Sting fall to Rush 11-8
February 10, 2007 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Arizona Sting News Release
EDMONTON, AB --- The Arizona Sting lost their first road contest of 2007 on Saturday night, falling to the Edmonton Rush by a score of 11-8 at Rexall Place. After beginning the match with four unanswered goals, Arizona was unable to maintain their momentum, surrendering eight of the game's subsequent ten goals to trail 8-6 at halftime. The Rush continued their strong play in the second half, holding the potent Arizona attack to three goals to capture their second victory of the season. Sting forward Derek Malawsky (1G-3A-4P) became the fourteenth member of the NLL's exclusive 500-Point Club on Saturday night, and defending NLL Offensive Player of the Week Dan Dawson continued his strong play, registering 4G-2A-6P in a losing effort.
"We came out tonight with a lot of energy and had some success early on," said Dawson. "Unfortunately we couldn't keep it going for a full sixty minutes and that cost us the game. We're disappointed with the loss, but we've got to put this behind us and focus on winning at home next weekend."
Malawsky wasted no time in registering his 500th career point, scoring his fifth goal of the season 0:20 into the match to reach the impressive milestone. The Sting went up 2-0 on their next possession, setting a team record for the fastest pair of goals in team history as Andy Secore scored his sixth goal of the season at the 0:48 mark of the opening quarter. A pair of goals from Dan Dawson put Arizona up 4-0 4:18 into the match, chasing starting goaltender Pat Campbell from the game in the process. Newly acquired veteran Curtis Palidwor replaced Campbell in net for the Rush, and his team responded to his presence by scoring their first goal of the game 1:22 later, as Chris McElroy took a feed from Buck Strobart and beat Sting goalie Rob Blasdell to pull the Rush to within three of the Sting lead. Two more goals by Edmonton, courtesy of Jamie Bowen and Chris Gill, pulled the home team to within one of the Sting lead, but Arizona went up 5-3 on a goal by Lindsay Plunkett. A late goal by Rush forward Jason Wulder made the score 5-4 as the first quarter came to an end,
Arizona's offense struck early in the second period, as a nifty over-the-shoulder goal by Plunkett in the opening minute gave the visiting squad from the Valley of the Sun a 6-4 lead. Rush forward Dan Stroup then beat Blasdell with an underhand shot midway through the second period to pull his team back to within one of the Sting lead. After a big save by Curtis Palidwor off of Andy Secore, Darren Hillier tied the match at six apiece with a transition goal at the 11:38 mark of the second period. The Rush took their first lead of the game 1:10 later, as Rory Glaze finished off a two-on-one rush to make the score 7-6 in favor of the home team. With less than a second left on the clock, Jimmy Quinlan found the back of the Arizona net with a well-placed shot, putting the Rush up 8-6 as the game entered its midway point.
The Rush went up by three early in the third quarter, as Dan Stroup tallied his second goal of the night 0:39 into the second half. Two possessions later, âDangerous' Dan Dawson beat Edmonton defenders Andrew Turner and Jamie Roy one-on-two near the Rush net and proceeded to wire a shot past Palidwor to put the finishing touches on his fourth hat trick of the season. Edmonton's special teams then went to work, as a power play goal by Randy Daly and a short-handed tally courtesy of Ryan O'Connor extended the Rush lead to four as the third period came to an end.
On the power play, Lindsay Plunkett unleashed a rocket of a shot that found the back of the Rush net 0:40 into the fourth quarter, ensuring that a goal was registered in the opening minute of all four periods on Saturday night in doing so. Neither team was able to muster much offense for the majority of the fourth quarter, but with 3:58 remaining in regulation, Dan Dawson scored his fourth goal of the night to pull Arizona to within two of the Edmonton lead. That would be as close as the Sting would get however, as Palidwor turned aside a flurry of shots late in the game to earn the victory in his Edmonton debut.
"Full marks to the Rush - they played a great game," said Sting Head Coach/General Manager Bob Hamley following the loss. "We had a tough time finding a good rhythm offensively and they definitely took advantage of that. We've got a full week to prepare for Sunday's rematch, and we're definitely focused on getting back on the winning track on our home floor."
The Sting will be looking to exact vengeance on the Rush next weekend at Jobing.com Arena. The divisional rivals will do battle for a second consecutive week on Sunday, February 18, at 1:00pm.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from February 10, 2007
- Philadelphia ends Calgary's four-game winning streak - Calgary Roughnecks
- Sting fall to Rush 11-8 - Arizona Sting
- Titans Enjoying New York Nightlife - Orlando Titans
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