Anthony Cosmo's stellar goaltending leads Stealth past Rush for second straight win
Published on March 2, 2007 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
San Jose Stealth News Release
San Jose, CA, March 2, 2007) --- Anthony Cosmo shut down the Rush attack making 37 saves while new Stealth acquisition Andrew Burkholder scored back to back fourth quarter goals to give the Stealth their first winning streak of the season as San Jose took down Edmonton 11-9 tonight in Edmonton.
The Stealth scored six straight goals in the second half and six total in the fourth quarter to come back and defeat their Western Division rivals. Zywicki led San Jose with three goals and two assists while Gary Rosyski and Andrew Burkholder added two goals each.
This match up profiled the two top penalty killing teams in the NLL; the Stealth ranked number one with a 61.9 percentage and the Rush ranked second with a 61.7 percentage. These stats would prove true as San Jose held Edmonton scoreless on eight of their eleven power play attempts.
Edmonton jumped on the board first with a quick goal by Ryan OConnor only seventeen seconds into the first quarter, but San Jose fired right back when Gary Rosyski scored the equalizer off a pass from Colin Doyle at 4:13. The Stealth took their first lead of the game when Luke Wiles got a great rebound off a Wes Green shot and put it past Rush Goaltender Curtis Palidwor at 5:54 to make it 2-1. The Stealth failed to convert on a five-minute power play, but Anthony Cosmo managed the Stealth defense making five saves on six shots in the first quarter.
The second quarter was riddled with goals, starting when Jeff Zywicki shot a rocket past Palidwor's left shoulder to extend the Stealth's lead to 3-1. Edmonton came right back when Chris Gill picked up a rare rebound on the crease and scored his 18 goal of the season to make it 3-2. Then at 4:39, Edmonton tied the game 3-3 when Dan Stroup surprised Cosmo with an underhand shot to the top right hand corner. The Rush added three more to take a 6-3 lead at half time.
Tempers flared as the third quarter developed into a battle of revengeful hits and a stellar Stealth comeback. Zywicki scored the first goal of the third at 6:23 to cut the Rush lead to two. Randy Daily took a cheap shot on Colin Doyle, blatantly cross checking him in the neck, which gave the Stealth a five-minute power play. However, Andrew Guindon negated the advantage when he received a two-minute minor for Holding and five minute major for High Sticking at 11:45. The teams were four on four until the Stealth pulled Cosmo for the man advantage and converted on a Colin Doyle shot to kick-start their comeback and pull within one. The Stealth built on that momentum when Andrew Burkholder tied the game 6-6 on a diving effort as he sailed from behind the net to put it in the left corner.
The fourth quarter showcased a fired-up Stealth offense and stellar goaltending by Anthony Cosmo. Andrew Burkholder started the scoring 34 seconds in and then added another when he waltzed past two Rush defenders and notched his second goal of the game to give the Stealth back the lead 7-6. Curtis Hodgson added another at 5:36 to extend the lead to two. Gary Rosyski scored on a bounce shot at 8:17 make it 9-6. Anthony Cosmo had made twenty saves in the second half before the Rush converted on the power play, bringing Edmonton within two. The momentum swung back in the Stealth's favor when Jeff Zywicki beat Jamie Roy through the middle and made it 10-7 with 3:59 to go in the game. The Rush pulled their goalie for the man advantage and Kyle Sorensen stole the ball and scored and empty netter to extend the Stealth lead to four. The Rush added two goals with the extra attacker before time expired and the Stealth were victorious 11-9.
This is the second straight win and third road win for the Stealth this season. They defeated the New York Titans 12-11 on Feb 24 in New York.
Jeff Zywicki and Colin Doyle will head to Portland, OR to represent the Stealth and the Western Division in the 2007 All-Star Game on March 10. The San Jose Stealth (3-5) return to HP Pavilion for their next game against the Portland LumberJax (2-8) on March 17 at 7:30 p.m. PST.
National Lacrosse League Stories from March 2, 2007
- Sting beat expansion Shamrox 11-7 - Arizona Sting
- Anthony Cosmo's stellar goaltending leads Stealth past Rush for second straight win - San Jose Stealth
- Rochester Knighthawks to hold 'Tip a Knighthawk' event for CURE - Rochester Knighthawks
- Rochester travels to Philadelphia Saturday - Rochester Knighthawks
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