Nothing has come easy to this team all year, so it’s only fitting that they’d have to work hard…maybe harder than they needed to to nail this one down.

After sitting through a Montreal playoff game than ended poorly, I was primed for a big night at Rexall. Other than the TV sound getting turned off for the tunes, because oddly enough, even the best sports bar in town (the T & C when you know the boss) doesn’t build its Saturday night around the Roughnecks. Shame on them.

Anyway, loved the early attack off transition. If you follow this space, you’ll know goals off transition are just about my favourite thing in lacrosse. Well done Mike Carnegie and Chris Seller.

Back and forth, back and forth. Power play and short handed. The goals kept coming. Come the second half, the backup goaltender came on. Again, faced with a lack of audio, there’s no way just yet to tell if the move to swap out Steve Dietrich for Pat Campbell was a MIke Keenan style move of genius (I have a gut feeling my multi-million dollar go to goaltender needs to get pulled because I’m so brilliant…unlikely) or a move spurred by either injury or a Troy Cordingley epihany that he didn’t care whether it was going to be San Jose or Coldorado in the playoffs. I’m thinking number three until Troy tells me otherwise.

Ahhhh…sidetracked. The important thing is is come the 4th quarter, the Roughnecks piled on the goals. Outscoring the opposition 4-1 in a game you’re already leading is something that hasn’t come been as easy as A-B-C for the Riggers, but for the last three weeks, it’s been something that’s been happening with a pleasing regularity. Happy happy joy joy.

Now, on to Denver for a date with a team the Roughnecks should have a winning record against but don’t because:

A-Week one was the first of many 4th quarter collapses.
B-Of Gavin Prout’s 67 assists, it seemed like 66 of them came against the Roughnecks as he was allowed to dictate the pace of the game all too often.

Things have changed. This isn’t the same squad Coldorado embarrassed 11-6 6 weeks ago at the “Dome. It’s a team that belives in itself, a team with confidence in its goaltending, and a team with a healthy leader that he’s helped to make believe in itself.

Find a way to follow the game next weekend. It’s gonna be good.

Hmmmm…let’s see….the Flames crapped the bed big time in game 7…the Hitmen got owned by the same team that owned them all year long…that leaves the city’s playoff pride in the hands of…..THE ROUGHNECKS!!!!!!

Aaaaaaaannnnnnddd….they’re on the road for the final regular season game and game one of the playoffs…and to get a home playoff game in round two…..if a frog had wings it wouldn’t bump its….you know.

It’s the kind of thing that makes Brad Bannister want to beat his office staff with a length of drill pipe (Just kidding Brad! …Brad…put down that length of drill pipe….Brad…..remember the restraining order…) But in a word, Yargh. A chance to have the playoff spotlight to oneself, and one is forced to vacate one’s vacant home premises for the duration, barring a coming together of circumstances the order of the origin of life on earth to provide for a home playoff date.

To hell with playing the woulda coulda shoulda game about how first or second was there for the taking. Those of you who regularly visit this space (And a huge thank you to those who have!) are familiar with what happened when. The fact is, it’s a trip to Edmonton with a chance ot make it three wins in a row, then on to San Jose or Coldorado.

It’s a tough assignment this weekend. A mathcup of a team with little to play for, versus a team playing out the string. To their credit, both sides said the right things in this week’s NLL conference call. Kurt Silcott talked about the team building momentum and playing a third straight strong game. Bob Hamley talked about people playing for their jobs.

On second thought, there is plenty at stake here. The Roughnecks do need another strong performance to build on the confidence they’ve gained on a 4th quarter beatdown win followed by a 4th quarter comeback agianst a hated rival. For the rush, Hamley is dead serious when he talks about jobs for next year. This is a man who builds winners, and took the first steps by;
A-Trading for draft picks to create hope for the future, and
B-Getting the guys he had left to buy in for a winning streak that got them within a weekend swoon of making the playoffs.

I’m looking for the continued evolution of Josh Sanderson into the master playmaker Silcott traded for. I’m looking for Tracey Kelusky to take over a game, knowing he’s all the way back from his concussion. I’m looking for Kaleb Toth to, in his words, stay pissed off and make the ‘Kaleb needs to retire’ crowd continue to eat their words. I’m looking for Steve Dietrich to once again give this team the game saving goaltending it needs to believe in itself.

Flames jerseys away, Hitmen jerseys away, wash the Stamps jersey to get it ready for summer, but for now, the Roughnecks shirt is number one on the runway.

Apparently you can stop the Rock….can stop the Rock…you can stop the Rock…can stop the Rock…
12-11 in overtime, a playoff berth clinched, and maybe, just maybe this team that has been so promising at some times and frustrating at others is finally catching fire, just in time for the playoffs.

Things didn’t look good early, as Lewis Ratcliff responded to a warm welcome from the ex-home crowd with a natural hat trick within the first five minutes of the game that looked ridiculously easy to get. Afterward, coach Troy Cordingley admitted there was a little too much respect for the departed superstar early, but once they got that early run out of their systems, the Roughneck defenders succeeded in marginalizing Ratcliff for the rest of the night.

This was plain and simple one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had at a lacrosse game. Back and forth battles, changes in fortune, and outstanding goaltending at both ends of the floor. Steve Dietich and Bob Watson matched each other save for save, stopping 70 of the 93 shots directed at them. Each loose ball was battled over like a bouquet tossed in the middle of a batch of desparate bridesmaids. Both teams playoff hopes were at stake, and both teams battled like it. In the third quarter, the Roughnecks D held strong during a 5 minute major to Tracey Kelusky, not only not allowing a goal, but not allowing shots on a couple of Rock attacks.

In the end, it was Captain Kelusky beating Watson with a bounce shot blast that gave the Roughnecks just their 5th win in 14 tries against a team that has always had their number. It was also the second straight strong 4th quarter from a team that’s struggled in the final frame all year as the locals outsocred the Rock 3-1, capped off by Scott Ranger’s game tying goal with two and a half minutes to go, and a couple of game saving saves by Dietrich in the dyng minutes.

Afterwards, Kelusky joined Ryan Ballantine and I on the team’s on-line version of Roughneck’s Radio with a defiant message to the nay-sayers that have been ripping the team and its front office all year long. He feels the team is finally playing up to its potential and getting on board with the changes Cordingley’s made to the game plan. He vehemently defended Kurt Silcott for the much-maligned Ratcliff trade and the offensive overhaul that came with it.

There was also a scary moment for Keluksky, an inexplicable non call on a stick to the head that left him sprawled on the carpet, wondering if another head shot had just ended his season. To his, the team’s and the crowds relief, he was fine. A huge milestone on the mental road to recovery from a head injury that has you wondering what’ll happen the next time you take one in the noggin.

With the win, next week’s season wrapper against Edmonton take on a lot less meaning, given the fact a spot has been clinched, and finishing third or 4th doesn’t really mean all that much as Coldorado and San Jose are basically 4 quarters or a buck when comparing opponents. Portland has a tough road test in Buffalo and the Roughnecks hold the tiebreaker, so I’m betting on third.

A few notes

-Before the game, Brad Bannister and Ken King joined forces to announce a new two year lease deal on the Saddledome. Good news, as long as the terms give Bannister the chance to make a go of it financially. He’s hoping to see the season ticket base grow from 4 to 7 thousand for a little more stability.

-Good on the Roughnecks and the fans for classy tributes not only to Ratcliff, but also to retiring Rock Captain Jim Veltman.

-Loved the kid rocking it out with the guitar during time outs. Note to youth: playing a real guitar is cool. Pushing buttons on a chunk of plastic shaped like a guitar with no strings is not.

Stop….the rock…..can’t stop the rock…you can’t stop the rock…..can’t stop the rock…
Ever notice how that hypnotically groovable arena standard from Apollo 440 mysteriously disappears from the playlist every time Toronto comes to town? Coincidence? I think not. The Toronto Rock drop in to wrap the home half of the season Saturday night, and it always seems like whether they come to town as championship contenders or pretenders, the Rock have the measure of the Roughnecks.

Four and nine overall, 2-4 at home, it’s seldom a happy time when Canada’s original NLL team comes to town, but now’s as good a time as any to turn the tide. Last week’s win over the Rush has returned a modicum of control over their playoff fates to the home side, and while I still think it’ll come down to the season finale in Edmonton, a win Saturday would come as a pleasant surprise and a nice little motivator with the post season looming. Saturday also marks the return of Lewis Ratcliff to the Dome for the first time since the trade deadline day blockbuster that sent him to the Rock in exchange for Josh sanderson. On a special Saturday night edition of Roughnecks Radio on the Fan between 6 and 7, we’ll catch up with Lewis to get his thoughts on the deal and on his new team, and chat with Andrew McBride to dicuss the LAL (LIfe after Lewis) era and get his observation on all things Roughneck.

We also expect to have some big news from owner Brad Bannister. At Thursday’s pre-game media get together at Spolumbo’s, Bannister revealed he’s less than 48 hours away from announcing the team’s venue of choice for the next two seasons. As I wrote last week, there had been some speculation of a possible move to another city, but that won’t happen. At least for another two years. As for the venue, I have to hope it’s the Saddledome, providing terms are in place that’ll allow the club to take a run at profitability. The only other possibility is the Corral, and as I also said last week, that’s just not an option if you want to keep your product looking top-tier.

I’ll close for now with congratulations to Nolan Heavenor. The second year Roughneck was voted transition player of the week by the NLL, due in no small part I’m sure to his heroic efforts in scoring two 4th quarter goals against Edmonton with the better part of his nose splattered across the better part of his face.

When we last saw our heroes, they were in the deep glue with the future hanging in balance. Facing extinction at the hands of the dark lords from the North. But out of the East, a man long thought out of the picture emerges as a saviour….

Okay, maybe the Star Wars marathon on Spike is getting to me, or maybe it’s just the fact it’s more fun to blog tonight than it has been for a while. Make no mistake, cheesy Luke Skywalker references notwithstanding, the Roughneck’s future did hang in the balance heading in to Saturday’s game. A loss to Edmonton, and that’s it. Turn out the lights, the party’s over.

Faced with such adversity, Troy Cordingley decided to roll the dice and start Steve Dietrich. You knew it had to happen sometime. Despite the brilliant job Pat Campbell has done this year, this is supposed to be Chugger’s team, and without a winning streak, the change was inevitable.

It didn’t look good early. Lead by Dan Stroup, the Rush attacked early and often, finding a hole low to the stick side as Dietrich struggled to shake off the rust of a concussion enforced two-plus months on the sidelines. Seven shots, four goals, two on the powerplay, yank Chugger and cue the ‘Next Year’ story? But no…..

Enter a Roughneck offense spurred by three veterans. Tracey Kelusky, Kaleb Toth, and Curt Malawsky picked this team up by the bootstraps and dragged them to the attack. Keluksy played his best game all year, finally back in game and mental shape after battling his own concussion demons this year. He was a weapon fron outside. A threat to charge inside and shoot from the edge of the crease. He was the leader we know and love and he stood at the bench yelling at his team and challenging them to rise to his example. Malawsky was the man willing to take a beating to get to the net. Toth turned back the clock to his days as an aggressive, miserable b**stard who would hack you to knock the ball loose, then launch a rocket past your goaltender before he knew what was coming.

1…2…3…4…5…the three surly amigos set ‘em up and kocked ‘em down to build a 7-2 lead before the Rush were able to break a nearly 16 minute scoring drought. Then it was Shattler, Sanderson, and Toth again to set up a 10-6 halftime lead. Quietly at the other end, Dietrich was getting his game together, gaining confidence save by save.

Things got a little tentative in the third quarter, as both teams struggled to get anything going. The Roughnecks were able to mount a few decent attacks, all of which were stymied by Matt King in relief or Curtis Palidwor, chased by the relentless second quarter attack after he’d almost singlehandedly beaten his teammates a week before. Stalemate. Nobody scores.

Cue the 4th quarter. Oh crap. The quarter that’s been green kryptonite to this team all year long. Oh look, there’s Dan Stroup scoring his 4th of the game a minute a half in. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted…..

BUT WAIT!!!!!!

Ranger…Wray…Shattler…Shattler again!!!!! What the hell is going on here????????????????? Nolan Heavenor gets his nose splattered and staggers to the bench spewing blood…Nolan Heavenor comes back and bangs in 2 straight!!!! ROUGHNECKS WIN! ROUGHNECKS WIN!

Oh my.

For the first time this year, and yes I am including the win over Coldorado, we saw the Roughnecks team we expected to see all night long. Who knows why? Was it the insertion of Dietrich? I don’t think so. Was it the offense adjusting to the playmaking genius of Josh Sanderson? Not yet. That’s still a work in progress. For some reason, the disparate parts of the game that have shown themselves in fits and starts this season all came together.

From my standpoint, the biggest single thing was the moment the Roughnecks were offered the chance to poop the bed early in the 4th quarter, but declined. After the game, I asked Kelusky and Toth if there was a collective butt-pucker on the bench after Stroup cut the lead to three early. Both adamantly denied it. The confidence and killer instinct that has been missing from this team all year long suddenly appeared. Who knows why. Who cares?

For now, the fans (and there were a goodly number of them in attendance) have something to cheer about. The players have something to grab on to with two weeks left to go in the regular season. The playoff hopes have a pulse, although they’re still breathing with the help of a respirator. Where things go from from here depends on another must-win battle next weekend with the Rock, and given a 4-9 overall record against the perennial rivals, nothing can be taken for granted.

Ahhhhhhhh…to hell with it. I want to look past next week to a one game, winner takes all showdown with Edmonton in Edmonton the last week of the season. The only thing that would make that better would be to have it at the ‘Dome, but there’s the way it otta be…and there’s the way it is.

One last note, congratulations and thank you to Rush owner Bruce Urban for bringing some 800 or more Rush fans to the ‘Dome. His offer of free tickets to the game for his fans was the second-boldest move by an Alberta NLL owner this year, and attracted a bigger response than I thought it would. With Edmonton fans in attendance, and true Roughneck fans out in force, there was a true playoff-battle of Alberta feeling in the air. With committed owners (or, according to most cost-benefit accounting, owners who should be committed) Like Urban and Brad Bannister, there’s hope for pro lacrosse in Alberta yet. Extra credit to Urban for working the concourse and buying the odd beer for those who made the effort to make the trip.

Brad Bannister, if I go to Edmonton on the 26th, will you buy me a ticket and a beer? C’mon…..c’mon! You know you want to…
On a personal note, Kristen….kick ass in the triathalon, babe!

Bad grammar aside, I’m not sure if that headline refers more to rumours of a Roughnecks’ move to Dallas, or just this season in general. Oh well…..

First things first, this team is and shall be the CALGARY Roughnecks, reports of Brad Bannister’s tour of the facilities in Dallas notwithstanding. As Kristen Odland and Ian Busy have reported (Both doing a great job on the Riggers by the way) Bannister did have a look around Dallas, but more in his role on the NLL’s expansion committee than as a potential tenant. I didn’t ask him if he toured Dealey Plaza to test out the Single Bullet Theory and walk the grassy knoll.

Here’s the facts. The Roughneck’s lease on the ‘Dome is up at the end of the season. Fact number one is Bannister has talked to both the Flames about a renewal and to the Stampede board about the Corral. Fact number two is barring a sweetheart deal from the Stampede that would give the away the farm (unikely) the ‘Dome is the preferred destination.

Sources tell me that while the Riggers’ deal on the Saddledome has gotten better over the years, it’s still stacked in favour of the landlord. Ticket revenue goes to the team, everything else is gravy for the Flames in terms of the cash coming in from rent, concessions and parking. You’d think given the payroll of the NLL, crowds of ten thousand or more would let you make money, but not when the balance sheet makes it look more like you run a travel agency than a professional sports team.

The Roughnecks have done their part to cut expense number one by encouraging players to relocate to Calgary. Fourteen roster players call our fair city home, but others like Steve Dietrich and Bruce Codd need to be flown in for every game. There’s the added expense of having to run an off-site office, no small feat in thecrazed world of Calgary commercial real estate.

But at the end of the day, if the lease works the Roughnecks have to be in th e’Dome. Some call the Corral quaint, I call it a dump. Yes, it’s a part of history, first home of the Flames, blah blah blah, it’s a dump that doesn’t lend itself to a product you’re trying to market as first-rate, ina city that shows no appetite for any sporting choice it deems beneath its notice.

Despite the challenge Bannister keeps rolling that big rock called lacrosse up the hill. This week he was partnering up with the Calgary Raiders to continue to build the lacrosse culture that didn’t exist before the Roughencks set up shop. Not the actions of a man preparing to defect.

So let me get this straight….Rush Owner Bruce Urban…who lives in Calgary…rips on Calgary fans and offers to buy Edmontonians free tickets to a Roughnecks game.

That was the gist of a news conference called Tuesday at the Roughnecks office as Urban sort of stole a page from the Roughnecks book with an offer to put your butt in a seat for pennies on the dollar. (A dollar service charge to fans who sign up through the Rush office, with a cheap deal on hotel rooms on offer as as well) It’s just that the fans will come from another city.

For Urban, it’s a chance to spike the rivalry between the two clubs, something he and Brad Bannister have taken turns doing for the three years the NLL has been in both cities. He calls it a chance to give something to long suffering Rush fans, who haven’t had much to cheer about until recent weeks, something that has shown dramatically in dropping attendance at Rexall place. Crowds that topped ten thousand for the first two years of the Rush’s existence have dwindled by as much as two thousand a game this year as the losses piled up. But thanks to a mid season coaching change and a roster blow up, the Rush now find themselves in a playoff race, at the expense of their rivals to the South.

For Bannister, it’s a chance to sell tickets. Urban will get a discount depending on how many fans take him up on the offer, but unlike this year’s expensive fill the Dome gamble, he will be getting some cash in. It’s also a chance to stoke a little rivalry, with the hope of a real battle of Alberta type atmosphere if enough of the enemy’s fans roll on down the highway. There’s also a hope that outraged Calgarians will buy seats to keep them out of the hands of the grubby freebie seeking horde to the North.

Both are to be commended for out of the box thinking. Like Calgary, Edmonton has developed a devoted lacrosse fanbase, just not enough of one. Urban’s not the only NLL owner in Alberta who’s noticed a few more empty seats this season. Anything that can stimulate interest in this great sport and this great product is worth trying.

And let’s just hope we can keep this battle loud…but friendly.

I know at this point I should be railing about crucial losses, playoff hopes, head to head matchups against a key rival, blah…blah..blah. But right now. I just want to write about one helluva lacrosse game.

The implications for both clubs werre clear. The Roughnecks have been scrambling all year, back and forth between good and awful as they’ve tried to give the season some direction. Edmonton was looking to make the transition from expansion whipping boy to serious opponent. Both made strides Saturday night.

The biggest question for Roughneck fans was how the team would react after the Lewis Ratcliff trade. The answer was, pretty well. Josh Sanderson worked at fitting in in an uncomfortable situation, although I expect the best is yet to come as ‘Shooter’ chipped in two goals, but not the playmaking I’m expecting to see. Edmonton has to be admired for the fact they blew up this team from top to bottom after an 0-6 start, turning a league laughingstock into a team that has the potential to embarrass anyone in the playoffs, providing they make it.

How can you find anything to complain about after a nail biting, edge of your seat back and forth battle that entertained from start to finish? If you have to dissect one side or the other to find fault, there’s a few things, but again, this was just an outstanding game that gave anyone who paid for it money on the dollar. How about Tracey Keluksy. Is there anyone in the history of the game beter at firing a ball into the top corner? How about Dan Stroup. Can Kaleb Toth set up an alumni association of ex-Rock players so we can honour them all at once for what they’ve done for the NLL in Toronto and elsewhere?

But if you want to find the root of what made this game great, you have to use two words that aren’t normally used in an NLL game. Goaltender’s duel.

I was surprised to see Pat Campbell get the start. As I mentioned in my last post, I thought Steve Dietrich would get the nod just for the sake of shuffling the deck, not because of anything that was wrong with the goaltending. Troy Cordingley went with Campbell, the former Rush MVP. Good call. Paddy was awesome time and again. especially on the breakaway opportunities created by the big bombs launched by Curtis Palidwor.

Ah yes, Curtis Palidwor. The man who backstopped the Roughnecks to a Champions Cup, but played his way out of town with two years of inconsistent performances after that. Consigned to expansion hell, Palidwor wanted to show the Roughnecks organization he had someting left. He did. Again, you can whine and wonder where highlight reel nights like that were when he played for Calgary, but instead, just revel in the fact you got to see it.

Because it’s what I get paid to do, I can nitpick at a few things, and commend others. To commend, I want to start with Scott Ranger, who showed signs he will be the guy to take over the Roughnecks offense. Ranger showed a goal scorers’ hunger in driving to the net, and in connecting from outside. I want to commend Campbell for his ability to move the ball forward, and at the same time to slap him on the head for trying to match Palidwor in the long bomb department. Paddy, that’s not your strength. Don’t do it.

Maybe it’s a result of two weeks off, but the one element of the Roughneck game that’s been a huge weapon this year was hit and miss. The transition game hit for three big breaks with McBride, Hinman and Seller busting out, but it needs to be better. There, that’s it for criticism.

I want to commend Edmonton coach Bob Hamley. Brought in mid-season to take over a team in disarray, he refused to sit back and a wait-until-next-year approach. The Rush have bene blown up, made over, and re-inspired to make something of themselves this season. An 0-6 team is now fighting for the playoffs. The Roughnecks would do well to take a lesson from that desparation.

Seeing as these teams meet twice more, and seeing as the Riggers have won the season series with Portland, it’s not quite time to push the panic button. It ain’t great, but whateve happens, as a fan I beg of these teams two more games like the one they gave me on Saturday night. See you next Saturday at the Dome.

PS…I know I haven’t been perfect on my B2 calls…..but calling Kely Hall Hal Kelly and referring to Tracey Kelusky as recently acquired????? For gawd’s sake Shaw guys…r

It’s going to be an interesting friday night practice for the Riggers. It’s not every day you meet the guy who’s going to completely change the look of your attack, but that’s the case here as deadline pickup Josh Sanderson gets his first look at his new teammates, and they at him.

The A.L. (After Lewis) era offically began on trade deadline day, but given the fact the blockbuster deal was followed by a week off, it’s been a case of waiting and wondering how this whole thing’s going to play out.

As I said at the time, I like the trade. It’s a bold move that became sadly neccessary when the Roughnecks offense collapsed this year, a case not of placing blame but of examining a core group of players who had become too dependent on the outside shooting of one player destined to go down as one of the all greats in the game. Now, in comes one of the all time greats in a playmaking capacity, the idea being to get some of the abundant scoring talent on this team kick-started.

‘Shooter’ may be an odd nickname for a guy known for dishing the ball off, but then again, ‘Passer’ would be lame. The question here is how quickly the Malawskys….the Toths….the Rangers the Shattlers and the Keluskys can get used to the new way things are going to work. And making it work immediately is the only way to salvage this season.

Looking at the schedule at the start of the year, The Roughnecks had to be salivating at the prospect of playing three of their last four against their sad sack provincial rivals, problem is, Rush managmenet decided not to play ball. Midway through the season the team was blow up…. the coaching staff ousted and NLL legend Bob Hamley brought in. The roster was overhauled for packages of players and picks for the future, and the wins started coming.

With last weeks; 12-5 stunner against San Jose, The Rush have climbed to within a win fo the Roughnecks with two games in hand. Suddenly, three games against these guys doesn’t excactly fill you with the warm fuzzies.

It’s not an easy spot for Sanderson. Replacing a fan and team favourite like Ratcliff in a season gone wrong isn’t something you’d wish on anyone, but there’s the way it otta be, and there’s the way it is. The rest of the offense has to get to know the new guy in about an hour, or it’s going to be a long April.

NOTE: Both Steve Deitrich and Tracey Kelusky are expected back in the lineup. I get the feeling Deitrich is going to start to shake things up, not as a reflection of the way Pat campbell’s been playing. Hope Shawn Cable gets another shot, he was one of the best Roughnecks in the San Jose gme two weeks ago.
AND FURTHERMORE! Shaw’s televising the game….but seeing as they’re also doing the Hitmen game, the live broadcast will be on channel 94 at 7:30, or catch it on 10 after the Hitmen.