CALGARY, AB — The Calgary Roughnecks were in Saskatoon for Week 14 of the NLL season, taking on Mark Matthews and the Saskatchewan Rush. The Roughnecks fell behind early, but found a way to get within one goal late. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and the Rush hung on to win 11-9.
Here are five things we noticed in the game:
1) THE BIG MCINTOSH
After sitting out from February 28th to March 26th, McIntosh was ready to get back in the line-up against the Colorado Mammoth two weekends ago. In the two games since being activated, McIntosh has made a big difference for the Necks. Not normally known as much of a scorer, the big defenceman has potted two goals in two games.
Sent in alone against Aaron Bold on Saturday, McIntosh made no mistake and went top corner for the goal. Check out the sweet snipe:
2) SIR SCOOPS A LOT
Since joining the Roughnecks in 2008, Scott Carnegie has been a consistent defenceman. While not very flashy, he makes a difference in the game by playing well positionally and using the body. In 15 games in 2016, Carnegie has been a vacuum on the loose balls. Sitting at 66 so far this season, he is within five loose balls of his personal single-season best. A big part of him being on pace to set a new personal record was his 11 loose balls performance against the Rush on Saturday. That total put him one behind Rush face-off man Jeremy Thompson – who can attribute most loose balls to the 16 face-off wins he had in the game.
3) RESURGENCE
When Jeff Shattler put up 62 points in 2015, it was his lowest total since scoring 51 in 2010. The former MVP has come back with a vengeance in 2016 and is already has six points more than he had all of last season. His goal scoring may be down, but his assist numbers have shot up. His 47 assists this season represent his highest total in a single-season in the NLL. He padded the assist category against the Rush on the weekend when recorded four apples. He’s on pace to hit 80+ points for the second time in his career
4) NET WORK
After allowing three quick goals, Frankie Scigliano was given a quick hook against the Rush. Filling in was not veteran Mike Poulin, but rookie Christian Del Bianco. Poulin was not in Saskatchewan as he was welcoming a brand new baby boy to the world. That worked well for Del Bianco, who made his NLL debut. However, he allowed a goal on the only shot sent his way during his nine minutes between the pipes. Upon his return to the net, Scigliano was a steady force, helping the Riggers get back into the contest. The big netminder managed to shut out the Rush through the entire third quarter and only gave up a single goal in the final frame.
5) SUPERMAN STATUS CONFIRMED
Known as one of the league’s best goal scorers, it’s a bit surprising that Curtis Dickson had never reached the 50-goal plateau in a season. He came close in 2015 when he netted 48. On Saturday, Superman recorded a hat-trick, helping him surpass the 50-goal barrier. Now sitting at 51 goals, Dickson is tied with Dane Dobbie for the most goals ever scored in a single-season by a Roughneck player. With three games remaining in the season, it’s likely that Dickson will set a new Roughnecks record and he could push for 60. The right-handed superstar is currently on pace for 61 goals, so it’s not out of the ballpark.
