Rock make it two in a row
by Todd Devlin
Published on February 6, 2006 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Toronto Rock
The Toronto Rock took another big step towards righting the ship on their 2006 season on Sunday, as the defending champions won their second straight contest, this time a convincing 14-10 victory over the Calgary Roughnecks at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
The Rock, who started the season at 0-4, received a solid offensive performance for the second straight game, tying a season-high with 14 goals. Most importantly for the Rock, however, was that Blaine Manning, last season's second highest scorer in the NLL, appeared to have finally regained his touch around the net.
Manning led the Rock offense in the win, scoring five times while adding two assists. Heading into the contest, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound forward had managed just six goals in his first five games.
"It was a good game for me today," Manning told the Toronto Sun. "They weren't coming out at me, they were letting me shoot the ball, so I was just taking my shots. I had a couple lucky ones, which helps, too."
Colin Doyle opened up the scoring for the Rock, netting his 13th goal of the campaign to tie the score at one. Josh Sanderson and Chris Driscoll found the net shortly after to give the Rock a 3-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After Calgary's Tracey Kelusky pulled the Roughnecks within one, Toronto notched four straight markers, including two from Manning, and went to the dressing room with a 7-3 halftime lead.
Despite several attempts to claw their way back into the game, the Roughnecks were only able to get within three goals, after Kaleb Toth scored his second of the contest to make it a 9-6 game at 13:35 of the third quarter.
Toronto's Aaron Wilson closed out the third with his second goal of the night before the teams exchanged goals throughout the fourth frame en route to the 14-10 finale.
Wilson tallied three goals and two assists on the evening, while Sanderson scored twice and added six helpers. Scott Campbell and Chris Driscoll also scored for the Rock.
Kelusky led Calgary offensively, scoring four times, including three in the fourth quarter. Lewis Ratcliff also managed a hat-trick to go along with two assists.
Bob Watson enjoyed his second consecutive win, as the Rock netminder made 39 saves on 49 total shots. The veteran got off to a great start, stopping 12 of 13 first quarter shots.
National Lacrosse League Stories from February 6, 2006
- Rock make it two in a row - OSC Original by Todd Devlin
- Wings' Greenhalgh Named National Lacrosse League's Rookie of the Month - Philadelphia Wings
- Swarm Announces Guns N' Hoses Night on Friday, February 10 Against Philadelphia Wings - Minnesota Swarm
- Rush Players Need Your Support - Edmonton Rush
- Grant, Greenhalgh Named Players of the Month - NLL
- Rock Needs Your Support - Toronto Rock
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
