CALGARY, AB – The Calgary Roughnecks are hitting the road.
Calgary will play their final two games of the year on the road, starting in Minnesota this weekend.
Last weekend, the Roughnecks split a double-header with the provincial rival Edmonton Rush.
“I thought it was a good weekend for us,” said Roughnecks coach Curt Malawsky. “I thought we played very well on Friday night. We took them out of their rhythm a little bit. Put them in some spots that they weren’t comfortable with.
“We were pretty good in that one. It kind of got away from us in the second game.”
The Hive will be buzzing when Calgary and the Minnesota Swarm take to the floor on Saturday.
It will serve as the first and only meeting between the two teams this season and is a must win game for the Roughnecks as they chase down the third and final playoff spot in the West.
“We control our own destiny right now,” Malawsky declared. “Two wins and we end up going to Denver. Were looking forward to battling the next two weeks.”
The Swarm will be sporting a very young roster this weekend as two of their star players, Callum Crawford (hand) and Jordan MacIntosh (Ankle) may miss the game.
Still, they plan to put on a show for the home crowd and come away with a win.
“It’s very disappointing to be eliminated and not go to the last game still fighting for the playoffs,” said Swarm assistant coach Aime Caines. “Our guys are professionals, and like he said, we’re banged up so we’re going to have a lot of young guys in the lineup next weekend and really fighting for jobs next season. We’re going to compete and we’re going to put a show on for the fans. That’s going to be our main focus.”
With the Swarm already out of the playoffs, they will only be able to play spoiler this weekend.
For Calgary, they need to avoid the proverbial ‘trap game’.
“With an 0-6 start to the season, I don’t think there’s a trap game in our vocabulary,” Malawsky said. “I think were fighting for everything that we need to fight for. I imagine that they are going to bring their best effort.”
Even with a post-season matchup against the Mammoth in their sights, they will not overlook the here and now.
“We’re just focusing on one game at a time,” said Roughnecks transition player Geoff Snider. “We’re working at taking it one game at a time and focusing on us, and what we need to do to get better.”
One key aspect for the Roughnecks, if they plan to win, is superstar Shawn Evans.
After becoming the 11th player in NLL history to register 500 assists and breaking the single-season scoring record, he will be crucial to their success.
While these accomplishments are extraordinary, Evans would rather see his team make the playoffs and return to the Champion’s Cup.
“With his personal accolades that he’s got thus far and the numbers that he’s put up, I’ve seen guys that I’ve played with in the past be okay with that, but not Shawn,” Malawsky said. “That just screams winner.
“We’re really going to lean on him down the stretch here in the next couple games against Minnesota and Vancouver and hopefully on into the playoffs. He’s not satisfied with what he’s done personally. He wants to get his team to get back to the pinnacle we were at last year.”
Calgary has not fared well on the road this year, sporting a 1-6 record away from Scotiabank Saddledome, but they believe they have gotten better with every week.
This veteran Roughnecks team is ready for whatever lies ahead and know that if they make the playoffs, anything can happen.
“We welcome any challenge,” Malawsky stated. “Doesn’t matter if it’s at home or on the road.”
