And so it ends….16-12 Portland…They go on..the Roughnecks go home….and so goes the world of sports.

Rather than spend a lot of time breaking down a game that was for the most part pretty damn good, at this point, I just want to say some thank yous.

Thank you Tracey Kelusky, Kaleb Toth, Scott Ranger, Andrew McBride, Pat Campbell, and all of the guys on the Roughnecks roster for being so available and accommodating. Having to cover moody, egotisical jerks can take the fun out of this job. That`s never a problem with the Roughneck players.

Thank you, the Roughneck organization. Mitch Redshaw, Kurt Silcott, Deb, Jackie, Ryan, et al. You all bend over backwards to make sure we have the tools to do our jobs.

Thank you, Brad Bannister, for signing on for another two years of this.

Thank you, the B2 guys who let me have a little fun calling games. Hope I was a little more balanced than the Altitude clowns.

Thank you, the fans who support something that`s a little outside of the mainstream.

Thank you, the parents who have turned lacrosse into an explosive growth sport in this city. Two tyke teams into 5? Oustanding.

Thank you, the readers. I’ll be switching gears to a motorsport blog for now (Rowe talking racing??? Didn`t see that coming) but when there’s Roughnecks to be talked about…check here first.

Lots of talk this week about how this year’s playoff run compares to the Champion’s Cup year, and in a lot of ways it’s a fair comparison. A stumbling start, a late surge, and voila, one win away from the big one, possibly against the Buffalo Bandits. Again.

The big difference this time around is…well…there isn’t that much difference. In ‘04 Curtis Palidwor was on his game and ended up as the Championship MVP. Since his return from a concussion, Steve Dietrich has been lights-out for this year’s model. Taylor Wray was an emerging star on defense on ‘04, Scott Ranger’s an emerging star on offense this time around. You get the idea. Okay, I don’t think anyone’s going to confuse Chris Hall’s quiet style behind the bench with Troy Cordingley’s shall we say, more animated approach. But other than that, it’s pretty easy to draw the comparison.

The big fear going into Saturday night is the risk of taking the opponent too lightly. Given what’s at stake and given the way the Roughnecks battled down the stretch, that shouldn’t be a problem. Ask the San Jose Stealth where underestimating the ‘Jax got them last week.

No real stunners ont he lit fo things the Riggers have to do right to beat this team:

Contain the Big Gun: He’s Dan Dawson. He bagged 7 goals and 5 assists against San Jose. You might want to cover that guy.

Push: The turning point of the first home game against Portland was Kaleb Toth’s devastating yet clean hit that knocked wandering goaltender Matt King silly. Toth looked around waiting for the inevitable beating from an angry Portland D with Ranger at his back, but nothing happened. Surprising considering the size Portland brings to bear, and the fact Brodie Merrill wasn’t afraid to mix it up with Jeff Moleski and Ryan McNish on a couple of occasions this year.

Spread it around: Hard to tell where the shot’s coming from these days. Kelusky, Toth, Ranger, Shattler, Sanderson and the transition guys need to be ont he board.

There has been some grumbling about ticket prices for this game, and rightly or wrongly they have been raised, but remember brad Bannister gave away 18 thousand of these things free the last time Portland was in town and with the end of the season looming, this is the chance to pay off some bills.

As Kaleb Toth pointed out on JACK FM this morning, remember this is the only pro sports team in Canada in the playoffs right now, and we got ‘em. The championship game is in the East this year, so this if your last chance to try and cheer the Roughnecks out on a winning note.

No TV for this one, but if you can’t make it or if you’re out of town, I will be calling the B2 broadcast of the game. Link to that through the Roughnecks site or nll.com. I promise to be a little more even handed than the Altitude guys!

A home playoff date? What the-who the-where the????????

Portland pullng off the scond stunner of the NLL playoff weekend gives the Roughnecks something they couldn’t have thought was possible in their wildest dreams even a few days ago…..another date at the Dome.

Yes, I honestly thought it was possible for The Riggers to upset Coldorado, and lo and behold, it happened. But to have the ‘Jax take out San Jose? Step away from the bong. But miracles do happen, and for the next 7 days the Roughnecks have the local sports spotlight to themselves. The Flames? Gone. The Hitmen? history. The Stamps? Call me next month. Calgary, this is your team.

More on this through the week. For now, just sit back and enjoy it. And oh yeah, buy a ticket and ride the fate train.

Watching sports is not supposed to be this hard. Taking the idiots at Shaw at face value, I faithfully program the VCR for channel 94 and the supposed live broadcast of the Roughnecks game, knowing I have to be out working on the race car. Get home, fire up the tape, find static, check channel 94, find nothing, freak out. Surf down to channel 10…ahhhh rebroadcast…third quarter…close game..no worries….4th quarter….suddenly….game gone….replaced by Lara Hurrel brutal outtakes of an interview on war brides……call Shaw……wait on hold…no…it`s not a reception problem ma`am…it`s the pinhead in the control room who has teh job skills of a cigarette smoking monkey!!!! Hang up, give up, fire up NLL.com and get the final score…just as the pinhead gets it together and gets the game back on. Thank you Shaw for sucking the life out what should have been an enjoyable if nerve-wracking game watch.

That off my chest….wondering why I pay these idiots 50-odd dollars a month for cable, here`s my thoughts on what I thought I saw.

Of the points I hit on in my pre-game post, most of what I called for in roder for the Roughnecks to win came to pass. Great goaltending, attack off transition (Leading to a penalty shot goal for Tracey Kelusky in one case) discipline (3 minors) and an awesome 4th quarter. Add in Jeff Shattler`s best game of the year….and it adds up to an end to the one and done curse of the last three years . Now, can Portland beat San Jose and give the Roughnecks a home playoff game or am I just being greedy?

One last note. US broadcasting is different than what we do here in that the broadcasters generally work for the teams, as ooposed to a station paying for rights, and having at least a modicum of indepedence and objectivity. Yes, you will tend to favour the home club a little despite your best efforts, especially since you`re working to a hometown crowd, and yes, I ten to be a bit of a cheerleader for the Roughnecks sometimes but please promise me, if I ever end up a butt-kissing boot-licking homer like the guys on the Alttitude broadcast, somebody please kill me.

Pour the Kool-Aid Troy Cordingley, I’m-a drinking from the cup…..the Champion’s Cup, that is.

A few weeks ago such talk would have been purely delusional, but a number of factors have conspired to get me on-side with the idea of an end to the recent history of one and done playoff runs for the Roughnecks:

1. Goaltending: Steve Dietrich has been a big play stopper as advertised. He’s smelled the smoke and is unlikely to panic in a tight game leading to the kind of monster collapse that killed this team against Coldorado two years ago.

2. The Trade: While I still think the best is yet to come from Josh Sanderson, (Jeez, Dave, the guy has 14 points in 4 games, ease up) the move of Lewis Ratcliff has worked out big-time. The rest of the attackers are buying in to their increased responsibilities. Curt Malawsky has emerged as a key cog in the machine. Scott Ranger continues to blossom as a scoring star.

3. Discipline: The ill-timed penalties that plagued the Roughnecks through most of the season have seemingly gone away. The big reason for that is:

4. Confidence. The swagger is back in this team. Three straight strong 4th quarters have excorcised that demon. The offense has caught up with the defense and goaltending in terms of believing in itself. Veteran leadership is finally healthy.

5. Momentum: This one may be a bit of a harder sell, seeing as the Riggers haven’t beaten a team over .500 during the three-win run, while Coldorado has also beaten Edmonton twice in recent weeks. But the Mammoth have been sputtering, dropping 2 to the East and a first-place showdown with San Jose down the stretch.

6. Injuries: Kaleb Toth is as healthy as Kaleb Toth is going to be at this point in his career. He’s also, in his own words, ‘playing pissed-off’ trying to show the nay-sayers that suggested he give it up earlier this year that he’s still got game. Perversely, Tracey Kelusky getting whacked in the melon in the Toronto game may have been the best thing that could have happened to him as he was able to prove to himself that he was finally over the concussion that sidelined him twice this season. On the other side, Kelusky’s roomate and Mammoth scoring machine Dan Carey is now battling a concussion of his own and is doubtful. Keluksy could help the process by bopping his roomie with a shovel before they leave for the airport.

All those factors weighed in, here’s what has to happen for a win Saturday. First and foremost, the defense has to take Gavin Prout out of the game. As a playmaker, he’s a killer. If he’s given room to dish the ball at will, it’s gonna be a long night. Second, the transition game has to continue to be a weapon, not just for the instant offense, but for the threat of a jailbreak at any time that’ll keep the Mammoth tentative on the attack. Third, no dumb lipping-off or retaliation penalities. The refs don’t seem to like this team. Tough luck. Deal with it. Fourth, as in quarter, no retreat, no surrender in the final 15. If you’re leading by ten, play to win by 15.

Shaw Cable has stepped up to pick up the Altitude broadcast of the game. As was the case the last time the NLL conflicted with the WHL playoffs, the game will be live on channel 94 at 7, the rebroadcast at 10:30 or so right after the ‘Dub game. If you’re not around a TV, shell out the 7 bucks for B2, and be sure to check back here Sunday for what hopefully will be a look back at a win and a preview of the Western Championship. Go get ‘em, guys.

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!