New York Riptide Sign Five to Contract Extensions
August 16, 2022 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
New York Riptide News Release
Uniondale, NY - The New York Riptide announced today that the team has signed defenders Dan MacRae and Jay Thorimbert, and goaltender Gowah Abrams to two-year contract extensions, and forward Callum Crawford and defender Damon Edwards to one-year contract extensions
"Extremely excited and anxious to get going again with our leadership group back together," Riptide Head Coach Dan Ladouceur said. "MacRae, Crawford and Edwards all wore letters for this group and provided excellent and consistent leadership. Thorimbert is included in our leadership group as a veteran player with lots of experience in this league and lots of advice and guidance to our younger players. The whole group supports our messaging and their presence is invaluable. Also pumped to have Gowah back with this group. When you talk about a team guy and the glue of a locker room, you must include Gowah's name in that conversation."
A 16-year NLL veteran, Crawford scored 88 points on 39 goals and 49 assists in 15 games played this season. On March 26, Crawford became the eighth player in NLL history to score 700 career goals. On February 26, Crawford became the 10th player in NLL history to score 1100 career points. In the 2019-20 season, Crawford led the league with 76 points on 33 goals and 43 assists in just 11 games, earned NLL All-Pro First Team honors and was an MVP finalist as a member of the New England Black Wolves. Crawford has had 11 seasons with 70 or more points in his career, including two of 100 or more. His career-high 115 points came in 2016 when he was a member of the Colorado Mammoth and he also recorded 109 during the 2019 season with New England. He had a career-high 48 goals in 2019 and has scored 30 or more in eight of his 16 seasons, including each of the last six. In 2016, Crawford had a career-high 83 assists, which ties for the fourth-most in a single season in the league history books. He has dished out 50 or more assists in seven seasons during his career.
Edwards appeared in 16 games last season, scooping 63 loose balls, causing 12 turnovers, and adding 10 points on five goals and five assists. The 31st overall pick in the 2009 NLL Draft, Edwards made his professional debut for the Boston Blazers, before signing with his hometown Toronto Rock as a free agent in 2011. The eight-year veteran has played in 145 career games, scooping 491 loose balls and causing 101 turnovers. Edwards has also added 97 points on 43 goals and 54 assists in his career.
An 11-year NLL veteran, MacRae currently serves as captain of the Riptide. Last season, MacRae played in 18 games and finished with 12 points on five goals and seven assists, scooped 83 loose balls and caused 18 turnovers. He was named to the NLL All-League Second team in 2019-20. The Riptide selected MacRae in the fourth round of the 2019 NLL Expansion Draft and he was the Roughnecks' first round pick, sixth overall, in the 2010 NLL Entry Draft.
Thorimbert went 234-506 (.462) from the faceoff circle, scooped 104 loose balls and caused 11 turnovers in all 18 games last season. Thorimbert also scored six points on three goals and three assists. On April 16, Thorimbert became the fifth player in NLL history to scoop 1700 loose balls. The 36-year-old was acquired by the Riptide via a trade with the Rochester Knighthawks during the 2020 NLL Draft. A 13-year NLL veteran, Thorimbert has gone .545 over his career on faceoffs, winning over 2500 of them in 198 games.
Abrams played in three games with one start this season, and finished with a .703 Save Percentage, as well as a 13.63 Goals Against Average. Abrams has recorded 279 saves and has a goals against average of 13.04 and a save percentage of .750 in just over 427 minutes of action in his career.
The Riptide will return to Nassau Coliseum in December for the 2022-23 season. Season Ticket Memberships are on sale now and are the best way to enjoy the Riptide at an unbeatable price. Benefits include an exclusive post game meet and greet with team, player clinics on the Nassau Coliseum turf, an exclusive season ticket member gift, a season ticket member merchandise sale, a flexible ticket exchange program so no tickets go unused and can be added to another game, and much more. Fans can head to NewYorkRiptide.com for all of the details.
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