If Owen Grant hadn’t set the bar high for himself last season, his first game of the year certainly did.
In a road game – at altitude – against the Colorado Mammoth, OG became the first player in NLL history to record at least three goals, three blocked shots and one caused turnover in a game. Along with three goals, Grant had a game-high in blocks (4) and loose balls (11).
Even he was surprised he had scored a hat trick before the second half.
“I wish I could do that every night,” Grant laughed. “Sometimes you have those games where you’re finding yourself in the right spot and you just have to capitalize. It’s not every night that you’re getting all those opportunities, so you just ride the adrenaline, I don’t think I’ve ever had three goals in a half before.”
Warriors’ General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky said it’s rare for a defensive player to score that many goals before the half, but that it helped kickstart the team’s offence.
“I thought he played very well. I thought he was very proactive on defence, he ran the floor exceptionally well and he shot the ball with precision,” Malawsky said.
Grant’s ability to anticipate is top notch and he knows where to position himself to get those high probability plays.
“Owen reads guys’ eyes, he reads guys’ body language, and he reads situations. He also reads where they are on the floor and what the percentage is of them making a certain play or pass is,” Malawsky said.
OG scored two of his goals in the first quarter, helping Vancouver get out to a 3-1 lead at the end of the opening frame. Grant saw Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward cheating off of the pipe on his glove side and bounced in his first goal of the game.
For his second goal, Grant was heading toward Colorado’s net when he spun and threw a pump fake back to one of his teammates coming out of the gate which opened up the lane and froze the defence, giving him a chance to sneak underneath for a shot that ended up in the back of the net.
In his rookie season, Grant led the league with four shorthanded goals. Just one game into the season, he’s already halfway there. He says having a year of pro lacrosse under his belt has helped him become a better player and the communication of the entire defensive group also helps him read the play.
While experience and familiarity with his teammates is important in growing his game, he made personal goals over the summer to work on his efficiency in transition, which paid dividends against Colorado.
The 24-year-old defenceman is a natural athlete that is dedicated to the game and knows the importance of helping the team any way he can. Grant worked on his speed and explosiveness to be able to create separation for his breakaways and give himself more time to figure out where to shoot.
A Newmarket, Ontario native, Grant stayed in Vancouver this past offseason and worked with the team trainer Matt Holtzmann, which he says was big for him reaching another level of fitness. He was in better shape coming into training camp this season and he’s seen the results of his speedwork on the floor.
“Being in better shape, being a bit more explosive helps with that separation piece to get more opportunities. I felt a bit faster in that game than I did last year so that was good,” Grant said.
Another thing he focused on to help his efficiency in transition was being more deceptive with his shot. Goaltenders in the NLL are so talented that a harder shot or trying to pick a better spot to shoot isn’t always the answer to beating them.
“It’s about being deceptive and misleading goaltenders with your body language, your eyes or how you release the ball,” Grant explained. “I put a little bit more emphasis on being deceptive with my stick.”
Grant is dedicated and wants to help his teammates and alleviate any pressure from the offensive group.
In addition to workouts and practice, he coached through most of the offseason. Every time he’d get the kids to run a drill, he’d set the example and run through the exercises with them. His stick was basically glued to his hand over the summer, which means he got more reps on different shots than he can count.
His historical performance elevated his belief in his own game, and he wants to be able to sustain this level of play.
“I’m confident that I can make those plays because now I know I can do it,” Grant said. “Each week, you have to reset, and no two games are ever going to be the same. It’s just knowing that week-to-week you’re going to find yourself in different situations and approach them the same way with the same mindset.”
Grant has unlocked a new level of play this season and is focused on continuing to build on it in his second NLL season.
