VS SASKATCHEWAN: Today marks the third of four regular season meetings between the Roughnecks and Rush with Saskatchewan holding a 2-0 advantage in the series, outscoring Calgary by a combined 29-20. Curtis Dickson leads the Roughnecks with 11 points (6g, 5a) against the Rush. Robert Church (5g, 7a) and Mark Matthews (4g, 8a) top Saskatchewan with 12 points each against Calgary. The two clubs will close out the four-game series on Saturday, Apr. 2, at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, SK. Last year, the Roughnecks and Rush split the series 2-2.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: 2016 REGULAR SEASON
Category Roughnecks (3-5) Rush (4-3)
Home Record 2-2 3-2
Away Record 1-3 1-1
Goals For 86 88
Goals Against 98 79
Power Play Pct. 48.89 43.90
Penalty Kill Pct. 48.84 50.00
Faceoffs Won-Taken 94-219 (42.9%) 105-195 (53.8%)
Loose Balls 520 522
Points Leader – Series Dickson (11) Church and Matthews (12)
Points Leader – Season Dickson (41) Matthews (40)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: 2015 REGULAR SEASON
Category Roughnecks (7-11) Rush (13-5)
Home Record 4-5 6-3
Away Record 3-6 7-2
Goals For 212 241
Goals Against 217 177
Power Play Pct. 55.29 46.60
Penalty Kill Pct. 64.36 62.67
Faceoffs Won-Taken 302-495 (61.0%) 253-490 (51.6%)
Loose Balls 1,066 1,186
Points Leader – Series Evans (24) Matthews (24)
Points Leader – Season Evans (130) Matthews (115)
2016 SERIES RECAP
• Jan. 2 at CGY: SAS 10 CGY 8 … Calgary and Saskatchewan entered the fourth quarter tied 6-6.
• Feb. 5 at SAS: SAS 19 CGY 12 … Six second-quarter goals by Zack Greer powered the Rush to victory.
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Shots on Goal: CGY 92 SAS 106
• Power Plays: CGY 7-14 (50.0%) SAS 7-14 (50.0%)
REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
• All-Time: 26-12
• All-Time in CGY: 10-7
• All-Time in SAS: 16-5
• Last CGY Win: Apr. 10/15, 9-8 at the Scotiabank Saddledome
• Last SAS Win: Feb. 5/16, 19-12 at SaskTel Centre
RARITY IN THE ROUGH HOUSE: Today marks the first Sunday home game Calgary has played since the 2010 regular season when the Roughnecks hosted Minnesota on Sun., Jan. 10, and Toronto on Sun., Feb. 14. Calgary picked up wins in both contests, defeating the Swarm 12-7 and the Rock 10-8.
BYE-BYE PINK: Following today’s game, Roughnecks captain Mike Carnegie and forward Curtis Dickson will shave their heads on the turf for Hair Massacure in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities®Southern Alberta and Make-A-Wish® Southern Alberta. Earlier this month the pair dyed their hair pink to raise funds and awareness for the cause. The teammates have since received over $2,600 in pledges with the Calgary Roughnecks Foundation matching the dollars raised up to a total of $5,000. Hair Massacure is a fun hair colouring and head shaving event that is in its fourth year in Calgary. It originated in Edmonton in 2003 and has since raised over $9 million for Alberta charities.
FIVE ALIVE: Roughnecks forward Curtis Dickson recorded five first-half goals last weekend against Vancouver, marking the third time he has registered five goals in 30 minutes of play during the regular season. He previously tallied a five-goal half on Feb. 21, 2015, also against the Stealth, and finished the game seven goals, tying a single-game personal best.
MID-WAY MARKER: Today marks Game 9 of Calgary’s 18-game regular season schedule. Last year, the Roughnecks were 2-7 after the first half of the season, recording a road win and home loss against Saskatchewan (formerly Edmonton) during that span.
ROUGHNECKS VS: (BUF 0-1), (COL 0-1), (GA 1-0), (NE 1-0), (ROC 0-0), (SAS 0-2), (TOR 0-0), (VAN 1-1)
TOP 10: Curtis Dickson’s team-leading 24 goals place him third in the NLL while his four power-play goals are tied for fourth and his three shorthanded markers are tied for the league lead. Greg Harnett’s two game-winning goals leads all defencemen and sits tied for second among all players. Frankie Scigliano sits second among all goaltenders with 240 saves while his 12.58 goals-against average ranks seventh.
TRADE WINDS: Oct.26 – Acquired forward Tyler Digby, a first-round pick in the 2018 NLL Draft and a first-round selection in 2019 from the New England Black Wolves in exchange for forward Shawn Evans and a 2018 third-round pick; Dec. 28 – Acquired transition player Brandon Goodwin from the Buffalo Bandits in exchange for defenceman Mitch de Snoo.
HOW THE ROUGHNECKS WERE BUILT (20):
NLL Draft (11): Bell*, Berg*, Dickson, Greg Harnett, Leung, MacRae, Manning, McFetridge, McIntosh, O’Connor*, Scigliano
Trade (5): Digby, Goodwin, Jon Harnett, Poulin, Shattler
Free Agent (4): Burton, Mike Carnegie, Scott Carnegie, Melnyk
MILESTONES
• Mike Poulin recorded his 50th career NLL win on Feb. 6 against Georgia.
• Scott Carnegie played his 100th career NLL game on Feb. 6 against the Swarm.
• Jeff Shattler eclipsed 50 power play assists on Feb. 20 versus Vancouver and is six power play goals back of 50.
• Dane Dobbie is eight power play goals shy of 100.
• Dan MacRae is four caused turnovers from 100.
• Curtis Dickson reached 150 career assists and surpassed 250 career loose balls on Feb. 13 against Colorado. He is now nine games shy of 100 and nine power play assists from 50.
• Peter McFetridge needs to collect four loose balls to reach 250.
