Justin Ivey, Co-Editor
Lacrosse is Awesome©
The Vancouver Warriors (11-4) are even closer to clinching a postseason spot after Friday night’s game against the visiting Ottawa Black Bears (8-7). The March to May push rolls on in the NLL, and on the eve of the first day of spring, Vancouver fans were treated to a physical, low-scoring game at Rogers Arena. Ottawa got off to a fast start with Jeff Teat (2G, 5A) scoring or assisting on all of the Black Bears’ first-half goals. Vancouver was able to match those scores, leaving the game tied after the first quarter and again at halftime. Keegan Bal (3G, 5A) led the second-half charge for Vancouver, and Christian Del Bianco (8GA, 42SV) came up big late in net to preserve the narrow lead. Despite a nearly identical stat line, Zach Higgins (9GA, 41SV) and the Ottawa defense couldn’t hold up late against the high-powered Vancouver offense. Final Score: Ottawa Black Bears – 8, Vancouver Warriors – 10.
The Warriors grabbed momentum early, scoring the first two goals of the game. Adam Charalambides (3G, 1A) ignited the home crowd with a behind-the-back finish, converting a beautiful feed from Bal as he cut to the net. In one motion, he twisted the ball over his shoulder and hit the top corner. Marcus Klarich (1G, 1A) followed nearly four minutes later, quick-sticking another interior pass from Bal. Ottawa eventually found its footing and momentum. In a two-and-a-half-minute span, the Black Bears scored three straight goals. Teat worked a pick-and-roll with Sam Firth (1G), who found space after rolling off the screen. Teat flipped the pass, and Firth buried a twister while falling into the crease. Just 29 seconds later, Teat tied the game with a long bounce shot on the power play. Under a minute after that, he struck again with another long bounce shot, giving Ottawa its first lead. Vancouver settled back in after the flurry and tied the game before the quarter ended. Bal beat his defender, dove across the crease, and finished to the far post with under a minute remaining. At the end of the first quarter, Ottawa and Vancouver were tied 3-3.
The second quarter turned into a defensive master class, with both teams managing just one goal apiece. After two unsuccessful power plays, Ottawa capitalized on its third opportunity. With 7:53 remaining in the half, Rob Hellyer (2G, 2A) found space in the middle of the zone and picked the top corner glove side to give Ottawa the lead. Vancouver answered late in the quarter. With 3:24 left, Jeff Cornwall (1G) was left open in transition and finished from in close after catching a pass from Ryan Dilks (1A) at full speed. At the half, Ottawa and Vancouver were tied 4-4.
The Warriors came out of the locker room energized and opened the second half with a three-goal run. The first two came on their first power-play opportunities of the game. Charalambides found space in close during a five-on-three and finished while falling across the crease. Curtis Dickson (2G) followed with 8:25 remaining in the third, firing an underhand shot from the top of the zone for his first of the night. Just 40 seconds later, Bal added another with a sidearm rip to give Vancouver a three-goal lead. Ottawa struggled to generate clean chances for much of the quarter but finally broke through with under five minutes remaining. Connor Kearnan (1G, 1A) had his stick checked while shooting, but his off-speed bounce shot still found the net with 3:33 on the clock. Kevin Brownell (1G) added another with just two seconds left, spinning into an underhand shot in transition that caught Del Bianco off guard. At the end of the third quarter, Vancouver led Ottawa 7-6.
Charalambides again opened the scoring in the fourth, much to the delight of the home crowd. Just 1:19 in, he curled around a screen and finished with a jumping shot. Ottawa responded quickly. Hellyer scored his second power-play goal less than a minute later with a strong bounce shot. With 8:17 remaining, Reilly O’Connor (1G, 1A) tied the game after cutting to the back side of the play. Teat found him in stride, and he buried a bounce shot from in close. Scoring paused as the tension built inside Rogers Arena. With just under three minutes remaining, Bal delivered the biggest goal of the night. Streaking into the zone off the bench in an odd-man situation, he called for the ball, planted his feet, and ripped a shot into the top corner. Ottawa continued to push, but could not find the equalizer. Dickson sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 37 seconds remaining, assisted by Del Bianco. Final Score: Ottawa Black Bears – 8, Vancouver Warriors – 10.
Up Next:
The Ottawa Black Bears (8-7) host the Georgia Swarm on Saturday, March 28 at 7:00 PM EDT.
The Vancouver Warriors (11-4) have a week off before traveling to play the Buffalo Bandits on Saturday, April 4 at 7:00 PM EDT.