The last time the Stealth made a trip to Boston it marked the beginning of a three-game losing skid and the end of then-head coach Jeff Dowling’s half-season stint at the helm of the National Lacrosse League franchise.
Last year’s trip, which began with a Feb. 28 game at Boston and included a game the next night against the New York Titans (now the Orlando Titans) ended up sending the Stealth to a 3-6 record after loses to both squads.
“That turned into a bit of a nightmare trip for us,” said Stealth head coach Chris Hall, who took over head coaching duties March 19 of last season. “We had back-to-back games with Boston and the Titans right after them and we lost them both. … it was a tough road trip for us, so clearly we’re looking for better results this time — if we can manage to play well and get ourselves back in sync.”
Boston, which beat the Stealth 16-10 last season, has the momentum in hand. The Blazers (4-4), winners of four of their last five following an 0-3 start, grabbed a thrilling come-from-behind double overtime win against Orlando last week.
Brett Queener (five goals, five assists this season) scored with 30 seconds remaining and Jamie Rooney (five goals, seven assists) completed the comeback by scoring with 1 second to go on the clock.
Sean Morris (four goals, three assists) scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime as Boston claimed a 12-11 win in the longest game in NLL history. The total amount of on-the-floor playing time was clocked at 1 hour, 16 minutes.
“That, in and of itself, was a confidence booster,” Boston coach Tom Ryan said of Queener and Rooney’s clutch goals. “I think we gained confidence in ourselves.”
Washington (6-2), battling a rash of injuries to its defensive unit, is trying to scrape together what remains of the team’s strong 6-0 start.
“A lot of guys are getting an opportunity to get lots of on-the-floor time (because of injury problems in the defense),” said Hall, who is making a homecoming of sorts with the trip to Boston. Hall played for the Boston Bolts of the original NLL in 1975. “We probably would have liked to ease into that a little better than we have been forced into it lately, but we’ve just got to get better on the defensive end and guys gotta learn quickly what we’re doing back there.
“I think that’s been our issue the last couple of games, it’s clear our defense hasn’t been playing very well and we’re working hard to improve that.”
Defender Eric Martin, who missed last week’s home loss to Calgary with a leg injury sustained in practice, is expected to play. Also fit is defender Brett Manney. Manney dislocated his elbow in the opening minutes of the season-opener and has missed every game since.
Still out are Kyle Sorensen (injured reserve) and Travis Gillespie (hand), but the Stealth caught a break when the league announced the appeal hearings for the proposed suspensions to defenders Matt Beers (one game) and Mike Grimes (two games) won’t take place until next week, meaning the two players are able to suit up against the Blazers.
Forward Rhys Duch, nursing a sprained ankle, is also expected to play.
The Stealth are likely to see a familiar face in the Boston goal. Blazers goaltender Anthony Cosmo spent four seasons with the Stealth from 2005-2008, recording a career-best .799 save percentage in his last year with the team. Cosmo, dealt after the 2008 season to now-defunct Chicago for goaltender Matt Roik and a first-round draft pick, currently ranks fourth in the league with a 9.45 goals against average.
The trade turned out to be a coup for the Stealth, giving them a veteran goaltender in Roik and back-to-back picks that turned out to be Paul Rabil and Duch, the 2009 NLL Rookie of the Year.
Cosmo has recorded more than 40 saves in a game three times this season.
“When you’re facing a team coming off a big-time win against Orlando, it’s going to be a difficult task,” Hall said.
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