It was a battle of last place teams but you’d never know it from the intensity on the floor Saturday night as the Toronto Rock took down the Vancouver Stealth 13-11 at the Langley Events Centre.
The Rock move into a tie with the Georgia Swarm for fourth place in the East, two games back of the Rochester Knighthawks for the last playoff spot with five games remaining. Vancouver remains two games back of Calgary, losers on Saturday to Edmonton, in the West. The win was Toronto’s first on the road in 2016.
The game was physical from start to finish as players looked for any edge they could get to prove their dominance. It was so physical, in fact, and almost violent, that the teams were directed off the floor at the end of the game without the traditional handshakes.
Throughout the game, players were being shoved down and roughed up at all ends of the floor.
It was the Rock who seemed to take the brunt of the hits, although they checked as hard as they could hit back. With so many already injured, however, Toronto head coach John Lovell made sure his players focused more on scoring than dishing out whacks and jabs. The strategy worked as the Stealth, who took three consecutive penalties in the first and gave Toronto an extended two man advantage, got more frustrated as the game wore on.
In the first, Billy Hostrawser was checked to the ground by Keegan Bal, who was not penalized on the play which led to a Stealth goal. Hostrawser appeared to be hurt but stayed in the game.
Later, Bradley Kri was cross checked high in the chest by Jarrett Toll, who was given a major penalty.
In the second quarter, Stephan Leblanc picked up a rebound from a breakaway but was chopped on the left arm and sent to the floor by goaltender Tyler Richards, who came out of his crease to lay the stick on Leblanc.
Rhys Duch hammered Brodie Merrill to the floor at centre after Merrill caught a bouncing ball and attempted a fast break. Merrill had the wind knocked out of him, although he recovered after several seconds and caught a pass and scored on a shorthanded break.
In the fourth, Jeff Gilbert checked Joel McCready high, bloodying him, which did not draw a penalty. McCready dropped his gloves and helmet and attempted his own retaliation but Gilbert was having none of it. McCready was given two, five, and a game while Gilbert only received two minutes.
Kri was later sent into the end boards head first which drew a visit from the trainer.
With 16 seconds left, Moleski enacted some revenge on behalf of McCready and challenged Gilbert to a fight. The two pushed and pulled and only got in about one good shot each before falling to the ground. Moleski received two, five and a game. Gilbert received five minutes for fighting.
At the buzzer, Rock backup goaltender Brandon Miller tried to “have words” with Richards, which drew a crowd. Miller was quickly escorted off the floor by the referees.
And those are only some of the most memorable moments from Saturday’s game.
Oh yeah, there was scoring too, but at times it almost seemed to take a backseat to the physical play.
Brock Sorensen had a chance to get the Rock on the board first but was stopped on the breakaway; Justin Salt caught the recovered ball at the other end and beat Nick Rose. Joel McCready put the Stealth up 2-0 at 8:23 before the Rock rattled off three power play goals in row from the usual suspects: Kasey Biernes, Rob Hellyer, and Stephan Leblanc.
Turner Evans increased the Rock lead to 4-2 but Corey Small got one back on the power play. Brodie Merrill then scored on his break for a 5-3 Toronto lead. Vancouver finished off the second quarter on a three goal run. Rhys Duch, with his 299th (on a power play) and 300th career NLL goals, sandwiched a Thomas Hoggarth marker to give the Stealth a 6-5 lead at the half.
Jesse Gamble tied the game just 39 seconds into the third after he picked up a rebound from Evans. Some back and forth action saw the Stealth regain the lead twice on goals from Hoggarth and McCready, but Hellyer and Dan Linter, with a diving quick stick, replied with Biernes then putting the Rock back on top. McCready’s hat trick goal tied the game at nine after he muscled through two defenders to beat Rose in close.
With Rose on the bench early in the fourth, Hellyer found the back of the net, his first of two in a row. Cliff Smith, and then Duch, with his 700th career point, knotted the game at 11. Rose made the save of the game at the eight minute mark, stopping Moleski point blank on a shorthanded opportunity. Josh Sanderson scored the go-ahead goal at 8:49 and Leblanc picked up the insurance marker at 10:04.
Vancouver was three for three on the power play while Toronto was five for seven. Richards made 40 saves while Rose made 32. Rhys Duch led the Stealth with three goals and four assists. Rob Hellyer led the Rock with four goals and five assists.
Things are going from bad to worse for the Rock on the injury front. Rookie defenseman Luc Magnan blocked a shot with his head early in the game. The shot dented his cage and Magnan did not return. Mark Farthing, signed this week and playing in his first NLL game, went down late in the game and had to be helped off the floor by training staff. Prior to the game, the Rock moved Sandy Chapman to the IR and Colin Doyle to the PUP, although both are expected back quickly. Rob Marshall also missed the game with some bumps and bruises.
