The PennZone

PHILADELPHIA - PennZone -- The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, with a thrilling second week in the books, returns for Week 3 with one game on Friday and four on Saturday, including the home opener for the defending NLL champion Buffalo Bandits, who will hoist the 2023 title banner before their game vs. San Diego on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+, TSN+) in the NLL Saturday Showcase. The ceremony will be carried on ESPN+, TSN+ and CW23 Buffalo as part of a special half-hour pregame show.

Here are 10 things to know about the NLL entering Week 3:

• Groove Tube: This week's five contests will be seen on six local broadcasts, with every game seen in at least one of the team markets.
• Seals the Deal: On Saturday night, global music and TV Bret Michaels traveled to San Diego to support his oldest daughter (https://www.instagram.com/p/C0sAnyNSwkx/) and Seals & ESPN+ sideline reporter, Raine Michaels, for the team's season opening win over Calgary.
• Community Champs in Fort Worth: The Panther City Lacrosse Club Community Champion Program, a huge success last year, is back, with presenting sponsor Frank Kent Cadillac once again on board in support. The Fort Worth Independent School District became the first honoree (https://twitter.com/PantherCityLax/status/1733200005937156386)
• Power On: NLL.com correspondent Adam Levi posted his NLL Power Rankings after Sunday's action, tabbing Toronto (1-0) at No. 1, followed by San Diego (1-0) and Buffalo (0-1). See the top eight here (https://www.nll.com/news/week-3-power-rankings-2/).
• Stick on 17: The San Diego seals raised Brodie Merrill's number 17 to the rafters during halftime of the Seals home opener (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGEK6pp5Q_Q) against the Calgary Roughnecks Saturday.
• Kid Captains: The Las Vegas Desert Dogs launched their "Power of the Pack" Campaign, supporting their community in a big way. Nine patients of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation (C4K), Southern Nevada's only pediatric cancer and rare disease treatment center, are being offered two-day "contracts" with the Desert Dogs (https://nevadabusiness.com/2023/12/nine-lucky-c...).
• Finn With Wings: Newly minted NLL Hall of Famer Kevin "Coach Finn" Finneran will conduct the 28th Annual Coach Finn Lacrosse Holiday/Christmas Camp (https://www.coachfinnlacrosse.com/) on Dec. 23 at the Philadelphia Wings Training facility in Voorhees, N.J.
• Tall and the Short of It: The tallest players on active rosters at the start of the 2023-24 season are Saskatchewan's Mike Triolo (Toronto) at 6'8", followed by four players at 6'6: Calgary's Seth Van Schepen (Brampton, Ont.) and Reece Callies (Langley, B.C.), New York's Matt Marinier (Burlington, Ont.) and Panther City's Ty Thompson (Nepean, Ont.).
• http://www.nll.com

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