Brodie Merrill Honored by League
May 12, 2010 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB--The Edmonton Rush are excited to announce today that for the second straight season Brodie Merrill has been named the National Lacrosse League's Transition Player of the Year.
This is the fourth major award won by Merrill in his NLL career, following last season's Transition Player of the Year honour and capturing both the league's Top Defender and Top Rookie Award in 2006.
"I'm very honoured. All these awards, they're team awards, really," said Merrill, who joined the Rush through the NLL$B!F(Bs Dispersal Draft of the Portland franchise.
"I had a really good time with that group of guys in Edmonton. With the kind of system we play and the teammates around me, it made it easy to step in and contribute. It's a little bittersweet with the way things ended on the weekend, but we got beat by a very good team. I think we have a very good team with few regrets and have a lot of reasons to be optimistic for the future."
All three of his previous awards were earned as a member of the Portland LumberJax. This season's league award follows up on Merrill being named the Rush's team MVP at the conclusion of the club's best-ever season in the NLL.
"Very well deserved," noted Rush GM/Head Coach Derek Keenan, who captured league awards for his dual role yesterday. "There is no other player in the league who brings the kind of impact and leadership that Brodie brings to all key areas of the game."
This was a banner year for Merrill, who hails from Orangeville, ON. The five-year-veteran of NLL play guided the Rush to a franchise-best 10-6 record during the regular season, and then an upset win over the defending-league champion Calgary Roughnecks in the NLL's West Division semifinal.
Merrill tied his career-high with 17 goals during the regular season, a total that included the game-winning overtime goal in the Rush's road win over Minnesota. Merrill scored points in 15 of the Rush's 16 regular-season games, notching a season-best six points (one goal, six assists) in the Rush's first win of the season in a game at Colorado back in January. Merrill continued to prove his big-game worth as he also registered three five-point games during the season coming in victories over Buffalo, Washington, and Minnesota.
Merrill, who finished the regular season fourth in Rush scoring with 53 points, set a new career-high with 36 assists and set a Rush team record with 190 loose balls - the second-best total in the NLL this past season. The 29-year-old set Rush season records for all major categories by a transition player including goals (17), assists (36) and points (53). Merrill also set single-game Rush records for most loose balls (18), most goals by a defender/transition player (3), and most assists by a defender/transition player (5).
The Rush assistant captain paced his team to a playoff position for the first time in franchise history with a stellar April, earning him recognition as the NLL's Player of the Month. In April, Merrill scored nine goals, including hat tricks against both Minnesota and Calgary, and added 11 assists for 20 points plus 60 loose balls. League Notes: National Lacrosse League Championship Game to air LIVE on TSN on Saturday Night Live online broadcast at NLL.com; Versus to air telecast on Sunday
The 2010 National Lacrosse League Championship Game, featuring the Washington Stealth (13-5) hosting the Toronto Rock (11-7) at Comcast Arena on Saturday, May 15 at 10:30PM Eastern will be broadcast live on TSN, Saturday May 15, 10:30PM Eastern/8:30 PM MST / 7:30PM Pacific. The game will also air live on the NLL Network at NLL.com. The game will also air on Versus on Sunday, May 16 2PM Eastern/ 11 AM Pacific.
National Lacrosse League Stories from May 12, 2010
- Brodie Merrill Honored by League - Edmonton Rush
- 2010 Buffalo Bandits Summer Lacrosse Experience - Buffalo Bandits
- Toronto Vs. Washington in NLL Championship Game Live on TSN - Toronto Rock
- National Lacrosse League Championship Game to Air Live on TSN - NLL
- Orlando's Vinc Named NLL Goaltender of the Year - Orlando Titans
- Sandy Chapman Named NLL Defensive Player of the Year - Toronto Rock
- NLL Hands out Awards - NLL
- Stealth Head Coach Named NLL Co-Coach Of The Year - Washington Stealth
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