The Toronto Rock host the Vancouver Stealth Friday night at the Air Canada Centre in an east meets west showdown between the Canadian franchises.
Toronto Rock:
Coming in, the Rock have just one win in three games, while the Stealth look to improve to 3-3. Toronto boasts a talent laden offense being led by future hall of famers Josh Sanderson and Colin Doyle. Slick sniper Garrett Billings and up and coming superstar Stephen Leblanc have carried the load offensively so far though. Leblanc leads the team with 10 goals, Billings has a team high 16 assists and 18 points. The Rock will need some secondary production in scoring goals as long as Billings continues to struggle to shoot the ball. He has just two goals so far this season. Not more needs to be said about Sanderson other than the next goal he scores will his 400th career marker. Colin Doyle had 84 points last season and is due for a break out game. The offense could really use a spark after the last less then impressive outing vs the Knighthawks January 18.
Defensively, Toronto has been hampered with injuries early on. Starter Chris White is out and so is veteran leader Patrick Merrill. The unit gets Bill Greer back, however. He is back playing since an injury suffered in the season opener vs Calgary. Goaltender Nick Rose has a 11.00 GAA and faces possibly the most dynamic duo in the league vs the Stealth’s Rhys Duch and Lewis Ratcliff.
Vancouver Stealth:
Coming off a hard home loss in a game that quite frankly they should have won, the Stealth aim for victory in Toronto. At times the shooters for Vancouver have looked great with sharp crisp passing and dynamic ball movement. Other not so memorable moments they have not. With the big two Rhys Duch and Lewis Ratcliff leading the charge, the offense needs more from Cliff Smith, Tyler Digby and Cody Bremner. The Rock defense will be hungry and well rested and one would think that Duch and Ratcliff will be the main focus.
The lack of transition has hurt Vancouver, especially scoring goals. Mental errors on the defensive side have led to breakdowns and allowing open crease looks. Letting teams hang around and creep back into games has accounted for two losses thus far. Having said that, Vancouver is a veteran defense that plays tight most nights and has the potential to shut down the Rock’s big guns. Tyler Richards is second in the league in saves and consistently makes opposing shooters frustrated with cat-like reflexes. He will have to be especially sharp if the defense is unable to contain the Rock’s playmakers or recover loose balls.
These teams both need wins and are coming off rather tough losses. This game figures to have some intensity with Toronto eager to right the ship and Vancouver to show some killer instinct if they get up big. Both squads have been consistently outworked on loose balls at times so it may come down to who wants it more. Less than memorable starts to the season and suddenly both teams find themselves looking up in their respective divisions. They sit in the lower half of the league standings and have their work cut out for them. But it’s still early.
