Sting defeat Titans, 16-15
February 2, 2007 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Arizona Sting News Release
GLENDALE, AZ --- The Arizona Sting won their fourth consecutive game on Friday night, besting the expansion New York Titans by a score of 16-15 at Jobing.com Arena. The four-game win streak establishes a new team record and gives the Sting sole possession of second place in the NLL's West Division by virtue of their 4-1 record. Goaltender Rob Blasdell, fresh off of being named NLL Player of the Month for January, continued his strong play in net for the Sting on Friday, turning aside 29 of the 44 shots he faced to earn the victory. Dan Dawson led the Arizona attack, registering 6G-3A-9P to pace the Sting offense. His nine-point output matches a career high.
"I was seeing the floor really well out there tonight," said Dawson. "My teammates set some great picks for me and I was able to take advantage of that and get to the net. Our offense is really clicking right now and we're looking forward to taking on Edmonton next week."
The Titans struck first in Friday's match, with rookie Brendan Mundorf scoring a power play goal 4:45 into the first period. Casey Powell's seventh goal of the season gave New York a 2-0 lead, but Craig Conn responded with a goal for the Sting on the next possession to pull Arizona to within one. At the 11:47 mark of the first, 'Dangerous' Dan Dawson scored back-to-back goals to give the home team a 3-2 lead. Craig Conn and Scott Self continued the Arizona onslaught, scoring consecutive goals to give the Sting a 5-2 lead as the opening frame came to an end.
Goals by Chris Seller and Dan Dawson in the opening minutes of the second quarter put the Sting up by a score of 7-3. Casey Powell's second goal of the game at the 4:22 mark of the second brought the Titans to within three of the Sting lead, but Curt Malawsky put Arizona back up by four with a goal 2:22 later. The Titans then scored the game's next three goals courtesy of Mike McLellan, Ryan Boyle, and Casey Powell. A goal by Dan Dawson late in the first half made the score 9-7 in favor of the Sting as the game reached its midpoint.
Arizona came out strong in the second half, with Andy Secore and Dan Dawson each netting tallies to give the Sting an 11-7 lead midway through the third quarter. New York responded with power play goals by Ryan Boyle and Pat Maddalena to pull the Titans to within two, but Bruce 'The Desert Rat' Codd's first goal since the 2005 West Division Final put the Sting back up by a field goal at the 10:58 mark of the third. A pair of former Sting forwards then struck for the Titans, as Pat Maddalena and Mike McLellan each scored to cut the Arizona lead to one as the third period came to an end.
The Titans tied the match at twelve apiece early in the fourth quarter, as Ryan Boyle put the finishing touches on a hat trick thirty seconds into the frame, temporarily silencing the 5,559 fans in attendance in the process. The crowd came to life shortly thereafter however, as Curt 'Mighty Mouse' Malawsky scored at the 2:19 mark of the fourth to give Arizona a 13-12 lead. The Sting received an insurance goal courtesy of Lindsay Plunkett, and Dan Dawson's sixth goal of the night 6:02 into the fourth made the score 15-12 for Arizona. Curt Malawsky's third goal of the game gave the Sting a four-goal advantage with 8:37 remaining in regulation, but New York scored three consecutive times (Ryan Boyle, Jarrett Park, and Gewas Schindler) to pull to within one in the late going, but the Sting's defense was able to able to hold off the Titans in the closing seconds to preserve the home win.
Sting Head Coach/General Manager Bob Hamley was pleased with his team's performance on Friday.
"This was a big win for us," said Hamley. "New York is a really athletic, talented team, and they showed up ready to play tonight, that's for sure. We're happy to get the win here at home, and we're looking forward to the upcoming home-and-home series with Edmonton. Our division gets tighter and tighter every week, so we know we've got to play as good as we can every week. Right now we're accomplishing that goal."
The Sting travel to Edmonton next weekend to take on the 1-2 Rush. The following week, Edmonton will travel south to play Arizona at Jobing.com Arena in a Sunday afternoon contest.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from February 2, 2007
- Sting defeat Titans, 16-15 - Arizona Sting
- Rock explode early to record first win of season - Toronto Rock
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