1998 NLL season

1998 NLL season
League National Lacrosse League
Sport Indoor lacrosse
Duration January 3, 1998 - April 28, 1998
Number of teams 7
Regular season
League champions Philadelphia Wings
Runners-up Baltimore Thunder
Season MVP Gary Gait (Baltimore Thunder)
Top scorer Gary Gait (Baltimore Thunder)
Champion's Cup
Champions Philadelphia Wings
  Runners-up Baltimore Thunder
Finals MVP Dallas Eliuk (Philadelphia)

Before the 1998 season, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League was renamed to be the National Lacrosse League, in the process increasing the length of the regular season from ten to twelve games. The first season as the NLL began on January 3, 1998 and concluded with the second championship game on April 28. The championship was decided by a best-two-of-three series, with the Philadelphia Wings defeating the Baltimore Thunder 16-12 in the first game and 17-12 in the second.

Team movement

The 1998 season featured the debut of two new teams, and the removal of one. The Boston Blazers folded after nine seasons in Boston and New England, while the Ontario Raiders and Syracuse Smash began play.

Regular season

Reference: [1]

PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Philadelphia Wings xyz1293.7500.03360166148+1813.8312.33
2Baltimore Thunder x1284.6671.04242184160+2415.3313.33
3Rochester Knighthawks x1266.5003.03333168159+914.0013.25
4Buffalo Bandits x1266.5003.04224166171-513.8314.25
5Ontario Raiders1266.5003.04224165157+813.7513.08
6New York Saints1257.4174.03324167165+213.9213.75
7Syracuse Smash12210.1677.02406163219-5613.5818.25

x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played
W: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed
Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game

All Star Game

No All-Star Game was played in 1998.

Playoffs

Semifinals Championship (best-of-3)
      
4 Buffalo 12
1 Philadelphia 17
2 Baltimore 0
1 Philadelphia 2
3 Rochester 14
2 Baltimore 15

Awards

Award Winner Team
MVP Award Gary Gait Baltimore
Rookie of the Year Award Colin Doyle Ontario
Championship Game MVP (Series) Dallas Eliuk Philadelphia
Championship Game MVP (Game 1) Dallas Eliuk Philadelphia
Championship Game MVP (Game 2) Bill Miller Philadelphia

Weekly awards

Each week, a player is awarded "Player of the Week" honours.

Week Player of the Week
1 Gary Gait
2 Andy Piazza
3 Derek Collins
4 Chris Gill
5 Eric Seremet
6 Tom Marechek
7 Gary Gait
8 Darris Kilgour
9 Derek General
10 Russ Heard
11 Colin Doyle
12 Steve Sombrotto
13 Mark Millon
14 John Tavares
15 Bob Watson

Monthly awards

Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie. The 1998 season was the first season that the Rookie of the Month award was given out.

Month Overall Rookie
Jan Gary Gait Curt Malawsky
Feb Darris Kilgour Jake Bergey
Mar Mark Millon Colin Doyle

Statistics leaders

Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.

StatPlayerTeamNumber
GoalsGary GaitBaltimore57
AssistsJim VeltmanOntario40
PointsGary GaitBaltimore85
Penalty MinutesPat CoyleOntario48
Shots on GoalGary GaitBaltimore156
Loose BallsJim VeltmanOntario194
Save PctSteve DietrichRochester77.9

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.