For the second straight game, a second half collapse cost the Roughnecks what should have been an easy victory. For the second straight year, the San Jose Stealth took out the Roughnecks in overtime after an insane, back and forth affair.

Even in the topsy-turvy world of lacrosse, an 8-3 lead at the half with the home team outshooting the opposition 2 to 1 should be enough to guarantee victory. Sadly, it’s a game of momentum and the Stealth were able to take it and keep it through most of the second half, despite a deparate late rally by the Riggers that forced overtime.

A few thoughts:

-Tracey Kelusky tried it in the warmup, but had to call in sick. For a competitor like Kelusky, any bug that forced him to miss a game would have been the kind of bug that would have put you or I into a body bag.

-I’m excited about Troy Cordingley’s aggressive new defense. In the first half, San Jose shooters looked confused and rushed by the constant pressure of the Roughnecks defenders, and while second half Stealth adjustments made it obvious that it’s still a work in progress, Cordingley has hit on something.

-Andrew McBride took a 5 minute elbowing penalty late that allowed San Jose to complete the comeback and tie the game at 10. McBride is a guy who makes a living playing on the edge, but as a veteran and a leader wearing a letter, he has to be smarter.

-Nice to see new hire Curt Malawsky doing some damage in a Roughnecks uniform. This guy was a Roughnecks killer in Arizona, so if you can’t beat ‘em…get ‘em. Given that, Kurt Silcott should trade for Jeff Zywicki after he torched the home side for 5 goals and 4 assists Saturday.

-Lewis Ratcliff is headed for another hundred point season. Sixteen points in 2 games kinda makes that an easy prediction.

-Early numbers suggest the jersey auction and other breast cancer fundraisers raised in the neighbourhood of $40,000 dollars. Money aside, the most moving moment of the night was when those in the crowd who had battled, or knew someone who had battled breast cancer were asked to stand up. Not a lot of people were left sitting down. If that doesn’t drive home the message, you’re an idiot.

-Next up is a return date in San Jose on the 25th, followed by a home game against Portland a night later. While I honestly believe this team has the tools and talent to contend for a cup, two straight second half collapses have shrunk their margin for error considerably.

Dave

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 13th, 2008 at 12:25 am and is filed under Misc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.