Christopher Crane, NLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
In a thrilling showdown on Saturday night in San Diego, the Toronto Rock (10-2) secured a remarkable 15-13 victory over the San Diego Seals (8-4) at Pechanga Arena. The Rock, maintaining a flawless 6-0 record on the road, handed the Seals their first home loss this season, showcasing a captivating clash between two of the NLL’s top teams. Despite facing 15 minutes of penalties, the Rock showcased resilience, with goalie Nick Rose making 38 saves. The Seals’ power play excelled at 4-for-6, but the Rock’s 2-for-2 power play contributed to their triumph. The win brings the Rock to a 10-2 record, matching their best-ever start through 12 games, tying the 2015 Toronto Rock. Final Score: Toronto-15, San Deigo-13.
The game kicked off with the Rock establishing an early 3-1 lead, propelled by TD Ierlan’s (1A) faceoff dominance. Tom Schreiber (3G, 4A) opened the scoring just 21 seconds in. An answer from Jacob Dunbar (2G, 1A) just over a minute later tied the score, but before the 12-minute mark, Mark Matthews (2G, 6A) and Dan Lintner (2G, 1A) found the back of the net. Despite San Diego coming back and leveling the score at 3-3 with goals from Austin Staats (4G, 3A) and Wes Berg (2G, 4A), Toronto regained the lead with a Chris Corbeil (1G) goal and 5:51 on the clock. The two teams continued to play back and forth, scoring in flurries until a powerplay goal from Berg with one second remaining put San Diego ahead by one. At the end of the first quarter, San Diego led Toronto 6-5.
The second quarter continued with intense back-and-forth scoring until the Seals managed a mini two-goal run to put them ahead 10-8 with 4:34 left in the half. Corey Small (3G, 2A) opened the scoring for the Rock just 21 seconds in to tie the game 6-6 before Dane Dobbie (3G, 4A) responded to keep the Seals ahead. The two-goal run was capped by a beautiful Staats goal, but an impressive late effort from Chris Boushy (2G, 2A) brought the Rock back within one with 1:40 remaining. At the half, San Diego led Toronto 10-9.
The third quarter saw a defensive shift after a high-scoring first half, with Marley Angus (1G, 1A) tying the score 10-10 with 5:32 left in the quarter. The Seals quickly responded with an unassisted Dobbie power play goal to take the lead again. At the end of the third quarter, San Diego led Toronto 11-10.
Matthews and Small’s second goals that opened the fourth quarter propelled the Rock to their first lead since the opening frame. The Seals, however, surged back ahead to take a 13-12 lead with 9:49 remaining. In a dramatic turn, Lintner’s gravity-defying goal that tied the game 13-13 with two minutes remaining, initially called off, was overturned after an official review. Affectionately dubbed ‘Captain America’, Schreiber sealed the victory with a long-range shot and 1:06 on the clock. Mitch de Snoo (1G, 2A) scored an empty-net goal to finish the night. Final Score: Toronto-15, San Diego-13
Up Next:
Looking ahead, the Toronto Rock (10-2) will return home to face the Colorado Mammoth () Saturday, March 9th at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton at 5PM EST. The game will feature Kidz Night and a Dan Dawson bobblehead for the first 5,000 fans.
The San Diego Seals (8-4) host the Halifax Thunderbirds (7-5) on Saturday, March 9 at 10:00 Pm EST.