7. Jesse King joins the Calgary Roughnecks and helps spark their NLL Championship run
The Roughnecks 2018-19 season started out in disarray with contract holdouts and injuries, including forward Jesse King being sidelined while rehabbing his knee. By the time King came back, the Roughnecks were 8-8 and on the cusp of a playoff berth, but looked like anything but a serious contender.
Yet in Jesse King’s first two games as a Roughneck (one against his former Swarm team) he had three goals and six assists and Calgary secured two big wins as they started to pick up some momentum heading into the postseason. In the playoffs, King continued his dominance with six goals and 11 assists in four games without losing a game as Calgary knocked off the Bandits in overtime of Game 2 to win the Champion’s Cup and the franchise’s third NLL title.
6. The Premier Lacrosse League debuts
Though it had one of the most recognizable faces in the game in Paul Rabil leading it and a wealth of talent, no one really knew what to expect from the Premier Lacrosse League. Then Week 1 in Foxborough, MA arrived and fans were treated to a spectacle.
The minor rule adjustments proved to be pivotal in speeding up the game and the competition was the fiercest it had ever been. Fans were treated to back-to-back overtime games on Saturday and another close contest on Sunday. The PLL had officially arrived and proved that it was here to stay.
5. Kayla Treanor’s spectacular seven-goal performance
Though the WPLL Fight didn’t get the end result they wanted in the 2019 WPLL Championship, they at least got a stellar performance from Kayla Treanor, who scored seven goals — each in spectacular fashion.
Whether it was split-dodging defenders, backhanded shots or behind-the-back goals, Treanor was a human highlight reel in the 2019 WPLL Championship.
4. Brothers Jake and Jesse Bernhardt each win pro championships three months after losing their father
2019 marked the first time that Jake and Jesse Bernhardt wouldn’t be playing in the same league together, with Jake opting to join the Whipsnakes in PLL and Jesse remaining with the Bayhawks in the MLL. It was also the first time they would be playing a season without their father Jim Bernhardt, who passed away at the beginning of the summer.
Thanks to a strong support system, Jake and Jesse Bernhardt persevered. Remembering their father’s motto of “pride, poise and commitment,” the brothers delivered fantastic seasons for their respective teams and ended the summer as 2019 professional champions.
