Calgary Roughnecks hoping road dominance will drive them to fourth NLL title
And away they go, hopefully all the way to a fourth National Lacrosse League title, with playoffs under way Saturday for the Calgary Roughnecks.
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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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Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Everyone was just really excited to continue to have another week with the fellas,' said Haley. 'That was one thing we were preaching in the locker room, just play for another week with each other and that's what we did. 'We played until the last possible game we could. It didn't go our way, but that's sports.' 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