The Philadelphia Wings came from behind to beat the Calgary Roughnecks in a Saturday afternoon physical battle. The Wings snatched the 13-11 victory out of the hands of Calgary in the final minutes of play due to the heroic efforts of Mitch Jones and company.
Blaze Riorden got things started by crashing the crease to start the game. The fans roared to life. Brayden Mayea quickly quieted them down. Mitch Jones scored on the powerplay. Tanner Cook answered back. Haiden Dickson rounded out the scoring for the Roughnecks. The Wings had sloppy play throughout the team for the first time the season. Fans began to grow restless.
The second quarter was a game of runs for both teams after the first goal of the quarter when Cook scored his 2nd of the game. The Wings then scored 4 straight. Mitch Jones scored, followed by back to back goals from Brennan O’Neill, and Jones scored again to round it out for Philly. Tyler Pace, Jesse King, and Curtis Dickson all scored for Calgary to end the quarter.
The 3rd quarter was slow for both teams–both only scored 2 each. This the first time the Wings offense has stalled all season. Curtis scored both goals for Calgary. Jones and Resetarits scored for Philadelphia.
Mayea and Curtis both scored in the 4th for Calgary. Philadelphia’s offense flew in this quarter. Jones, Cattoni, and Resetarits scored to tie and go up on Calgary. Scott Dominey joined in with an open net goal. Curtis scored late in the game–but the Wings rough up was complete. The Wings swooped out with a victory. As Mitch Jones said, “the shots were popping at the end.” Phil commented that the intensity of the Wells Fargo Center helped with the play.
Overall, the Roughnecks were solid, physical, and came ready to play. They dominated the game. However, the smart playing of Mitch Jones allowed Philadelphia to soar to victory. Statistically, the Roughnecks dominated. However, the Wings were able to pull out the victory. And, once again there was the combination of key plays from the veterans as well as newer players. Ian Rubel commented that the game was much closer than they wanted. He wasn’t happy—but admitted that it is a fine line between defending your guys and playing physically—while trying to stay out of the box. The Wings next face Buffalo next Saturday.
