Free tickets for a pro sporting event????? Are you insane????

Then again…a lot of people said the same thing about Brad Bannister when he brought pro lacrosse to our city. It was a gamble then, and it’s a gamble now.

Hard to refute the idea that lacrosse has been a hit. Crowds of more than ten thousand regularly hit the ‘Dome on game nights, and a whole minor lacrosse culture that didn’t exist P.R. (Pre-Roughnecks) has taken root. But the numbers at the games have stalled, and Bannister’s prepared to roll the dice to see if he can kick-start a new cluster of Roughnecks fans.

Make no mistake. It’s a chance and a big one. Remember the days when anyone who wanted Flames tickets could get them? Large clusters of corporate tickets meant freebies for everyone, and created a mindset where the tickets had little value because you never had to shell out of your own pocket to go to a game.

Problem two is the people who have been shelling their hard-earned bucks through the years. Bannister says he has received a few grumbles since this idea went public Wednesday, but he hopes an offer of half price playoff tickets will ease the pain for season ticket holders, and for single game purchasers, a two-fer for next Friday’s game against the Mammoth will hopefully take care of any hurt feelings, in addition to boosting the crowd for another key Western matchup.

Of course, to say any game is anything less than vital from here on in is just plain silly. There is still hope, remembering back to the earlier post where I pointed out the season series with Portland and San Jose are still up for grabs (as is the series with Coldorado, but whatever hapens with that, I’m conceding first place to the Mammoth) and the season series with Edmonton won’t start until April.

The Roughnecks handled Portland easily back in week 4 of the season, and should have been able to make it 2-0 on the ‘Jax two weeks ago, but for our old friend the fourth quarter collapse. Ask any two Roughnecks players why this keeps happening and you’ll get any combination of answers involving offense, defense, penalities, and bewildered shrugs. One week it’s a penalty parade. Next time it’s a defensive collapse. Last week against Toronto, it was offensive power outage. Hold the other team to 8 goals (plus an empty-netter) in their own barn and more often than not, you’ll win. Not so last week.

The team will need something to hang its emotional hat on to provide a spark, as Kaleb Toth provided in that first meeting when he knocked a wandering Portland goaltender senseless with a hard but clean hit, that prompted no response from the ‘Jax. Toth is still scratching his head over the lack of a subsequent beating.

Time for our weekly game of will they or won’t they, as in will concussed regulars Steve Dietrich and Tracey Kelusky suit up. Chugger’s a definite no go until after the all star break, but Kelusky is optimistic this will be the week, as he has been every week for the past three, but this time…..well…we’ll see.

Freebie tickets for Saturday night can be had through ticketmaster, with the 2.50 service charge that goes along with that. If you already bought single game seats before the offer was announced, you can collect on 2 for ones for the Mammoth game at the Roughneck office.

Kaleb Toth is IN. Devan Wray, Tracey Keluksy and Steve Dietrich are OUT. Had a quick conversation with Troy Cordingley Friday afternoon to get the quick pre game skinny for Saturday’s tilt in Toronto, and got the word on the lineup.

Toth gets a shot at redemption, which you knew had to come after the jaw-dropping decision to sit the original Roughneck last week against Coldorado. In an interview earlier this week, Cordingley back-pedalled a bit, suggesting the move may have been due, in part, to a nagging hamstring injury, but the fact of the matter is the coach wanted to shake the team down to the core, and given the result last week, it was mission accomplished.

The case of Wray is a little more complicated. While he might have wanted to give D-Wray a shot, Cordingley told me he was so happy with the way the defense played last week, he didn’t want to mess with anything. Hard to fault that, given the way the D shut down Coldorado for three quarters, forcing turnover after turnover and turning the offense back with a run-out shot clock several times.

As for Kelusky and Dietrich, it’s another week on the sidelines with concussions, although both continue to make progress.

Now, Toronto is traditionally a little shop of horrors for the Roughnecks, but Cordingley remains optimistic. For him, it all comes down to passion. Last week the Riggers were able to bring that to their game, at least until the final 15 minutes.

Couple the strong starts we’re seen several times this season with a killer instinct that’ll prevent another 4th quarter of nervous sitting back, and it should add up to victory number 4.

Yes it is…it’s a magic number. Everybody old enough to notice the Schoolhouse Rock reference, raise your hand and head directly for Conjunction Junction.

Three is the magic number of Roughnecks named to the All Star team Thursday as the rosters were filled out. While I’m still not happy Lewis Ratcliff isn’t a starter, at least he is heading for his 4th straght classic. Let’s see if he can become a 2-time MVP after pulling that stunt off at the 2006 game.

Rookie All-Stars Jeff Shattler and Andrew McBride get to make their first trip. It’s just too bad that trip is to Edmonton instead of, say, Philadelphia or Chicago. No Scott Ranger, but I guess you can’t have everything. Scotty, you’re still an All-Star in my book. Sadly that doesn’t get you a cool Jersey, dinner, a trip, and a shot at a flat-screen TV, but there’s the way it otta be, and the way it is.

The NLL has announced the starters for next month’s All-Star game in Edmonton, and the Roughnecks were shut out. Now, you can make a case that a 3-5 record implies a lack of stars, but I think the exclusion of Lewis Ratcliff has more to do with an organized and motivated fanbase in Coldorado than it has to do with a rational look at the numbers.

Yes, it’s just and All-Star game. Yes, there’s fan voting. Yes Jeff Zywicki of the Stealth is a great choice at forward. But don’t tell me one of Dan Carey or Gavin Prout from the Mammoth couldn’t have been named a reserve in place of Ratcliff, 4th in the league in scoring, tied for 2nd in goals with 20.

Other than that, hard to find fault with the Western team, voting for Gee Nash in goal is like voting for Marty Brodeur, while Eric martin and Brodie Merrill are a couple of loose ball hounds on the back end and very fitting choices.

The reserves are yet to be named, and I fully expect Ratcliff to be named to the squad, and if there’s any justice in world, Scott Ranger will get a nod as well

Frankly, the bigger headline from Sunday is part two of that header. Yes the Roughnecks did put up a hard fought and well-earned 12-9 win over the Coldorado Mammoth, but the stunner was on the roster sheet posted before the game with an ‘X’ through the name of the original Roughneck.

Call it a coach’s decision or a healthy scratch, whatever suits your delicate sensibilities but the fact is when the Roughnecks took the floor Sunday afternoon at the ‘Dome, Kaleb Toth was having a shower. The why at this point is little more than speculation, as all Troy Cordingley would offer after the game was “Team stuff,” when the question was asked.

By all accounts Toth it like a man, as you’d expect from an individual of this calibre. Cordingley wanted to point out that Toth was nothing if not a great teammate, not letting what would have to be a huge gut-shot stop him from supporting his teammates. No Jeremy Roenick cutting out for a steak and a beer here. Toth was in the dressing room afterwards, and franky I didn’t feel like bugging him with a lot of obvious questions. If that makes me a bad reporter so be it, this was a time I just felt like showing a little respect to a class guy who had to be hurting.

The easy answer as to ‘why’ is the brutal sports cliche of ’sending a message.’ Cordingley was openly critical of his club after Friday’s loss in Portland, telling the Sun’s Ian Busby he was sick and tired of hearing the talk being talked with the same old results. He wanted results and veteran leadership and hinted broadly that changes were coming. Sitting a guy like Toth, especially in a home game, sends a very special kind of message about how no one’s immune, and if your name’s on the gamesheet, you’d better produce or else.

Will Toth get a shot at redemption? Obviously. It’s a big enough shot to his pride and reputation to sit him. And for a man who’s done what he’s done for the team and for lacrosse in this city, I don’t think it’s unfair to say he’s owed a shot at reclaiming his spot. If he doesn’t take advantage of that, fair enough. Personally I’m not expecting effort and leadership to be a question the next time number 9’s back in the lineup.

Now, on to the game. Things didn’t look good early when the Mammoth built an early 2-0 lead, one on the power play, and one off a clear breakaway the likes of which we’ve seen all too often this year as a result of sloppy changes by the offense. More on that later. Couple that with a wall named Chris Levis sitting in for Gee Nash in the Mammoth net, and you had a 2-1 Coldorado lead after 15.

Despite that, there was a feeling in the air something was about to happen. The Roughnecks were playing with an edge, creating turnovers and battling for loose balls at both ends of the floor. Levis was astounding through the first half, blocking 22 of 27 Roughnecks shots and keeping his team in it until Nolan Heavenor got a bit of a cheapie when Levis was slow to come across on a nice pass from Curt Malawsky midway through the second quarter, tying the game and starting the locals on a 6-0 run that lasted into the third quarter. It was 10-4 after 45, at which point the ‘Necks decided it was time to sit back and play passive. Quarter 4 was way more exciting than it needed to be, due in past to a heavy press and often empty net from the Mammoth, but also due to a prevent mindset that has cost this team three possible wins this year and has to be driving Cordingley nuts. If not for a heroic effort by Pat Campbell in net, we could be telling a very different story.

But it’s hard to criticize a win. And harder still to criticize a game where there were a lot of positives, both individual and team. Consider:

-Campbell. After another blown 4th quarter Friday, the goaltender was the main reason this one didn’t get away. Early on with the visitors ahead and not a lot of work to keep him sharp, Campbell didn’t cough up any bad goals that could have taken the steam out of the attack. Throughout the afternoon, Campbell showed he didn’t mind wandering out of the net and mixing it up. All this from a guy who’s living with Crohn’s disease, and had to be feeling the effects of the weekend’s schedule.

-Nolan Heavenor. Seeing a lot more of the offensive end with Toth out, Heavenor showed a real touch around the net, bagging a hat trick and setting up one more.

-Lewis Ratcliff. Another Hat trick (ho-hum) including career goal number 200 on his patented behind the net bank off the goaltender move. He insists he’s about 3 for 5 on that this year, but I’d have to check!

-Andrew McBride. A mean, nasty, pesky, sonovabitch. In other words, the kind of player he has to be to be effective, and to be a leader on this team. At one point, he chased Coldorado’s Gavin Prout from one end of the Roughnecks’ zone to the other for an entire offensive rush. Looked like a terrier on a stick not letting a dangerous character get any kind of breathing room.

-The Defense. Pressure, pressure, pressure on the ball carrier. Battling for loose balls and forcing Coldorado to run out the shot clock with nothing to show for it time and again.

-The Offense. Passes completed that have been too often going astray this year. Great efforts to create opportunities from people like Scott Ranger. Winning one on one battles and driving to the net as he battled a bug that had hime hanging over the garbage can sporting a huge ice bag on his head after the game.

Just one beef on the offensive side and it’s one Troy Cordingley agrees with. Lazy changes led to several breakaways of the type too often seen this year. Cordingley says his attackers need to be more aware, with the guy nearest the bench heading off for a change as the shot clock ticks down, or off a turnover.

Two other absences from the roster that have to be noted. Tracey Kelusky took the warm up but still wasn’t ready to go. Devan Wray was also a scratch, and has looked at times like he’s struggling to adapt to the new defense. As with Toth, I’m sure he’ll get a shot, but will have to show more.

Off to Toronto next week for a date with the Rock. Beating that longtime nemesis would go a long way to getting the season back on the rails, but with 2-5 all time record At the ACC, it’s not going to be easy.

The hole just keeps getting deeper and deeper. Now it’s three under .500 with a 13-9 loss in Portland Friday, thanks to an unwelcome reminder of the early season, namely the late game collapse.

Up 8-6 after three, The Roughnecks watched the hometown LumberJax rattle off 7 straight in the final frame for the win. Now it’s back home for Sunday afternoon’s date with the 5-1 Mammoth in the doldrums of a three game losing skid.

The big question tomorrow is, will we see Tracey Kelusky? He’s optimistic he’ll be ready to go, but one headache could change that in a heartbeat. And if he can go, what kind of contribution will he be able to make? It’s been pretty much a month of complete rest to get over his concussion, so conditioning could be a question but game shape or not, just having the captain on the bench will make a difference.

Just a reminder that NLL All-Star voting closes at midnight Sunday, so if you want to get a tally in for the Roughnecks, now would be the time to head to nll.com.

Commiserating with Kurt Silcott about another rough travel weekend for the Roughnecks with Portland Friday night and Coldorado at home Sunday…he was quick to point out that the last time the Riggers had a doubleheader weekend…they posted their only two wins of the year. Hmmmm, could be time to put in a word with the schedule maker….

A season that seems like it started about two minutes ago will hit the halfway mark on sunday as Calgary hosts arch-rival Coldorado, and it’s not a stretch to say that if worst comes to worst, the season could essenstially be over by Sunday night.

The key to the whole thing is the Portland game Friday night. Beat the ‘Jax in their own barn, give yourself a little separation from the 4th place team along with clinching the season series (Game three goes March 8th at the ‘Dome) and you’re in good shape for third place for the rest of the season, keeping close to a San Jose team you’ll see again in March for the rubber match in that set. Lose and the season series with Portland hangs in the balance, San Jose gets a little breathing room, and you’re only two wins ahead of the winless Rush who just hired former coach of the year Bob Hamly to right their leaky ship.

So, how to go about this? First, look to veteran Pat Campbell who’ll step in and start ahead of Ryan Avery Friday. Avery has been shaky in his two starts since Steve Dietrich went down with a concussion, shaky to the point where he’s finished both games on the bench. Confidence in goal will go a long way towards allowing the defense to play with a little more confidence as they continue to adapt to a number of new bodies and a new system. The Roughnecks cannot afford to fall behind early for a third straight game where they’re forced to try and play their way out of a deep hole.

Take the disaster against Buffalo out of the equation and look at the Rochester game and you see an offense with upside. GM Kurt Silcott says the team showed some poise in getting back into the battle with the Knighthawks last weekend, but throw in a major penalty and the comeback dies on the operating table. There’s just no margin now for leaving the team’s fortunes up to a heroic comeback.

Ryan Avery remains the team’s goaltender of the future. The difference between the ‘Aves’ of the player of the week performance against Portland and the ‘Aves’ of the last two weeks probably boils down to confidence. Silcott thinks the pressure was off in game one because of the prescence of Steve Dietrich on the bench. Take the veteran out of the mix, and the pressure ratchets up exponentially on a guy who’s still a 25 year old with a handful of starts in a league in which the elite goaltenders are all guys in their middle to late 30’s.

Get through Friday, and you only have to contend with powerhouse Coldorado. The Mammoth finally fell out of the unbeaten ranks last weekend, but they’re still the class of the West, with a win over Calgary already in the books. One thing the Roughnecks can take from week one is how well they played in the first half before giving that one away with a parade to the bin in the second half.

There’s also the big X factor of the possible return of Tracey Kelusky. The captain will not go to Portland, but is confident he’ll be able to give it a shot Sunday. As of Thursday, he was feeling good, hadn’t had any headaches for a few days, and even handled the bright sunlight when I dragged him out of the din of Spolumbo’s for an interview. He did go to the sunglasses, but hey, I had the sun behind me and concussion or not, that’s gonna be a little bright. Having Kelusky back on the bench re-introduces the kind of leadership you can’t replace.

All in all, there’s reason to be optimistic about this weekend, A sweep would be great, but at this moment, not essential. Portland’s beatable, and if Kelusky’s back against the Mammoth who knows? The question is, will I have the stamina Sunday for a full day of wandering around World of Wheels followed by a 3 PM matchup at the ‘Dome…better start preparing now.

Not the Roughnecks’, but, rather, my drain. Have to confess I missed Saturday’s 15-12 loss to Rochester. Planned to fire up the old laptop for an evening of B2 broadcasting, but instead spent the day dealing with a plumbing emergency at Rowe world headquarters. A mop…a plumber….a rug doctor….you know the drill…let’s just say we’re real glad it was the washing machine drain and not….well…you know. How was your Saturday? Here’s some thoughts based on game stories, scoresheets and ‘net highlights. Don’t want to be pretending to have the whole story on this one.

-Another bad start. Down 5-1 before the first quarter is 12 minutes old. And once again, it’s the other team’s big gun running the attack, this time John Grant Jr. Grant had the hat trick in the bag before the 10 minute mark.

-Another tough night for Ryan Avery. I don’t have the shot breakdown by quarter, but suffice it to say he was gone 10 minutes into the second quarter with the score 7-3 and the team needing a spark. Again, without seeing the whole game, I can’t know whether it was all Avery or if the defenders decided to play the same passive game that got them killed by Buffalo.

The fact of the matter is, Avery has to be the guy to lead this team until Steve Dietrich is healthy and ready to go. I’ve seen Avery at his best, and I think he can be an elite goalie in this league, IF he can get a little more consistent.

- The offense was able to turn in some good numbers, but again, not until the second half. The Riggers outshot the Knighthawks by ten, went 4 for 7 on the power play, won the face off battle, and did a better job getting after loose balls. But until the defense and goaltending find their game, the offense needs to take it to the opposition early and force them to play from behind.

Off to Portland for what now becomes the dreaded must win game.

In a short 16 game season, it gets easier and easier to use the tired tag ‘must win game’ as the losses pile up. For the calgary Roughnecks, a sputtering start to the season makes two weeks’ worth of road games that much more important.

The team took a collective punch in the mouth in last week’s 17-9 humiliation at the hands of the Buffalo Bandits and John Tavares, and this weekend’s storyline has a lot of similarities to last week in how it sets up:

1. An eastern opponent seldom seen. (1 meeting all-time)
2. Former (in this case defending) league champ off to a slow start.
3. An opponent armed with one of the league’s biggest guns (John Grant Jr.)

The Knighthawks have sputtered out of the gate at 2-3, but unlike the Roughnecks they’re coming off a stunning win. Last week Rochester went into the final quarter trailing Toronto 4-2 and proceeded to rattle off 9 straight goals for an 11-4 victory.

The Roughnecks started badly and never recovered in the Buffalo game, never leading or for that matter even threatening. To change that, they need to be better at both ends, but especially in front of Ryan Avery.

In a surprise start that followed news that Steve Dietrich was down with a concussion, Avery was shaky early allowing 2 goals on 4 shots, but after that, GM Kurt Silcott says it was the defense, more than the goaltending that was at fault. John Tavares was allowed to run the attack unchallenged. Mark Steenhuis beat defenders 1 on 1 all night. Pat McCready walked in on two unmolested breakaways as a result of special teams turnovers.

The defense will have to change because the goalie isn’t. Avery will be number one with Dietrich going on injured reserve. veteran Pat Campbell was signed as a backup this week, but the job is Avery’s until chugger gets healthy. Silcott says the D has to get back to being aggressive and challenging the ball carrier.

Offensively, there was reason for optimism last week despite the single digit goal output. The Riggers did generate 56 shots, and were very aggressive off the transition game, I’d just like to see more of a sustained attack, and better loosse ball pursuit to keep the ball in the opposition’s end a little longer.

Once again, Tracey Kelusky will sit this one out as he continues to make slow but steady progress in recovering from his concussion. Indications are defender Kyle Couling will draw into the lineup for the first time this season.

With 1-5 Portland on the horizon next week, a split on the 2 game roadie is easily doable. But pulling off a win tomorrow would put the Roughnecks in position to get 2008 right back on track.

Fan balloting for the all-star game is up and running…and you can do your part to make sure there’s plenty of Calgary Roughnecks to introduce to the crowd at Rexall Place on march 16th.

Head to the league’s website at www.nll.com between now and midnight on the 24th, Roughnecks on the ballot are Kaleb Toth, Lewis Ratcliff, and Scott Ranger up front, Jeff Shattler for transition, Andrew McBride on D and Steve Dietrich in goal. Not sure if the league will release updates a la the NHL…but I’ll check it out.