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For a second straight game, the Calgary Roughnecks took a lead into the 4th quarter off an NLL game. And for the second straight game, the Riggers were unable to come away with a win. On Sunday afternoon at the Dome, the Calgary Roughnecks suffered their first loss on home floor, falling 11-10 at the hands of the Boston Blazers.
With the loss, the Riggers drop to 5-2 on the season and have lost consecutive games for the first time since April of 2008. It’s 2 consecutive 1 goal losses for Calgary, who also fell 13-12 in Denver last Saturday night. Now make no mistake, this was a tightly contested game and either team could have walked away with the win. However, this one was not sitting well with the team, and it was not a fun bunch to be around following the game. We interviewed Josh Sanderson live on the air, and he was not very talkative. “We were outworked,” “we need to be better,” “we weren’t good enough,” and “we didn’t come to play” were the phrases Sanderson busted out in response to questions. But clearly it isn’t panic time for the team, who remain on top of the West Division by a full game.
Remember, Dan Dawson had to score with 35.6 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter to seal this one for the expansion Blazers. As a sidenote, Dawson was as advertised watching in person this afternoon. He now has 60 points on the season, second in the NLL, and scored a highlight reel goal that might just show up on NLL.com later this week as one of the top 5 of the week. He ran the floor with a lot of poise, and he was able to use his 6’5, 225 pound frame very well, including using some deceptive speed. A treat to watch play live, no question.
Now, as for the Riggers, there were 2 things that stick out from this game. However, before we get into those, it needs to be pointed out that there were a lot of positives. I really liked stretches of this game defensively for the Riggers, as they were able to do a nice job in neutralizing the NLL’s 3rd highest scoring offence. Calgary was able to force Boston into making quick decisions, and made their forwards force a lot of bad shots. Paddy Campbell played very well in the Boston net, holding the Roughnecks in the game with highlight reel saves in the 4th quarter. “Goaltending was not an issue,” was the direct quote from Sanderson following the game.
The first issue that was visible Sunday was Calgary’s difficulty at time while on the attack. The Roughnecks seemed to lack their usual jump offensively and struggled at times to create solid opportunities. Yes, lots of credit goes to the Boston defence, but it was more than that. Calgary stood around too much and lacked the regular player movement while on the floor. There was a lot of stationary passing and the usual pick and roll we have become accustomed too dried up for spurts of time. And Calgary struggled to execute as well, working 2 gorgeous set plays late in the 1st and 3rd quarter but being unable to pull the trigger at the very end. Players like Kaleb Toth and Scott Ranger lacked their usual finish, as we saw some balls pop loose and a few ring off the post. Luckily, this was the first time Calgary offence had sputtered all season, and I don’t think it will be something we see on a consistent basis.
The second thing that pops up is Calgary’s 4th quarters. Prior to the game in Colorado, the Roughnecks had been stellar in the final frame. In San Jose, they buckled down with a late Ranger goal to seal their first victory of the season. In Toronto, they shut out the Rock in the final 15 en route to a victory at the ACC. And at home to Minnesota, Calgary played a very nice 4th quarter to seal their 5th victory. But in Denver they were outscored 5-2 in the 4th and failed to hold onto a lead. And then Sunday afternoon, Calgary lead 9-7 after 45 minutes but once again were outscored in remaining 15; in this case, Boston won the 4th quarter 4-1. The killer instinct I was high on through the first 5 games of the season hasn’t been there the way it needs to be the previous 2 games.
Head Coach Troy Cordingley says don’t panic…and I agree. There is no reason to panic at all. This is still the top team in the West who have suffered 2 consecutive one goal losses. They’re angry and ready to bounce back, and they’ve got a stiff test to try and complete that task. Next Saturday the Riggers take on the league’s number 1 offence; the New York Titans at Madison Square Garden (10:30 am, FAN 960 and FAN960.com). I have full confidence in the team assembled that this mini losing streak won’t spiral out of control. What’s more important is so does this team, and they’re extremely motivated to prove themselves right.
I have to agree with all your points Pat. The lack of mobility with the offense is something that has happened before, but only for portions of a game. I think this is the first time this year that I saw it that lethargic throughout the whole game. Hopefully the thrill of playing at MSG will energize our boys…I’m sure their play-by-play guy is getting excited about the opportunity as well. By the way – Check your luggage before and after the flight to New York…you never know what Boomer & Kerr could try and sneak into it!
PS: Yeah I hope the MSG thing acts as something that infuses energy instead of any sort of distraction. I don’t think it’ll be distracting, but you never know. Everybody knows the team didn’t play well for much of the Boston game, so they’ll be okay come Saturday. As for me…I’m jacked up about NYC and I’ll watch Kerr and Boom, those 2 clowns like to mess with me. Karma’s a poetic thing though!
- Bob in the Abbey