The Vancouver Stealth opened their first ever season in possibly the most hostile environment possible; in front of a rowdy Colorado crowd against their biggest rivals in the Mammoth, and over 13,000 fans rooting against the Stealth.
“It was a game of momentum swings, and unfortunately we weren’t able to swing it back our way soon enough in the end,” said Rhys Duch, who scored six points in the loss to Colorado, tied for second best in the game with rookie Tyler Digby.
“Digby is a big body with great hands that will be difficult for teams to handle,” said Duch. “I think all three new faces in our offence played very well.”
This Saturday night the Stealth will host their first game in franchise history (in Vancouver) against the Minnesota Swarm. The Swarm lost in Week 1 to the Rochester Knighthawks and this will be their second straight road game, and a challenge for the Stealth, who struggled short handed last week.
“The shortened rosters, along with very questionable ejection of Kyle Sorrensen, definitely had an impact on the game,” Duch explained. “We need to support each other and limit our mistakes when tired moving forward.
“I think the play of my teammates provided me with a lot of opportunities. Hard work and smarts by everyone provided me with opportunities, and I was lucky enough to cash in on a few.”
Against a Swarm team looking for their first win, they’ll need a big performance from Duch and the other offensive stars on Vancouver, like Lewis Ratcliff and Cliff Smith. The Swarm had a strong defense despite their loss to the Knighthawks, so the Stealth will need every point they can get.
