Toronto Rock goaltender Bob Watson has been named the National Lacrosse League's Player of the Month for the month of January, while teammate Garrett Billings is the league's Rookie of the Month.

The performances of both Watson and Billings have played an important role in Toronto posting a 3-1 record in January, and starting the month of February in first place in the Eastern Division.

For the month of January, Watson led all NLL goalies with a league-best 6.67 goals against average, a full three goals better than the next closest starting goaltender (Matt Vinc, Orlando, 9.67 GAA) for the month. The highlight was a 17-3 victory over the Knighthawks on 23 January, in which Watson stopped 45 out of 48 shots faced, and was named the league's Defensive and Overall Player of the Week for his efforts.

Billings wins the Rookie of the Month Award on the heels of a strong start to his NLL career. A first-round draft pick by the Rock out of the University of Virginia, the rookie forward twice won the league's Rookie of the Week honors (Weeks One and Three). He twice registered five-goal performances, and scored the game-winner in overtime against Boston on 15 January. In the first four games of his NLL career, Billings has scored a team-leading 13 goals and has tallied nine assists for 22 points.

The awards are voted on by the general managers and head coaches of the league's eleven member clubs.

BOB WATSON
Sat 9 Jan, at Boston (W, 17-7): 30 saves, 7 goals allowed
Fri 15 Jan, BOSTON (W, 8-7, OT): 36 saves, 7 goals allowed
Sat 23 Jan, ROCHESTER (W, 17-3): 45 saves, 3 goals allowed
Sat 30 Jan, at Rochester (L, 8-16): 10 saves, 5 goals allowed

GARRETT BILLINGS
Sat 9 Jan, at Boston (W, 17-7): 5 goals (2 PP), 2 assists
Fri 15 Jan, BOSTON (W, 8-7, OT): 1 goal (GW), 3 assists
Sat 23 Jan, ROCHESTER (W, 17-3): 5 goals (PP), 3 assists
Sat 30 Jan, at Rochester (L, 8-16): 2 goals (2 PP), 1 assist