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.

You had to think something was up when the NLL trade deadline came and went Tuesday afternoon, with nary a peep out of the Roughnecks’ office….and nobody answering their cel phones. Indeed, something big was in the works, I just had to wait until just before 7 o’clock for the call from GM Kurt Silcott.

“We needed a shakeup,” sez he, “And this is certainly a shakeup.” Indeed.

What else can you say about a deal that sends all-time leading scorer Lewis Ratcliff to Toronto along with a conditional pick for assist king Josh Sanderson and a first rounder? While losing a superstar like Ratcliff is hard to swallow, the fact is this team was going nowhere fast and needed to be rocked at at its core. As I said after Saturday’s loss in San Jose the goaltending is solid, the defense rounding into form, the faceoff game brilliant, and the offense….well…

The lack of scoring in general and timely scoring in particular has been the most perplexing of problems with this club this year. How can a team sporting a gunner like Ratcliff, legends like Toth and Kelusky, and up and comers like Ranger and Shattler not be geting it done up front? I asked Silcott that same question.

“Lewis is a pure goal scorer,” said Silcott. “Maybe there was a tendency to rely a little too much on him. Sanderson is a different kind of player, a tremendous feeder who moves the ball around. We need all 7 guys on offense producing.”

I have to agree. All too often this year, the offense seemed content to sit back at the perimeter and fire the ball around, looking for Ratcliff to get it done with one big shot. When that happened, nothing happened. The Riggers have had their best success when players are willing to crash the net and create dirty chances, or when transition players like Andrew McBride and Chris Sellers are turned loose to create fast breaks.

There’s an implicit message in this for players like Scott Ranger and Jeff Shattler. This is now their team. They are the go to guys, and the guy going to them will be one of the best set up guys in the NLL.

Make no mistake. This is a huge gamble for Silcott, the kind of move that can either define you as a brilliant team builder, or will hang around your neck like a boat anchor at your next job interview. While I’m sorry to see a player the calibre of Ratcliff go, the fact is something had to happen and tinkering around the edges wasn’t going to get it done. At 4-8, the season is going nowhere fast. The playoffs are achievable, but all doing nothing or making a minor move would have accomplished is another guaranteed one-and-done.

The season just got fun again. Lewis, good luck, and thanks for all the great memories.

The Numbers: (Regular Season)

Sanderson:

2008
23 goals 27 assists 61 loose balls
Career

114 goals 221 assists 343 loose balls

Ratcliff:

2008
29 goals 35 assists 65 loose balls
Career

181 goals 216 assists 367 loose balls

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory has become something of an art form for this year’s edition of the Roughnecks, but just when you thought you’d seen every way to give a game away, they surprise you with something new.

Saturday, stupid penalites effectively killed any hope this team had left of a home playoff game, with bonehead retaliation after bonehead retaliation taking away power plays, and running mouths and after the fact hits giving the lethal Stealth power play opportunity after opportunity to put it away.

The penalty parade ruined what should have a great afternoon for the Roughnecks. After a horrendous first 20 minutes of the game that saw a pair of power play and a pair of shorthanded goals that paced the home team to a 6-1 lead, the Riggers rallied around Pat Campbell who found his A game after a shaky start, and helped trigger an 11-3 run that lasted into the 4th quarter.

There was so much to like. Campbell stoning the Stealth time after time. An aggressive transition game that ignited the offense. A sudden willingness to get dirty and go to the net, helped along by a gritty performance from Shawn Cable.

And then it all stopped.

The attacking game that built a 12-9 lead with fewer than 8 minutes to go went away in seconds. Blame Nolan Heavenor for taking a holding a stick penalty in the offensive zone. Blame Andrew McBride for whatever he said to the referee that triggered an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on that call, and a 2 minute 5 on 3 advantage that turned into two powerplay goals in 54 seconds, woops, make that 3 goals in 73 seconds as Luke Wiles connects 13 seconds after McBride slinks out of the box. Blame Scott Carnegie for a pointless cross check from behind AFTER San jose had failed to score on a breakaway that set the stage for the game winner off the stick of Colin Doyle with 5 seconds to go.

The Roughnecks had to come out nasty and play with an edge. I get that. But playing on the edge and giving an obviously whistle-happy crew excuse after excuse to send you away invites disaster, and disaster RSVP’ed with a big ‘yes’.

What now? The NLL trade deadlne comes up Tuesday. Is it time to blow up the offensive core and do something big? I don’t know. The goaltending’s fine. Campbell was strong again, and lucky when he needed to be. His 2-5 record as a starter is an insult to what he’s done since signing on board. The defense has come around and seems to have gotten Troy Cordingley’s system. The transition game, although underutilized before today, has been a weapon. As for the offense, all too often they’ve seemed content to work around the perimeter and shoot from the outside. Saturday, that changed thanks to Cable’s willingness to take a few whacks to inspire the others. Special teams were horrendous Saturday. 3 for 6 on the powerplay negated by 2 shorthanded goals, and a PK that was a miserable 2 for 8. Does that call for a shake-up? I wish I could answer that.

A look at the roster of this team shows a mix of league legends, all stars, and up and coming talent. Everything that needs to be here is here, and yet, something’s keeping it all from coming together, and that something seems to be a moving target from week to week.

Any semblance of control the Roughnecks had over their own destiny has been thrown away. The rubber matches in two crucial season series have been lost. the one season series that went the Rigger’s way doesn’t mean much right now, as Portland has taken third place for the moment with 4 wins in one less game. Yeah, there’s still three games with the Rush to go, but basing your hopes for success on having to sweep the league patsies isn’t a winner’s way of doing things. It’s going to be a long couple of days until deadline day, and a long couple of weeks until the Roughnecks get a shot at redemption at Rexall Place.

You want your best players to be your best players in big games. You don’t want the other guy’s best players to be the best players in your barn. But that’s the way it was Friday night, as Gavin Prout and Gee Nash put on a lacrosse clinic in front of the Roughnecks, ending any flickering hopes of a first place finish.

It was a helluva first half. The Roughnecks came out firing, both defences were tenacious, big plays at one end were answered at the other, and the Rigger’s big guns seemed poised for a big night. Mix in a little bad blood between the two teams, and it was 30 minutes of big fun.

Cue the second half.

Calgary answered Coldorado’s go ahead goal scored with a two man advantage late in the first half with an early strike from Kaleb Toth to knot things at 5, but after that, the Calgary offense went into the witness protection program. Actually, that’s not entirely fair. Credit has to given where credit is due, and it has to be given to the Mammoth for a great effort at both ends of the floor.

Coldorado took over the dead-even defensive battle that had been the first half at both ends. Prout seemed to find more time and space as the Roughnecks D backed off him, while the Mammoth defense set up a wall in front of Nash, forcing Calgary to play from the outside, jamming passing lanes to prevent any kind of offensive setup, making desparate attackers play as individuals instead of as a team. Behind it all was Nash, cooly turning aside what shots the Roughnecks did manage to get thrugh. Make the final 11-6 after yet another late fold, with the locals outscored 6-2 over the final 30 minutes.

What had been a nasty game boiled over late, with cheap shots on both sides, and sluggers Andrew McBride and Ryan McNish going 0 for 2 in a pair of scraps. Ryan Avery got in late in relief of Pat Campbell (Who in no way can be blamed for the loss as he was superb once again) and proceeded to jack Bruce Murray of the Mammoth in the skull with an elbow. He may have to answer for that if the NLL decides to take a second look. ‘Sending a message’ for a future meeting? I think not. More like the frustrations of the now just blowing up.

The loss gives the season series to the Mammoth, and leaves the Roughnecks 2 games back of their bitter rivals. Calgary now has to turn its attention to San Jose next week, hoping to take the rubber game in that series or give up pretty much any hope of a home playoff game.

Speaking of home, I have to say I’m disappointed in the crowd. A week after Brad Bannister’s bold and seemingly successful plan to give away free tickets to attract new fans, the house was back to the same old size. Don’t get me wrong, the fans that show up are great, there just needs to be more of them. The showcase of what NLL lacrosse is like last week should have translated into at least a boost of two or three thousand. It didn’t. I don’t know why. Now Bannister has to wonder if he gave away 250 G’s of income for nothing.

All in all, the kind of night that leaves a bit of a bad taste in your mouth.

Remember that time in shop class where there was that one brutal project you couldn’t get right? You tried and tried, worked and worked, and when the damn spot-welded book stand finally came together, all the shop teacher did was look at it and toss it back on the bench with a mumbled, “Good. Now do it again.”

Substitue shop class for the 2008 NLL season, you for the Calgary Roughnecks, and the coaching staff and the fans for the shop teacher and you have this weekend.

Three times this year, the ‘Necks have looked like they have that project from hell figured out. First, with a two game run against San Jose and Portland. Second, with a dominating home win over the feared and hated Mammoth. Third, another great night against the LumberJax. Twice, they’ve failed to repeat the performance. Time number three, the jury remains out until Friday night.

It’s been well documented here and elsewhere about how Brad Bannister gambled and won on the ticket giveaway last week. All well and good, but let’s see you do it again. A season that hung in the balance a week ago can now turn around completely, but only if the often maddening ‘08 Riggers can get a consistent groove going.

I’ve asked many players about the lack of consistency this year. I came away with the conclusion that no one really knows why there’s no flow week to week. Now, There are no excuses. Tracey Kelusky was back and contributing on and off the floor last weekend. Pat Campbell has been a godsend in goal, and the players seem finally to be returning an A-class effort on the goaltending he’s provided. Now comes yet another test against Coldorado.

This is truly an outstanding sports rivalry. The two teams, and even the two front offices do not like each other. The record stands at 7 wins and 8 losses for the Roughnecks. The season series stands at one each. With a win Friday, the team can kill two big ugly birds with one stone. Bird number one would be the fourth quarter collapse, which beat them in Denver in game one, and which they managed to avoid with 3 goals in a minute to thwart a late Portland comeback last weekend. Bird number two is the failure to build on a good thing, which, as I mentioned, has already happened twice this year.

Factor three Friday is the ability to build on the goodwill of the freebie game. A near full house saw everything good about about going to a Roughnecks game last weekend for pennies on the dollar. The question is how many will jump at a two-fer deal this weekend, and how many more will come back at full pop.

The Roughnecks delivered on providing outstanding entertainment for the fans to take in. Now, they have to prove to the fans that last week wasn`t a fluke. The fans have to prove that this city will support first class entertainment, even if it doesn`t come with hundred dollar tickets that provide ten cent performances.

Brad Bannister doubled down on an 11 with the dealer showing ten….and hit a winner. Okay, maybe I’m flashing back to my weekend in Vegas just a bit, but the short version is the Roughneck’s owner gambled..and won big time Saturday night.

In sports, if you’re going to do something rash like comp your whole building for a night, you want to plan it, promote it, and generally put some time into it and make it a labour of love. You don’t go a Flames game Tuesday, come away frustrated that they’re filling the Dome and you aren’t, and announce to your beleaguered staff on Wednesday morning that you’re doing an ‘everyone gets in free’ night in three days time.

But, that’s what Bannister did, and on a night when the franchise had a lot to lose, everything came up 7’s for the man rolling the dice. Last Vegas reference. I promise.

Comping your building to kick-start a new fan base is an idea as old as minor pro sports, but as I explained earlier this week, it carries significant risks, not the least of which is laying a giant egg in front of a bunch of people who’ve never seen your product, and aren’t about to come back as paying customers is you stink the joint out. With that on the table, Bannister needed some luck. And he got it Saturday morning when Tracey Kelusky woke up without a headache.

It’s hard to overstate the impact Kelusky has on the team. He’s a leader, a motivator, and at the end of the day, a pretty damn good lacrosse player. All three aspects of his game were on display Saturday night.

It’s not just the fact Kelusky hasn’t seen game action since he was concussed in the first game of the season. There’s also the little matter of no conditioning for over two months. Given that built in excuse, all Kelusky did was go out and pound out a 6 point night on 2 goals and 4 assists. There was an obvious difference in the way the team played with their leader in the lineup. There’s the extra time and space created for guys like Kaleb Toth, Lewis Ratcliff and Scott Ranger with another offensive threat to account for.

A happy mob of 18,737 saw everything good that the game of lacrosse and the Roughnecks as a team have to offer. In addition to Kelusky’s heroics, Lewis Ratcliff had yet another hat trick, Ranger had a personal best 6 point night, Toth scored career goal number 200, and Ryan McNish and Brodie Merrill squared off and pounded the crap out of each other.

It wasn’t all pretty. A couple of the bad-change-breakaways that have plagued this team this season happened early. A Roughnecks power play resulted in two shorthanded Portland goals. There was a looooooooong stretch between goals between the third and fourth quarter that had me wondering if the final 15 minutes of doom that have killed this team too often this year were making another appearance. The difference was, this time the snowball was stopped at the top of the hill before it could really get rolling.

The two breakaways early were the only ones. The shorthanded goals were answered on a third quarter 5 minute power play that saw the Riggers cash in twice in 30 seconds. The 12 and a half minute drought ended with an exclamation point midway through the final frame with three goals in a minute.

Some other kudos to hand out. Tip the hat to rookie Mike Carnegie who picked off a pass, went the length of the floor and scored his first NLL goal on a great individual effort. Applause to Devan Wray, back in the lineup for the first time in three games for a tenacious effort in his own end and the faceoff circle. Wray and Nolan Heavenor won 21 of 31 draws on the night, giving the Riggers possession time after time. Standing O for Pat Campbell, for another great game in net, helped by at least 5 timely posts. Good luck to Troy Cordingley decideing what to do next week if Steve Dietrich’s healthy enough to return to the lineup. Talking to him after the game, I get the feeling he’s going to keep riding the hot hand. And last but certainly not least, an approving nod to Cordingley and his coaching staff for second half adjustments that focussed on penetrating a tough Lumberjax D that shut down the shooting lanes in the first 30.

As bad as things have been this season, suddenly everthing’s turned on its ear. The win gives the Roughnecks the season series with Portland, and a key tiebreaker. San Jose upsetting the Mammoth in Coldorado tightens the Western race, with the season series against both clubs still in the balance for the Roughnecks. Fate, it seems, has taken a turn in the home team’s favour.

Can’t wait to see how many fans who took advantage of the freebies are willing to plunk down real money and show up next Friday for the rubber match with Coldorado. Brad Bannister took the chance of showcasing his product in front of a bunch of people with no financial stake on a cheap night out, with an eye to taking attendance to the next level. His team more than held up their end.