Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Lacrosse 101: Learn the game from Las Vegas’ newest pro sports team

Desert Dogs vs Philadelphia Wings

Wade Vandervort

Las Vegas Desert Dogs forward Charlie Bertrand (61) flies through the air and collides with Philadelphia Wings goalie Zach Higgins (31) during the second half of a NLL lacrosse game at the Michelob Ultra Arena Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.

Desert Dogs Lose Against Philadelphia Wings

Las Vegas Desert Dogs forward Charlie Bertrand (61) carries the ball as Philadelphia Wings defender Steph Charbonneau (18) chases after him during the second half of a NLL lacrosse game at the Michelob Ultra Arena Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Launch slideshow »

Just 1 minute, 20 seconds elapse before Connor Kirst gets a breakaway opportunity.

Kirst receives the outlet pass from forward Reid Reinholdt and he has a breakaway opportunity. He glides, picks his spot and scores a goal.

There are empty seats at Michelob Ultra Arena on Jan. 6, but the cheers were loud and evident as the Las Vegas Desert Dogs took a 1-0 lead over the Philadelphia Wings.

No, that wasn’t hockey. Though it sounds like it, that was a play from the Desert Dogs, the newest team in the National Lacrosse League and the city’s newest professional sports team.

If you’ve ever watched a lacrosse match, the initial thought is it resembles hockey but on a field. But as you dissect the sport, there’s a combination of multiple sports involved. The two that primarily come to mind are hockey and basketball.

“I always played other sports as well, but something about the team aspect of lacrosse made me fall in love with it,” Kirst said.

The Desert Dogs are 0-3 to start their inaugural season, the latest result being a 14-9 loss to the Wings on that early January night. Next up is a home-and-home against the Vancouver Warriors, starting tonight at Rogers Arena (7 p.m., MyLVTV) in Vancouver before switching to Las Vegas 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20.

The franchise estimates about 7,000 fans attended the home opener Dec. 16 against Panther City Lacrosse Club. Despite a 9-3 loss, it was the first chance for the Desert Dogs to open lacrosse to a new legion of fans.

“We had a season ticket holder event over the summer with about 400 people. I would say 99% didn’t know anything about lacrosse,” said transition player Erik Turner. “They were just excited about having another pro sports team in Vegas.”

If you’re thinking about heading to Mandalay Bay to watch the Desert Dogs and aren’t sure what’s going on, you’re in luck. Here's your crash course:

What is box lacrosse?

You’ve likely come across a lacrosse match while channel surfing through ESPN on a Saturday spring afternoon. More times than none, it’s college lacrosse and it’s played on a field.

Box lacrosse is the indoor version of the sport, which theNational Lacrosse League is based on. Its turf contents are eerily similar to a hockey rink. Imagine T-Mobile Arena, but with grass. That’s the playing field the Desert Dogs play on.

Lacrosse itself dates back to 1100 A.D. first played by the Iroquois people.

“I never played box lacrosse,” said Kirst, who was an expansion draft selection from the Georgia Swarm. “I played it a couple of times growing up just in random tournaments, but I only played field.”

Being in a small, compact area calls for a high-paced, fast game, especially when you consider the rules.

The basics of box lacrosse

The addition of the Desert Dogs puts the National Lacrosse League at 15 teams. Eight teams will qualify for the playoffs at the conclusion of an 18-game season.

Each team carries a 21-man roster and 19 players dress for the game: 17 runners (forwards, defensemen and transition players) and two goalies. Much like hockey, lacrosse features six players on the turf: five runners and a goalie.

Each player holds a stick attached to a net, which is how they maintain possession of the rubber ball.

There are four 15-minute quarters with a two-minute break in-between, as well as a 15-minute halftime period. Teams are allowed just one 45-second timeout per half.

Also like hockey, possession is determined with a faceoff at the start of each quarter and every goal. Two runners are positioned at the center of the field, while the other three from each team stand behind what would be the hockey equivalent of the blue line. Once the ball is dropped, the runners converge to the middle of the field.

Similar to line changes in hockey, lacrosse has substitutions during play to get a fresh group of runners on the field.

And while all of that sounds very similar to hockey, Kirst and Turner agreed that the nuances of lacrosse are heavily influenced by basketball, both in the rules and the strategy.

There is a 30-second shot clock that begins once a team has possession. Much like a shot clock violation in basketball, if the ball doesn’t touch the goalie or hit the posts, it’s a turnover.

An 8-second violation is also part of the game if a team doesn’t cross midfield in the allotted time.

Strategy on the field

The on-field aspect of box lacrosse is a combination of strategy via basketball and the physicality in hockey.

It’s like running plays in a half-court offense of basketball. Players pass it around to find the open man and try to score in a 4-foot high, 4-foot-9 wide goal.

When operating in the offensive zone, box lacrosse is pick-and-roll heavy. There’s a lot of two-man game, except the difference is there isn’t a lot of passing into the post for the easy score. The player with possession mostly will go around the screen and look for a better shot himself.

That’s an easy fit for someone like Kirst, who played basketball a lot growing up.

“A lot of our game is pick-and-roll and that’s where you try to set up on offense; that space where you have the other three guys occupying the other side,” Kirst said. “You get that two-man game going.”

Once the possession gets closer to the boards, it becomes a free-for-all in the physicality department. Players can bodycheck opponents into the boards, cross-check them (there are legal and illegal versions of cross-checking) in order to gain possession.

And if it gets too intense, yes, there is fighting involved.

Scoring in box lacrosse is similar to field lacrosse, Turner said, because of the high number of scoring opportunities. Both teams could see upwards of 50 shots on goal and a game could feature anywhere from 20-25 goals. The Desert Dogs’ inaugural game against Panther City was a 13-11 final.

“The pace of the game is really high and there are a ton of scoring chances,” Turner said. “The guys are so skilled and they have such a tight space that as soon as they cross into the offensive zone, there’s good shot opportunities available.”

Penalties and power plays

If you commit a penalty in box lacrosse, you get sent to the penalty box. Like hockey, lacrosse features two-minute minor penalties and five-minute major infractions.

The team drawing the penalty goes on a power play with a chance to score on the man advantage. Some minor penalties include delay of game, holding, slashing and tripping.

The lacrosse version of a major penalty would’ve helped the Golden Knights in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs in San Jose. Instead of running the whole five minutes to score as many goals as possible, a maximum of two goals can be scored before the penalized team can get back to full strength.

Some major penalties include face mask, high-sticking, boarding, and spearing.

Goalies are heavily protected

If you think hockey goalies wear a lot of protective equipment, double or triple that with box lacrosse goalies.

Compared to field lacrosse goalies who wear just a chest protector and hand-eye coordination to stop a shot, box lacrosse goalies do play a more hockey-style goalie. They won’t use their stick as often to make a save, but rather move side-to-side in the crease to make the stop.

Shot attempts can reach up to 100 miles per hour in some instances. Opposed to field lacrosse, that extra padding takes away any danger to the body.

Next time if you wonder why it appears the goalies have added four Serta pillows into their padding, you’ll understand.

Getting new eyes on the sport

Lacrosse is a new sport to the Las Vegas Valley, and the Desert Dogs have already made an imprint on getting into the community, especially with the youth.

The Desert Dogs recently donated goals and about 500 sticks to 10 donor schools in Las Vegas. Turner has also been involved in coaching some youth lacrosse teams and hosting clinics for kids.

Hockey is king in Canada, and Turner played a lot of it growing up in St. Albert, Alberta. More than 90% of the Desert Dogs roster is from Canada, and their experience getting into lacrosse was nearly the same: When the summer months rolled in, the hockey rinks would be replaced with indoor lacrosse fields.

Turner started lacrosse at 11 years old and while he played both sports, the team aspects drew him to the sport full-time as he got older.

“As soon as I started playing and I realized that lacrosse was this perfect combination of all the things I love doing in sports, including hockey,” Turner said, “I quickly brought my attention more exclusively to lacrosse at the highest level.”

Lacrosse can also be viewed as a more cost-effective alternative to hockey. According to playgroundequipment.com, lacrosse is the fifth most expensive sport on annual average for children ages 1-18 at $1,289, whereas hockey is double that.

The Desert Dogs are the new kids on the block. They share the same building with the Aces, who just brought the first major professional championship to the city last year.

While that’s fun pressure to think about, it’s a baby-step approach for the Desert Dogs. They just want people to get excited.

“The more we can educate people on the sport and get them understanding what’s happening,” Turner said, “the raw excitement of it will really help get them excited more and get them out to games.”

Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.