Game Preview - Sting @ Roughnecks
April 6, 2006 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Arizona Sting News Release
The Arizona Sting will face the Calgary Roughnecks this Saturday, April 8, at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Alberta, Canada. This game is the season series' rubber match, with both teams having won a game in their previous two meetings. The Sting beat the Roughnecks on January 27 by a score of 11-10 in overtime. Calgary exacted revenge three weeks later, defeating Arizona by a score of 13-7 at the Glendale Arena on February 18.
Assistant Coach Bob McMahon recognizes the importance of Saturday's contest in terms of his team's playoff chances. Three of the four psot-season positions in the West Division have already been claimed (by Portland, Colorado, and Calgary), and the Sting are currently battling the San Jose Stealth for the division's final playoff spot.
"We control our own destiny, that's the bottom line," said McMahon. "We don't have to watch any scoreboards because we know that if we win these three remaining games, we're in no matter what. We have a good rivalry with Calgary and it'll be a hard-fought game on Saturday, but we've proven we can beat these guys before and we know we can do it again."
The Sting suffered a pair of losses last weekend, having dropped a 13-10 contest to the Buffalo Bandits at home on Saturday and falling to the Colorado Mammoth 16-11 at the Pepsi Center on Sunday. The back-to-back losses dropped Arizona to below .500 for the first time in 14 months.
Despite their losing record, Roughnecks Head Coach Chris Hall is not taking the Sting lightly by any means.
"Every team has slumps and they come out of them," said Hall. "Arizona is still a very dangerous team and Saturday's game will be very competitive to say the least. This is a possible playoff showdown, so we'll have to be sure we play our best to not give them any kind of edge going into the post-season."
Calgary clinched a playoff spot last weekend by virtue of their 12-10 win over San Jose. They are currently tied for first place in the NLL's West Division with a record of 8-5.
Fans will be able to watch Saturday's contest on-line via B2 Networks. Visit www.nll.com or www.arizonasting.com for more information.
THE MATCH-UP:
Arizona (6-7) at Calgary (8-5) - Saturday, April 8 @ 6:30 PM Arizona Time
Location: Pengrowth Saddledome
TOP SCORERS: Arizona - Dan Dawson (13GP-24G-40A-64P); Craig Conn (13GP-41G-18A-59P); Pat Maddalena (12GP-17G-25A-42P); Lindsay Plunkett (11GP-16G-18A-34P); Matt Brown (13GP-11G-14A-25P)
Calgary - Lewis Ratcliff (13GP-30G-44A-74P); Tracey Kelusky (13GP-31G-28A-59P); Kaleb Toth (13GP-17G-29A-46P); Kyle Goundrey (13GP-11G-30A-41P); Jason Wulder (13GP-22G-18A-40P)
ARIZONA/COLUMBUS ALL-TIME AGAINST CALGARY:
Record: 3-7
Goals For: 104
Goals Against: 140
THE LAST TIME THESE TEAMS PLAYED: The Roughnecks defeated the Sting 13-7 at the Glendale Arena on February 18. Former Columbus Landsharks star Tracey Kelusky scored the game-winning goal and Curtis Palwidor made 39 saves in goal to earn the victory. The Sting were led offensively by rookie Matt Brown, who scored his first career power play goal in the game and also dished out a pair of assists.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from April 6, 2006
- Jax square off against San Jose Friday - Portland Lumberjax
- Game Preview - Sting @ Roughnecks - Arizona Sting
- Prout and Merrill Honored - NLL
- Minnesota Swarm Can Clinch A Playoff Berth This Weekend - Minnesota Swarm
- Prout named player of the month - Colorado Mammoth
- Wings Push Towards National Lacrosse League Playoffs - Philadelphia Wings
- Dietrich earns Defensive Player of the Week honors - Buffalo Bandits
- Veltman likely to set new single-season mark for loose balls Saturday - Toronto Rock
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