CALGARY, AB — The Calgary Roughnecks and New England Black Wolves will go to battle Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Here are 5 things to watch for in the contest:
1) FIRST ONE
Through two games of the NLL season, forward Reilly O’Connor has not been able to find the back of the net. The rookie has taken nine shots in the two games, but wasn’t able to beat opposing goaltenders Aaron Bold or Anthony Cosmo. The lefty was, however, on the score sheet in both games, registering an assist in each contest. With games under his belt, can the 7th overall pick capture his first NLL goal?
2) WEIRD VIBES
For players and fans of the Roughnecks, it may be weird to see Shawn Evans wearing a New England Black Wolves jersey Friday. Not only was he an integral part of Calgary organization over the past four seasons, but he was the NLL MVP in two of those years. Calgary traded their star forward to the Black Wolves this summer in an attempt to get Evans closer to his family in Peterborough. It will be an interesting experience for everyone to watch Shawn face off against his former team for the first time.
3) BUSTIN’ OUT
After a quiet opening game against the Saskatchewan Rush, forward Tyler Digby showed off his touch and shooting ability in the loss to the Buffalo Bandits. Digby was able to score a hat trick to help the Roughnecks tie the game at nine and hit a post that would have given them a lead very late in the fourth quarter. His breakout performance really showcased what he can bring to Calgary’s offence, but with him now seemingly clicking with his teammates, what’s the ceiling for the talented righty?
4) WATCHIN’ NUMBERS
Roughnecks captain Mike Carnegie has been a force on the defensive end for years, but he’s also been very adept at scooping loose balls when he can. Now, he sits a single loose ball shy of 500 for his career. In his first two games of the season, Carnegie has scooped four and six loose balls. In his last 11 games, the London, ON, native has nabbed at least two loose balls. With that in mind, it is quite likely that Carnegie will reach this milestone against the New England Black Wolves on Friday.
5) SOUTHPAWS
The Roughnecks left side has been the teams’ biggest source of offence on the season. Dane Dobbie (11) and Jeff Shattler (7) are Calgary’s leading scorers. With big names such as Curtis Dickson, Tyler Digby, and Wesley Berg on the other side, all of the lefties are piling up the assists. The left side has combined to set up 13 goals on the year and has scored 7 of its own. Watch for the Roughneck left side to be involved significantly once again Friday.
