Toronto Rock 2017-18 Season Preview
By Austin Owens
Goalies
Brandon Miller, Nick Rose
The Rock have the fortune of having two starting calibre goaltenders in their lineup every night. Nick Rose will once again presume the starting role for the team. Well over halfway through last season, Rose was leading the league in both save percentage and goals-against average. Rose was also a Goalie of the Year Candidate last season.
He has become a more athletic goaltender over the last year. Rather than just relying on his positioning, Rose moves more laterally to stop shots.
He’s also always a threat to put a ball in the net if the opposition has their net empty.
He will be backed up by Miller. There were rumours of the veteran possibly leaving Toronto to nab a starting job for another team.
With Buffalo in need of a starter after the retirement of Anthony Cosmo, it looked all-but-certain that Miller would join the Rock’s QEW rivals for this season. However, he re-upped for one more season with Toronto.
Miller was huge for the Rock down the stretch, stepping into the team’s final game of the regular season as well as the East Division Semi-Final to help them win.
Miller was also the starter in the first game of the East Division Final against Georgia.
This could possibly be the last season that Miller spends in Toronto. With the Rock drafting Mimico native Riley Hutchcraft with the 30th pick in the 2017 NLL Draft, it seems as though the goalie future in Toronto could already be decided.
Next: Toronto Rock defender Rob Marshall retires from the NLL
Regardless the tandem knows how to win lacrosse games and will help the Rock push for a division title again this season.