Stealth defeat defending champs in OT
April 22, 2007 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
San Jose Stealth News Release
(San Jose, CA, April 21, 2007) --- Stealth sophomore sensation Jeff Zywicki scored seven goals, including the game winner in sudden death overtime, in a 15-14 victory against the defending National Lacrosse League Champion Colorado Mammoth in the Western Conference Semifinals of the Champions Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center tonight.
With the win, the fourth seeded Stealth advances to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in the history of the four-year franchise, and knocks out the top seeded Mammoth from the playoffs.
San Jose profiled the power of their special teams in this Western Conference battle, converting on all of their eight power play attempts while holding the Mammoth to 3-8 with the man advantage. Zywicki led the Stealth attack with a franchise record five power play goals, while Callum Crawford, Gary Rosyski, and Colin Doyle added one a piece.
The Stealth opened the scoring sixty-six seconds into the first quarter when Crawford beat Mammoth All Star Goalie Gee Nash, but Colorado's dynamic attack responded with four straight goals to take a 4-1 lead eight minutes in. Gary Rosyski notched his first goal of the night off a one handed pass from Doyle at 10:58 and cut Colorado's lead to two. Three Mammoth tallies put San Jose on their heels 7-2, and forced Stealth Head Coach Walt Christianson to pull Anthony Cosmo, and put Aaron Bold in goal. San Jose went on the power play at 13:54, and Zywicki converted fourteen seconds later for his first goal of the night. Similar to their 11-10 victory over the Mammoth last Friday, the Stealth ended the first quarter with a four-goal deficit.
Colorado and San Jose would exchange two goals apiece over the first five minutes of the second quarter, until Crawford notched his second goal of the night to make it 9-6. Colorado's Captain Gavin Prout put the Mammoth into double digits with his first goal of the night at 10:03, and then Zywicki would added another power play goal at 11:38 for a score of 10-7. Luke Wiles cut the Mammoth lead to two with his goal at 11:56, but Mike Law added the final goal of the first half at 13:53. San Jose entered the locker room down 11-8 at halftime.
Cosmo returned to the goal in the second half to center a much more inspired Stealth defense. While netting two quick goals within the first two minutes of the third quarter and adding another with less than a minute to go, San Jose was able to hold the Mammoth attack scoreless for the duration of the third quarter. Three unanswered goals allowed the Stealth to tie the game at eleven entering the fourth quarter.
Zywicki gave the Stealth their first lead since the beginning of the first quarter when he notched his fifth power play goal of the night at 2:01. Colorado responded with two quick scores by Shewchuk and Carey, but San Jose fought right back with two goals of their own by Rosyski and Cam Sedgwick. Colorado's Brian Langtry knotted the score at fourteen when he converted with less than three minutes remaining and sent the game into sudden death overtime. It was there that Zywicki scored his seventh goal of the game, 4:42 into sudden death overtime, to win the Western Division Semifinals for the Stealth.
San Jose will travel to Arizona next weekend to take on the Sting in the Western Conference Finals of the Champions Cup Playoffs at Jobing.com Arena. Date and Time TBD.
National Lacrosse League Stories from April 22, 2007
- Minnesota Swarm Season Ends With 14-8 Loss To Buffalo Bandits In Eastern Division Semifinals - Minnesota Swarm
- Stealth defeat defending champs in OT - San Jose Stealth
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