Calgary Roughnecks hoping road dominance will drive them to fourth NLL title
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It truly is away where it begins in their bid for another NLL Cup to live proudly alongside championship trophies won from 2004, '09 and '19.
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That's because the Roughnecks (10-8) start that quest on the road against the host Halifax Thunderbirds (11-7).
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But with the season they've had away from Scotiabank Saddledome, that doesn't scare the Calgary club.
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'We have confidence on the road, for sure,' said Roughnecks head coach Josh Sanderson, ahead of Saturday's NLL quarterfinal contest — a winner-move-on playoff affair — in Halifax (5 p.m., TSN5/TSN+).
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'But this is a whole new challenge.'
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Still, the Riggers have the wares to clear that challenge away from the Dome to move them onward in the post-season.
They have the offence — hard not to with the likes of legends Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson on the stick and joining captain Jesse King, fellow savvy veteran Tyler Pace and young-ish bull Tanner Cook. Together, the fab five engineered a total of 160 of the team's 218 goals, with Dickson matching a career-high 108 points and King also finishing with a career-high 105.
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The defence isn't too shabby, either — but that's nothing new for the forever-stout Roughnecks. Veteran warriors Eli Salama and Reece Callies anchor the unit, and both — along with Dobbie and Dickson — were part of the 2019 NLL Cup run.
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And the late-season addition of veteran goaltender Nick Rose, who is second all-time in NLL saves with 7,292, has tied it altogether.
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