Not a bad little weekend for our Calgary Roughnecks, as they really look to have something coming together.  After a 16-9 win Saturday over the Toronto Rock, this Riggers team is starting to look very scary.  For the first time this season, the team seemed to be able to put all the elements together, a killer start and a smothering finish.

First of all, congratulations to Kaleb Toth who is now the all time Roughnecks leader in all offensive categories.  He did it in pretty grand fashion too…3 goals and 4 assists to help the Riggers come away with the victory.  We’ve said it numerous times over the last couple weeks, but Toth means so much to the franchise and it’s good that they’ll be able to honor him for his accomplishments in the near future.

A few things strike me about this win.  First of all, this offence is scary good.  We mentioned Toth’s 7 points, but that didn’t even lead the team on this night, as Josh Sanderson decided to hang 8 (3G, 5A) on the Rock.  Sanderson continues to lead the Roughnecks in scoring with 19 points in 3 games; he also sits 3rd in league scoring behind New York’s Casey Powell and Buffalo’s Mark Steenhuis.  We’ve been talking about the chemistry between Sanderson and Tracey Keluskey, but what’s now becoming very impressive is the offensive chemistry period.  With Sanderson, Tracey, and Toth clicking with the likes of Curt Malawksy (3G), Dane Dobbie (3G, 3A) and Scott Ranger (5A), you really have the potential for something special.

Malawksy has been extremely fun to watch, and has made his way into 4th in the NLL with 8 goals on the season.  The 39 year old veteran just seems to find a way to creep into the open spaces and convert on opportunities.  Considering his 4 golden opportunities missed in San Jose, we could be talking about a banner season for the 2nd year Roughneck.  On the other end of the spectrum is the 22 year old Dobbie, who has already eclipsed his point total from last year.  As a rookie, Dobbie played in only 5 games last year tallying 5 points…in 3 games this season, he’s already at 14 points.  He has a knack for scoring highlight reel goals and is great around the net.  What’s scary is that his role will only increase as the season goes along.

In Calgary’s 2 previous games, they held 4th quarter leads of 5 and 3 against San Jose and Edmonton respectively.  However, the Stealth game was decided in the final seconds and the game against the Rush had to go to extra time.  There was certainly a sentiment from the coaching staff that there needed to be a little more focus on protecting leads.  That wasn’t a worry in Toronto.  Calgary carried a 5 goal bulge in to the final frame and completely shut things down, outscoring the Rock 2-0 in the 4th quarter.  When you see that happen, you really start to believe the hype and expectations surrounding this team.  Against a very prolific Rock team, you’re able to put up 15 of your own and shut things down in the final 15 minutes.  If that turns into a consistent trend, the NLL is going to be on alert about this Roughnecks team.

Next up for Calgary is San Jose at home this coming Saturday.  Tickets are still available at the Saddledome box office and via Ticketmaster.  It should be a good one, as the teams played very well in the season opener back on the 9th of this month.  Game time is 7:30, and you can hear the game live on the FAN 960 and www.FAN960.com starting at 7 pm with the pregame show.

On Saturday night, the Calgary Roughnecks try and keep things going and add on to an impressive start to the season when they make their one and only trip to the ACC in Toronto.  The Roughnecks (2-0) take on the Rock (1-1) Saturday evening at 5 pm MDT before returning home for a January 24th game.

The Roughnecks try and follow up an exciting and successful opening weekend where they took wins in San Jose and at home to Edmonton.  The win 12-10 win over the Stealth was impressive in many ways.  The Riggers battled from behind to overcome a slow start scoring wise, as they were down 4-1 in the 1st quarter.  With a 10-5 lead heading into the 4th quarter, the Stealth pushed their way back into the game, but Calgary was able to bear down and score 2 huge goals en route to the win.  The Necks used that same killer instinct to take an OT win the following night over the Rush.  Again, the Riggers let a late lead slip, yet were able to use a few big saves from Matt King and some tight defensive work to set up a Curt Malawsky OT winner for the 10-9 win.

Calgary has not had very much success in Toronto, with a subpar 2-6 all time record at the Rock.  Last year, Toronto took a 9-7 win at home before falling 12-11 in overtime at the Dome in the return match.  It’s clear these 2 teams do not like eachother with a well established rivalry that always seems to produce very entertaining games.  The fact that the teams always play tight, physical lacrosse is probably the main reason for the growing rivalry.  And of course, you have the familiar storylines entering play.  Kaleb Toth returns to the team he started his NLL career with before Calgary acquired him for Blaine Manning and a 1st round pick.  It’s also the former stomping ground for Riggers leading scorer Josh Sanderson (3 G, 8 A, 11 P) who was acquired at last years trade deadline in the deal that sent Lewis Ratcliff the other way.  Funny enough, Ratcliff sits right behind Sanderson in league scoring with 10 points, as does Manning.

I really like the chemistry starting to develop between Sanderson and captain Tracey Kelusky.  We had Sanderson on the air Thursday afternoon, and I asked him what he thought.  He basically said the 2 are really starting to feel comfortable, thanks in large part to having spent all of training camp together.  Sanderson also admitted he should have buried an opportunity Tracey set him up on late in the 4th quarter of the Edmonton game that would have prevented OT, so he knows things can only get better from here.  I also asked Sanderson about his recent milestone, as he eclipsed the 750 point mark in the win over San Jose…safe to say, NLL guys aren’t all that into milestones.

Speaking of milestones, Kaleb Toth will most likely notch another one Saturday in Toronto, as he’ll become the teams all time leading scorer with 452+ points.  Lewis Ratcliff had the former lead with 451…3 more assists and Toth also sets the franchise mark for assists as well.  Curt Malawsky also reached a significant marker notching his 500th point in the win over Edmonton, while Kelusky is closing in on 200 goals and 400 points as a member of the Roughnecks. 

Catch Saturday’s game on NLL.com, it gets going at 5 our time…we’ll be on the air from 3 till 4 with Roughnecks Radio followed by Sportsline Saturday which will keep you up to date on the scoring all night long.  Our next live broadcast on the FAN 960 is Saturday, January 24th when the Necks host San Jose.  Pregame is 7 pm, game time is 7:30.

At Saturday night’s UFC 93 in Dublin Ireland, we’ll see a rematch between 2 of the most feared light heavyweight competitors of all time.  It’ll also be a grudge match when former PRIDE standout Mauricio “Shogun” Rua squares off with UFC Hall of Famer and former Heavyweight Champion Mark “The Hammer” Coleman.

If you’re not familiar with Rua (16-3), he is one of the most accomplished light heavyweights of all time.  At the end of his tenure with PRIDE, he was ranked as the number 1 fighter at 205 pounds in the world by sites like MMAWeekly and Sherdog.  He had wins over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Allistair Overeem, and Kevin Randleman to his credit and had 13 of his of his wins via knockout.  The guy was number 1 for a reason…a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to along with fierce Muay Thai striking and extreme versatility on his feet. 

Yet when he finally made his UFC debut back in September of 2007, he was underwhelming and extremely disappointing, losing a 3rd round submission to Forrest Griffin.  Rua showed very little in that fight, and came nowhere close to the billing he received, especially in the eyes of North American fans who were seeing him for the first time.  Rua had trouble with Forrest’s superior size and also seemed to really run out of gas late in the second round.  He continually gave up his back and eventually tapped out to a rear naked choke late in the 3rd and final round.  Some believe Shogun injured his knee in the fight, as he did have surgery following, however, it was still an unimpressive showing.  Rua was then scheduled to fight Chuck Liddell at UFC 85 but had to pull out, so it’s been more than a year since we’ve seen Shogun in action.

While rising the ranks of the top light heavy’s in the world, Shogun ran into one of the sports innovators in February or 2006.  Mark Coleman (15-8) is credited with creating the style we now know as “ground and pound”, made famous by Tito Ortiz among others.  A former Olympic and NCAA wrestler, Coleman perfected the style which sees a fighter take his opponent to the mat with a wrestling-style takedown and following with strikes from top position.  He won an NCAA title at Ohio State and placed 7th at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.  At 45 years of age, Coleman hasn’t fought inside The Octagon in more than 10 years, however he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in March of last year.  He was scheduled to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 87 but had to pull out due to injury.

On February 26th, 2006 Coleman and Rua squared off at PRIDE 31.  Coleman won the fight just 49 seconds into the first round when he dislocated Shogun’s elbow with a takedown.  That’s when all hell broke loose and set up a very intriguing matchup on Saturday.  Following the injury, Shogun’s brother entered the ring and was accosted by Coleman, which lead more members of Rua’s team to enter the ring.  We found out later that Coleman’s cornerman, Phil Baroni, landed several shots on Shogun’s teammate Wanderlei Silva; Coleman actually stepped on the throat of Silva.  Not a bad back story to what should be a good fight regardless.

To me, this fight is dangerous in so many ways for Coleman.  Neither fighter has fought in over a year…Rua’s loss to Griffin, Coleman back in October 2006 losing for the second time to Fedor (Coleman hasn’t fought in the UFC since January 1999).  So that’s a wash.  But everything else comes up Shogun in my eyes.  Rua wants redemption, no question.  Not because of the previous fight, but because Rua knows he was garbage in his first fight in the UFC.  That can’t sit well with a pro like Shogun, and from all accounts, his training regime has been furious heading in.  And then there is the technical aspect.  Coleman will take this fight to the ground and try to work some strikes from the guard.  He will have a difficult time passing Rua’s guard so will have to use top position and his strength to overwhelm.  However, when it comes down to it, I just don’t see how Coleman can A)keep this fight on the ground without Shogun sweeping to his fight, and B)make sure he doesn’t get caught by Rua’s deceiving submission skills.  I think Rua is superior in his standup game and will use his world famous kicks to chop down the tree that is Coleman.  The more that happens, the less effective Coleman’s standup will become, and Rua will be to start to score on his feet.  When the inevitable takedown does come, it will not be powerful and it will set Shogun up with a submission opportunity.  I call Rua via triangle in the second round.

We’ll set up the Roughnecks-Rock game later this week and preview UFC 93′s main event between Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin as well!

As Saturday’s UFC 93 draws closer, we start our countdown today previewing the second of 2 pay per views in the month of January.  This one is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson and features a 205 pound grudge match between Mark Coleman and Shogun Rua.  We’ll set those fights up later in the week, but we’ll start by looking at an interesting undercard.

It starts with some Canadian content in a match that could actually have some pretty large implications in the UFC’s middleweight division.  Vancouver’s Denis Kang will take on Alan Belcher, and for Kang it’s a real opportunity to make an immediate impact.  The 31 year old will appear in his 43rd professional fight, but this will be his UFC debut.  But with his background and pedigree, an impressive showing will absolutely put him right in the mix near the top of the 185 pound division.  Kang (31-10-1) has fought in basically every other relevant promotion that has ever run, whether it be on this continent or elsewhere.  He’s a former PRIDE Grand Prix finalist, which is no small feat, and has the world class pedigree to be a real force in the middleweight division. 

With a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kang has had 15 of his wins by submission…but he also packs some punch, with 12 knockouts to his credit.  I really believe he is one of the undiscovered talents, a diamond in the rough if you will, and could really shock people by just how impressive he really is.  His last win came almost too easily, here in Calgary at Dave Feser’s Raw Combat: Redemption with a TKO over UFC veteran Marvin Eastman.  Beating a powerhouse like Eastman is impressive to begin with, but considering he beat him at his own game shows just how well rounded Kang is.  However, his opponent is no slouch Saturday.  Alan Belcher is 12-4 in his pro career and has been up against some tough competition in his young UFC career.  He’s already been inside The Octagon with the likes of Yushin Okami, Ed Herman, Jason Day and had scheduled fights with Ricardo Almeida and Patrick Cote cancelled for various reasons.  He’s an extremely skilled kick boxer, but do not be fooled into thinking he is one-dimensional.  Belcher can end fights on the ground, with 4 of his wins coming via submission.  He’s poised beyond his 24 years and will give Kang all he can handle.

Jeremy Horn is back in a middleweight bout with Rousimar Palhares in a fight that you can count on for some excitement.  With over 100 fights to his credit, the unorthodox Horn (88-18-5) is back in the UFC for the first time since June of last year.  Straight up, the dude is a gamer…he’s always ready to fight, and he’s always ready to choke you out.  49 of Horn’s wins come via submission, and some of those wins are over pretty impressive opponents including David Louiseau, Dean Lister, Forrest Griffin, and yes, even “The Iceman”Chuck Liddell way back in 1999.  And his losses have come against the likes of Randy Couture, Liddell, Anderson Silva, Frank Shamrock, Minotauro Noguiera, Matt Lindland, and Nate Marquart.  Not a bad resume…his opponent Saturday is also a submission specialist with a 1-1 record inside the UFC.  And his last loss did come at the hands of Dan Henderson…I saw him submit Ivan Salaverry live in Vegas at UFC 84, and this guy has skills.  This one will be a grappling fans dream, it should prove to be really good.

The final notable match on the UFC 93 undercard features a couple explosive fighters in what should be a standup war when Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis takes on Chris “Lights Out” Lytle.  Both guys are experienced and savvy, and both are former contestants on The Ultimate Fighter…Davis on season 2, Lytle on season 4.  For Lytle, he’s nothing short of exciting to watch.  His standup game is very refined, and he’s been in the with the best of the best from Matt Hughes to to Matt Serra to Robbie Lawler.  His last fight, a thrilling 3 round decision over Paul Taylor at UFC 89, was very impressive.  The pace of that fight was incredible, with Lytle able to land a slightly larger amount of punches. 

But he’ll have his hand fulls with Davis, a former boxer who is turning into a well rounded mixed martial artist.  Davis was also in action at UFC 89, with a 2nd round submission victory over Paul Kelly, and looked very good doing so.  He was able to work superior standup to eventually wear his opponent down and win via choke.  Davis has gone away from relying just on his boxing, and has focused on so many other facets of the game.  However, you know that at some time in this fight, Davis and Lytle will square off with some devestating exchanges.  And when that happens, you’re going to see fireworks.

Thursday we’ll preview the Coleman-Rua fight and get to the main event later in the week.  We’ll hope to have Mauro Ranallo from The Fight Network on Friday on The Big Show, while John Pollock from TFN will join me on Sportsline Saturday.  Also, coming down the pipe, potential interviews with Georges St. Pierre and Tito Ortiz, so stay tuned to The FAN 960, your only source for MMA news and interviews in Alberta.

A back-to-back home-road set opened the 2009 season for the NLL’s Calgary Roughnecks, and the Riggers debuted to fairly good reviews.  And I believe well earned reviews, especially with the lofty expectations on them heading into the season.  A 12-10 win in San Jose was followed by a 10-9 overtime victory in the home opener over the Edmonton Rush.

First off, congratulations to #9 Kaleb Toth.  On Friday night against the Stealth, Toth tied and broke Lewis Ratcliff’s franchise record for goals scored…after the weekend, Toth’s record tally is at 212 and counting.  On Saturday at home, Toth also tied Ratcliff’s franchise record for points, as both now sit with 461 points as a Roughneck…he’ll probably break that record in his old stomping grounds; next Saturday in Toronto.  Finally, he’s now just 4 assists away from tying Ratcliff’s franchise mark for assists…Toth sits at 248, Ratcliff has 251.  By the end of the year, Toth will be Calgary’s all time leader in every offensive category, and it couldn’t happen to a better poster boy for a franchise.  The Necks gave up Blaine Manning, one of the best to ever play the spart, for Toth.  Clearly, Kaleb has proven a more than worthy investment.

Friday night,the Roughnecks showed 2 things.  First, they proved to everyone that the offensive expectations placed on this team were not too lofty.  With Tracey Kelusky and Josh Sanderson leading the way with 7 points each, the Riggers continually peppered the Stealth with quality shots from high percentage areas.  Scott Ranger finished 6 points while Toth and Dane Dobbie each had 2.  Add to the missed and thwarted opportunities from Curt Malawsky and Jeff Shattler, the Roughnecks were clearly the superior team offensively…in talking to Head Coach Troy Cordingley on the bus ride back to the hotel, he couldn’t have been happier.  With a 58-36 shot advantage, the Necks got a shot on almost every possession, which is all you can ask for from an offence in Troy’s opinion.  Before the game, I asked both Cordingley and GM Brad Bannister how they would characterize their defence.  The word tenacious was used in both instances, and it showed against San Jose.  Even though the game finished 12-10, Calgary was able to frustrate the Stealth’s high powered attack lead by Colin Doyle, and make it very difficult for them to set up the uncontested shots they love so much.

On tired legs, the Riggers showed some resilience on Saturday night against Edmonton.  Due to a less-than-desirable travel schedule, most of the team was running on 4-5 hours of sleep…and maybe 3 at the most uninterrupted.  A power nap and a little adreniline, along with that offence, got Calgary out to a good start and a 6-4 halftime lead.  But you could tell the tired legs started to kick in after halftime, as the Rush were able to get some quality shots and eventually dissolve the 2 goal lead and send things to overtime.  Malawsky’s 3rd goal of the night ended things at 4:58 and put the cap on a great goaltending duel between Matt King of Calgary and former Roughneck Steve Dietrich in net for Edmonton.  Both were outstanding making highlight reel saves, and, at one time or another, holding their team in the game.  Calgary would walk away with a hard earned 10-9 win, and a full marks 2-0 record.

A number of things you can pick up from the first weekend of Calgary’s season.  First, the offence can go…Cordingley likes the early chemistry between Kelusky and Sanderson, and thinks it’s only going to get better.  He hasn’t been surprised in the least by Malawsky’s role either, giving him high praise as well.  More practice and more game action is only going to increase the danger posed by Calgary’s attack.  Second, this team has a ton of poise.  While you can point to both games and say the opposing teams came from behind and made things too close, so also you could praise the killer instinct the Roughnecks showed late in games.  Friday in San Jose, clutch goals from Josh Sanderson and Scott Ranger late in the 4th quarter snuffed out a comeback.  Saturday, Calgary’s defence went from frantic moments to immediate calm in the time it took to go from the 4th quarter to overtime.  This calm and focus forced the Rush into wasting 3 offensive possessions in the extra frame.  Finally, it looks like goaltending isn’t an issue.  I thought Pat Campbell looked great Friday night, as he was seemingly very calm in net and made the saves he needed to, as well as making a few in the “highway robbery” category.  A bout of food poisoning knocked Patty out of game 2 against Edmonton, so in comes Matt King who looked brilliant as well.  His saves in the 3rd period kept this game from potentially getting out of hand.  Cordingley told me he’s still going with Campbell as his number 1, but he has 100% confidence in King coming off the bench.

Also on the milestone watch…Josh Sanderson has well eclipsed the 750 point mark and makes the charge on 800.  With 747 entering the weekend, the milestone was in reach.  With 758 after the weekend, the milestone is shattered.  And Malawsky now needs just 1 more point to hit the 500 mark in his career.  And of course, I’m watching Brider…Andrew McBride needs just 6 more penalty minutes to pass Jessie Phillips for the most all time for Calgary.  Couple fights should do that for #37.

The Roughnecks take on Toronto this coming Saturday at 5 o’clock our time, as the teams renew a very good rivalry.  Our next broadcast on The FAN 960 is Saturday, January 24th for Calgary’s next home game against San Jose.  That gets going at 7 with the pregame show, I’ve got the play-by-play at 7:30.  Later this week on the blog, a countdown to UFC 93!