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HAMILTON — With the National Lacrosse League playoffs a month away and a championship contender on the other side of the floor, the Toronto Rock had a good opportunity to see if they have their game playoff-ready.
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The ingredients of such a team are the ability to win the tough loose balls, create turnovers and capitalize on transition opportunities, win faceoffs, and get saves from the goaltender that don’t just involve the ball landing on the jersey logo. It also doesn’t hurt to have an offensive player step up when the usual scorers have an off-night.
The Rock has such a game on Saturday, a statement-making 14-7 win over the San Diego Seals before 8,549 fans at FirstOntario Centre. It completed a satisfying weekend following up on a 13-9 win over the Georgia Swarm on Friday.
“We’re going good right now, and this is what you want with three games to go,” Rock head coach Matt Sawyer said. “In the playoffs, it’s not like you have a seven-game series. You have to have your game clicking and firing at the right time because it’s one-night, winner-take-all.”
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The Rock were helped by a six-goal performance by Dan Craig. The Shelburne, Ont., native scored four of them in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Craig now has 27 on the season.
“We found a good groove in the second half,” Craig said. “We were taking good shots in the first half but weren’t finding the net. In the second half, they were going in.”
Goaltender Nick Rose made 35 saves which was fewer than his San Diego counterpart Frank Scigliano, who made 43 before being pulled in the fourth quarter. But it was the quality of Rose’s saves, including two very key ones in the second-quarter while the Rock was killing a two-man disadvantage, that made the difference.
Toronto also got production from Aaron Forster, who had two on Saturday and three total on the weekend playing in place of Dan Dawson and Rob Hellyer, who were out with illnesses. Zach Manns and Tom Schreiber also scored from the front door. The Rock also got two transition goals from Latrell Harris and one from Mitch de Snoo.
The Seals (9-4) who are still poised to finish first in the West Division, got a hat trick from Casey Jackson and two goals from Wesley Berg. Austin Staats and Zach Greer added singles.
The Rock (10-5) head to Rochester to face the Knighthawks next Saturday.