East Division Final
Toronto Rock at Orlando Titans
One quarter was all it took to make a world of difference in this game.
The first half was a very close back-and-forth game with Toronto having a one-goal lead at the end of the first quarter and Orlando a one-goal lead at the end of the second quarter. Kasey Beirnes started off the scoring midway into the opening quarter, putting Toronto on the board first. Pat Maddalena tied it up, notching his first goal of the night for the Titans.
The Titan defense did a good job in the first half keeping Colin Doyle scoreless and rookie phenom Stephan Leblanc to one goal in each half. Last week against the Buffalo Bandits, Leblanc scored five goals and was the game MVP.
While the first half was close, the third quarter was anything but.
The Toronto Rock opened a flood gate of goals with seven different players each notching a goal while Orlando Titan Mike McClellan scored the only Titan goal of the quarter. McClellan scored twice more in the fourth, but the damage done in the third proved to be too much for the Titans.
Titan star Casey Powell was held to one goal on eleven shots. And although the fourth quarter was close, with each team scoring four goals, the Rock never gave up their lead.
Toronto Rock 15, Orlando Titans 10
MVP: Kasey Beirnes
Attendance: 4,651
West Division Final
Edmonton Rush at Washington Stealth
The Washington Stealth came out strong in the first quarter, and it took the Edmonton Rush until the closing minutes to catch up.
Paul Rabil, Luke Wiles (x2) and Jeff Zywicki each scored for Washington. Dean Hill notched Edmonton’s only goal of the first, scoring on the power play.
Edmonton seemed to have knocked off the rust midway through the second quarter, showing they weren’t going to give up without a fight. Gavin Prout scored twice and Ryan Ward once for the Rush, but each goal was matched by the Stealth with Cam Sedgwick, Paul Rabil and Rhys Duch each scoring. The half ended with the Stealth up by three.
The third quarter proved to be very defensive with Matt Disher and Tyler Richards both making phenomenal save after save for their teams. Jeff Zywicki and Rhys Duch each got a goal past Disher for the Stealth while Ryan Powel and Scott Stewart each got a goal past Richards for the Rush.
The fourth goal was the turning point for the Edmonton Rush, though.
Jeff Zywicki scored early in the quarter for the Stealth, followed by Luke Wiles halfway through. However, Disher and the Rush defense kept the Stealth scoreless for the rest of the quarter while the Rush offense launched their own battle to stay in the game.
Ryan Ward and Dean Hill each notched goals early in the fourth, but it wasn’t until close to the end of the game that the Rush were able to bring the game within reach. Brodie Merrill scored with under four minutes left to bring the score within two. In the final minute, the Rush pulled Disher for the extra attacker, scoring twice, sending the game in to overtime.
Overtime was short-lived, however, with the Stealth winning the face off and Paul Rabil scoring an unassisted goal to send the Rush home while the Stealth prepare for the Champions Cup Final.
Edmonton Rush 11, Washington Stealth 12
MVP: Paul Rabil
Attendance: 4,242
