Toronto Gets A Big Win
Hamilton, ON – The Toronto Rock (5-3) took down the Oshawa FireWolves (2-8) by a score of 12-10 on Saturday night at TD Coliseum in Hamilton. The Rock almost let a big lead slip away in the fourth quarter but held on for a two-goal win as they prepare to head westward.
“It’s not how we drew it up,” said Rock Head Coach Matt Sawyer. “So many times, when you go through a game like that and let it almost away, it’s tough to hold on to it. Credit to our group for finding a way to get it done, when the fourth quarter didn’t go our way. Robert Hudson and Troy Holowchuk at 11-10 were just outstanding. A lot of good stuff here tonight, we’ll focus on the result and the win and figure out how to finish games better.”
The Rock set the tone early by getting on the scoreboard and with the help of some incredible defence and great goaltending, prevented the FireWolves from punching back. Toronto held Oshawa without a goal for over 20 minutes to start the contest and in that time, the Rock had scored three times to lead 3-0.
For the bulk of the game, the Rock were always there to counterpunch and respond to any Oshawa goals. It was that offensive fight shown by the home side that had the Rock up 7-3 at halftime.
Their four-goal lead after 30 minutes, ballooned to a five-goal lead after three quarters with the Rock leading 10-5 and Holowchuk was “spittin’ nickels” as they used to say, stopping nearly everything tossed his way.
Rock super rookie Owen Hiltz scored just 48 seconds into the fourth quarter to give Toronto an 11-5 lead. What seemed to be enough breathing room, almost wasn’t. With Oshawa down by five, the Rock took a couple of penalties and in short order Oshawa scored on both power plays to breath some life into their game when it seemed like Hiltz may have delivered the knockout blow. Two more goals by the visitors made things very interesting with just over four minutes to play and the Rock now clinging to an 11-10 lead.
In the end, it was Rock Captain Challen Rogers with his third goal of the night into an empty net to claim victory as the Rock won the war and their second straight at home.
“That’s the NLL, it’s a game of runs, I think for the majority of the game we did a good job of controlling their runs,” said Rogers. “You see a lot of guys soaking shots in the last couple of minutes, game saving plays, and it’s great to see.”
Bill Hostrawser and Mark Matthews both played in their 200th NLL game. Boushy had six points (2G + 4A) which was more than enough to send him past the 300 point plateau in his NLL career.
After a perfect 4-for-4 on the power play a week ago, the Rock had just one chance with the man advantage and failed to score. Oshawa was 2-for-3 on the power play. Shots on goal were even at 51-51 as Holowchuk made 41 saves while Oshawa goalie Doug Jamieson stopped 39.
The Rock will face their toughest tests of the season over the next two weekends with a home-and-home against the red-hot Colorado Mammoth that begins on the road at the Loud House next Saturday night. The Rock will host their half of the double-dip on Friday, February 20 on Great White North Night at TD Coliseum in Hamilton at 7:30pm. It’s also Latrell Harris bobblehead night and the first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive one of the unique collectibles.
For more information on Toronto Rock tickets, please contact a Toronto Rock account executive by phone at 905-426-4744, by email at tickets@torontorock.com or visit torontorock.com.
