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STEALTH & ROUGHNECKS BATTLE FOR FIRST IN WEST

Calgary hosts Washington, winner leaves with first place in West

03/13/2010

By Josh Chalmers, covering the Roughnecks for NLL.com

The Calgary Roughnecks (5-3) will look for their fifth straight win when they host the Washington Stealth (6-3) at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Saturday at 9:30pm EST.

This will be the third and final game of the season between these two clubs. The previous two games were split between the teams with the road team winning both games.

If the Roughnecks win, they will be guaranteed at least a tie for top spot in the West Division, while the Stealth will look to hold on to the half-game lead they currently hold over Calgary and the Edmonton Rush (5-3).

"(This game has) a lot of importance and players love to play in (these kinds of games)," said Roughnecks Head Coach Dave Pym.

Last weekend, the Riggers beat the Philadelphia Wings (2-7) 15-7 in Calgary.

The Stealth got off to a hot start at the beginning of the season, going 6-0, but have lost their last three games, including an 11-9 loss to the Boston Blazers (3-6) the last time they took to the floor on Feb. 27.

"I think early we caught some teams by surprise because we were as cohesive as we were," said Stealth Head Coach Chris Hall.

"We've got to be sick of losing. I certainly am."

According to Hall, his team will be up to the challenge of taking on a hot Roughnecks team, who have been steadily rising through the standings on the strength of a four-game winning streak.

"If we expect to be a championship team then we have to learn to play with the champions," said Hall.

The Roughnecks' win over the Wings was highlighted by the great play of goaltender Matt King, whose 40 saves on 47 shots earned him NLL Defensive Player of the Week honors.

"I think Matt King has been playing steady all year," said Pym. "With Mike Poulin (acquired from the Blazers earlier in the season) coming in, it has elevated both of their games and they're pushing each other to the level the guys around the team expect them to play to."

King was not the only player recognized for his efforts, as Jeff Shattler was named Transition Player of the Week. Shattler had two goals and an assist against the Wings as well as collecting 12 loose balls.

"(Shattler) brings a lot of speed off our back end, and he's equally adept at coming off that back end and flowing into our (offensive) sets," said Pym.

The Stealth are number one in the league in penalty killing, having killed off 68% of opposition power plays; during the current losing streak, they have only killed off 53%.

After Saturday's game the Riggers will head to Orlando one week from Saturday, while the Stealth will have another bye week before heading to Colorado on March 26.

Watch the game live on The NLL Network at NLL.com.

Preview by Brett Bowker, covering the Stealth for NLL.com

The Washington Stealth (6-3) travel to Calgary to face the Roughnecks (5-3) at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Saturday at 9:30pm EST. This will be the third time these two teams will meet this season, with the series tied 1-1.

Not only will the winner of this game be in first place in the West Division, but will also win the season series between the two teams. Head-to-head season series records are the first tie-breaker used by the league to determine playoff seedings when two teams finish with identical win-loss records.

Washington enters this game coming off a much needed bye week and looking to end a three-game losing streak. The latest setback came two weeks ago on Feb. 27 against the Boston Blazers, an 11-9 loss. One of those three losses was to the Roughnecks, who defeated the Stealth 13-9 at Comcast Arena in a game where Calgary raced out to a 10-1 first half lead.

"This is a huge game in the middle of the season. There are a lot of things on the line this weekend. We have to be sick of losing. I certainly am," said Stealth Head Coach Chris Hall. "That will give us extra incentive to come out focused and with a lot of energy this weekend."

"There is a lot of importance in this game with first place and the season series at stake", said Calgary Head Coach Dave Pym. "And guys like playing in these types of games."

The Stealth will still be shorthanded on the defensive end of the floor due to injuries and suspension. Assistant captain Kyle Sorensen has missed the last four games with a lower body injury and nine-year veteran Travis Gillespie has yet to return after suffering a hand injury in the season opener. Rookie defensive standout Matt Beers will also be out for the game due to a one-game suspension resulting from an altercation earlier this season. Defenseman Mike Grimes will also be out, serving a one-game suspension for his involvement in the same incident.

Calgary is currently on a four-game win streak, coming off last week's win against the Philadelphia Wings 15-7. Forward Josh Sanderson sits at fourth in scoring in the league with 55 points (18g, 37a).

Watch the game live on The NLL Network at NLL.com.