Late Colorado Goal Thwarts Calgary Comeback
Published on January 15, 2011 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Calgary Roughnecks News Release
CALGARY- Cliff Smith scored his second goal of the game with 2.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lead the Colorado Mammoth to a dramatic 8-7 win over the Calgary Roughnecks on Saturday night.
The Roughnecks (2-1) rallied back from deficits of 4-0, 6-1 and 7-4 to tie the contest before Smith scored Colorado's lone goal of the second half in front of 9,346 fans in attendance at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Scott Ranger scored twice to lead Calgary's scoring attack, while Dane Dobbie and Cory Conway had a goal and two assists each.
Jeff Shattler and Geoff Snider both notched a goal and an assist for the 'Necks, while rookie forward Curtis Dickson scored once to run his goal-scoring streak to three games. Kaleb Toth chipped in with a pair of assists.
Jamie Shewchuk counted two goals for the Mammoth (1-1), while Mike McLellan scored once and set up another. Ilija Gajic, John Gallant and John Grant also scored for Colorado, which built up a 6-1 lead before Calgary rallied back with four goals in the second quarter, one in the third and another in the fourth.
Former Calgary goalie Chris Levis shone in goal for the Mammoth as he stopped 57 of 64 shots he faced to thwart his former teammates. At the other end of the floor, Calgary netminder Mike Poulin made 24 saves in a losing cause.
The Riggers had a rough start to the first quarter as they gave up goals to Gajic, Gallant, Shewchuk and McLellan to find themselves facing a 4-0 deficit.
Coach Dave Pym called a timeout to settle his players down and the strategy worked as Dobbie fired a low shot past Levis with 1.2 seconds left in the opening frame.
Grant and Smith then scored to extend Colorado's lead to 6-1 before the Riggers responded by firing three straight goals off the sticks of Dickson, Ranger and Conway.
After Shewchuk scored his second of the contest for the Mammoth, Shattler rounded out the first-half scoring to pull the Riggers within two goals heading into the intermission.
Ranger then scored a shorthanded goal at 6:29 of the third quarter before Snider tied the contest at 7-7 with his third goal of the season at 4:59 of the final frame.
With 18.4 seconds left on the clock, Mammoth coach Bob Hamley called a timeout to discuss strategy with his players. With Levis on the bench for an extra attacker, Smith raced into the Calgary zone and cut into the slot before firing a shot through Poulin's legs for the game-winning goal.
Next up, the Roughnecks will host the defending NLL champion Washington Stealth next Saturday night (7:30 p.m.) at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Calgary Roughnecks season tickets and group tickets are on sale now. Call the Calgary Roughnecks office at (403) 294-9244 to find out more information or to purchase your tickets.
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 15, 2011
- Late Colorado Goal Thwarts Calgary Comeback - Calgary Roughnecks
- Knighthawks âRocked' In 12-9 Home Opening Loss To Toronto - Rochester Knighthawks
- Rock Win In Rochester... Finally! - Toronto Rock
- Knightawks Host Toronto Tonight in 2011 Home Opener - Rochester Knighthawks
- Washington Stealth Lose Second Straight, 16-8 Versus Minnesota - Washington Stealth
- Minnesota Swarm Knocks off Washington on the Road 16-8 - Minnesota Swarm
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