Help could be on the way for a Washington Stealth team still trying to find its way through the first half of the National Lacrosse League season.
Goaltender Tyler Richards, who platooned with fellow goalie Matt Roik during the 2010 season and was in net for Washington during the NLL Champion
’s Cup final, was medically cleared to play earlier this week after missing the season’s first three games due to an injury sustained in the final weekend of training camp.
“Tyler (Richards) has been cleared to go this weekend,” Stealth head coach Chris Hall said. “Most people figured out that he hasn’t been able to go … he wasn’t ready yet so that’s been a little difficult for us and pretty difficult on Matt Roik … you need to get (Roik) out maybe for a minute to refocus and we haven’t had that opportunity. It’s great news for us that Tyler is finally cleared to play.”
It won’t be clear until game-time on Saturday just how much time Richards will see in goal against the Calgary Roughnecks at the Scotiabank Saddledome, but the opportunity to have a backup in case the starter is facing trouble — as Roik did in last week’s 16-8 home loss to Minnesota — allows the Stealth to get back a part of what made them successful last season.
Last time out against Calgary, the Stealth (1-2 overall) committed 36 turnovers and surrendered the eventual game-winning goal to Roughnecks (2-1) forward Scott Ranger with 1:35 remaining in the contest. Calgary added an empty-netter for a 13-11 win to spoil Washington’s home opener at Comcast Arena.
“We, obviously, are wary of a very good team coming in to play us on Saturday,” Calgary head coach Dave Pym said of the Stealth. “That switch could get turned at any moment and that’s a very dynamic offensive team with a big, strong, athletic defense. When they get all of their cylinders firing they’re going to be a dangerous team in this league. We were fortunate to catch them on the first weekend, but we’re going to have to play a heck-of-a-lot better if we want to catch them again.”
Stealth forwards Lewis Ratcliff and Rhys Duch are the 1-2 punch again for the offense, but the depth that made Washington such a dangerous team in 2010 has yet to be evident this season as the Stealth search for a suitable replacement to injured forward Jeff Zywicki.
The injury notwithstanding, Washington has displayed uncharacteristically sloppy play on both sides of the ball ranking second in the league in turnovers per game (35.3) and first in penalty minutes (63).
Washington’s defense, one of the league’s best in 2010, has struggled through three games — reaching a low point last Saturday against Minnesota by allowing 16 goals (seven to Swarm forward Ryan Benesch).
One bright spot has been the play of transition man Paul Rabil who leads the league with 42 loose balls.
“I think our intensity levels have not been where they need to be,” Hall said. “I look at tape and generally throughout the game just watching, our sense of urgency hasn’t been there from shift to shift. We seem to be playing in that zone where you think you can turn it on every once in a while when you need to then the rest of the time cruise through. Well, in this league you can’t cruise at any time in any game.”
Notes
The National Lacrosse League announced a new television deal on Thursday with cable network Versus. The network will air the 2011 All-Star game live from the Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona, N.Y., and will air nine regular season and playoff contests following the All-Star game. The complete broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.
For more on the NLL and the Stealth, read Mark Nelson’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/stealthblog or follow him on Twitter at @nelsonm1.
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