VS. VANCOUVER: Tonight marks the second of four regular season meetings between the Roughnecks and Stealth. Vancouver holds the advantage in the season series following last weekend’s 12-11 win at the Scotiabank Saddledome. During the 2016 regular season, Calgary and Vancouver spilt their four-game series as each side went 2-0 on their respective home turf. Curtis Dickson, who led Calgary with 26 points against the Stealth in 2016, tops the Roughnecks with five points (1g, 4a) against West Division rivals this season. Corey Small leads the Stealth with three goal and five assists against Calgary. Next meeting: Saturday, Feb. 18 at Calgary (Scotiabank Saddledome).
2017 Regular Season Head-to-Head
Category
Roughnecks (0-1)
Stealth (2-0)
Home Record
0-1
0-0
Away Record
0-0
2-0
Goals For
11
27
Goals Against
12
20
Power Play Pct.
50.0
66.7
Penalty Kill Pct.
60.0
20.0
Faceoffs Pct.
60.7 (17-28)
43.9 (25-57)
Loose Balls
70
126
Points Leader – Series
Curtis Dickson (5)
Corey Small (8)
Points Leader – Season
Curtis Dickson (5)
Rhys Duch & Corey Small (16)
2017 Regular Season Series Recap
Jan. 6/17 at CGY: VAN 12 CGY 11 … The Roughnecks scored the game’s final four goals but were unable to find the equalizer.
Shots on Goal: CGY 47 VAN 57
Power Plays: CGY 1-2 (50%) VAN 2-5 (40%)
All-Time Regular Season Records
All-Time: 24-18
All-Time in CGY: 9-11
All-Time in VAN: 15-7
Last CGY Win: Apr. 9/16, 16-12 at the Scotiabank Saddledome
Last VAN Win: Jan. 6/17, 12-11 at the Scotiabank Saddledome
DIVISIONAL DIET: Tonight marks the second of five consecutive West Division contests for the Roughnecks. During this span, Calgary will also meet Colorado (Jan. 20 on the road and Jan. 28 at home) and Saskatchewan (Feb. 4 at the ’Dome). Last season, the Roughnecks finished 3-8 against West Division opponents.
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 two goals back of 300 career markers. Entering the 2017 NLL campaign, just 24 players in league history have eclipsed the 300-goal plateau including retired players and former Roughnecks stars Josh Sanderson (449), Lewis Ratcliff (440), Tracey Kelusky (383) and Kaleb Toth (315). Dobbie will become the first player in franchise history to score all 300 goals as a member of the Roughnecks.
NLL DEBUTS: Forward Holden Cattoni (selected fifth overall in the 2016 NLL Draft) and defenceman Chad Cummings (drafted 36th overall in 2012) made their NLL debuts in last weekend’s home opener, presented by Metro. Goaltender Christian Del Bianco also received his first career start, opening the contest between the pipes for Calgary. Cattoni recorded two points (1g, 1a) in the home setback while Cummings collected five loose balls and recorded four caused turnovers. Del Bianco and Zach Higgins – who was signed to the roster while Frank Scigliano’s served a one-game suspension – split time between the pipes. The pair combined for 45 saves on 57 shots.
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, Greg Harnett, MacRae, Manning, McIntosh, Scigliano
Trade (4): Digby, Jon Harnett, Loewen, Shattler
Free Agent (4): Burton, Mike Carnegie, Scott Carnegie, Snider
