In some good news, Stealth defender Mike Grimes had his two-game suspension reduced to one game after an appeal hearing with the National Lacrosse League on Tuesday.
Fellow defender Matt Beers also is suspended a game, although Beers dropped his appeal and decided to accept the suspension.
Both defenders, whose suspensions stem from a Feb. 13 bench-clearing brawl with Minnesota, will miss Saturday’s game at Calgary.
Saturday’s game is about as “must-win” as it can get at this point in the season for Washington (6-3). The Roughnecks (5-3) are surging, just one half-game behind the Stealth in the standings, and Washington is mired in a three-game losing streak while trying to work around injuries and suspensions.
“We have to be sick of losing. I certainly am,” Stealth head coach Chris Hall said in a statement released by the team. “That will give us extra incentive to come out focused and with a lot of energy this weekend.”
Roster Management
There are two deadlines fast approaching for the Stealth — today’s roster deadline for Saturday’s game and a Feb. 16 trading deadline.
Aside from working around the suspensions to Beers and Grimes, Washington will need to reshuffle its roster once a few players are healthy.
According to Washington general manager Doug Locker, Kyle Sorensen will be moved from the injured reserve list to the active roster sometime next week and should be ready for games on March 26 and 27.
Defender Travis Gillespie, who broke his hand during a fight in the first game of the season, is not progressing well with his rehab and is unlikely to return this season. Gillespie also missed much of last season with a leg injury.
Another defender, Tyler Codron, received in the Colin Doyle trade, is still recovering from knee surgery and a timeline for his return is unknown.
Having Sorensen back next week means a player on the active roster needs to be moved, which could affect the way the Stealth look at making a potential trade before Tuesday’s deadline.
Locker said that because of the games this weekend, there hasn’t been much time to discuss deals with opposing teams, but the GM added that the staff likes the current group.
“We really liked our team when we were 6-0 and currently believe we have a team that can compete for an NLL Championship,” Locker said in an e-mail. “Over the last several weeks we have had several key players out of the lineup and also have had to deal with some suspensions … once healthy and back to full strength we are going to be in great shape.”
Not ruling out a possible move, Locker added that keeping the bulk of the team intact is essential.
“While we always would consider a move that would strengthen our team,” Locker said. “We want to keep the core of the group together moving forward.”
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