Game Report: Stealth Earn First Victory
January 15, 2018 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Vancouver Stealth News Release
Vancouver, BC - The Vancouver Stealth (1-4) made another eastern trip, to visit the Buffalo Bandits (2-3) inside the KeyBank Center on Saturday night.
The Bandits opened the scoring just 43 seconds into the opening frame and added two more over the course of the next 7 minutes, giving them the 3-0 lead after the first 15. But it was not a case of games past, as rookie Cody Teichroeb answered the door when perennial tough guy Craig England came knocking. In the aftermath of the squabble, the Stealth came alive.
Corey Small added 3 goals in 1:05 of play, tying the game at 3s. Rhys Duch and Logan Schuss added to the 5-goal second quarter run for Vancouver, although the Bandits added 2 goals of their own to finish the first half tied at 5. The teams traded goals in the third, with the Stealth leading 8-7, after 45 minutes of action. The fourth saw the teams tied for much of the action until Rhys Duch scored what the Stealth hoped to be the game winning goal at 10:10. But that came to a screeching halt when Mitch Jones added the equalizer with 22 seconds remaining in what was thought to be the final quarter.
The teams headed to overtime where Joel McCready scored on the only shot in extra time to win the game for the Stealth, 11-10.
"I thought we won the game two or three times there, but the guys threw it short a couple times, but Joel winning it in overtime was good for our team and obviously getting us back in the win column is something we have been waiting for," said Assistant General Manager and Head Coach Jamie Batley. "We fought back hard, and with Penney tonight, he gave us a chance to win, our offensive guys played well and all around our game improved."
The Stealth made a few line-up changes including activating their entire practice roster, Eric Penney, Cody Teichroeb and Tyson Roe. Penney was given his first start since April 30, 2016. In 62 minutes of play, he helped backstop the team with a 52 save performance, 9.65 goals against average and .839 save percentage.
Corey Small and Logan Schuss did the heavy lifting for Vancouver's offence including an 8-point performance for Small and 7 points from Schuss. Joel McCready and Rhys Duch each had 2 goals and 2 assists.
Vancouver will be off next week with a bye. Heading into Week 8, the Stealth will play back-to-back games including another road game on Friday, January 26, 2018, against the Colorado Mammoth and then they return home on January 27, 2018, against the defending NLL Champions, the Georgia Swarm.
About the National Lacrosse League: The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America's premier professional indoor lacrosse league. Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The League is comprised of 11 franchises across the United States and Canada: Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, New England Black Wolves, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock and Vancouver Stealth.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 15, 2018
- Roughnecks Fall to Defending NLL - Calgary Roughnecks
- Georgia Swarm Earn 15-12 Win in Calgary with Strong Performance - Georgia Swarm
- Knighthawks Fall One Goal Short - Rochester Knighthawks
- Game Report: Stealth Earn First Victory - Vancouver Stealth
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