Saturday Night’s game between the visiting Minnesota Swarm (3-5) and the Vancouver Stealth (4-4) saw two teams trying to stay at .500 in the first half of the season. Vancouver’s key to success would be silencing rookie sensation Miles Thompson, for the Swarm keeping Vancouver’s potent offense at bay, and shaking the confidence of Tyler Richards early.
The first quarter saw Vancouver jump out to an early lead off a huge 7-goal start. Joel McCready got things going for the Stealth 1:04 into the game. Cliff Smith and Tyler Digby followed up to make things 3-0 real quick for the Stealth. Kiel Matisz and Shane MacDonald scored a goal each for the Swarm to close the gap to 1. McCready and Smith would both score their second on the night and quarter to give the Stealth another 3-point lead. Corey Small would make it a 4-goal lead, but that would be short lived, as Shayne Jackson would score for the Swarm less than 30 ticks later. Small would answer right back to score his second as well, to close the first quarter with the 4 goal Stealth lead.
Minnesota would get on the board first; Shane MacDonald’s second on the night would as the Swarm were trying to battle back from a lousy start. However the second quarter would be no different for the Stealth, as they would go on to rattle off 5 more goals in the first half. Conrad Chapman and Tyler Digby would put the first 2 Stealth goals on the board. Miles Thompson would put his only goal of the night up as the Stealth defense kept him at bay. Digby and Small would go on to record their hat trick on the night, as Rhys Duch would also get on the board to put the Stealth up 12-5. Jordan McIntosh would score the half’s final goal closing the gap to 6, and giving some life to a deflated Swarm bench.
The third quarter showed some life from the Swarm bench offensively; too bad the same could not be said for their defense, as the two teams seemed to be trading goals. The Stealth narrowly winning the quarter 6-5 and building their lead. Vancouver goals coming from Duch, Small, Smith, Digby, McCready, and Gajic. Scoring for the Swarm was McIntosh, Suitor with 2 goals, Schuss, and Jackson. Going into the final frame with the Stealth holding an 18-11 lead.
The Swarm would need a miracle in the fourth, pulling out all the stops on the road to come away with the victory. MacDonald, 2 goals from Schuss, and another from ex Stealth player Dean Hill was just not enough as the Swarm stole the 4th quarter from the Stealth. McCready and Digby would add one more each to their stats on the night, as would goaltender Tyler Richards with his first career goal to keep the Stealth in the drivers seat on the way to their 4th win of the season.
Tyler Digby had a huge night with 5G 3A, proving to be a huge addition along side Rhys Duch in just his 2nd year of play. Corey Small 4G 5A, and Joel McCready 4G 4A showed fans once again how much of an addition they bring to the chemistry, ball speed, and scoring for the Stealth. One of the best additions to a roster in the NLL this season. GM Doug Locker, and the coaching staff really addressing some of the offensive weaknesses from the 2014 season.
Both teams will have a week off before facing their next opponents in week 11. The Stealth will go on the road to face the Edmonton Rush as the Swarm travel to Colorado to face the Mammoth.
