Justin Ivey, Co-Editor & NLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome
The Toronto Rock’s (4-3) win streak did not reach five games, as the Calgary Roughnecks (2-5) took control of the close game in the fourth quarter to run away with the victory. Toronto had won their previous four games averaging a lofty 20.5 goals per game. Calgary, coming in with a 1-5 record, found their defensive answer in 20-year-old goaltender Christian Del Bianco. Del Bianco made 19 straight saves to end the game, allowing the Calgary offensive weapons to put away the Rock. Final Score: Calgary-16, Toronto-8
Toronto had the chance early in this game to go up on Calgary when Zach Currier (4A) was called for slashing just 15 seconds in. With just two seconds remaining in that power-play, the Roughnecks were again penalized. Brett Hickey (1G), trying to coral a pass inside, was blatantly checked from behind by Curtis Manning and as the first penalty expired, the other started right up. Toronto would not be the first to score though. 37 seconds into the second penalty, Curtis Dickson (4G, 2A) put Calgary up 1-0 with a shorthanded goal. The aggressive game plan of the Roughnecks was clear early, and seemingly paying off. On the next possession, Hickey got his revenge, scoring a high to low power-play goal from outside, tying the game. Nearly seven minutes of scoreless lacrosse would follow, and Roughneck goalie Del Bianco was a big reason why. On consecutive possessions he stopped a three on one, and then a three on two. Dane Dobbie (3G, 2A) broke the scoreless minutes with 4:47 remaining in the opening quarter. Dobbie bounced off his defender into a spin towards the net. Darting towards Toronto netminder Nick Rose, he fired right from the crease and found twine. Challen Rogers (1G) answered for Toronto with 1:21 left, skipping into a rocket shot running down the middle in transition. 35 seconds later,
Wesley Berg (2G, 4A) scored his ninth goal of the season shooting over a screen and again Toronto found themselves playing from behind. Again, they answered the call. Rob Hellyer (3G, 1A) scored his first of the night with 25 seconds remaining in the quarter to tie the game at three. At the end of the first quarter, Calgary and Toronto were tied, 3-3.
Toronto came out determined in the second quarter and scored two goals in the span of nine seconds early. 2:27 in, Adam Jones (1G, 3A) found himself behind two teammates screening and fired over the top for his only score of the night. Nine seconds later, Sheldon Burns (1A) fed a perfect pass to a cutting Latrell Harris (1G, 1A) on the crease to put the Rock up 5-3. Toronto’s Brock Sorensen was called for a slashing penalty 7:57 into the second quarter, and 38 seconds into the man advantage; Calgary’s Mike Carnegie (1A) was called for a two-minute holding penalty. Late in the four on four, Garret McIntosh (1G) took it to the hole himself on a breakaway in transition to cut the deficit to just one goal. Toronto wound up with a 36 second man advantage but could not break through. In a scary moment, Dickson went down on the offensive end and slowly got to his feet and walked off. Play continued though, and in the confusion of being a defender down, Calgary gave up a goal to Hellyer. Hellyer gathered a jaw dropping behind-the-back feed on the side, darted towards the net and dove across the crease to restore the two-goal lead. Riley Loewen (3G, 2A) got Calgary back within one 31 seconds later, ripping a precision sidearm shot around a screen. They had a beautiful opportunity to tie the game before halftime when Del Bianco fired a long pass to a wide-open Curtis Manning, but his foot just edged the outside of the crease and after review, the goal did not stand. Going into the half, Toronto led Calgary 6-5.
Toronto again came out strong in the third, trying to shake Calgary. Hellyer completed his hat trick 1:45 in, ripping a sidearm from outside and around his defender acting as a screen. Playing near perfect defense and keeping the Roughnecks at bay, fortune changed when Adam Jones was called for a five-minute spearing major 7:43 in. The two-goal lead was extinguished with two Calgary power-play goals. Dickson scored first; followed by Holden Cattoni’s (2G, 4A) first of the night. Schreiber gave Toronto the lead back with 2:10 remaining in the third. Tiptoeing the crease from the side, he traced the line threw a fake and easily scored. Loewen tied the game back at eight with an unassisted goal and 56 seconds on the clock; and then Dickson scored with two seconds left and the extra attacker on to give Calgary the lead headed into the fourth. At the end of three, Calgary led Toronto 9-8.
Last week, Toronto held New England scoreless in the fourth quarter. This week, the tables were turned. Toronto could not find a way through the Roughneck defense and their young netminder Del Bianco. On the other side, Calgary was able to put up seven goals in the fourth, making it a run of nine going back to the end of the third quarter. Dickson opened the onslaught 2:17 in, and other a minute later Dobbie had his first of two in the quarter. Berg scored next, just over three minutes later, followed by a power-play goal from Dobbie two minutes after. Cattoni netted his second of the night, followed by Tyson Bell’s (1G, 1A) only goal on an empty net with 3:27 remaining. Backup goalie Brandon Miller played the final 4:59 and allowed one goal on two shots. The goal was the final of the game and was scored by Loewen with 2:25 remaining. Final Score: Calgary-16, Toronto-8.
NEXT UP:
The Toronto Rock (4-3) travel to face the Rochester Knighthawks (2-5) on Saturday, February 10 at 8:00 PM EST.
Calgary Roughnecks (2-5) host the Colorado Mammoth (4-2) on Saturday, February 10 at 9:00 PM EST.
Justin Ivey, Co-Editor & NLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome