Sting Defeat Lumberjax in Home Opener 12-7
January 14, 2006 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Arizona Sting News Release
GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- The Arizona Sting continued their winning ways on Friday night, defeating the expansion Portland Lumberjax at the Glendale Arena in front of 6,126 fans by a score of 12-7. Prior to the game, a banner honoring the Sting's 2005 West Division Championship was raised to the rafters, much to the delight of the Arizona faithful. The nostalgic sentiment for last season that was instilled in fans by the opening ceremony was short-lived, however, as the 2006 version of the Sting quickly got to the business at hand, and proved once again that they are a team of considerable talent that is threatening to emerge as a powerhouse in the National Lacrosse League.
The game's first quarter saw tremendous back-and-forth action as the two teams combined for 7 goals (4-3 Lumberjax) in the first 15 minutes. Arizona's defense took over after the opening frame, however, holding Portland to only three goals in the final three periods while the Sting offense proved to be too much for goaltender Dallas Eliuk and the Lumberjax defense, led by highly touted rookie Brodie Merrill.
Goaltender Rob Blasdell, making his first start as a member of the Sting after six seasons with the San Jose/Albany franchise, played up to his outstanding reputation, decisively shutting down Portland's offense and making several spectacular saves. Finishing the evening with 36 saves on 43 shots, âBlazer' allowed only one goal against in two quarters of play as the Sting outscored Portland 6-1 in the second and third quarters combined. Blasdell was happy to kick off his career in the Valley of the Sun with a win.
"It was really important for me to play well tonight," said Blasdell. "This is a big season for me after a disappointing year in San Jose and it was nice to get the win. Our defense was solid tonight, and our offense continues to fire on all cylinders."
Blasdell was also impressed with the energy of the Sting fans at the Glendale Arena. "The noise in this place tonight was awesome," said Blasdell. "The people here really love this team and it was nice to be able to play well for them on a big night for the franchise."
Arizona's offense was evenly distributed on the evening, with several players contributing to the team's 12-goal total. Jonas Derks, the NLL's defending Overall Player of the Week, led the way with 4G-3A-7P. Derks felt that special teams made the difference in the Sting's second win of the season.
"Our power play was very good tonight," said Derks. "When you can go 5 for 6 with a man advantage and also get a couple of goals when you're a man down, you're putting your team in a good position to win."
Arizona scored two short-handed goals on the night, the first by Chris Seller (his second SHG in as many games) and the second by Craig Conn, who finished the night with 2G-2A-4P. Jason Crosbie had another outstanding game for the Sting on Friday. The left-handed forward finished with 2G-6A-8P and played with brash physicality against the sizeable Portland defenders. Peter Lough scooped up an impressive 14 loose balls on the night and won 8 of his 15 face-off attempts. Pat Maddalena finished with 1G-3A-4P while Dan Dawson contributed 2G-2A-4P in the victory. Both of Dawson's goals came on the power play.
Head Coach/General Manager Bob Hamley cited his team's ability to capitalize on mistakes by their opposition as a big reason for their victory.
"Momentum is a huge part of our game," said Hamley. "They made some mistakes in transition that we were able to take advantage of and turn into points. It was important to build on our first win with a good performance here tonight, and we did exactly that with a win here at home for the great fans in Arizona."
The Sting are off next week as they get ready for a January 27 showdown with the Calgary Roughnecks. The game will be a rematch of last season's West Division Championship game, won by the Sting 19-15.
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 14, 2006
- Knighthawks down Rock, 14-9 - OSC Original by Todd Devlin
- Stealth upend Mammoth - Colorado Mammoth
- Swarm Stings Wings In Home Opener - Philadelphia Wings
- Knighthawks use strong first half to defeat Rock 14-9 - Toronto Rock
- Knighthawks to hold auctions, fundraisers for Casey Zaph - Rochester Knighthawks
- Sting Defeat Lumberjax in Home Opener 12-7 - Arizona Sting
- Stealth fall to Mammoth in Colorado, 9-7 - San Jose Stealth
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