By: Riley Pollock – 07.12.24

After trailing 11-4 at one point in the second-quarter, the Calgary Roughnecks fought all the way back for an 18-17 victory over the Thunderbirds in Halifax on Saturday afternoon.

Jesse King led the way with 10-points (2g, 8a) while Curtis Dickson (5g, 4a) and Dane Dobbie (5g, 4a) had nine points each in the win.

Dobbie also picked up his 600th career assist in the NLL.

Roughnecks vs Thunderbirds 12-07-2024

It was the Thunderbirds opening the score just over two-minutes into the game, on the powerplay, making it 1-0.

Calgary would get their turn with a powerplay shortly after and Dane Dobbie struck with the man advantage to make it 1-1.


Halifax fired back with another special-teams goal, this time short-handed, in transition to make it 2-1.

The Thunderbirds struck again on a delayed penalty to put them up 3-1 at the halfway point of the first-quarter.

Halifax made it 4-1 on another delayed penalty shortly after.

After another Thunderbirds goal, the Roughnecks ended the four goal run as Tanner Cook netted a powerplay goal to make the score 5-2.

Jesse Kingfound the net for the first time this season to get the Riggers back within two, 5-3.

The Roughnecks were assessed their fourth penalty of the game late in the quarter but were able to kill the penalty off. The score was 5-3 after one.

Halifax would extended their lead early in the second-quarter with three quick goals to make it 8-3.

After two more Thunderbirds goals, Dobbie ended the five-goal run with a beautiful diving goal off a rebound to make it 10-4.

Halifax would answer however, regaining the seven-goal lead, 11-4.

King struck on the powerplay to make it 11-5 and then Dobbie grabbed the first-half hat-trick to make it 11-6 with 3:15 remaining in the half.

Curtis Dickson ripped his first, back with the Roughnecks, to push the run to three goals and make it 11-7.

Dickson scored a beauty behind the back for his second straight goal to get the roughnecks within three, 11-8.

That would be the score heading into halftime.

Cook got his second of the night to start the third-quarter and get the Riggers within two, 11-9.

Halifax would get their fifth powerplay of the night but the Roughnecks killed it off.

The run was extended to six with Dobbie’s fourth of the night, the ‘Necks were within one, 11-10.

Dobbie grabbed his fifth of the night and tied the game 11-11 with 6:43 to go in the third-quarter.

Halifax finally ended the seven-goal run with a goal off of a rebound to re-gain the lead, 12-11.

The ‘Birds would score two more quick to extend the lead to 14-11.

Dickson ended the Thunderbirds three-goal run with a diving quick-stick after forcing a turnover to make it 14-12.

Halifax would answer going back up three, 15-12 heading into the final quarter.

Bennett Smith picked up his first NLL goal in transition to start the fourth-quarter and make it 15-13.

Former Roughneck Thomas Hoggarth ripped his fourth of the night quickly after to make the score 16-13.

The Roughnecks closed the gap against as Dickson ripped his fourth of the night to make it 16-14.

Cook became the third Roughneck with a hat-trick on the night to get the Riggers within one, 16-15.

Dickson found the net from deep for his fifth of the night to tie the game 16-16.

Brett McIntyre squeezed one in the short-side on the powerplay for his first as a Roughneck giving the Riggers their first lead of the night, 17-16 with under three-minutes to go.

Ethan Ticehurst hustled for a loose ball and fired it into an empty net to put the Riggers up 18-16.

Halifax would find the net with .8 seconds remaining but the Riggers would hold on for the 18-17 season opener victory.

 

UP NEXT

The Riggers are in Albany Saturday, Dec. 14 to take on the Firewolves.

 

STAT PACK

Jesse King: 2g, 8a

Dane Dobbie: 5g, 4a,

Curtis Dickson: 5g, 4a

Tanner Cook: 3g, 2a

Brett McIntyre: 1g, 4a

Mathieu Gautier: 3a

Ethan Ticehurst: 1g, 1a

Bennett Smith: 1g

 

 

 

 

 

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