Portland's Brodie Merrill named Belmont.com Defensive Player of the Year
May 2, 2006 - National Lacrosse League (NLL) News Release
The naming of the 2006 National Lacrosse League season award winners continues today with the Belmont.com Defensive Player of the Year award. The award goes to defenseman Brodie Merrill of the Portland Lumberjax.
Merrill, the top overall player selected in the 2005 NLL Entry Draft, more than lived up to the lofty expectations. The rookie defenseman picked up 214 loose balls in his first season. The total represents the second-highest single season total in league history (Toronto's Jim Veltman picked up 226 this season to set the new season record). Merrill also contributed greatly to the Lumberjax offense, ranking second on the team in assists (32) and third in overall points (49). Merrill collected seven weekly awards throughout the season.
The rookie was named as one of the team's three assistant captains at the start of the season, and helped lead the expansion Portland club to the West Division regular season title and a tie for best record in the league at 11-5. Merrill anchored a Portland defense that allowed 177 goals during the regular season, ranking fifth in the league. The Orangeville, Ontario native was acquired by the Lumberjax in the 2005 NLL Entry Draft as the first overall selection out of Georgetown University.
Merrill becomes the first rookie to win the award outright. Previous winners of the award include Andrew Turner in 2005, Cam Woods and Taylor Wray in 2004 (co-winners), and Jim Moss in 2003. Wray was a rookie for the Calgary Roughnecks when he and Woods were co-winners of the award in 2004. The award winners are chosen by a vote of the leagues coaches, general managers, and executives.
The award announcements continue on Wednesday when the league will announce the RBK Goaltender of the Year Award. The award was won Steve Dietrich of the Buffalo Bandits last season.
The league will announce its season award winners over the next two weeks, leading up to the 2006 RBK NLL Championship Game presented by Edge Active. The Buffalo Bandits host the Colorado Mammoth in the championship game on Saturday, May 13th at 6PM Eastern. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Fox Sports World Canada.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from May 2, 2006
- Merrill wins NLL Defensive Player of the Year Award - Portland Lumberjax
- Minnesota Swarm Announces Two Field Lacrosse Camps - Minnesota Swarm
- Portland's Brodie Merrill named Belmont.com Defensive Player of the Year - NLL
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