Matthew’s Blog

Canadian Press
April 27, 2003 at 2:02 AM EST

Toronto — The best defence in the National Lacrosse League flexed its muscles Saturday to put the Toronto Rock in another championship game.
A 15-11 semi-final victory over the Colorado Mammoth gave Les Bartley's team a chance to win the Champions Cup a fourth time in five years.
"We've got a veteran group of athletes who know how to win," said the victorious GM-coach.
They'll be tested in Rochester, N.Y., next Saturday night. The top-seeded Knighthawks beat Buffalo 16-13 in the other semi-final and will host the final for the first time.
"I'm really looking forward to it," said Rock forward Colin Doyle. "Every year we get a new challenge and this will be another one."
Bartley's game plan designed to handcuff Colorado stars Gary Gait and Ted Dowling worked to perfection.
Defencemen Pat Coyle and Glenn Clark patrolled the left side where Gait and Dowling set up for shots. They held Gait, who scored a record 61 goals during the regular season, to one late goal, and Dowling was completely shut down.
"Our defence was awesome against the best player in the game," said Doyle.
With Toronto up 9-5 in the third quarter, three consecutive goals by Doyle in three minutes 20 seconds sealed the outcome in front of 15,200 at the Air Canada Centre.
Doyle and Blaine Manning each scored four goals, Chris Driscoll had two and Sandy Chapman, Glenn Clark, Steve Toll, Kim Squire and Darryl Gibson also scored for Toronto, which had a 60-51 edge in shots on goal.
Bob Watson, who repeatedly frustrated the Mammoth early, got the goaltending win.
"We played traditional Rock lacrosse," said Watson. "We're going to the show and that's the bottom line."
Brian Langtry scored seven goals for the Mammoth, and Josh Sims, Ben Prepchuk and Tom Phair also had one each.
"They keyed on Gary and Ted, which is why I got so many wide-open shots," said Langtry.
With Gait and Dowling under wraps, Toronto jumped ahead 4-0 and never relinquished the lead.
"They came out humming," said Langtry. "It was really frustrating."
Colorado goaltender Erik Miller starred in two regular-season wins over the Rock but couldn't do it again.
"It helped to get a start like that," said Bartley. "Right away, the guys got the confidence that they could score against this guy."
Toll was everywhere. Besides his goal, he assisted on four, and fought big defenceman Dave Stilley, who was ejected for head-butting Toll during the second-quarter punch-up. The absence of Stilley the rest of the way opened up shooting lanes for Rock attackers.
"It was one of the best games we've ever played," said Toll.
Especially on defence.
"We didn't let Gait and Dowling set up many picks on us," said Clark. "We got to them early.
"That's the best success we've ever had against them."
A late rally closed the gap on the scoreboard but the Mammoth were too far behind to catch up.
"We came out flat," said Gait. "They put us in a hole we couldn't get out of.
"It was too deep."
There were plenty of bright spots for the Rock.
Captain Jim Veltman had four assists, Driscoll's goals were his first since Bartley got him in a late-season trade and the Squire goal that immediately preceded Doyle's spree was a highlight-reel, over-the-shoulder backhander that froze Miller. Squire missed most of the season while a hand inflicted with flesh-eating disease healed.
"We were all happy to see one go in for Kim," said Bartley.
Notes: On power plays, Toronto was 2-for-8 and Colorado 1-for-6. . . . The Rock had played only once in 36 days but said Bartley, "There wasn't a doubt in my mind we'd be ready to play." . . . Colorado entered the game on a five-game winning streak. . . . Gait will be back: "I still love to play and as long as I compete I'll keep going," said the all-time leading scorer in pro lacrosse. "I'm definitely going to play next year."


Summary: This article is about the Toronto Rock, it is about the Toronto Rock playing in the finals vs. Colorado. The Toronto rock had only played once in 36 days, and Colorado came off a 5 game winning streak. In this game the Toronto Rock lost I think they could of won that year.

Questions:

1. Do you think the Toronto Rock could of won that game, why or why not?
2. Do you think Colorado is a good team?
3. If you think Colorado is good explain why?