DULUTH, Ga. (March 31, 2022) – The red-hot Georgia Swarm (8-6), winners of four-straight games, and the Toronto Rock (8-5) close out their home and home two-week stretch against one another tonight in Gas South Arena. The Swarm and Rock faced off against one another for the first time in nearly three years last Saturday, March 26, with Georgia securing a 10-6 win over Toronto.
After the win over the Rock last week, the Swarm still hold the East Division fourth seed in the playoff race. They are a half a game behind Toronto, who sit in third place. If the Swarm were to sweep the series over the Rock, Georgia would move to the third seed. If the Rochester Knighthawks (3-10) defeat the second seeded Halifax Thunderbirds (8-5) on Friday, April 1, Georgia would move to the East Division second seed, putting them in position to host a first-round playoff game in May.
Georgia saw eight different teammates put up goals and 11 players record points during last week’s win over Toronto. The entire team stepped up to bring home the win as the NLL’s leading goal scorer, Lyle Thompson, was placed on the Injured Reserve List the morning of the game.
With Thompson out, Brendan Bomberry provided some scoring punch, netting his third hat trick in the last six games. Reigning NLL MVP Shayne Jackson dished out four assists and landed one goal between the pipes, leading the team in points. Goaltender Mike Poulin bolstered an all-around smothering defensive effort, recording a season best 43 saves in net.
Toronto’s Tom Schreiber leads his team in goals (34) while ranking third across the NLL. Teammate Rob Hellyer sits first among the Rock in points (59) and assists (41) while ranking 19th in league points.
Entering this week’s matchup, the Swarm are now the second-highest scoring offense in the league netting 165 goals (11.79 per game). Despite not playing in last weekend’s matchup, 2021-22 NLL MVP Candidate Lyle Thompson still tops the NLL in goals (39) and ranks top-five in points (4th; 80). After adding five more points to his statline last week, Jackson now ranks 13th in the NLL with 66.
Toronto posts a .500 record (3-3) on the road while the Swarm hold a .667 (4-2) win percentage at Gas South Arena. Despite having the league’s best power-play record at home, the Rock sit 11th in road power-play record with a 40.9 percent (9-for-22) conversion rate. Overall, Toronto is 26-for-53 (49.1 percent) on man-up opportunities placing them fifth in the NLL. Georgia ranks second at home and overall in penalty killing record. At Gas South Arena, the Swarm have stopped 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) man-up opportunities while defusing 36-of-55 power-plays throughout the entire season.
After the Swarm host the Rock, Georgia goes on a bye week, then take the field next on April 16 at Gas South Arena against the Buffalo Bandits for Fan Appreciation Night. The evening also feature the fan-favorite Diamond Drop, where one lucky winner will go home with an $8,000 diamond halo pendant, courtesy of Tara Fine Jewelry. The Swarm then play their last road game of the regular season on April 23 against league newcomer, Panther City Lacrosse Club in Fort Worth, Texas for the ESPN Game of the Week. Georgia closes out the regular season at home against the Philadelphia Wings (6-7) on April 30.
Bryan Cole: Is 11 points away from the 100th of his career.
Shayne Jackson: Needs 14 loose ball recoveries to reach 600 in his career.
Jordan MacIntosh: Needs 13 faceoff wins to pass Stephen Hoar for 6th place in league history with 1,651.
Lyle Thompson: Needs to play in three more games to reach the 100th of his career.
Lyle Thompson: Needs 12 loose ball recoveries to reach 600 in his career.
About the Georgia Swarm
The Georgia Swarm continue the 2021-22 season at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort Field at Gas South Arena. The full schedule is available at GeorgiaSwarm.com/Schedule. Watch the fastest game on two feet for just $10 a seat by heading to GeorgiaSwarm.Com/Tickets or by calling 844-4-GASWARM. Many other membership options, fan experiences, and group ticket options are available at GeorgiaSwarm.com. For additional information, follow the Swarm on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok: @GeorgiaSwarmLAX.
About the National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s premier professional lacrosse league. Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The League is comprised of 15 franchises across the United States and Canada: Albany FireWolves, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, Las Vegas NLL, New York Riptide, Panther City Lacrosse Club (TX), Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock, and Vancouver Warriors.
For more information, visit NLL.com and find @NLL on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.