NLL Panther City Lacrosse Club

Panther City Lacrosse Club Beats Vancouver, 11-10

February 27, 2022 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Panther City Lacrosse Club News Release


Fort Worth, Texas - The Panther City Lacrosse Club (2-8) bested the Vancouver Warriors (5-4), 11 - 10, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Saturday night.

Rookie forward Patrick Dodds scored his second game winning goal of the season with 40 seconds left to secure the second win in franchise history. Dodds finished with three goals and four assists to lead all scorers with seven points. Transition player Jeremy Thompson also came up clutch for Panther City on the team's 'Origin of Lacrosse' night, as he notched two goals and went 19-21 (90.5%) from the face-off circle. Two Panther City defenseman also got in on the scoring, as team captain Chad Cummings scored his first goal of the season and Matt Hossack tallied his second goal of the season. Defenseman Liam Byrnes also continued his strong play leading the defense with 10 loose balls and adding an assist on the Hossack goal.

Goalie Nick Damude recorded 39 saves on 49 shots (.796 save percentage), his most of the season, to put down the Vancouver attack led by forward Keegan Bal, who tallied three goals and three assists.

Panther City next duels with the Saskatchewan Rush (3-4) on Saturday, March 5. Faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT at Dickies Arena.

Quotes

Head Coach Tracey Kelusky

On what the first home win means for the team...

"It is huge for lacrosse here in our building obviously for the people that come out and support us night in and night out. We have great fans. We are still building. We are still building that, and it helps when you get a win."

On what the final few minutes were like from his perspective...

"Can I get a defibrillator please? (laughs). It is what it is. This game - I have been a part of this game for a long time. It is a roller coaster at times. How do we gain momentum - we knew they were going to punch back. They are well coached and are a resilient group as well. You go back to New York - we win in overtime. We should have been a couple goals ahead or whatever. Teams are going to fight back. That is the nature of the NLL. The character that our guys showed I am really proud of. The resiliency. The things we talk about that - why we got the guys we have in our locker room - that came to fruition tonight. That is why we got through that. Through character and resiliency. What is next? We still have a job to do."

On the teaching moment with the attempted breakaway with 30 seconds left in the game...

"Meddy [defender Josh Medeiros] knows. He knows that that is a pull up all day every day. We have to eat 30 seconds. Tons of lessons. We have to make sure we are managing the ball and again we are a young team. We haven't been through that before as a group. Even Nicky [goalie Nick Damude] throwing it away with 13 seconds. We didn't address it yet after the game, but they are things we are going to talk about and clean up. Even our 6-on-5 last week we didn't execute it on it and [Calgary] ended up with one in the back of the net. That is not going to happen again. There are a lot of firsts for us. First time having a lead late in the game. What do we do? We are going to learn. It is part of our growth to make mistakes. Thankfully tonight it didn't come back to bite us."

On recognizing certain players after a win and how that is demonstrated...

"We always do a hard hat. Part of our identity and one of the things we did this year with our group is we all read 'The Hard Hat' by Jon Gordon. Every one of our players has read it. Our player of the game is the hardest worker. The guy that came out there and was the best teammate. We could have given it to a number of guys. Nicky Damude stood on his head tonight. Doddsy [forward Patrick Dodds] comes up with a big goal at a crucial time. But Jeremy Thompson being [19-21 ] on faceoffs - contributing on the offensive side, contributing to the tempo on the offensive side. He was huge for us tonight. Jeremy wore the hard hat. That is what we do."

On Patrick Dodds Rookie of the Year candidacy...

"Yeah, [but you also have to go] see what Mr. Teat [New York Riptide forward Jeff Teat] does in New York. [Dodds] is a phenom. That is why we got him. He is a guy that is only going to get better. 20-years old. The things we collectively talk about with him - he is a student of the game. He is not content with where he is - hence why he is going to be a real elite player in our league. Big goals at big times is what big players do. Again, he is 20. We are really happy with him. From my perspective I am really happy with everyone tonight because it was how we won. It wasn't because of Patrick Dodds, it wasn't because of Jeremy Thompson, it wasn't because of Nick Damude - it was because of 19 men going out and putting a hard hat on and laying it on the line for 60 minutes. That is what we want."

Goalie Nick Damude

On the first home win...

"It feels great to get a win in Dickies. We do it for the fans, obviously, so to get one here for them meant a lot. It is more for them than anything."

On the final minute...

"It's a roller coaster but my job is to stay even-keel, so I just try to stay level and try to make the next save. Doddsy scoring that last goal is huge, and we were lucky enough to shut it down the last 40 and get the win."

On building team chemistry on the field...

"We are a new team, so we are getting to know each other every single week. We are learning everyone's strengths and weaknesses playing off each other. I don't think we have much pressure leading into this second half of the season, so we are really just going to roll and ride our momentum."

On Patrick Dodds Rookie of the Year considerations...

"He has got my vote. He only scores game winners for us, so that is huge, so we have to get it for him."

Check out the Panther City Lacrosse Club Statistics



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