Clutch Kings: Jack Hannah defies the short-handed overtime odds with rare winner
Jack Hannah, Las Vegas Desert Dogs (Photo: Stephen Greathouse)
The Lax Mag’s Clutch Kings tracks an individual player’s game-tying, go-ahead and game-winning goals, then weighs them based on when they’re scored (first, second, third or fourth quarter, plus OT), but also in what on-floor situation they’re finished (even-strength, power-play or short-handed goals). The Clutch Kings countdown calculates the league’s most money goal scorer all season long, crowning the king at the conclusion of the current NLL campaign. Click here for a more detailed breakdown of Clutch Kings scoring.
Hannah, Desert Dogs (Photo: Greathouse)
No goal is worth more in The Lax Mag’s Clutch Kings calculations than a short-handed overtime winner.
Why?
Because it is about as rare a goal as a player can score.
Since the start of the 2005 NLL season (the furthest back invidual game stats are available) and right up until this past weekend, there have been 1,865 regular season games played.
Of those games, only 217 (about 12%) have needed OT to determine a winner.
In 200 of those 217 OT games, the winning goal was scored in an even-strength situation. Although still technically an ESG since both sides had the same number of players on the floor, Brodie Merrill scored an OT winner during the 2010 season for the Edmonton Rush on an empty net, the Minnesota Swarm swapping goalie Nick Patterson for an extra body - not a move you see much (if ever) in extra time.
While late penalties in a close game or even in OT are rare, 13 teams have won in OT on the powerplay.
That leaves just four short-handed, OT-winning goals (0.21% of all games since 2005) ever recorded in the NLL.
Who scored these rare winners?
Gavin Prout in 2005 for the Colorado Mammoth, Mitch Jones for the Vancouver Warriors in 2020 (note the 15-season stretch of not a single shorty scored in OT), Blaze Riorden just a few seasons ago during the 2022 season with the Philadelphia Wings, and as of this past Sunday, Jack Hannah for the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in their 14-13 comeback victory over the Toronto Rock.
Hannah had been averaging just 1.25 goals during the Dogs’ 0-4 run through the month of March, and had been held to just a single goal heading into OT by the Rock. A buck 16 into the game’s fifth frame, however, Hannah helped Vegas to one of their biggest franchise wins and added to his name to one of the shortest statistical lists in NLL record books.
Slipping off our leaderboard in recent weeks after that previously mentioned March scoring slump, that goal catapults Hannah into a tie for third on the Clutch Kings leaderboard heading into Week 20, now in range of challenging for the top spot with just two weeks of regular season lacrosse left.
Hannah now leads the Desert Dogs with two game winners this year, matching his career high from last season.
Of those 217 OT winners since 2005, Hannah is one of 135 different players to end a game in an extra frame. Below is every player that has scored a recorded (remember, since 2005) regular season OT-winning goal, an exclusive list easily led by future NLL Hall-of-Famer John Grant.
8 goals
John Grant
5 goals
Rhys Duch
4 goals
Ben McIntosh, Blaze Riorden, Corey Small, Curtis Dickson, Dan Dawson, John Tavares, Sean Pollock, Shawn Evans, Stephan Leblanc
John Grant, Sean Pollock, Adam Jones and Gavin Prout (Photo: Scott Pierson)
3 goals
Adam Jones, Andrew Kew, Callum Crawford, Cody Jamieson, Johnny Powless, Robert Church, Ryan Benesch, Wes Berg, Zack Greer
2 goals
Aaron Wilson, Brett Hickey, Brodie Merrill, Chase Fraser, Chris Cloutier, Colin Doyle, Dan Carey, Dane Dobbie, Eli McLaughlin, Gavin Prout, Jamie Taylor, Jonathan Donville, Jordan Hall, Josh Sanderson, Kevin Crowley, Kyle Buchanan, Kyle Jackson, Lewis Ratcliff, Luke Wiles, Mark Matthews, Miles Thompson, Mitch Jones, Peter Morgan, Ryan Cousins, Sean Morris, Shayne Jackson
1 goal
Aaron Pascas, Adam Poitras, Alex Gajic, Andrew Guindon, Andy Secore, Austin Shanks, Austin Staats, Bobby McBride, Brad Gillies, Brandon Slade, Brent Adams, Brian Langtry, Bruce Codd, Cam Sedwick, Cam Woods, Chad Culp, Chad Thompson, Connor Robinson, Craig Conn, Craig Point, Curt Malawsky, Dan MacRae, Daryl Veltman, Dhane Smith, Drew Westervelt, Dyson Williams, Eric Fannell, Ethan Walker, Garrett Billings, Gary Rosyski, Geoff Snider, Haiden Dickson, Holden Cattoni, Jack Hannah, Jack Jasinski, Jake Bergey, Jason Noble, Jason Wulder, Jeff Cornwall, Jeff Zywicki, Jerome Thompson, Joe Resetarits, Joel McCready, Jonas Derks, Jordan Gilles, Josh Byrne, Josh Dawick, Kieran McArdle, Kim Squire, Logan Schuss, Lyle Thompson, Marc Morley, Mark Scherman, Mark Steenhuis, Mat Giles, Matt Beers, Matt Rambo, Matt Shearer, Mike Burke, Mike Hominuck, Mike Messenger, Mitch de Snoo, Nick Carlson, Pat Saunders, Patrick Dodds, Pete Jacobs, Phil Caputo, Reid Reinholdt, Richard Morgan, Rob Hellyer, Ryan O'Connor, Ryan Powell, Scott Campbell, Scott Self, Scott Stapleford, Shawn Williams, Sheldon Burns, Stephen Keogh, Steve Priolo, Tanner Cook, Tehoka Nanticoke, Thomas Hoggarth, Tom Ethington, Tracey Kelusky, Tre Leclaire, Tyler Hass, Will Malcom, Zach Manns, Zach Miller
Did John Tavares, who actually scored two OT-winning goals over the course of 24 hours once, have more than the four he has listed above? For sure, but outside of a time machine or a former exec from the MILL era discovers a box of completed game sheets collecting dust in their basement, it’s difficult to accurately confirm what a GOAT like JT would have had - ditto for the Gaits, Tom Marechek and dozens of others.
Adam Jay and Zach Manns, Saskatchewan Rush
In other Clutch Kings news this week…
Although he still leads out clutch list, Zach Manns has been stuck at the 31.50 CK points for a bit. In fact, outside of his March 1 four spot against the victorious Buffalo Bandits, Manns’ regular-and-clutch-scoring slump has aligned almost perfectly with the Saskatchewan Rush’s recent 2-3 slump. Since that Bandits L, Manns is averaging under a goal per game. When Manns is successful, the Rush usually are too.
We recently highlighted the trend of Wes Berg scoring a hat-trick or more and the San Diego Seals winning those games. Well, for the second straight week, Berg was held to just two goals, and even though others had a hot twig, the Seals lost without his hatty, again. San Diego is 6-1 when Berg bags three or more, and then just 2-7 when he doesn’t. Like Manns in SK, Berg’s team has success when he does.
In the same game as Hannah’s OT heroics, former DU teammate Josh Dawick had himself a decent clutch night too. Of Dawick’s five goals in that game, three gave Toronto the lead, another put the team ahead, and although it isn’t measured in our CK math, another one of his Gs stopped a Las Vegas run at 8-10, sparking a Rock five-goal momentum swing that lasted for a while. Dawick’s Week 19 performance pushed him onto our CK leaderboard for the first time this season, 2025’s breakout ball player now leading TO in game-tying goals (7) to go along with his own OT winner from earlier this winter.
Josh Dawick, Toronto Rock (Photo: Christian Bender)
After last weekend’s lacklustre loss to the Rochester Knighthawks, the Ottawa Black Bears’ Jeff Teat dropped out of our Top 20 below. Why? Ottawa never led that Week 19 game for a single second, while Rochester held a score-line advantage for over 55 minutes. Plus, that troubling Black Bears' trend we touched on a few weeks ago continued to be extremely accurate. Prior to last week’s loss, Ottawa was 6-1 in games where they had five or more goal scorers (AKA not relying on Teat too much) and 1-7 in games with four or fewer. Make it 1-8, Teat scoring a third of the team’s goals and aided by just three others in the goal column in that never-in-it 12-6 defeat.
Clutch Kings: Week 20
CKs Rank. Player (NLL Gs Rank) Team, CKs Points (GTG/GAG/GWG)
1. Zach Manns (T16) Saskatchewan, 31.50 (8/7/2)
2. Wes Berg (T3) San Diego, 30.00 (7/5/4)
T3. Dane Dobbie (T10) Calgary, 26.00 (11/2/2)
T3. Curtis Dickson (5) Calgary, 26.00 (7/5/2)
T3. Jack Hannah (12) Las Vegas, 26.00 (4/4/2)
6. Andrew Kew (T48) Georgia, 25.25 (5/1/4)
7. Kyle Buchanan (19) Buffalo, 23.25 (6/4/3)
8. Clarke Petterson (T31) Halifax, 22.00 (2/5/3)
9. Mitch Jones (T20) Philadelphia, 21.75 (5/5/2)
T10. Lyle Thompson (T6) Georgia, 21.50 (8/6/1)
T10. Keegan Bal (T6) Vancouver, 21.50 (5/4/4)
12. Connor Fields (T3) Rochester, 21.00 (7/5/2)
13. Dhane Smith (T20) Buffalo, 19.75 (3/6/2)
14. Connor Kelly (T20) Colorado, 19.50 (6/3/1)
15. Ryan Smith (1) Rochester, 19.25 (5/4/3)
16. Alex Simmons (T13) Albany, 19.00 (9/3/1)
17. Josh Dawick (T10) Toronto, 18.75 (7/4/1)
T18. Chris Boushy (T20) Toronto, 18.50 (5/7/0)
T18. Randy Staats (T33) Halifax, 18.50 (4/2/4)
20. Dyson Williams (T41) Albany, 17.75 (2/4/2)
Scoring System
First 3 Quarters (GTG/GAG/GWG)
Even-Strength Goal: 1.00/1.50/2.00
Power-Play Goal: 0.50/0.75/1.00
Short-Handed Goal: 2.00/3.00/4.00
Fourth Quarter (GTG/GAG/GWG)
Even-Strength Goal: 2.00/3.00/4.00
Power-Play Goal: 1.00/1.50/2.00
Short-Handed Goal: 4.00/6.00/8.00
Overtime (GWG)
Even-Strength Goal: 6.00
Power-Play Goal: 3.00
Short-Handed Goal: 12.00