Seals Pull Ahead Of Wings In The Final Minutes, Win 13-11

After trailing 10-7 early in the four quarter, Dan Dawson and the San Diego Seals outscored the visiting Philadelphia Wings 6-1 all in the final five minutes of play to secure a 13-11 win and to take over first place in the NLL’s Western Division.

The veteran Dawson led the charge for the Seals in Saturday’s win, logging five goals and two assists on the night. He was efficient with his shots, finding the back of the net on five of eight looks, and recorded two of his goals and one assist in the last five minutes of the game to help secure the comeback win.

Dawson’s second goal of the game was easily his best, as he swam around a Wings defender to get a free look at the net, left his feet to cross the crease and bounce the ball through the five hole before touching down on the ground. He also picked up his 858th career assist shortly after his impressive score, moving him into third place on the NLL All-Time leaderboard in career assists.

Second-year forward Casey Jackson and rookie Austin Staats also played integral roles in the Seals’ comeback win, as the duo combined for five goals and six assists in the affair. Jackson also finished second on the team in loose balls with 10, while seven-year veteran defender Kyle Hartzell led the squad with 11.

Wings forwards Kevin Crowley and Josh Currier each scored three goals against San Diego, sharing the team lead in goals on the night. The duo also combined for seven assists – three from Crowley and four from Currier.

None of Jordan Hall’s five shots snuck by Seals goalie Frank Scigliano, but the Wings forward did share the team lead in assists with four. Hall, Currier and transition Kiel Matisz each had four assists in the contest.

The Wings’ offense, however, fell flat when it mattered most, giving Dawson and the Seals an opportunity to steal the win away from Philadelphia.

Improving to 7-4 with the win, San Diego will go into this week’s home affair with the Saskatchewan Rush (6-5) with the sole lead of the Western Division. The Rush, who fell to second place in the division after their loss to the Buffalo Bandits on Saturday night, need a win over San Diego to jump back into first place, while San Diego can create a two-game cushion between them and Saskatchewan if they come out of the game on top.

Faceoff between the Seals and the Rush is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 22 at Pechanga Arena San Diego. The game will also be aired live on FOX 5 San Diego and B/R Live.