Clinching a spot in the playoffs was just one piece of the puzzle for the Washington Stealth, so don’t look for the team to suffer any sort of celebratory hangover during tonight’s game in Edmonton.
“It’s nice to know we will be in the playoffs,” Stealth head coach Chris Hall said, “but I don’t see any euphoria from the accomplishment because I think it was an expectation and we have bigger things in mind.”
The West Division-leading Stealth, who own the National Lacrosse League’s best record at 9-3, wrapped up a playoff spot Saturday with a 12-9 win over Colorado.
The next step, Hall said, is to secure a home date for the first round of the playoffs, which begin later this month. The Stealth can accomplish that task this weekend if three things happen:
1) They beat Edmonton tonight.
2) Edmonton beats Minnesota on Saturday
3) Calgary loses both its weekend games (tonight vs. Toronto, Saturday vs. Rochester).
The Stealth’s offense, a strong point most of the season, is again playing at a high level. Nine-year veteran forward Lewis Ratcliff, recently named the NLL’s Player of the Week, is on fire with 11 goals in his past two games. Ratcliff leads the league with 32 goals and shot the ball at a 37-percent clip (11 goals on 30 shots) in two wins last weekend. Stealth teammate Jeff Zywicki ranks second in the league with 28 goals.
Edmonton coach Derek Keenan said the Stealth’s versatility on offense is a concern.
“We have to be more consistent with how we play in our own end,” he said. “I think Washington has a much better perimeter presence (than Minnesota, a 16-14 loser to the Rush last week) and that creates more problems.”
The Stealth, though, are more than just a bunch of sharpshooters, Keenan said.
“You need ball pressure,” he said, “but at the same time, you can’t be chasing out by the boards because they can get inside on you.”
Edmonton, formerly a league doormat, has experienced a rebirth under Keenan. The Rush (7-4) are in second place in the West Division and have won four of their past five games.
“I think we knew from the beginning of the season that Edmonton had the best team and best staff they’ve had there,” Hall said of the Rush, who are seeking their first playoff berth in five years as a team. “I think it’s great for Edmonton after a number of years of struggling with their team that Derek has brought a winning team to the city.”
Veteran forward Ryan Ward leads the Rush (7-4) with 21 goals and 29 assists.
On defense, Stealth goaltender Matt Roik is undefeated in net this season at 5-0. He ranks seventh in the league with a 10.49 goals against average. Fellow goalie Tyler Richards (4-3) has an 11.54 goals against average.
Although last week’s victories over Colorado saw the return of defenders Matt Beers (suspension), Mike Grimes (suspension) and Kyle Sorensen (injury), Hall said the Stealth defense still needs to learn how to play a full 60 minutes and avoid costly lapses in concentration.
The coach pinpointed a bad clearance in Friday’s 15-14 win in Denver that led to an illegal-substitution call against the Stealth and a goal for Colorado on a penalty shot.
“It’s great to have everybody back and everybody healthy, and we’ve got some pretty good players to choose from,” Hall said. “But when it comes to on-the-floor- performance, we tend to lose a little bit of concentration and focus at times that becomes costly for us.”
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