Jeff Teat Has The Big Apple Buzzing
Saturday night’s clash between the San Diego Seals and New York Riptide was a tale of two halves. San Diego dominated the first 30 minutes, jumping out to a 7-2 halftime lead. But the second 30 belonged to the New Yorkers, with the home team outscoring the Southern California club 8-1, amid scoring the game’s final six goals en route to a 10-8 comeback victory.
As usual, Jeff Teat was simply out of this world, finishing with four goals and three assists, either scoring or helping on seven of the Riptide’s second-half celebrations. The Cornell alum now leads the NLL with 30 goals, scoring at least four in six consecutive games. The former number one overall pick also reached an historic milestone after recording his 300th career point. Teammate Reilly O’Connor got in on the fun, reaching the 400-point plateau. In the wake of winning five of their last six games, the boys from Long Island leave Nassau Coliseum with a 5-4 record, the first time in franchise history Dan Ladouceur’s squad has ended a day over .500.
Austin Staats and Curtis Dickson led the way for the Seals, combining for five goals and four assists, in what turned out to be an absolutely brutal defeat.
The Riptide adorned red and blue Spider-Man jerseys in conjunction with the league’s collaboration with Marvel. The first 3,000 fans received a Marvel “Legends of Lax” comic book.
The Roughnecks Get Their Revenge On The Rock
Last weekend, the Toronto Rock traveled to Calgary and took down a reeling Roughnecks roster 9-7. One week and 2,700 km to the east (1,677 miles), Jesse King and company flipped the script on the Rock, defeating the hometown squad 11-10 at Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre. More than 7,000 fans caught a glimpse of what would eventually become a very dramatic contest.
Led by two goals via the aforementioned King, Calgary held a 10-5 third-quarter lead, with Toronto storming back in the fourth to connect on five fourth-quarter scores, cutting the spread to 11-10. The Rock had a late chance to tie it, when head coach Matt Sawyer elected to call a late timeout just as his team was mounting an odd-man rush. With the designed play not resulting in a good scoring chance, Calgary was able to escape with a one-goal triumph. Corey Small had a spectacular night in defeat, gathering a highly-impressive five goals, including three fourth-quarter efforts.
The Roughnecks’ win featured some triumphant returns home, with Oakville, Ontario’s Robert Hudson boasting the first two goals of his career. Hamilton’s own Shane Simpson also provided the locals with some entertainment, lighting the lamp with an exciting second-quarter goal.
Bryan Cole & Andrew Kew Set The Pace For The Swarm
The vastly improved Georgia Swarm ventured north for a battle with the Rochester Knighthawks at Blue Cross Arena. Georgia looked to be in complete control of this one, and with more late-game heroics from Andrew Kew, took the 14-12 win.
Georgia held a 10-5 third quarter lead, but midway through the third stanza, the Knighthawks began flapping their wings, putting together a scoring spree that resulted in a 10-10 tie, with Rochester’s Ryan Smith responsible for his team’s ninth and tenth tallies. Just as the skirmish looked to be heading to overtime, Kew and Bryan Cole each found the back of the net in the final minute, icing the conquest. Kew tabulated four goals and three assists, with Cole adding five goals and two helpers. The great Lyle Thompson surged five total points for a suburban Atlanta team that is now 6-4.
The trio of Connor Fields, Ryan Lanchbury and Ryan Smith came up big for Rochester, with Fields’ eight assists serving as the local club’s standout statistic.
Credit to the Knighthawks for cranking up the drama, but it was the Swarm’s resilience that won out in this one.
The Rush Were Too Much For The Struggling Warriors
Week 11 concluded in the Pacific Time Zone with a pair of two-win teams meeting in downtown Vancouver. Despite both the Rush and Warriors experiencing disappointing seasons to date, nearly 9,400 fans jammed into Rogers Arena, many making the trip from Saskatchewan to British Columbia. The game was even at 7-7 midway through the third, when the guys in green and white hit the pedal to the metal, executing six of the final eight goals to a secure a 13-9 road win. Ryan Keenan compiled three goals and three assists, with Clark Walter blasting two goals and two assists of his own. Patrick Dodds contributed three assists before getting on the board courtesy of a successful penalty shot with nine seconds remaining.
Vancouver’s dynamic duo of Adam Charalambides and Keegan Bal came to play as always, combining for five goals and five assists, while Ryan Martel’s night featured two super slick goals, including a behind-the-net dunk and a creative dive from just in front of Rush goaltender Frank Scigliano, who blocked 36 other shots on goal.
Both teams will take next weekend off before returning to the field on February 24.
The Thunderbirds Keep It Rolling
Week 11 kicked off in Canada’s Atlantic Time Zone when the squad from the Super Bowl city paid a visit to Halifax for a tilt with the Thunderbirds. More than 8,000 fans packed Scotiabank Centre as the hometown boys extended their winning streak to three games courtesy of a 12-10 win. This game was filled with one big swing after another beginning with a Halifax six-goal run, followed by a Vegas four-goal parade. The teams traded three-goal second half spectacles, but the contest never came closer than the two-goal separation present in the final score.
Clarke Petterson tallied three goals and three assists, while Cody Jamieson posted two goals and two assists including a remarkable through-the-legs second-quarter beauty. 28-year-old rookie Aaron Woods scored two goals and four assists, giving him 12 points in two games. Ryan Benesch connected on his 21st score of the season.
On the Desert Dogs side, the bright spot came in the name of Sean Westley, who gathered his first career hat trick, in a losing effort.
Cowboy Hats Off To Ryan Sheridan
Friday night marked the Panther City Lacrosse Club’s first home game since December 22. The franchise was forced to play away from Dickies Arena due to the presence of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. In honor of their triumphant return, PCLC hosted Texas Forever Night, as fans celebrated the greatness of America’s second-largest state. Texans in attendance left in good spirits after watching their team outlast the Colorado Mammoth 14-13 in overtime. Jonathan Donville found the back of the net 29 seconds into the extra frame, his second goal of an evening that began with the reigning rookie of the year taking the field nearly three hours before the opening faceoff to hone his craft. Hard work truly does pay off!
Deep in the heart of Texas, the star of the game was rookie Ryan Sheridan, who entertained fans with a five-goal performance. Will Malcom added three goals and four assists, with Callum Crawford scoring the 26th goal of this campaign and the 480th of his illustrious career.
Colorado’s Connor Kelly and Zed Williams combined for seven scores and six helpers, but the Mammoth watched in disappointment as this see-saw affair ended with the home team riding away in glory.
