Sting win third straight in Portland

Published on January 20, 2007 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Arizona Sting News Release


PORTLAND, OR --- The Arizona Sting won their third straight game on Saturday night, defeating the Portland Lumberjax by a score of 12-9 at the Rose Garden. In what was billed as ‘Country Music Night' by Lumberjax management, Portland's defense was rocked by the stellar Arizona attack and their offense was rolled over by the Sting's rugged defensive core. Dan Dawson led the way again for Arizona, registering 3G-3A-6P on the night to pace the Sting offense. Rob Blasdell continued his strong play in net on Saturday, turning aside 27 of the 36 shots he faced to earn the victory. Head Coach Bob Hamley was impressed with his team's effort on Saturday night.

"I'm really proud of how we played out there tonight," said Hamley. "Everyone played very disciplined lacrosse and we produced at both ends of the floor. We're really on a good roll right now and we'll be looking to keep it going after our week off."

Dan Dawson scored on the power play to get things started in the right direction for the Sting, ripping a shot over Portland goalie Dallas Eliuk's left shoulder for his ninth goal of the season 2:28 into the game. Ryan Powell responded for the Lumberjax, beating Rob Blasdell with a low shot to tie the game 1-1 in the early going. Brian Beisel then scored his first goal as a member of the Sting in transition, beating Eliuk on Arizona's 12th shot of the match. The game was tied at two-apiece at the 12:23 mark of the first period as Richard Morgan finished off a three-on-one rush to earn his first tally of the season. The Sting responded quickly however, as Andy Secore took a feed from Dan Dawson, faked a shot high and went low on Eliuk for his third goal of 2007. With 14 seconds remaining in the quarter, Ryan Powell netted his second goal of the game, beating Blasdell through the five-hole to make the score 3-3 as the opening period came to an end.

Déjà vu struck in the second quarter, as Dan Dawson opened another period with a goal, charging down the middle of the floor and firing a shot low that Eliuk was unable to stop. Ryder Bateman responded for the Lumberjax, beating Blasdell high for his third goal of the season. The Sting then scored four unanswered goals courtesy of Chris Seller, Dan Dawson, Andy Secore, and Craig Conn to take an 8-4 lead and silence the home crowd as the first half came to an end.

"Our offense was really clicking out there tonight," said Conn. "We moved the ball efficiently in their zone and didn't take any unnecessary chances in their zone. Rob (Blasdell) had another awesome game for us in net and I though our defense did a great job of cutting down their quality chances. The Sting were definitely in sync this weekend and I think it's a sign of good things to come for the rest of the season."

Rob Blasdell stoned Brodie Merrill on a breakaway in the first minute of the second half, making a huge kick save off of the defending NLL Rookie of the Year to keep the four-goal Sting lead in tact. On the next possession, ‘Downtown' Matt Brown found the back of the net for the Sting, chasing the NLL's all-time saves leader from the game in doing so. Eliuk's replacement, Matt King, did not fair much better than his teammate between the pipes for Portland, as Curt Malawsky beat him shortly after he entered the game to give Arizona a 10-4. Ryder Batemen and Del Halladay cut the Arizona lead to four with back-to-back goals, bringing the home team to within striking distance of the Sting as the third quarter came to an end.

Ryan Powell's third goal of the game cut the Sting lead to three 5:57 into the fourth quarter, but Lindsay Plunkett responded quickly for Arizona, netting his eighth goal of the season to make the score 11-7 in favor of the visiting squad from the Valley of the Sun. Peter Morgan scored back-to-back goals to bring the Lumberjax to with two, but Curt Malawsky delivered the final blow to Portland's hopes with a goal at the 12:24 mark of the fourth quarter that proved to be the final tally of the match.

The Sting continue to be a thorn in the side of the Rose Garden's newest tenants, as they improve their overall record to 4-1 (incl. playoffs) against the Lumberjax with their win on Saturday. In conjunction with their win at Jobing.com Arena on Friday, the Sting have outscored Portland 23-13 so far this season.

The Sting have a bye week coming up, followed by a showdown with Pat Maddalena and the expansion New York Titans on Friday, February 2 at Jobing.com Arena.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 20, 2007


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