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TORONTO RALLIES PAST BUFFALO, 13-11

Doyle kickstarts fourth quarter comeback; Rock to East Final

05/01/2010

By Megan Robinson for NLL.com

The Toronto Rock beat the Buffalo Bandits 13-11 in an Eastern Divisional Semifinal Saturday at the Air Canada Centre. In a city of struggling sports teams, the Rock made a triumphant return to the NLL postseason for the first time since 2007, reminding Toronto that success during the playoffs is achievable.

Saturday also marked the Rock's first postseason appearance at home since 2005.

Toronto Rock captain Colin Doyle made his twelfth consecutive appearance in the postseason, dating back to his debut with the Toronto Rock in 1998. Doyle, who holds five Champion's Cup titles, returned to the Rock during the preseason after three seasons with the Stealth franchise.

"I haven't been part of a game like that in quite some time," said the captain, who recorded four goals and two assists in the win.

"That was pretty special and the biggest game of the year and it's something to build on as a team. We want [fans] to start believing in what we're doing here again so that's a really good start."

The Bandits came out strong in the first half, scoring seven goals on the Toronto net to force goaltending changes and challenge the offense of the Rock. The Bandits led 7-4 after thirty minutes of play.

The Rock returned to the floor revitalized in the second half, scoring nine of their 13 goals and forcing an offensive battle into the final minutes of the game.

"I thought that we had the will to win in the second half," said Rock head coach Troy Cordingley. "For those 30 minutes we were doing whatever it took. Even though they scored some great goals, we just had the will to win. When you have that, you'll be successful."

Stephan Leblanc was one of ten Toronto Rock members who made their postseason debut Saturday. Leblanc scored a minimum of one goal in sixteen appearances for the Rock and recorded a total of 36 goals throughout the regular season. The rookie forward was also named game MVP in three of the Rock's victories as well as being named the NLL Rookie of the Week four times and Overall Player of the Week once during the season.

In addition to Leblanc, forward Garrett Billings - who scored the tying goal in the win - also recorded five assists for the Rock. Surrounded by veterans and NLL Champions, Leblanc and Billings continue to show their growth as players in the league.

"It shouldn't be a surprise anymore for anybody; I mean these guys are legit. They're here and we rely on them heavily," said Doyle of the two rookies, who were the top two rookies in the league during the regular season.

"Leblanc got us going tonight and was showing his will and his desire. Those guys are very important to this team and we'll probably go as far as they will take us."

Bandits forward Mike Accursi led Buffalo's scoring with six goals and three assists in the loss. Transition player Mark Steenhuis and forward Brett Bucktooth each added two goals while forward Roger Vyse added one.

The Bandits entered their seventh consecutive postseason with the matchup in Toronto.

Buffalo, who won the regular season series 2-1 against the Rock, last missed the playoffs in 2002 when they finished fourth in the Eastern Division. In a tough offensive battle, the Bandits 2010 season came to an end in Toronto Saturday.

"We have so much respect for the Buffalo Bandits," said Cordingley. "I know the character that they have in that room and for our guys to come back after being down 6-0 is pretty remarkable for our guys."

The Rock offense, which was quiet until the second half of the game, had a total of 46 shots on Bandits goaltender Mike Thompson.

Leblanc, an Ontario native, recorded five goals and one assist in playing a dominant role in the offensive success the Rock finally achieved against Buffalo.

In addition, Doyle (4g, 2a), Blaine Manning (2g, 3a), Mike Hominuck (1g, 2a), Billings (1g, 5a), Kasey Beirnes (2a) and defenseman Pat McCready (3a) all contributed to the win Saturday.

Toronto Rock owner Jamie Dawick fought for words post-win to describe the atmosphere of the Air Canada Centre when Leblanc scored the tie-breaking, powerplay goal just over nine minutes into the fourth quarter.

"Unbelievable," said Dawick, who looked on as 10,000 lacrosse fans erupted from their seats in the arena. "It was electric tonight and we thank every one of the fans; they make a difference."

The Toronto Rock will travel to Orlando to faceoff with the Titans in the Eastern Division Final next weekend.