Minnesota Swarm the Toronto Rock in overtime

Beyond my fanatical love of sports, one of the reasons why I've started this blog is to refine my sports-writing style. To that end, the following is a game report I wrote after attending a Toronto Rock lacrosse game this past Friday. Please feel free to give me constructive criticism.



Minnesota Swarm the Toronto Rock in overtime
By: John Chidley-Hill
January 11th 2008

It was only fitting that Ryan Cousins, captain of the Minnesota Swarm, scored the winning goal in the confines of the Toronto Rock’s Air Canada Centre tonight, since he grew up playing for the Toronto Beaches Lacrosse Club. Cousins potted the goal just a minute and twenty-seven seconds into overtime, giving the Swarm a 17-16 victory.

The goal was the Swarm’s third consecutive unanswered goal in just under five minutes as the Minneapolis based team rallied to tie, and then beat, the hometown Toronto Rock. It was Cousins first goal of the game and of the season.

National Lacrosse League Offensive Player of the Week Blaine Manning led the Rock in points with two goals and six assists. Toronto’s Josh Sanderson scored an impressive six goals including two back-to-back goals just twenty-seven seconds apart in the fourth quarter.

The Swarm had a more well-rounded attack, with Craig Point leading the Minnesota squad with two goals and six helpers. Player of the Game Ryan Ward found the back of the net five times and dished out two assists, while Andy Secore scored two goals and had four assists.

The game was a wild affair, with thirty-four penalties being whistled down, including three fights. Game misconducts were assessed to Minnesota’s Sean Pollock in the first quarter, Ryan Sharp in the second quarter, and Travis Hill and Toronto’s Cam Woods in the fourth quarter. Hill and Woods were also assessed second game misconducts for their tilt.

The first seven minutes of the game saw two penalties assessed to both teams, but the stellar play of the Swarm’s goalie Nick Patterson and the Rock’s goalie Bob Watson kept the game scoreless until Toronto’s Aaron Wilson scored an even-strength goal near the eight minute mark of the quarter. Both Patterson and Watson put on strong performances, each facing fifty-seven shots.

The match was the Toronto Rock’s home opener, and their second of the season, having won a week ago in Chicago. The game was also the first in a home-and-home series between the eastern conference rivals, with the second game being played tomorrow night in Minnesota’s Xcel Energy Center at 8 PM. The attendance for the game was 13,317 strong