Crowley and Powless continue to impress
Published on October 29, 2011 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release
(Rochester, October 29)... The Dirty Lacrosse Club cruised to a berth in the semifinals of the 21st Annual Hawaii Invitational Lacrosse Tournament after earning two straight wins today in Honolulu. Dirty Lax advanced to the semis at 6:30 p.m. (EST) Sunday in their inaugural tournament.
"The big difference was everything was really crisp," said General Manager Adam Gardner. "We tried different line combinations and things started to click."
The players that stood out, according to the Gardner, were Kevin Crowley, Curtis Dickson, Stephen Keogh and Johnny Powless. Powless and Keogh are two of three Rochester Knighthawks on the roster, which also includes Jarrett Davis.
"Kevin is our field general and our leader as the team captain," said Gardner. "Johnny has been the player that has impressed everyone the most. His lacrosse sense is beyond his 18 years."
Crowley and Powless were both first-round picks in the 2011 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft. Crowley was the No. 1 overall pick in both the NLL and MLL, and averaged two points per game for the Hamilton Nationals this summer. Powless was the fifth overall pick in the NLL Draft after having an incredible two-year run in Canadian Junior "A" box lacrosse with the Six Nations Arrows. Crowley commented on his trip to date.
"Yesterday's win was great because we got to see the talent of all the team members. We didn't play the strongest team, but you could see chemistry starting," said Crowley. "Hawaii's been great. The team gets along well together so we usually get a good group of guys doing sightseeing as a team and it bringing us closer together."
Dickson was solid in both games today, which began with a victory a 20-1 victory over Chushikoku from Japan. Dickson enters his second season in the NLL in 2012 with the Calgary Roughnecks. He was a two-time All-American at the University of Delaware.
In the second contest, Dirty Lax raced out to a 10-0 halftime lead and concluded the game with a 12-4 win over Northwest. Keogh had a strong game for Dirty Lax against the American team from Oregon and Connor Martin of Con Bro Chill fame.
"We used a four to five-man rotation with Keogh, Powless, Dickson starting and me and Jamie Lincoln coming in. Lincoln played well for us," said Gardner. "The defense has been solid, but untested."
In the two games, Bob Snider won all but two faceoffs and Warren Hill of Six Nations won both games in goal for the Dirty Lacrosse Club. Dirty Lax captured Group C, which included Hokkaido, Northwest and Chushikoku. Check back on Knighthawks.net for updates from the 21st Annual Hawaii Invitational Lacrosse Tournament. Dirty Lax will more than likely face the Beer Hunters from Group D in the semifinals. The Beer Hunters include NLL players Tom Johnson and Rory Smith.
"It will be by far the most physical game of the tournament with all Canadian defenses battling each other. There will be some âdirty lacrosse,'" said Gardner. "We are going to continue to play our fast-paced Canadian version of field lacrosse."
National Lacrosse League Stories from October 29, 2011
- Crowley and Powless continue to impress - Rochester Knighthawks
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