Sting defeat Rock 11-8 in opening preseason match
December 2, 2006 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Arizona Sting News Release
OSHAWA, ON --- The Arizona Sting opened their exhibition schedule last night at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario against the Toronto Rock. After taking a 5-3 lead into half-time, the Sting were outscored 3-0 in the third quarter prior to making a fourth quarter comeback en route to an impressive 11-8 victory. Dan Dawson (2G-3A-5P), Matt Brown (2G-2A-4P), and Lindsay Plunkett (2G-2A-4P) all had strong games offensively for the Sting, and Mike Attwood (15 saves), Ron Schibild (16 saves), and Brandon Atherton (10 saves and a goal) all performed well in net for Arizona. Star forward Craig Conn, who scored two goals and scooped up a team-high 11 loose balls in Friday's contest, was pleased with his team's effort in their opening match of the pre-season.
"We were really well balanced tonight," said Conn. "All of our offensive guys were producing, our defense really stepped when they had to, and our goaltending was great. It was really nice to get back on the floor with the Sting in a competitive situation after a long off-season. I felt pretty good out there tonight and it was definitely great to get things going with a big win against a good team."
The match opened with an overtly physical tone; the two teams exchanged penalties in the opening minutes, as Toronto's Matt Carroll and Arizona's Dan Dawson each took a two-minute minor for holding. The Rock took advantage of this latter penalty, with Justin Kulia beating goaltender Mike Attwood to give Toronto an early 1-0 lead. Craig Conn tied the game with a power play tally at the 6:34 mark of the first period, beating Bob Watson on a rebound off of a rocket shot by Matt Brown. Attwood kept the score tied with 6:30 remaining in the frame, stoning All-Star Colin Doyle with a big kick save off of a shot from close range. After quick goals by Andrew Lazore and Dan Dawson gave the Sting a 3-1 lead, defending NLL scoring champion Josh Sanderson pulled the Rock to within one with what would prove to be his lone tally of the night. Dan Dawson replied with a highlight-reel goal shortly thereafter, unleashing a shot from ten feet out over his left shoulder that beat Watson low to give Arizona a 4-2 lead as the first quarter came to an end.
Colin Doyle opened the second quarter with a goal 1:44 into the frame, finishing a feed from Josh Sanderson to pull his team back to within one. The Sting scored the game's next goal, with Lindsay Plunkett taking a pass from Scott Self and wiring a shot to the back of the Rock net at the 9:13 mark of the second period. Mike Attwood came up big again for the Sting, stoning Dan Ladouceur on a semi-breakaway soon after Plunkett's goal. Neither team was able to muster a goal in the closing minutes of the first half, and the second quarter ended with Arizona leading by a score of 5-3.
Rookie Ron Schibild started the second half in goal for the Sting and was beaten by Colin Doyle on the first shot of the third quarter 0:24 into the frame. Less than a minute later, Blaine Manning made the score 5-5 as he dove through the crease to tap a loose ball into the Sting net past a sprawling Schibild. The Rock then took the lead at the 3:47 mark of the third period as Colin Doyle finished off a hat trick with an unassisted power play tally. Arizona was unable to solve Toronto goalie Mike Poulin in the third period, failing to beat the former Buffalo Bandit despite garnishing some quality scoring chances, and the quarter came to an end with the Rock ahead 6-5.
Brandon Atherton, Arizona's second pick at the 2006 NLL Entry Draft, took over goaltending duties for the Sting at the onset of the fourth period. After surrendering a goal to Matt Shearer at the 1:38 mark of the fourth, the rookie made some key saves against the powerful Rock attack to keep his new team within striking distance of the almost-home team. The rookie net minder was given some offensive support by Matt Brown, who scored his first goal of the pre-season at the 2:02 mark of regulation play's final frame. After Colin Doyle's fourth tally of the game made the score 8-6 in Toronto's favor, the Sting scored three goals (off the sticks of Matt Brown, Craig Conn, and Andy Secore) in a span of 2:29 to take the lead late in the game. With Toronto goalie Mike Poulin on the bench in favor of an extra attacker, Brandon Atherton performed the rarest of feats for a goaltender - the 21-year old scored a goal from his own crease with 0:40 remaining. Lindsay Plunkett also contributed an empty netter, and the final score read Arizona 11, Toronto 8.
Sting Assistant Coach Rick Wilson was pleased with his team's effort in their opening exhibition match this season.
"Our guys all worked hard out there," said Wilson. "The younger players definitely looked good and our veterans performed like we expect them to. This was definitely a team win and that bodes well for the upcoming season."
The Sting will next take the floor in Glendale, Arizona, at the second annual Sting Fan Fest, scheduled to take place at Jobing.com Arena on Friday, December 8.
National Lacrosse League Stories from December 2, 2006
- Sting defeat Rock 11-8 in opening preseason match - Arizona Sting
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