Stealth a secret no more, open season with a big win
LANGLEY — As far as first dates go, it was love at first sight.
And we’re talking about the talented team, not the easy-on-the- eyes dance crew affectionately known as the Bombshells, albeit some of the guys with binoculars, cameras and healthy imaginations may beg to differ.
The Stealth, playing their first National Lacrosse League regularseason game at the 5,276seat Langley Events Centre with Vancouver sewn on the jerseys, won many a heart after defeating the Minnesota Swarm 8- 5 in front of a near capacity crowd on Saturday.
“How good was that?” beamed Tyler Richards of the Stealth, whose ear- to- ear grin answered the question for the throng of reporters surrounding the ecstatic Port Coquitlam goalie following his 45- save, first- star performance.
It only could have been better for the home squad had T- Rich scored in the dying seconds when his end- to- end lob shot directed at the empty Swarm net just missed the mark. Other than that, the return of pro lacrosse to the Lower Mainland lived up to all the hype once players shook some early jitters.
Team owner Denise Watkins, who earlier this summer asked fans “to be as passionate about this team as I am” when she moved the franchise from Everett to Langley after five seasons in Washington, can rest a bit easier after the dynamic debut. In fact, she earned the first standing ovation of the night when introduced to the crowd.
On a night of other memorable firsts, fans saw Victoria’s Rhys Duch score the first Stealth goal at 5: 42 of the first quarter. They stood and screamed as Coquitlam’s Justin Salt got peppered by Swarm rookie Logan Schuss in a spirited, rock’em, sock’em slugfest that was part MMA, part barroom brawl.
They watched a drum team, pep squad, furry fox mascot, D. J. and game announcer Mikey C crank up the fun and volume, while some goggled over the Bombshells, a collection of cheering cuties who kept it classy, to quote movie anchorman Ron Burgundy.
And more importantly, it was the first win of the two- week- old NLL season for the Stealth who dropped a 13- 12 decision on Jan. 4 in Denver against the Colorado Mammoth. The Swarm slipped to 0- 2 with the loss.
Stealth coach Chris Hall appeared relieved after the adrenalin- fuelled victory.
“Opening night jitters were unavoidable. There was a lot of pressure on us to play well in front of a full house. I thought our guys handled it really well, especially after we got going a bit,” said Hall.
“I thought we were squeezing the sticks a bit in the beginning, but getting the early lead and great defence and goaltending helped us settle down. … But I didn’t feel fully relaxed tonight until we took a fourgoal lead.”
Duch, who had 45 goals and 96 points last year, scored twice for the Stealth on Saturday, while singles were chipped in by Mike Grimes, Jeff Moleski, Lewis Ratcliff, Tyler Digby, Cliff Smith and Cody Bremner.
Kiel Matisz led the Saint Paulbased Swarm with two goals, while Scott Jones, Josh Gillam and Callum Crawford netted singles.
Vancouver held quarter leads of 3- 1, 4- 2 and 6- 4, but were outshot 50- 33.
Swarm coach Joe Sullivan actually thought his squad played well enough to win, especially on a night when family and friends provided extra motivation for the B. C. players on the pumped- up Stealth.
“We limited their opportunities, we kept their shot selections to undesirable places that we thought played to our strengths,” Sullivan explained. “Overall defensively I was real happy with our play.”
Asked if the Stealth can succeed in B. C.’ s Lower Mainland when the Vancouver Ravens could not despite aggressively pushing the sport and NLL for three seasons before folding 10 years ago, Duch believed they could with some hard work.
“Vancouver likes their winners, so for starters we have to keep winning to fill the seats here,” said Duch, who since being named NLL rookie of the year in 2009 has been a highlightreel player.
“We’re staying to sign autographs down on the floor after this game. Even though it’s popular to those who know us or play the game, it’s a sport that doesn’t sell itself. We have to do that as players on and off the floor.”
Having 14 B. C. players on a team that has been in three of the past four championship games won’t hurt.
And Doug Locker, the Stealth’s president and NLL’s 2013 GM of the year award winner, said before the game: “We will do anything we can as an organization to grow the game in the province. The NLL brand is special, lightning fast and played by the best athletes our sport has to offer.”
On this night, the best players wore Vancouver colours even if all the fans didn’t — but expect that to change soon, too.