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by Megan Robinson | NLL.com
The Toronto Rock (4-1) played host to the Philadelphia Wings (1-4)
to begin their first home-and-away weekend with a win on Friday at
the Air Canada Centre. The Rock offense pushed past the Wings for a
19-11 win in front of 10,256 lacrosse fans.
Toronto Rock head coach Troy Cordingley commented after the game
on what made the team successful in their play against
Philadelphia.
"We played with a little bit more determination to succeed," said
Cordingley of his team who have scored a total of 69 goals in five
games. "Overall, we're pleased".
The Wings drew blood first opening the scoring with two goals just
over a minute out of the gate but minutes later, the Rock fired
back with a goal at 3:06 from rookie forward, Stephen Leblanc, his
first of three goals in the win.
It was a big night on the whole for the Toronto offense, who
scored 11 of 19 goals in the first half of the game. The Rock
outshot the Wings 36-16 in the first half and went on to lead in
shots with 58 versus the Wings' 44.
Rock Captain Colin Doyle, added a total of seven points to the
win, with three goals and four assists. Doyle is working towards
1,000 regular season career points in the NLL.
"It's pretty incredible," said Cordingley after the win Friday.
"He's one of the best who have ever played this game in the league
and that's why he's at 998 points and two away from one
thousand".
Doyle will be only the third player in NLL history to reach this
milestone, behind league Veterans John Tavares and Gary Gait.
Veteran lacrosse player Kim Squire made his 2010 return to the NLL
Friday and made his presence known. Squire, a forward from Six
Nations, Ontario, last played in the NLL in 2006 with the Bandits
and signed as a free agent with the Toronto Rock for the 2010
Season.
"I never thought I'd be back in Toronto," said Squire, who won
four championships with the Toronto Rock along with Rock Captain,
Colin Doyle. "This is the last place I thought I'd have a chance at
but I thank Colin for that and he trusts me to step up."
Squire recorded two goals and one assist Friday. Kasey Beirnes
lead the Rock scoring with four goals and two assists against Wings
netminder, Rob Blasdell. Additionally, Rock forwards Blaine
Manning, Garrett Billings, and Stephen Leblanc added three goals
each to the Rock's success.
On the defensive end, Toronto Rock veteran goaltender Bob Watson
and current NLL Player of the Month had a rough start to the game
but found strength quickly, late in the first quarter. Watson
denied 33 shots on goal from the Wings offense in the entirety of
the game and scored his first assist of the season.
Wings forward Kyle Sweeney and defenseman Dan Teat lead the
scoring for Philadelphia with two goals a piece in the loss.
In addition, rookie forward Max Siebald, last years Tewaarton
Trophy winner, made his NLL debut for the Wings tonight. He
recorded three loose balls in his time on the floor.
The Rock, who have defied all expectations by starting their
rebuilding season 4-1, look to continue the season improving every
week. Coach Cordingley works weekly on improving skill and winning
small, but crucial victories as a team.
"We have a lot of confidence in our guys," said Cordingley of his
roster. "We're early [in the season] but we're happy where we're at
right now."
With no time to rest between games this weekend, the Toronto Rock
look to test their forward momentum as they travel to Buffalo to
take on the Bandits Saturday at HSBC Arena. Game time is 7:30pm
Eastern and fans can watch the game live on NLL.com.
The Wings return to action on Saturday, February 13 when they host
the Buffalo Bandits. The Wings' home game with Orlando that was
scheduled for February 6 was postponed because of the snowstorm
that is hitting the Philadelphia area this weekend.