With playoffs looming, emotions ran high in a Week 13 double-header for the Roughnecks.
The weekend featured a physical battle with the Saskatchewan Rush and was followed up by an emotionally charged win over the New England Black Wolves.
Here’s five things we took from the games:
1) BIG-TIME BERG
With the Roughnecks effectively playing playoff lacrosse, someone needed to step up and be a difference maker.
You could argue that player was Dane Dobbie, who scored seven goals, or maybe Curtis Dickson who had 11 assists, but we would argue that player was second-year stud Wesley Berg.
Berg posted two goals and four assists against the Rush, battling extremely hard in the Roughnecks second-half comeback attempt. Against the Black Wolves the next evening, Berg got the party started with a pretty goal, two-stepping the line in the process.
The righty finished the night with five goals and four assists, giving him 15 points on the weekend. Through 14-games this year, Berg has already tied his rookie goal production and is just three points shy of last year’s total. Keep an eye out for more from this budding superstar.
2) CONSISTENCY
A topic we’ve covered numerous times this season, consistency is still biting the Roughnecks late in the season.
A poor start in Saskatchewan was the difference in the game, despite a strong response from the Riggers in the second-half of the contest. After a mixed effort on Friday, Calgary looked like a new team against New England on Saturday, dropping them handily.
From the start of the second half in Saskatoon, it seemed as though the team found whatever it was that they needed to find success, playing well as a team and out-scoring opponents 25-18.
They’ll look to hold onto that feeling as they head out on the road to face the 5-8 Rochester Knighthawks.
3) DUNK CITY
After Berg opened the scoring for the Roughnecks against the Black Wolves with a nice move along the crease, Curtis Dickson followed that up with a goal of the year contender.
The man they call Superman scooped up a loose ball, fought off two Black Wolves defenders, ran around the back side of the net and took flight, slamming the ball past goalie Evan Kirk for the super human tally.
4) THE DAY AFTER
Both of the Roughnecks double-headers in 2017 have followed very similar story lines. The team falters in the first game, losing on the road, but return home the next night to wreak havoc on the opposing defence.
On March 4, they beat the first place Georgia Swarm 18-11 after an embarrassing 18-9 loss in Denver the night prior. This weekend, they fell short in Saskatoon, losing 13-10 on Friday night before putting up 18 on the visiting Black Wolves on Saturday.
Even Curtis Dickson recognized the trend and has some ideas on how to take advantage of it.
“We were joking earlier saying that we need to have full scrimmages nights before games now and go for flights the morning of games,” laughed Dickson. “For some reason, double-headers, when we shouldn’t have any energy, we come out with the most energy.”
5) FOREVER TK
It was an emotional night at the Rough House when Tracey Kelusky saw himself become ‘Forever A Roughneck’. With family, friends, and plenty adoring fans on hand, it can only be described as special.
