Fan Appreciation Night

The Wings last faced the Toronto Rock back in December. They had a one goal lead after first half, but the Rock came back with a strong second half to come ahead by three goals and take the win. The Wings are ahead in standings for the season, but a Rockslide could take them out.

Q1

Higgins in net. Baptiste starts the game off. Macintosh tosses one in early on. A minute and a half in and the Wings have started the game off to a good start. Corey Small with the assist. Suboch takes control of the ball but can’t get it to the net. The Rock’s Brandon Slade makes the attempt to score but Higgins blocks the shot. The Wings take control and Macintosh shows perfect aim, scoring his second goal of the night. The Rock come back with a quick goal from Rob Hellyer. Within seconds, Matt Rambo comes from behind the net to get another ball in. 5 minutes into the game and the Wings lead 3 to 1. Macintosh picks up the ball and goes for another shot but misses. Halfway into the 1st quarter and Corey Small slings one in with an assist from Rambo. Wings are in control of this quarter. The Rock keep pushing onto Higgins, but he blocks three shots in a row. A close call but Macintosh saves the ball from going in when Higgins goes down.  Brandon Slade gets one by Higgins with 3 minutes left in the quarter. Wings continue to lead 4-2. The Rock are picking up the pace, however. A third goal is scored by Dan Craig assisted by Tom Schreiber. Seconds on the clock and Crowley tosses the ball to Riorden and the Wings score again! The Wings hold the lead as we go into the 2nd quarter 5 to 3.

Q2

The Rock start up the 2nd seconds in with a goal by Challen Rogers.  Tom Schreiber is able to get another one in and The Rock have tied the game. A quick turnaround leads the third goal of the quarter by TD Ierlan. The Rock take the lead 5 minutes into the game. Higgins has to tighten up. Tom Schreiber gets a fourth goal for the Rock. With 6 minutes on the clock, the Wings need to get back to playing on the field. Feeling the weight of the Rock, Rambo gets the ball to Riorden, and the Wings are finally on the board for the quarter. Four and a half minutes left. Can the Wings get back the lead? Riorden ties up the game with less than 2 minutes on the clock. It’s his third goal for the game.

Q3

After an intense first half, it’s a slow start for both teams with the quarter halfway over and no goals. The movement on the field is intense. To make it tougher, a two-minute penalty is called on Shewell for checking from behind. This allows the Rock to score with 6 minutes left to the quarter. Hellyer takes back the lead.  A minute later another goal goes in by Schreiber. The Rock have taken over with a 2-goal lead. A third goal almost scored by Hellyer but it was denied by Higgins. 2 minutes on the clock, still down by two, Matisz picks up the ball, shoots and misses. More back and forth with no goals from the Wings. The quarter ends with the Rock in the lead.

Q4

The Rock are slamming down hard. Their tenth goal of the game is scored by Dan Craig. Shortly after comes the eleventh by Schreiber. The Wings are facing a four-goal deficit. Two minutes in and the third goal of the quarter is score again by the Rock. Dan Craig rockets the twelfth goal for the Rock. Crowley attempts to score but Hutchcraft blocks it. Giving the ball to over the Rock, Mann is able to score a thirteenth goal. Its apparent the Wings have lost total control of the game. A fight breaks out with 9 minutes on the clock. Suboch & De Snoo both get a 2-minute penalty. Subuch for roughing and De Snoo for holding a stick. It's still 5 on 5 with less than 7 minutes. Wings player Bret Hicky gets a penalty for illegal cross checking. It’s 4 on 5. The advantage gives the Rock the opportunity to doubled up. But they fail to score during the power play. Sheldon Burns gets the chance to score. Even though it passes Higgins, Rambo saves the ball from crossing the line. Moments later, Dan Craig is able to score, and the Rock have doubled up with 3 minutes left. There is no hope in sight. The Rock have nearly doubled up their shots on goal. A much different feel from the last time we faced them in Toronto. Their weigh has crushed our Wings. You can’t win a game playing 30 out of 60 minutes.

-Jen Cameron- Olde City Sports Network