Rock crush Roughnecks in opener
The calendar may have flipped 12 months, but the result is lamentably the same.
The Calgary Roughnecks, felled by some undisciplined play and a wobbly defensive effort early on, succumbed 16-11 to the Toronto Rock in their 2014 National Lacrosse League season opener, mirroring the start of last season when they also dropped their first game to the Rock.
The Riggers were eager to change things up from 2013, when they started slowly and eventually won the West Division with a 9-7 record. But they were outplayed in all facets in the first half at the Air Canada Centre and, though they finished strong — scoring five times in the fourth — they had dug too large a hole to climb out of.
“We put ourselves behind the 8-ball,” said Calgary head coach Curt Malawsky, via phone after the game. “You get a 9-4 deficit at the half and you’re facing an uphill battle. Toronto’s a real good team. We have to be better at controlling momentum.
“We talked about discipline but they had too many power play chances and that was against us at key times. Emotions got the best of our guys. It’s Game 1 and it’s a learning experience.”
Calgary collected 19 minutes in penalties to Toronto’s eight.
Until the fourth quarter, the Roughnecks were not able to devise any type of offensive rhythm, as infractions frequently cut into those attempts. The defensive side of the floor was one that the coaching staff had hoped to improve from last year, but the first game wasn’t an indicator of an upgrade as the Riggers were repeatedly beaten to stray balls and left standing by the
We put ourselves behind the 8-ball CALGARY HEAD COACH CURT MALAWSKY
talented, experienced Rock.
“We had a tough go and that’s what lacrosse is,” said Malawsky. “If you base your season on Game 1, you’re not going to be very successful. Do we have to make some adjustments? Absolutely. We had a lack of ball pressure. Our feet weren’t moving and they got a lot of second possessions. We got a little scrambled and running around back there and we need to reel it in. We’ll be better.”
Every time Calgary appeared to get back into the game, Toronto came down the floor and overwhelmed the defence once again. Netminder Mike Poulin didn’t start the season off on his best foot, but neither did the men in front of him come to his aid with a consistent effort. In the second half, however, Poulin settled in and was a big reason Calgary was able to get within striking distance in the final 15 minutes.
“The reason we battled back in the fourth quarter, I chalk it up to Mike Poulin,” Malawsky said. “Mike Poulin was brilliant. He was our best penalty killer tonight, he made some real big key saves and we were able to go on that run and we got it to 13-10 because of Mike.”
Poulin faced 61 shots, while his counterpart Nick Rose stood in the way of 51. The Roughnecks scored three straight to make it a three-goal game with loads of time left in the final period.
Reigning league MVP Shawn Evans led the offence with a goal and seven assists, while Jeff Shattler had four goals for Calgary and Dane Dobbie struck for a pair. Stephan Leblanc had five for Toronto, while Garrett Billings had a goal and nine helpers.