After a slow start on Saturday night the Washington Stealth eventually came alive and went on to defeat the Edmonton Rush 12-11. At one point the Stealth were down 7-2 but were able to regain the composure as they outscored the Rush 10-4 in the second half.
Washington was led by Rhys Duch who had 4 goals and 2 assists while Brett Bucktooth added a goal and 4 assists. Tyler Garrison and Athan Iannucci each had a pair of goals while singles went to Jeff Moleski, Mike Grimes and Ratcliff. Iannucci and Grimes added one assist apiece while Ratcliff had three helpers in the victory.
Corey Small had 6 points (3g 3a) in the losing effort while Rookie of the Year candidate Mark Matthews had a solid game with 2 goals and 2 asssists.
Tyler Richards had a great game for the Stealth. He was peppered with shots right from the get go and was hung out to dry by his teammates in the first half. Without him the first half deficit would have been a lot worse then 7-2. T-Rich made 41 saves and played in a huge factor in his team’s comeback.
Washington will travel to Calgary next weekend to take on the Roughnecks who were the West Division Champions this year. Calgary knocked off the Colorado Mammoth in convincing fashion with a 15-10 win at home on Saturday.
If the regular season was a foreshadow of this matchup than the odds are in favor of the Stealth; they were 2-1 against the Roughneck this season with both wins taking place at the Saddledome in Calgary. Washington is loaded with superstar veterans while Calgary is stacked with young and hungry talent; this game will be a battle.
