It was a case of Jekyll and Hyde for Calgary this weekend.
After an 18-9 beatdown at the hands of the Colorado Mammoth in Denver, the Roughnecks got angry and transformed into a scoring machine as they rebounded with an 18-11 victory over the Georgia Swarm at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Here’s five things we took from the game:
1) DYNAMIC DOBBIE
Star forward Dane Dobbie had his worst game of the season statistically on Friday, when he scored just one goal against the Mammoth. He was determined to return to form and help the Riggers earn a win on Saturday.
Before the end of the first quarter against the Swarm, Dobbie already had a handful of points (2g, 3a). He added another three points in the second quarter to go into the half with a ridiculous eight points.
He slowed down a bit in the second half, but still scored three more goals. He finished with a game-high seven goals and 11 points in the game.
2) A GAME OF RUNS
It’s been said many times by many members of the lacrosse community that lacrosse is a game of runs.
That statement rang true this weekend for the Roughnecks.
In Denver, Colorado opened the game with a four-goal run that immediately put the Riggers in a hole that they would never escape. A five-goal run in the third quarter really opened things up for the Mammoth and a late three-goal surge iced it for the home-squad. Calgary never managed to score more than two in a row, which made it difficult to get back into the game.
On Saturday, the Roughnecks flipped the script, opening the game on a five-goal run, gaining that momentum and confidence. They piled on in the second, adding six goals in a row to get ahead 11-3 at the half. Despite two four-goal runs by the Swarm at the start of the third and fourth quarters, the Riggers kept fighting and cemented their victory with a three-goal run to end the game.
3) BACKHAND-O-RAMA
When you’re hot, you’re hot.
Tyler Digby started the party when he took a pass from Dobbie and picked the low corner going behind his back.
Dobbie decided to try and one up his right-handed compatriot. Curtis Dickson fed Dobbie in the high slot and he whipped the pass around his head and through the wickets of the goalie for a great goal.
4) SPECIAL TEAMS & TRANSITION
After a rocky start to the season that saw Calgary jump out to a big lead in penalty minutes, the team has been a lot more disciplined. In the double-header this weekend, the Riggers were only forced to go on the penalty-kill six times. Of those six PK’s, the Roughnecks were fantastic, killing four penalties.
On the flip-side, they were awarded seven powerplay chances in the two games. They took advantage of all three opportunities against the Mammoth, but only connected on one of four against the Swarm.
With a focused effort to increase their scoring from the backend, the Riggers defenders and goalies were extremely active in creating transition opportunities. Against the Mammoth, they accounted for eight points and they added another six points versus the Swarm.
5) CHASED
The Roughnecks didn’t give old friend Mike Poulin a very welcome return to the Rough House. The Poulin Wall was beat early and often, allowing six goals in the first nine minutes of the game before giving way to back-up Brodie MacDonald.
MacDonald calmed things down for a little while, but once the Riggers finally found the back of the net, they poured it on. With four goals in just over 14 minutes of play, the Swarm decided to get Poulin back out between the pipes. Poulin mopped up and finished with 14 goals against in 45:24 of work.
This is not the first time this season that Calgary’s offence has forced a goalie from the game, as they twice chased Mammoth goalie Dillon Ward, once on Jan. 20 and again on Jan. 28.
