The Calgary Roughnecks beat the Minnesota Swarm 19-15 on Friday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The win was just Calgary’s second in five home games in 2013 and moves the Roughnecks into sole position of second place in the NLL West Division at 6-5 overall.
The Swarm slide to 3-7 on the season, but maintain their hold on the final playoff spot as a result of a Colorado Mammoth loss on Friday night as well.
The game remained close through the first quarter with both teams holding leads and the frame ending in a 3-3 tie but Calgary jumped ahead for good in the second when they opened the quarter by scoring five unanswered goals in six-and-a-half minutes.
The gap would never be fewer than three goals the rest of the way.
Dane Dobbie had an outstanding night for the Roughnecks, scoring a sock-trick while adding four assists as well for 10 total points. Shawn Evans maintained his league lead in points by adding a goal and seven assists on the night.
Callum Crawford matched Dobbie point-for-point, earning 10 points as well (3+7) while Ryan Benesch added seven points of his own (4+3).
In a game where the teams produced almost identical numbers in most statistical categories, the story of the night was between the pipes. While Calgary’s Mike Poulin turned aside 40 shots en route to the win, the Swarm’s Evan Kirk and Tyler Carlson combined for just 33 saves and a poor .635 save percentage.
The Roughnecks now get a week off to rest up prior to hosting the Colorado Mammoth on March 23 while the Swarm are back at home next weekend against the Washington Stealth who remain in first place in the West.
