Minnesota Swarm 12 Toronto Rock 17
Not as Many Kinks Got Worked Out as Hoped
Exhibition Game
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Oshawa, Ontario
Attendance: 1,800
The Minnesota Swarm's one and only pre-season game before paying fans ended in horrific defeat by the score of 17-12 to the
Toronto Rock. The Swarm were outscored 7-4 in the second quarter and could get no closer than 10-8 midway in the third before
Toronto pulled away for good.
The Rock's Ryan Benesch, the 2007 NLL Rookie of the Year, outscored the Swarm 3-2 in the first quarter alone on the way to a six
goal night. The Swarm's Andy Secore, who was acquired in the dispersal draft from the Arizona Sting on November 5th, scored both
of the Swarm's goals.
The Swarm tied the game 3-3 in the second quarter on a goal from rookie Craig Point but after that the Rock took the lead
and never gave it up. The Rock scored seven goals in that quarter all by seven different players. Point and Secore kept on
scoring for the Swarm but at halftime, the Rock were up 10-6 after scoring an empty net goal as time expired.
The Swarm started strong in the third quarter on goals from Secore and Sean Pollock, the Swarm's second leading scorer last
year. However, Benesch struck twice in a row on power plays to put the Rock up 12-8 and the Swarm never got any closer. After
Benesch's goals, the Rock put three more up, including two from rookie Mark Scherman to increase the Rock lead to 15-8. Point
got his third goal of the night to cut the lead to 15-9 but the Rock struck again at the buzzer for the second consecutive
quarter as Scherman got his hat trick.
The Swarm got the jump to begin the fourth quarter as Pollock and Eric Pacey got goals to cut the lead to 16-11.
By this time, it appears that tensions between the two teams was about to blow like Mount Vesuvius. And blow they did with 7:02
left in the game. Swarm rookie Chris Courtney and former Swarm Scott Campbell had a disagreement and fisticuffs ensued. Both
players are kind of stocky but solid and Campbell hasn't turned down too many fights in his career. This was the warmup to the
battle royale with 3:38 left as Swarm captain and 2007 NLL Defensive Player of the Year, Ryan Cousins and Pacey, both big boys,
got entangled with Matt Carroll and veteran 6-6 245lb. behemoth, Dan Ladouceur. It must have been quite a sight because not
many threaten Ladouceur and are ever heard from again. So that meant three players from each team got sent to the box for fighting
for five and got ten minute fighting misconducts just in the fourth quarter. Those fights only accounted for 90 of the 175
penalty minutes handed out. Finally, Point added his fourth goal of the game to bring this horror show to an end.
Point and Secore both led the Swarm with four goals and two assists. Pollock got two and both Pacey and Mike Hominuck got
one goal each. Benesch led the Rock with six goals and two assists. Nick Patterson played the whole game in net for the
Swarm making 47 saves on 63 shots. Bob Watson and Mike Poulin split the game in net for the Rock, both giving up six goals each.
Colin Achenbach from Burnsville, in his first preseason action for the Swarm, did not score but did scoop up four loose balls.
The Swarm scratches for tonight were:
- Dean Hill, Swarm's leader in goals last year with 32
- Ryan Sharp
- Rory McDade
- Noah Talbot
- Kyle Ross
The Rock scratches for tonight were:
- Josh Sanderson
- Jim Veltman
- Jamie Taylor
- Ian Rubel
- Nathan Sanderson
It looks like it may take a while for all the new players to mesh for the Swarm. Point looks like the real deal on the right
side and Courtney looks willing to do the dirty work on defense. It is good to see that Mark Miyashita is back playing after
having last season cut short due to a knee injury. In the regular season, the Swarm will have D. Hill, Sharp and Talbot in the
line up for each game and that will make quite a difference.
The problem for the Swarm is they open the regular season against the same Rock in a home and home series beginning
January 11th in Toronto and finishing January 12th in St. Paul at the Xcel Energy Center. I can guarantee that the Swarm will
be facing Josh Sanderson those two nights. Sanderson is the best playmaker in the league and holds the league assist record in
a year with 71 in 2005. Also, Veltman, who is the king of loose balls with 2,625 in both the regular season and playoffs in his
career will also suit up next month.
The regular season is less than a month away and the Swarm have to tighten up the ship a bit before the season starts.
Whatever happens, I have a feeling the season won't lack for excitement.
Game Statistics
Box Score
| # | Minnesota |
G |
A | Pts |
PIM |
PPG | SHG |
S |
LB | FO |
|
# | Toronto |
G |
A | Pts |
PIM |
PPG | SHG |
S |
LB | FO |
| 9 | Craig
Point | 4 |
2 |
6 | 0 |
1 |
1 | 13 |
4 |
0-0 |
|
21 | Ryan Benesch |
6 |
2 | 8 |
0 |
3 | 0 |
10 |
2 | 0-0 |
| 21 | Andy
Secore | 4 |
2 |
6 | 2 |
2 |
0 | 10 |
5 |
0-0 |
` |
10 | Aaron Wilson |
1 |
5 | 6 |
6 |
0 | 0 |
12 |
7 | 0-0 |
| 17 | Sean
Pollock | 2 |
2 |
4 | 0 |
1 |
0 | 10 |
4 |
0-0 |
|
16 | Blaine
Manning | 1 |
4 |
5 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 10 |
3 |
8-16 |
| 44 | Ryan Ward |
0 |
4 | 4 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
5 |
3 | 0-0 |
|
33 | Kasey Beirnes |
2 |
2 | 4 |
2 |
1 | 0 |
9 |
5 | 0-0 |
| 19 | Chad Culp |
0 |
3 | 3 |
4 |
0 | 0 |
6 |
0 | 0-0 |
|
15 | Mark Scherman |
3 |
0 | 3 |
2 |
1 | 0 |
7 |
2 | 0-0 |
| 12 | Eric
Pacey | 1 |
1 |
2 | 15 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
5 |
0-0 |
|
9 | Jon Harasym |
1 |
1 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
3 |
2 | 0-0 |
| 90 | Mike
Hominuck | 1 |
1 |
2 | 0 |
1 |
0 | 5 |
7 |
0-0 |
|
14 | Rob Marshall |
1 |
1 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
7 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Chris
Courtney | 0 |
0 |
0 | 22 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
0-0 |
|
93 | Chris
Driscoll | 1 |
1 |
2 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 3 |
7 |
0-0 |
| 23 | Jon
Sullivan | 0 |
0 |
0 | 6 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
3 |
0-0 |
|
27 | Peter Lough |
0 |
2 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
1 |
3 | 10-17 |
| 24 | Justin
Norbraten | 0 |
0 |
0 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
4 |
0-1 |
|
29 | Bob Watson |
0 |
2 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0-0 |
| 27 | Colin
Achenbach | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
4 |
0-0 |
|
37 | Scott
Campbell | 0 |
2 |
2 | 17 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
4 |
0-0 |
| 28 | Darren
Halls | 0 |
0 |
0 | 15 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
4 |
6-10 |
|
94 | Matt Taylor |
1 |
0 | 1 |
0 |
1 | 0 |
5 |
6 | 0-0 |
| 34 | Nick Inch |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
3 | 0-0 |
|
7 | Derek Suddons |
0 |
1 | 1 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
6 | 0-0 |
| 39 | Mark
Miyashita | 0 |
0 |
0 | 5 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
5 |
7-19 |
|
6 | Dan Ladouceur |
0 |
0 | 0 |
27 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
1 | 0-0 |
| 43 | Kevin
Croswell | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0-0 |
|
20 | Jay Winder |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
7 | 0-0 |
| 47 | Travis
Hill | 0 |
0 |
0 | 7 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
3 |
2-3 |
|
22 | Cam Woods |
0 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
0 | 0 |
1 |
7 | 0-0 |
| 50 | Ryan
Cousins | 0 |
0 |
0 | 19 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
5 |
0-0 |
|
23 | Matt Carroll |
0 |
0 | 0 |
20 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0-0 |
| 93 | Nick
Patterson | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0-0 |
|
30 | Mike Poulin |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0-0 |
| # | Minnesota | MIN |
GA | Saves | Shots |
|
# | Toronto | MIN |
GA | Saves | Shots |
| 93 | Nick Patterson | 59:32 |
16 | 47 | 63 |
|
29 | Bob Watson | 30:00 |
6 | 28 | 34 |
| 43 | Kevin Croswell | 0:00 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
|
30 | Mike Poulin | 30:00 |
6 | 13 | 19 |
| | Empty Net | 0:28 |
1 | | 1 |
|
| | |
| |
|
| Scoring by Quarter | 1 | 2 |
3 | 4 | F |
| Minnesota | 2 | 4 |
3 | 3 | 12 |
| Toronto | 3 | 7 |
6 | 1 | 17 |
| Team Stats | Power Play | SHG |
PIM | LB | Saves/Shots |
Face Offs |
| Minnesota | 5/9 | 1 |
97 | 61 | 47/64 |
15/33 |
| Toronto | 6/11 | 1 |
78 | 69 | 41/53 |
18/33 |
| 
