Marcelo A. Sagüez, Correspondent Calgary Roughnecks
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Featured Image Photo Credit: National League Lacrosse
A crowd of 11,352 left the Scotiabank Saddledome stunned on Saturday night after the Calgary Roughnecks (2-2) fell to the visiting Philadelphia Wings (1-1). Wings forward Matt Rambo (2G, 1A) had the final say, scoring with only 1.8 seconds left in regulation to break the tie and give the Wings their first win of the season. Rambo opened and closed the scoring for the Wings and had three points on the night. Philadelphia’s point leader of the night was 6’4” forward Kevin Crowley (3G, 4A) who had seven. The game was close throughout, with neither team able to gain more than a two-goal advantage. The Roughnecks were led by Curtis Dickson (3G, 1A). Final Score: Philadelphia-8, Calgary-7.
Calgary beat San Diego on the road 16-11 Friday night, and were late arriving to the home game after their flight landed at 5:30 PM. On top of that, this was their third game in eight days. The Wings took advantage of the two-minute delay of game penalty given to the Roughnecks for their late arrival. Rambo scored just 1:25 in on the powerplay and Brett Hickey (1G, 2A) scored just over three minutes later. The jet lag was apparent for the Roughnecks early, but Tyson Bell (1G, 1A) got them on the right track. Bell turned a broken Wings power play into a short-handed highlight reel goal. He outran three Philadelphia players for the unassisted goal.
“I thought it was (Tyson Bell’s) best game as a Roughneck really. I said it was his best game in years and it might be his best game. He played up front, he played on the back end, he scored a huge goal, tons of loose balls. It was inspiring to see how he played. I’ve talked to him about giving a little bit more and man, that’s the Tyson Bell that we drafted and that’s the Tyson Bell that the fans love when he comes out of that tunnel. That’s the way that he should play. If he can model that and bottle that, that would be a big bonus for us Roughnecks. Knowing the man that he is, I’m sure we’ll get more of that this year.” – Roughneck’s Coach Malawsky
After Crowley’s first goal of the game, Calgary put together a three-goal run late in the first quarter. Three different Roughnecks scored in the run. They held the one-goal lead for only 12 seconds. Trevor Baptiste (1G, 1A) won the draw and took it all the way, beating Roughneck’s goalie Christian Del Bianco to complete the first quarter scoring. At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied 4-4.
The back and forth nature gained momentum into the second. Goal tending from both sides was stingy, setting the tone to this low scoring game. Dickson’s goal was the only of the quarter and put the Roughnecks in front 5-4 at the half.
In a tight third quarter, there were no penalties and only two goals scored. Crowley scored his second, and Dickson answered to complete his hat trick. Calgary still held a one goal lead heading into the final fifteen minutes.
The Wings tallied two quick goals, just over a minute apart, to take a one goal lead early in the fourth. Cory Vitarelli (1G) scored his lone goal 4:35 in and Crowley’s hat trick goal soon followed. Dan Taylor (2G, 1A) answered and tied the game 7-7 at just under the seven-minute mark. It looked like the game was headed into sudden death overtime at the end but, the Wings took a time out to strategize one last attack with possession in the Roughneck’s zone. After a few passes to create motion, Rambo shot through a crowd for the go-ahead goal with only two seconds on the clock. Baptiste had an impressive 14-19 line for face offs. The Roughnecks could not score on the power play, going 0-4 while the Wings went 50% on a 2-4 mark. Final Score: Philadelphia-8, Calgary-7.
Up Next:
The Philadelphia Wings (1-1) visit the New York Riptide (0-4) on Saturday, January 4 at 7:30 PM EST.
The Calgary Roughnecks (2-2) enjoy two weeks off before visiting the Rochester Knighthawks (0-3) on Saturday, January 18 at 7:00 PM EST.
Marcelo A. Sagüez, Correspondent Calgary Roughnecks
Lacrosse is Awesome©