VS. NEW ENGLAND: Tonight marks the one and only regular season match-up between the Roughnecks and Black Wolves. Dating back to 2007, Calgary has picked up five wins in six games against their East Division rival while outscoring them by a combined 73-49. The Roughnecks halted a two-game slide when facing the Black Wolves last season, earning a tight 9-8 road victory in January 2016.
2016 Regular Season Series Recap
Jan. 15/16 at NE: CGY 9 NE 8 … A strong second quarter saw Calgary sink five goals, including a pair of markers from Jeff Shattler and a single tally from rookie defenceman Kellen LeClair. For LeClair, the point marked his first career NLL goal. Frank Scigliano finished the game with 35 saves and the win between the pipes for Calgary.
Shots on Goal: CGY 55 NE 43
Power Plays: CGY 4-6 (66.67%) NE 1-3 (33.33%)
All-Time Regular Season Records
All-Time vs. NE: 6-2
All-Time at CGY: 2-1
All-Time at NE: 4-1
Last CGY Win: Jan. 15/16, 9-8 at Mohegan Sun Arena
Last NE Win: Feb. 10/07, 10-7 at the Scotiabank Saddledome
2017 Regular Season Head-to-Head
Category
Roughnecks (4-9)
Black Wolves (6-6)
Home Record
2-4
4-2
Away Record
2-5
2-4
Goals For
145
138
Goals Against
168
147
Power Play Pct.
54.79
38.64
Penalty Kill Pct.
51.43
53.62
Faceoff Pct.
51.90
58.51
Loose Balls
889
880
Points Leader – Series
—
—
Points Leader – Season
Curtis Dickson (73)
Shawn Evans (70)
FOREVER A ROUGHNECK: This evening will see former captain Tracey Kelusky join Kaleb Toth in the ‘Forever A Roughneck’ program, a distinction that recognizes the contributions alumni have made to the organization as players and people. A special pre-game ceremony will see a Kelusky ‘Forever A Roughneck’ banner head to the rafters of the ’Dome. Toth, who received the honour in 2013, played alongside Kelusky from 2003-10. Kelusky suited up for Calgary following the 2002 dispersal draft where he was selected first overall by the Roughnecks. The 2001 NLL Rookie of the Year played an integral role in helping Calgary twice capture a league championship (2004 and 2009), recording 60 playoff points (34 goals, 26 assists) in 13 post-season games with the Riggers.
TK CONNECTIONS: Five active roster players and assistant general manager and head coach Curt Malawsky played with Tracey Kelusky during his Calgary tenure: Jeff Shattler (2007-10), Coach Malawsky (2008-09), Dane Dobbie (2008-10), Mike Carnegie (2008-10), Scott Carnegie (2008-10) and Curtis Manning (2010).
BRAVER THAN BRAVE: During tonight’s warm-up, the Roughnecks will wear limited edition retro jerseys in honour of Kelusky and his ‘Forever A Roughneck’ induction. The throwback design depicts the style of jersey worn during his time in Calgary, featuring Kelusky’s name and no. 17 on the back while the number worn by current roster players is on the sleeves. Fans can now bid on the one-of-a-kind jerseys at ElevateAuctions.com. Proceeds will be directed to Kelusky’s charity of choice, The Tucker Williams Braver Than Brave Memorial Fund in support of Paediatric Lymphoma Research. The online auction will close at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 2.
LEADER OF THE PACK: Roughnecks forward Curtis Dickson leads the league in goals at 36. Dickson has recorded 295 goals in 115 games over seven seasons with Calgary. Only seven of the 115 contests have seen Dickson held goalless, most recently on Friday against Saskatchewan when he finished the game with five assists.
SPECIAL TEAMS WATCH: The Calgary’s power play ranks fourth in the league at 54.79% and their penalty kill is third-best at 51.43%.
WEST VS. EAST: This season, Calgary is 3-6 against teams from the West Division and has a 1-3 mark when playing rivals from the East. The Roughnecks finished the 2016 campaign 3-8 against the West and 5-2 versus the East.
RECORD WHEN:
Leading at halftime ……4-2 Outshooting opponent .……3-2
Trailing at halftime …….0-7 Outshot by opponent …..…..1-6
Tied at halftime …….….0-0 Shots are tied ……..…………0-1
ROUGHNECKS MONTH-BY-MONTH: January (3-1), February (0-4), March (1-4).
ROUGHNECKS VS.: (BUF 0-0), (COL 2-1), (GA 1-1), (NE 0-0), (ROC 0-0), (SAS 0-3), (TOR 0-2), (VAN 1-2).
TRADE WINDS: The 2017 NLL trade deadline is Monday, Mar. 27, at 1:00 p.m. MT. Previous Calgary transactions include: Feb. 22/17 – Acquired D Mitch Wilde and a conditional second-round pick in the 2017, 2018 or 2019 NLL Draft from the Buffalo Bandits in exchange for 2017 and 2018 second-round selections; Nov. 15/16 – Traded F Reilly O’Connor to the New England Black Wolves in exchange for a second-round selection in 2017 NLL Draft; Sept. 20/16 – Acquired F Riley Loewen from the Saskatchewan Rush in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2017 NLL Draft.
