RIGGER RAMBLINGS: The Calgary Roughnecks are set to battle West-Division rivals the Saskatchewan Rush tonight at the SaskTel Centre. The Riggers are coming off a bye-week. They last saw action on Feb. 16 when they fell to the league-leading Buffalo Bandits by a score of 12-10 at the KeyBank Center. Calgary, leading 8-6 heading into the halftime break, was not able to maintain the advantage after six different Bandits found the back of the net in the second half while holding the Roughnecks to just two goals. It was a team effort for the Bandits as Steve Priolo (2g, 1a) and Dhane Smith (2g, 2a) netted a pair of goals each while eight other players got single markers for the home team. For Calgary, team-leading scorer Curtis Dickson (4g, 1a) recorded four goals while alternate captain Dane Dobbie (2g, 4a) and Rhys Duch (2g, 2a) followed with a pair of markers. Dan Taylor (1g, 1a) and rookie Shane Simpson (1g) rounded out the scoring for the Roughnecks. The Saskatchewan Rush are coming off last Friday’s 9-7 victory over the Colorado Mammoth.
VS. SASKATCHEWAN: Tonight marks the second of three regular season match-ups between the Roughnecks and Rush. The two clubs last met in Saskatoon on Feb. 9, 2019, in a contest that saw the Roughnecks defeat the Rush 17-12. It was their first ever win in Saskatoon after the Rush relocated there in 2016. The two teams don’t meet again until Apr. 20 when the Rush enter the Rough House for the first time this season.
2018-19 Regular Season Series Recap
Feb. 9/19 at SAS: CGY 17 SAS 12… Roughnecks string together three five-goal quarters to overcome the Rush.
Shots on Goal: CGY 44 SAS 51
Power Plays: CGY 2-3 (66.7%) SAS 1-2 (50.0%)
All-Time Regular Season Records
All-Time vs. SAS: 28-20
All-Time at CGY: 11-10
All-Time at SAS: 17-10
Last CGY Win: Feb. 9/19, 17-12 at the SaskTel Centre
Last SAS Win: Apr. 28/18, 11-10 at the SaskTel Centre
HEAD-TO-HEAD: 2018-19 REGULAR SEASON
| Category | Roughnecks (5-5) | Saskatchewan (5-4) |
| Home Record | 2-2 | 3-1 |
| Away Record | 3-3 | 2-3 |
| Goals For | 108 | 112 |
| Goals Against | 107 | 107 |
| Power Play Pct. | 41.67 | 69.23 |
| Penalty Kill Pct. | 63.64 | 44.44 |
| Faceoffs Pct. | 55.5 (142-256) | 55.5 (142-256) |
| Loose Balls | 726 | 690 |
| Points Leader – Season
Points Leader – Series |
Dane Dobbie (58)
Curtis Dickson (11) |
Mark Matthews (52)
Four players tied (4) |
ROUGHNECKS MONTH-BY-MONTH: December (2-1), January (1-3), February (2-1).
ROUGHNECKS VS.: (BUF 0-1), (COL 1-1), (GA 0-0), (NE 0-1), (PHI 0-0), (ROC 0-0), (SD 1-1), (SAS 1-0), (TOR 0-0), (VAN 2-1).
RECORD WHEN:
Leading at halftime …… 0-2 Outshooting opponent .…… 3-2
Trailing at halftime ……. 2-3 Outshot by opponent …..….. 2-3
Tied at halftime …….…. 3-0 Shots are tied ……..………… 0-0
SPECIAL TEAMS WATCH: Calgary’s power play is seventh in the NLL at 41.67% while the penalty kill is first in the league at 63.64%.
ROUGHNECKS VS. DIVISION: West (5-3), East (0-2).
FAST FACTS: With 107 goals against in 10 games, the Roughnecks hold the lowest goals against per game with an average 10.70 markers.
ROUGHNECKS IN THE NLL TOP 10: Dane Dobbie is second in the NLL with 163 shots and 121 shots on goal. He is sixth in the league with 58 points including 24 goals (fourth in NLL) and 34 assists (tied for fifth). The forward is tied for third in power play goals with seven and is third in turnovers with 40…Rhys Duch is tied for seventh for power play goals with five and tied for eighth for power play assists with eight… Zach Currier tops the league with 22 caused turnovers while his 101 loose balls put him at second… Dan MacRae is tied for fourth for caused turnovers with 17… Curtis Dickson is tied for tenth with 27 turnovers… Chris Boushy is tied for sixth in rookie scoring with 14 points.
DÉJÀ VU: Alternate captain Dane Dobbie is closing in on the franchise’s all-time record of 416 assists, held by Jeff Shattler. Dobbie has 809 points (395g, 414a) in 170 games. Last season the forward became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer finishing the season with 751 points (371g, 380a) in 160 contests to surpass the previous mark of 684 also set by Shattler.
MARCH PARTY PACK: For a limited time, the Roughnecks are excited to offer a two-game party pack for only $40 (plus applicable fees and taxes). Choose any two games in March and receive second-level seating at 57% off. All matchups take place on Saturday nights with 7:00 p.m. starts and feature the $5 Happy Hour starting at 5:30 p.m. Watch the Riggers take on the Toronto Rock on Mar. 9, the Colorado Mammoth on Mar. 16 during the St. Patrick’s Day Party with an extended Happy Hour from 5:00-7:00 p.m., or battle the San Diego Seals on Mar. 30. Visit CalgaryRoughneck.com/partypack to score yours today.
DEL BIANCO’S ASSISTS FOR KIDS: On Dec. 15, Roughnecks goaltender, Christian Del Bianco, and the Roughnecks Foundation proudly announced a new charitable program, Del Bianco’s Assists for Kids presented by Ascent Consulting Ltd. The partnership will see both Del Bianco and the Calgary Roughnecks Foundation direct $30 each while Ascent Consulting Ltd. donates $500 for every regular season assist recorded by the Calgary goaltender. In addition, Del Bianco is auctioning off his helmet on ElevateAuctions.com, which features the KidSport logo. Auction details will be communicated in the coming weeks. Del Bianco has already tallied six assists in 10 games during the 2018-19 campaign so far and looks to increase his point total throughout the remainder of the season.
MILESTONE MARKERS: On Feb. 16, Zach Currier scooped up his 300th loose ball. On Feb. 9, Dane Dobbie surpassed 800 NLL career points while Tyler Burton eclipsed 500 loose balls. On Feb. 2, Rhys Duch scooped up his 800th loose ball. On Jan. 20, multiple players hit milestones: Dane Dobbie recorded his 400th career assist while Mitch Wilde recorded his 50th career helper and Riley Loewen eclipsed 200 loose balls. On Jan. 18, Tyson Bell picked up nine loose balls to eclipse 300. On Jan. 12, Tyler Burton and Greg Harnett both played their 100th NLL career game while rookie Reece Callies recorded his first NLL goal on the same night. On Jan. 6, first round draft pick in 2018 Shane Simpson tallied his first NLL career point with a goal and two assists while Chad Cummings eclipsed 150 loose balls.
THE ROAD AHEAD: After four weeks away, the Roughnecks return home for a two-game home stand starting on Mar. 9 when they host the Toronto Rock at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Game time is 7:00 p.m. MST featuring a halftime performance by the Drill Bits. Then on Mar. 16 the Colorado Mammoth visit the Rough House for the biggest St. Patrick’s Day Party in Calgary. Game time is 7:00 p.m. with an extended $5 Happy Hour from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
