VS. VANCOUVER: Tonight marks the first of four regular season meetings between the Roughnecks and Stealth. Calgary and Vancouver spilt their four-game series during the 2016 regular season as each side went 2-0 on their respective home turf. The Roughnecks outscored the Stealth by a combined score of 56-52. Curtis Dickson led Calgary with 15 goals and 11 assists against the Stealth in 2016 while Logan Schuss topped Vancouver with 30 points (11g, 19a) against the Roughnecks. Next meeting: Saturday, Jan. 14 at Vancouver (Langley Events Centre).
2016 Regular Season Head-to-Head
Roughnecks (8-10)
Stealth (5-13)
Roughnecks (8-10)
5-4
4-5
5-4
3-6
1-8
3-6
216
198
216
216
245
216
52.75
54.32
52.75
47.31
48.96
47.31
235-506 (46.4%)
250-512
235-506 (46.4%)
1,264
1,188
1,264
Dickson (26)
Schuss (30)
Dickson (26)
Dickson (107)
Duch (111)
Dickson (107)
2016 Regular Season Series Recap
Jan. 30/16 at CGY: CGY 15 VAN 13 … Entering the fourth quarter tied 11-11, Calgary scored four goals en route to a 15-13 win.
Feb. 20/16 at VAN: VAN 14 CGY 13 (OT) … Corey Small scored the overtime winner, his third goal of the game, 76 seconds into the extra frame.
Apr. 9/16 at CGY: CGY 16 VAN 12 … The Roughnecks combined for 13 goals in the second and third quarters while allowing only four.
Apr. 16/16 at VAN: VAN 13 CGY 12 … The two clubs entered the final quarter knotted at 10 apiece with the Stealth stringing together a trio of markers, including two on the man-advantage, to secure the win.
Shots on Goal: CGY 210 VAN 213
Power Plays: CGY 12-21 (57.1%) VAN 13-24 (54.1%)
All-Time Regular Season Records
All-Time: 24-17
All-Time in CGY: 9-10
All-Time in VAN: 15-7
Last CGY Win: Apr. 9/16, 16-12 at the Scotiabank Saddledome
Last VAN Win: Apr. 16/16, 13-12 at the Langley Events Centre
ALL-TIME IN HOME OPENERS: In their previous 15 home openers, the Roughnecks have a combined record of six wins and nine losses. Tonight marks the fifth time Calgary has faced the Stealth in a home opener. The four previous meetings were: Jan.7/05 (12-10 L), Jan. 12/07 (17-16 OTL), Jan. 12/08 (13-12 L) and Jan. 3/15 18-14 L.
TEAM ALBERTA: Roughnecks alternate captain Dane Dobbie and video coach Shawn Cable will be experiencing local lacrosse action with the Alberta Lacrosse Association this year. Dobbie, who is entering his 10th NLL season with the ’Necks, has been named head coach of Team Alberta’s Midget Boys Box squad while Cable will lead Team Alberta’s Peewee Boys Box team. Cable, who helped develop the Team Alberta program in 2004, last coached the midget boys group in 2012. For Dobbie, this season marks his first campaign with Team Alberta.
300 CLUB: Roughnecks forward Dane Dobbie sits just four goals back of 300 career markers. Entering the 2017 NLL campaign, just 24 players in league history have eclipsed the 300-goal plateau including former Roughnecks stars Josh Sanderson (449), Lewis Ratcliff (440), Tracey Kelusky (383) and Kaleb Toth (315).
FRESH FACES: The 20-player active roster includes four new faces: forwards Holden Cattoni (selected fifth overall in the 2016 NLL Draft) and Riley Loewen (acquired from the defending champion Saskatchewan Rush), defenceman Chad Cummings (drafted 36th overall in 2012) and goaltender Zach Higgins. Higgins, who suited up for the Georgia Swarm last season, steps into the lineup with netminder Frank Scigliano on the suspended list for one game. Cummings was on the club’s holdout list while playing collegiate hockey with the Golden Eagles at The College at Brockport.
UD ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME: During the off-season Roughnecks forward Curtis Dickson was inducted into the University of Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame. Dickson, one of 13 members of the Class of 2016, played with the Blue Hens from 2007-10 and was the team’s leading scorer during his final three seasons and set school records for career goals (162) and consecutive games scoring both a goal (30) and point (57).
WELCOME WILLIAMS: On Sept. 22, the Roughnecks hired Rob Williams as an assistant coach, replacing Bruce Codd who is now an assistant coach with the Toronto Rock. Williams brings 11 years of coaching experience to the Roughnecks as both a head coach (2016) and an assistant coach (2006-15) of the Maple Ridge Burrards of the Western Lacrosse Association. Under his guidance, the Burrards captured the club’s first-ever WLA championship and advanced to the 2016 Mann Cup. Last August, Williams was named the WLA’s Coach of the Year.
FOREVER TK: Former captain Tracey Kelusky will be honoured for the contributions he has made to the organization as a player and person on Sunday, March 26 at 1:00 p.m., when a “Forever A Roughneck” banner will be hoisted for permanent display at the ’Dome. Kelusky will become the second Roughnecks alumnus to receive this distinction following the inaugural induction of Kaleb Toth in 2013. Kelusky wore the ‘C’ during his entire eight-season tenure in Calgary (2003-10) and played an integral role in helping the Roughnecks twice capture a league championship (2004 and 2009). Last September, Kelusky was part of a trio of inductees who joined an elite class of lacrosse greats in the NLL Hall of Fame.
TRADE WINDS: Sept. 20 – Acquired 27-year-old forward Riley Loewen from the Saskatchewan Rush in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2017 NLL Draft; Nov. 15 – Traded 23-year-old forward Reilly O’Connor to the New England Black Wolves in exchange for a second-round selection in 2017 NLL Draft.
HOW THE 2017 ROUGHNECKS WERE BUILT (20):
NLL Draft (12): Bell, Berg, Cattoni*, Cummings*, Del Bianco, Dickson, Dobbie, LeClair, Leung, MacRae, Manning, Reinholdt
Trade (4): Digby, Jon Harnett, Loewen, Shattler
Free Agent (4): Burton, Mike Carnegie, Scott Carnegie, Zach Higgins
MILESTONES
• Jeff Shattler needs two goals for 250 and three power play goals for 50
• Frank Scigliano needs two saves for 1,000.
• Dane Dobbie is four goals short of 300 and needs five power play goals for 100.
• Curtis Dickson is five power play goals from 50.
• Mike Carnegie is 10 assists short of 50.
• Jon Harnett is 15 loose balls from 500.
