By: Tim Moony, Editor & NLL Correspondent
It was a battle of (1-2) teams Saturday night at the Scotia Bank Saddledome, in Calgary, as the Roughnecks hosted the Vancouver Stealth in a week five National Lacrosse League contest. Although Calgary would get out to a hot first quarter start, Vancouver would turn the tables with a second quarter run. After Calgary closely-won the third quarter, the Roughnecks outscored Vancouver by two in the final quarter to earn the 15-13 victory over the Stealth.
Things got started for Calgary when Jon Harnett scored an unassisted goal, off a Rhys Duch turnover. Harnett’s breakaway goal came three minutes and twenty-one seconds into the contest. Calgary would add to the lead four minutes later, when Jeff Shattler would beat Stealth goalie Eric Penney with a quick stick, from feeds by Tyler Digby and Wes Berg. Twenty eight seconds later, the Stealth would stop the bleeding with a three-quarter release by Logan Schuss, from the outside, whom beat Roughnecks goalie Frankie Scigliano high, on the far side. Curtis Dickson would score the first of his four goals with a sidearm shot to the far side, low, at the 8:20 mark in the first quarter. Around two minutes later, Dickson would score again, on a sidearm shot near the restraining line, while the Roughnecks were shorthanded, from a penalty charged to Calgary’s Garrett McIntosh, for an Illegal Cross-Check. Twenty-one seconds later, on the same power play, Rhys Duch would beat Scigliano with an overhand, far-side shot, off a behind-the back pass from Garrett Billings, also set up by Logan Schuss. And with shortly over three minutes left in the first, Calgary’s Dane Dobbie would fire a lefty shot short-side, and under the glove of Penney. Duch would add another, off an assist from Schuss at the 13:44 mark, which gave Calgary a 5-3 advantage after the first quarter. Each team had dead-ball fouls in the first, at the 7:35 mark, with Tyson Bell for the Roughnecks, and Ian Hawksbee for the Stealth, respectively, getting 2 minutes for Intentional Contact after the whistle.
In the second quarter, Vancouver would score four of the 5 goals of the frame. Logan Schuss started with a one-handed catch and low shot, shorthanded, which could contend for among the top plays of week 5. Schuss and Hawksbee were credited with assists. Less than 30 seconds later, Calgary’s Curtis Dickson would beat Penney on a two-handed backhand dunk from behind the crease, off feeds from Wes Berg and Jeff Shattler; another top play of the week candidate. Vancouver would score the next three goals to end the half. Garrett Billings would score on a worm burner off a hard Joel McCready pick, with an assist from Duch. Less than a minute later, Billings would add a power-play goal, with a sidearm shot to the high, near corner, assisted by Jordan Durston and Corey Small. Close to five minutes later, Logan Schuss would take one cradle, and put an overhand shot through Scigliano’s five-hole, to give the Stealth a halftime advantage of 7-6. Towards the middle of the second quarter, there were three dead-ball penalties assessed to Calgary’s Tyson Bell and Greg Harnett, along with Logan Schuss of the Stealth. It was a hard-fought game, and there was considerable contact after the whistle, things were definitely getting chippy.
Dane Dobbie would have the first goal for Calgary, on the power-play, just over four minutes into the third quarter. Three passes in to the man advantage, Dobbie beat Penney far-side-high. Berg and Dickson assisted on the man-up opportunity. Dickson would follow less than a minute later, with a sidearm riser to the top shelf. Then, with a 6th attacker on, Calgary would finish their three-goal mini-run with a five-hole goal for Jeff Shattler, off a swing pass from Curtis Dickson, and also Dane Dobbie. Corey Small would respond for the Stealth with a goal off a rebound off the wall, to the far side. Small would wrap the shot around Calgary’s Scott Carnegie. Less than a minute later, Schuss would torch a dodge underneath, and tuck a close-range shot past the short side of Scigliano. Dobbie would respond, just over 30 seconds later, with a lefty dive shot, across the front of the crease. Assists would go to Scott Carnegie and Tyson Bell, for the Roughnecks. Bell would also score his first goal in transition, on a low sidearm shot, past Penney, with just over two minutes left in the third. Joel McCready would score the game’s next two goals for the Stealth, with a near-side tuck on the crease, after a one-handed flip pass from Schuss. His next goal, and the last of the third quarter, would come on the doorstep and low, assisted by Duch and Small, with only a few seconds left in the frame. After three quarters, the contest was tied at 11 goals apiece, with several lead changes, up to that point.
Calgary would score four of the six goals in the fourth quarter, to ultimately make the difference in the outcome of the game. In a 5-on-5 situation, Berg would fire a hard overhand over Penney’s shoulder, to start a Calgary mini-run of three consecutive goals. Tyler Digby would rocket a top shelf shot, pipe-down, off a Mike Carnegie assist, with just under nine minutes remaining in the contest. Less than 30 seconds later, Greg Harnett would have a breakaway goal on the power-play, from a tripping penalty charged to Hawksbee. Rhys Duch would end the run, with a power-play goal, with a quick stick on a crease-cut, in which the ball barely trickled past Scigliano. Jeff Shattler would score a crucial Calgary goal three-and-a-half minutes later, with a lefty bouncer, to the far side, high corner. Dobbie and Mike Carnegie assisted on Shattler’s goal. Schuss would score the game’s final goal, with an extra attacker on, assisted by Duch and Billings, with only a minute remaining. The defense clamped down, and Scigliano’s consistency helped determine the 15-13 victory for the Roughnecks.
Each team would be penalized for 23 minutes on 10 infractions each. 10 fourth quarter saves would help the more consistent Frankie Scagliano edge out Stealth net minder Eric Penney, whose 33 saves were four less than Scagliano’s 37, in a two-goal game. Almost 14,000 fans came out to watch the matchup, and Vancouver (1-3) look to rebound as they host the Colorado Mammoth on February 6, at 10:00 pm, EST. The next contest for Calgary (2-2) will be at Saskatoon against the Saskatchewan Rush, on February 5, at 8:30 pm EST.
Third Star was Dane Dobbie of the Roughnecks (3, 5)
Second Star was Logan Schuss of the Stealth (5, 4)
First Star was Curtis Dickson of the Roughnecks (4, 2)
Tim Moony, Editor & NLL Correspondent
Lacrosse Is Awesome
@tmoony22