The San Diego Seals headed to Calgary to let the Roughnecks and the rest of the NLL know they were there to make a statement. Now that Calgary fell to this Seals team 16-12, San Diego has rather quietly won five out of their last six games. You can’t argue with the statements that the San Diego Seals are handing out to opposing teams. This was a back-and-forth game until the fourth quarter where San Diego would run away with this game scoring 4 unanswered goals. Even more impressive was that the Seals came into the game with a fourth quarter goal differential of -17, while the Roughnecks boasted a league-best +31 goal differential.
The Seals will get ready for their next stop as they face the Rochester Knighthawks on the road in Week 18. That matchup will not be a day at the beach, with the Knighthawks on a four-game winning streak. The only thing that could hurt Rochester is that they are coming off a bye week and that could slow down their momentum. Head coach Mike Hasen will be doing his homework, having film study, and making the necessary adjustments to be well prepared for what’s coming their way and with both teams fighting for a potential first-round home playoff game, this matchup is going to be must-watch TV.
Seals Keep Opposing Defense Guessing
This Seals offense hurt opposing defenses in multiple ways in this game. San Diego does great in the half-field set, being very creative on offense and getting the ball to the open guy. Whether that was to find guys shooting from a distance or guys making their cuts to the net. Rob Hellyer, using his great vision, recorded eight assists on the night. The same goes for Ben McIntosh, as he put in seven assists plus a hat trick.
Wesley Berg got 5 goals but as good as he was scoring goals for the Seals, the play that stood out to me was the back pass he made to Tre Leclaire for a behind the back goal. This Seals team is clicking on all cylinders, and with the return of 4-time Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Rubisch and faceoff wizard Trevor Baptiste, the Seals move back onto the short list of NLL Cup contenders.
Roughnecks Have Nothing To Be Ashamed About With This Loss
The Calgary Roughnecks have nothing to be ashamed about dealing with this loss. For three quarters they went toe-to-toe with this San Diego Seals team. Calgary kept the Seals defense off-balance by scoring in their offensive zone or scoring in transition. Tanner Cook was cooking with 4 goals and Curtis Dickson had 3 assists. The Roughnecks brought their A-game; however, going on a bye next week will allow them to get back to the drawing board and work on things. They have a tough task ahead in two weeks as the Roughnecks hit the road to face the second-place Saskatchewan Rush.