Sting to take on Shamrox
March 1, 2007 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Arizona Sting News Release
The Arizona Sting will be looking to win their fifth straight match against an expansion team on Friday night when they take the floor against the Chicago Shamrox at Jobing.com Arena. The Sting are coming off of a 19-16 defeat at the hands of the Rochester Knighthawks at Blue Cross Arena last weekend, a game in which they set a team record by scoring 10 goals in the second quarter. The Shamrox enter this week's action having suffered four consecutive losses after starting the season with a record of 3-1.
Despite their current slump, Sting Assistant Coach Bob McMahon is not taking the Shamrox lightly.
"I like the way Chicago plays," said McMahon in a pre-game press conference. "They've gone into Toronto and gone into Buffalo and played with a lot of heart, losing by a single goal in both games. They're got some really solid veterans like Cam Woods and Darryl Gibson on defense, and Brandon Miller has been great for them in net. We know that they'll be ready for us on Friday night and we'll need to put a full sixty minute effort together in order to come out with a win."
Shamrox bench boss Jamie Batley will be looking for a better effort from his squad this week after a 19-11 home loss versus the Minnesota Swarm last weekend.
"We had a lot of problems controlling Minnesota's speed on Saturday," said Batley. "We were disappointed with our effort last week and we're definitely focusing on renewing our team's commitment to working hard every shift in Arizona on Friday."
Special teams will likely play a big part in Friday night's match, as Chicago's power play, currently ranked dead last in the NLL with an efficiency rate of only 33.33% (23 for 69), will be going head to head with Arizona's league-worst penalty killing unit (45.76%). The Sting surrendered seven power play goals to the Knighthawks last weekend, five of which came in the second half.
Chicago's Jason Clark will be facing his former Arizona teammates for the first time since the Sting released him last March on Friday. The well-traveled forward, currently playing for his seventh NLL team in as many years, has scored 13 goals and dished out 23 assists to lead the first-year Shamrox in scoring with 36 points so far this season.
Dan Dawson continues to lead the Sting in scoring. The 25-year old forward has amassed 26G-25A-51P over the course of his first eight games, good for ninth place in the NLL scoring race. Defenseman Peter Lough is currently ranked sixth in the NLL in both face-off wins (79) and penalty minutes (36). Meanwhile, Craig Conn leads the Sting in both assists (28) and loose balls (58). In net, Rob Blasdell was pulled from last weekend's match for the first time this season after surrendering eight goals in the opening 19:31. Despite the disappointing outing, the veteran net minder remains third in the NLL with a G.A.A. of 10.74. His 77.4% save percentage is the fifth best mark in the league.
Shamrox forward Cody Jacobs was named NLL Rookie of the Week on Wednesday after scoring four goals against Minnesota on Saturday. The 21-year old freshman has registered 9G-4A-13P in seven games with Chicago this year after being taken in the fifth round (53rd overall) of the 2006 NLL Entry Draft.
"Cody has really been a pleasant surprise for us," said Coach Batley.
Jacobs' junior team, the Six Nations Arrows Express, lost to the Peterborough Junior Lakers in last year's Minto Cup Final by a score of 9-5 on September 2, 2006. The Lakers' defense in that tournament was led by Arizona' top pick at last September's draft - 6'3", 210 lb. bruiser Mike Grimes. Grimes, 20, scored his first career goal last weekend in Rochester, tying the match 8-8 with a second period tally. The rookie registered a point in all four of his games in February, finishing the month with 1G-3A-4P in addition to 14 LB.
Game time on Friday is set for 7:30pm. The match can be heard live on 1060AM The Fan and seen on B2 Networks (www.b2now.com). Tickets to the game can be obtained by calling 623-842-GOAL.
THE MATCH-UP:
STING (5-3) Vs. SHAMROX (3-5)
MARCH 2, 2007 - JOBING.COM ARENA
TOP SCORERS:
CHI: Jason Clark (8GP-13G-23A-36P); Jon Harasym (7GP-5G-21A-26P); Chris Panos (8GP-16G-6A-22P); Josh Wasson (8GP-11G-11A-22P); Bill McGlone (8GP-10G-8A-18P)
ARZ: Dan Dawson (8GP-26G-25A-51P); Craig Conn (8GP-11G-28A-39P); Lindsay Plunkett (8GP-17G-12A-29P); Derek Malawsky (8GP-8G-18A-26P); Curt Malawsky (8GP-10G-13A-23P)
GOALTENDING MATCHUP:
CHI: Brandon Miller (3-5 record, 12.17 G.A.A., .770 save %)
ARZ: Rob Blasdell (5-2 record, 10.74 G.A.A., .774 save %)
ARIZONA ALL-TIME VERSUS EXPANSION TEAMS:
February 18, 2005: 17-16 home win versus Minnesota Swarm
January 13, 2006: 12-7 home win versus Portland Lumberjax
March 4, 2006: 15-11 road win versus Edmonton Rush
February 2, 2007: 16-15 home win versus New York Titans
Totals:
Record: 4-0
Goals For: 60
Goals Against: 49
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