Justin Ivey, Co-Editor
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Rogers Arena and the Vancouver Warriors (4-5) hosted the Calgary Roughnecks (5-3) Saturday night in a tight matchup. The Roughnecks came into the matchup 6-0 at Rogers Arena, a trend that the Warriors were looking to end. Veteran Kevin Crowley (2G, 3A) helped the home team jump out to a two-goal lead early in the first, and Keegan Bal (2G, 6A) dished out assists all night to keep the Warriors in the game. Curtis Dickson (3G, 4A) and the Calgary offense proved too much though. Cam MacLeod (12GA, 40SV) and the defense held Vancouver to just three goals in the third quarter and none in the fourth while the Roughnecks scored five to leave Rogers Arena with another win. Final Score: Calgary Roughnecks-15, Vancouver Warriors-12.
Vancouver ran out of the gates on way to a 2-0 lead early in the game. 1:07 into play, Riley Loewen (3G, 2A) scored the game’s opening goal driving to the net. 21 seconds later, Crowley buried his first of the game over MacLeod’s shoulder from outside. Calgary gathered themselves and answered with a five-goal run. Tyler Pace (1G, 2A) scored first with a bounce shot goal 4:24 in and Dane Dobbie (2G, 4A) tied the game 35 seconds later with his own bounce shot, releasing the quick stick around his defender past netminder Aden Walsh (14GA, 34SV). Just under a minute later, on the team’s first power play opportunity, Dobbie scored his second in a row. Haiden Dickson (3G, 1A) scored from way outside with 6:57 remaining and Ethan Ticehurst (1G) scooped up the ensuing faceoff before taking it to the crease for a quick goal. With three seconds remaining, Loewen scored his second of the quarter to temporarily halt the run. At the end of the first quarter, Calgary led Vancouver 5-3.
The Roughnecks came out in the second quarter on fire, scoring four goals in the first three minutes. Curtis Dickson scored on a low shot just 31 seconds in before Tanner Cook (2G, 3A) scored unassisted after a gritty one-man performance 2:06 in. Bennet Smith (1G, 1A) scored on an empty goal as Calgary was playing with goaltender switches. Curtis Dickson rounded out the run with his 552nd goal of his career, passing Dan Dawson for sixth all time. Just 2:42 into the second quarter, Calgary had extended the two-goal lead to a 9-3 advantage. Lacrosse is a game of runs though, and Vancouver was up to the challenge. By halftime, they would fight back to a one-goal deficit. Loewen completed his first half hat trick with 11:20 remaining before Marcus Klarich (2G) scored two in a row. The first came in transition while the second was a big-time dunk that got the home fans on their feet. Haiden Dickson temporarily halted the momentum with his second goal and 5:16 remaining, but Vancouver kept finding ways to score. Johnathan Peshko (1G) scored with 2:29 left, Bal scored his first goal with 2:05 remaining, and Crowley found the back of the net again with just 59 seconds on the clock. At the half, Calgary led Vancouver 10-9.
After a 19 goal first half, the defenses came to shine in the second. Both teams only combined for eight goals, seven of them coming in the third quarter. Vancouver’s Adam Charalambides (2G, 4A) tied the game 10-10 2:16 into the frame, but Curtis Dickson quickly restored the Calgary lead just over a minute alter with his hat-trick goal. After over five minutes of scoreless, tense lacrosse, Bal scored on a powerplay to once again tie the game. It took over three minutes for Mathieu Gautier (1G, 1A) to break that tie, giving Calgary the lead again with 3:14 remaining. Charalambides answered the call again, tying the game 12-12 with 2:56 on the clock. Unfortunately, Calgary broke the back and forth taking the lead on Jesse King’s (1G, 2A) only goal of the contest before Cook extended it to two just 12 seconds later. At the end of the third quarter, Calgary led Vancouver 14-12.
19 goals in the first half and 7 goals in the third quarter. One goal in the fourth. Both teams fought for position as the defenses stood tall. Haiden Dickson scored the lone goal of the fourth quarter, just 4:15 in, extending the visitors’ lead to three goals. Vancouver could not find an opening to mount a comeback. Final Score: Calgary Roughnecks-15, Vancouver Warriors-12.
Up Next:
The Calgary Roughnecks (5-3) host the Saskatchewan Rush (6-2) on Friday, February 14 at 9:30 PM EST.
The Vancouver Warriors (4-5) travel to play the Las Vegas Desert Dogs (2-6) on Friday, February 14 at 10:30 PM EST.