Despite a fourth-quarter collapse against the Vancouver Stealth on Saturday, the Roughnecks aren’t out of the playoff hunt and have plenty to build upon as they head into the Bye Week.
Here’s five things we took from the game:
1) FALLING IN THE FOURTH
It was Saturday’s main card event and the Roughnecks and Stealth were trading shots going into the final round. The Riggers held tough for the first six minutes of the fourth, but a no-goal call on Wesley Berg and a Vancouver tally flipped the momentum to the home team. Late goals by Cliff Smith, Logan Schuss, and Jordan Durston were the knockout punch to the jaw of Calgary. The Stealth hold a +6 rating in the final frame, while the Roughnecks are -8 in the fourth quarter in 2017.
2) CENTURY FOR SUPERMAN
For the second year in a row, Curtis Dickson has surpassed 100 points in a season! With a six-point night against the Stealth, he now sits at 102 (51g, 51a).
The superstar also holds a 12-goal lead for first in goals scored in the NLL. And snipes like this are why…
3) MAN DIS-ADVANTAGE?
It seemed like a match made in heaven for Calgary. Their strong powerplay, bolstered by Dickson, Dane Dobbie, and Wesley Berg, against the league’s second worst penalty-killing unit.
That should have been a recipe for success.
However, it’d didn’t play out like that. Instead, the roles reversed, with the Stealth scoring on three of five chances, while the Riggers netted only one goal on their five powerplay opportunities.
4) DOMINATING DRAWS
With Tyler Burton sidelined due to injury, Bob Snider made his return to the active roster for the first time since playing in Georgia on March 17.
Some rust was shown early, as he lost a couple draws, but he shook that off quickly as he began to win faceoff after faceoff against Jarrett Toll. In the end, Snider won 22 of the game’s 30 draws.
With a 73% clip on the day, Snider was well above his career 61% in the circle. Those extra possessions earned by the Calgary faceoff specialist didn’t turn the tide in Saturday’s game, but he was fantastic, regardless.
5) SHORT-HANDED STRIKES
Late in the second quarter, defender Garrett McIntosh was handed a five-minute major penalty for a high cross-check to the head of Rhys Duch. With 2:50 remaining in the first half, the Roughnecks held strong and did not allow a powerplay goal before the halftime buzzer sounded.
Coming out of halftime, the Riggers looked to kill off the remainder of the major. They did more than just kill it off, though. Tyler Digby scored a short-handed goal late in the shot clock with a quick little shot from a bad angle that fooled the goalie.
With the momentum back with Calgary, they continued to try and kill the Stealth powerplay. After a defensive stop, the Roughnecks looked to kill time off the clock. Rookie Holden Cattoni controlled the ball above the restraining line before finding Wesley Berg, who went to the net and took off for a spectacular goal.
