NLL Toronto Rock

Rock Ready for Riggers

April 15, 2005 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Toronto Rock News Release


Toronto, ON – The Toronto Rock head to Calgary this weekend for their final game of the 2005 regular season. These teams have faced off twice already this season at the Air Canada Centre, with the Rock emerging from both games with 16-10 victories over the Riggers. Both games between these squads have seen solid, high-scoring play at both ends of the floor and a fair share of one-on-one tilts.

This game is sure to be no different with many speculating that the game will turn into not only a battle for the win, but the title of toughest team on the floor. The Rock have a number of tough defenders on their roster who will most certainly step up to the plate if needed. Dan Ladouceur, Phil Sanderson and Tim O'Brien are just the tip of the iceberg for Toronto.

On the opposite end of the floor, the Roughnecks' Jeff Moleski, Brad MacDonald and Craig Gelsvik will be ready to take the gloves off if called upon. It is also rumoured that Calgary's head coach Chris Hall may activate known brute Chris "No Fear" Kinnear from the practice roster for this game to take on the Rock and the league's number one tough guy Tim "The Surgeon" O'Brien.

"We're fortunate to have a bye through to the semi finals in 2 weeks but at the same time, we're very ready to take on the best in the League this week. There's definitely an east-west rivalry here that carries through from the summer leagues. It'll be interesting to see what that translates into in this game." Terry Sanderson, Toronto Rock Head Coach and GM.

Although the Rock have already secured the Eastern Division title and home floor advantage throughout the 2005 playoffs, a win will still translate into a number of significant things for Toronto. With their record currently sitting at 12-3, the Rock have tied their record for franchise wins; a win over Calgary would set a new franchise best season record of 13-3.

In the offensive department, the Rock's Colin Doyle, Blaine Manning and Josh Sanderson are currently ranked 1-2-3 in League scoring. A strong showing from these three players on Sunday will result is what is believed to be the first 1-2-3 finish for three scorers from 1 team. A number 1 finish by Colin Doyle would mean the first ever league scoring title for a Rock player in their 7 year history.

There are also 2 individual records on the line for the Rock. Josh Sanderson is just 2 assists away from breaking his own league record for assists in a season. The record of 68 assists was set during the 2002 season while Sanderson played with the Albany Attack. While he looks to set a new mark, teammate Colin Doyle is hot on his heels with 64 assists, which is currently tied for the third best mark all-time (tied with John Tavares 2001). Finally, Rock Captain Jim Veltman once again has a comfortable lead in the loose balls department with 170 heading into Toronto's final game of the season. Veltman has led the league in loose balls every year he has played and 12 of the 13 seasons the statistic was kept.

Rock fans can catch Sunday's game at 4:00pm live on AM 640 Toronto, or at 5:30pm as broadcast by tape delay on Rogers Sportsnet. The Rock's next home game takes place at the Air Canada Centre on Friday April 29 at 7:30pm. Tickets for the 2005 East division semi-final game are now on sale through Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.ca, by phone at (416) 872 5000, or in person at the Box Office at the Air Canada Centre.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from April 15, 2005


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