NLL's team power rankings through week 5

3. Buffalo Bandits (3-2). Second place in the East division, the Bandits are led by veteran playmaker Shawn Williams who currently has 26 points (5g, 21a). Rookie Dhane Smith has been key to their success as well. Smith has 9 goals in the Bandits' 5 games.2. Calgary Roughnecks (3-2). Calgary's last line of defense, goaltender Mike Poulin, is off to another great start to the 2013 season. Their offense is led by Shawn Evans who currently has 35 points (15g, 20a) on the year.1. Toronto Rock (5-1). Surprisingly, veteran Josh Sanderson, who is usually a setup man, leads the Rock in goal-scoring this season. Young star Garrett Billings leads the team in total points, but the main reason for Toronto's success has been the outstanding goaltending of Nick Rose.View the list »
The Toronto Rock lead all NLL teams in power rankings after week 5.

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With five weeks of National Lacrosse League games in the books, the Toronto Rock lead all NLL teams with a record of 5-1. On Saturday the Rock defeated their rivals, Buffalo, by a score of 14-12 inside the First Niagara Center.

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One must travel West to find the league's second place power ranking team, the Calgary Roughnecks. With a record of 3-2, Calgary has rebounded from their 0-2 start to the 2013 season. Behind gritty scorer Shawn Evans, Calgary is atop the West division.

Although they are coming off a loss to top-ranked Toronto, the Buffalo Bandits find themselves with a record of 3-2 and third on this week's power rankings list. Missing their captain John Tavares was too much of a hurdle for the Bandits to clear on Saturday which resulted in a loss.

The power rankings of the middle of the pack teams (Washington, Philadelphia, Colorado) are up for debate since they all have a .500 record. Several die-hard fans and sports writers believe Philadelphia should be near the top of the power rankings since they are the only team to defeat top-ranked Toronto and third place Buffalo.

The debate continues when rounding out the power rankings. Rochester, Minnesota, and Edmonton all have a record of 1-3. Rochester finally notched their first win of the season on Saturday, while Minnesota and Edmonton both lost.

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  • 1. Toronto Rock (5-1). Surprisingly, veteran Josh Sanderson, who is usually a setup man, leads the Rock in goal-scoring this season. Young star Garrett Billings leads the team in total points, but the main reason for Toronto's success has been the outstanding goaltending of Nick Rose.
  • 2. Calgary Roughnecks (3-2). Calgary's last line of defense, goaltender Mike Poulin, is off to another great start to the 2013 season. Their offense is led by Shawn Evans who currently has 35 points (15g, 20a) on the year.
  • 3. Buffalo Bandits (3-2). Second place in the East division, the Bandits are led by veteran playmaker Shawn Williams who currently has 26 points (5g, 21a). Rookie Dhane Smith has been key to their success as well. Smith has 9 goals in the Bandits' 5 games.
  • 4. Washington Stealth (3-3). After foward Cliff Smith's outstanding performances in his first couple games, he has cooled off as did the Stealth. Washington gave the Rochester Knighthawks their first victory of the season when the Stealth fell 7-6 on Saturday.
  • 5. Philadelphia Wings (2-2). Having played only four games on the year, it is difficult to judge the success of the Wings so early in the season. There is no doubt, however, Kevin Crowley is the leader of their offense. With 19 points (9g, 10a) on the year, Crowley leads all scorers on his team.
  • 6. Colorado Mammoth (2-2). The fans inside the Pepsi Center on Saturday saw the Mammoth play with passion on their way to a 15-9 victory over the Minnesota Swarm. It's no surprise John Grant Jr. leads the team in points this year. Grant has 30 points (17g, 13a) in just 4 games.
  • 7. Rochester Knighthawks (1-3). After a dismal 0-3 start to the 2013 season, the Knighthawks finally ended their slump on Saturday with a win over the Washington Stealth. Cody Jamieson leads all Knighthawks in scoring with 17 points (7g, 10a).
  • 8. Minnesota Swarm (1-3). Missing one of their leaders on the floor on Saturday in Callum Crawford resulted in a loss the Colorado Mammoth. With so many rookies and second-year players, the Swarm are still trying to find their identity as they enter week 6 of the 2013 NLL season.
  • 9. Edmonton Rush (1-3). The Rush lost the battle of Alberta on Saturday to rivals Calgary Roughnecks. Although the Rush filled the nets with goals behind their leading scorer Ryan Ward, their goaltending let them down. Still, Aaron Bold and Brodie MacDonald are a great pair of goalies who just had an off night.
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Hailey Jensen is involved with many different youth and adult sports clubs in the Spokane area. She is an avid follower of professional lacrosse, especially the teams and players of the National Lacrosse League.

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