOLBUFNENEROCBUFCALEDMROC
13–2014–1019–1312–157–6 (OT)4–169–1415–219–108–128–1213–912–82–109–126–1012–1613–12 (OT)
New England Black WolvesBUFROCMINEDMROCTORCOLMINCALMINMINBUFVANTORROCBUFTORBUF
12–817–713–199–1810–1512–13 (OT)12–1410–99–209–138–1212–119–1112–156–149–207–1010–20
Rochester KnighthawksTORNETORBUFMINBUFNEBUFCALCALEDMTORMINCOLCOLVANNEMIN
12–137–178–617–116–7 (OT)15–1015–1013–12 (OT)12–1113–73–1611–710–214–510–1113–914–612–13 (OT)
Toronto RockROCVANBUFROCCALMINMINNEEDMCOLBUFBUFEDMCALROCVANNENE
13–1220–1113–116–812–1116–414–913–12 (OT)16–15 (OT)17–912–1511–10 (OT)9–1112–107–1114–715–1210–7
Vancouver StealthCALTORBUFCOLCOLCALCALMINEDMCOLCOLEDMEDMTORNEROCBUFCAL
18–1411–2013–149–2016–1313–913–1621–157–1911–146–1214–15 (OT)10–177–1411–99–139–1713–14

Player statistics

The following players were the top scorers in the league during the 2015 NLL season, which ended on May 3, 2015.

The following goaltenders were the top performers in the league during the 2015 NLL season, which ended on May 3, 2015.

PlayerTeamGPGAPtsPIMLB
Shawn EvansCalgary Roughnecks1847831303996
Mark MatthewsEdmonton Rush185362115664
Ryan BeneschBuffalo Bandits185558113699
Dhane SmithBuffalo Bandits1839681071175
Rhys DuchVancouver Stealth1841621031063
Josh SandersonToronto Rock1819831021090
Mark SteenhuisBuffalo Bandits173659952568
Curtis DicksonCalgary Roughnecks184846941658
Adam JonesColorado Mammoth165142931673
Cody JamiesonRochester Knighthawks183656924067
PlayerTeamGPMPWLGASV%GAA
Aaron BoldEdmonton Rush181016:54125160.7799.44
Matt VincRochester Knighthawks181003:58106161.8039.62
Brandon MillerToronto Rock18654:1082113.79210.36
Frankie SciglianoSan Diego Seals18734:0266136.77311.12
Anthony CosmoBuffalo Bandits171013:41107191.78011.31

Playoffs

The 2015 NLL season had exciting playoff games. In the East Division, the Toronto Rock played against the Rochester Knighthawks and won the series 2–1. In the West Division, the Edmonton Rush played against the Calgary Roughnecks and also won their series 2–1.

The final games, called the NLL Finals, were between the Toronto Rock and the Edmonton Rush. The Edmonton Rush won all two games and their first Champion's Cup.

Awards

Annual awards

Monthly awards

Each month, special awards are given to the best overall player and the best new player, called the rookie.

AwardWinnerOther Finalists
Most Valuable PlayerShawn Evans, CalgaryMark Matthews, Edmonton
Ryan Benesch, Buffalo
Goaltender of the YearMatt Vinc, RochesterAaron Bold, Edmonton
Brandon Miller, Toronto
Defensive Player of the YearKyle Rubisch, EdmontonChris Corbeil, Edmonton
Steve Priolo, Buffalo
Transition Player of the YearJoey Cupido, ColoradoBrodie Merrill, Toronto
Karsen Leung, Calgary
Rookie of the YearBen McIntosh, EdmontonJeremy Noble, Colorado
Miles Thompson, Minnesota
Sportsmanship AwardKyle Buchanan, New EnglandJordan Hall, Rochester
Curtis Hodgson, Vancouver
GM of the YearTerry Sanderson, TorontoSteve Dietrich, Buffalo
Curt Styres, Rochester
Les Bartley AwardJohn Lovell, TorontoMike Hasen, Rochester
Derek Keenan, Edmonton
Executive of the Year AwardBruce Urban, EdmontonScott Loffler, Buffalo
Lewis Staats, Rochester
Tom Borrelli AwardSteve Ewan, The Province
MonthOverallRookie
JanuaryJosh SandersonBen McIntosh
FebruaryRob HellyerMiles Thompson
MarchAaron BoldJeremy Noble
AprilRyan BeneschBen McIntosh

Stadiums and locations

Buffalo BanditsMinnesota SwarmNew England Black WolvesRochester KnighthawksToronto Rock
First Niagara CenterXcel Energy CenterMohegan Sun ArenaBlue Cross ArenaAir Canada Centre
Capacity: 19,070Capacity: 17,954Capacity: 7,700Capacity: 11,200Capacity: 18,819
Calgary RoughnecksColorado MammothEdmonton RushVancouver Stealth
Scotiabank SaddledomePepsi CenterRexall PlaceLangley Events Centre
Capacity: 19,289Capacity: 18,007Capacity: 16,839Capacity: 5,276

Attendance

Regular season

Playoffs

Home teamHome gamesAverage attendanceTotal attendance
Colorado Mammoth914,787133,091
Buffalo Bandits914,316128,847
Calgary Roughnecks911,642104,785
Toronto Rock910,01190,102
Minnesota Swarm98,69978,291
Rochester Knighthawks97,05163,465
Edmonton Rush96,57859,207
New England Black Wolves93,91435,234
Vancouver Stealth93,73433,610
League818,970726,632
Home teamHome gamesAverage attendanceTotal attendance
Colorado Mammoth116,02716,027
Calgary Roughnecks212,78525,570
Edmonton Rush29,98219,965
Toronto Rock39,89229,677
Rochester Knighthawks26,16712,335
League1010,357103,574

Related articles

Edmonton Rush
Toronto Rock
Champion's Cup
National Lacrosse League
Buffalo Bandits
Calgary Roughnecks

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