Express again shuts off Roughies' oil flow, 23-16
First pro boxla game in Montreal in 25 years is a hit
R.A. Philly (Outsider's Guide Editor in Chief)

Ted Dowling scored six goals and three other Express players recorded hat tricks in Montreal's 23-16 victory over the Calgary Roughnecks Thursday night at Molson Centre.

This game marked the first appearance for professional indoor lacrosse in Montreal since a previous version of the National Lacrosse League folded in 1975.

After a pregame ceremony honoring the old Montreal Quebecois and welcoming the Express, the home team quickly picked up where it left off in Saturday's record-smashing 32-17 win at the Saddledome. Brad MacArthur -- one of only two Express runners who didn't register a point last weekend -- opened the scoring a scant twelve seconds in, Aime Caines struck barely twenty seconds later, and Joe Hiltz tacked on one of his own before the game was two minutes old.

Before the quarter was done, Dowling, Mat Giles, and Peter Lough had hit the score sheet for Montreal, which had nine goals after fifteen minutes of play, while the Roughnecks had but three, two from Jason Wulder and one from Adam Bysouth.

Calgary soon settled down, bringing offensive weapons Ben Prepchuk, Kaleb Toth and Buce Alexander into the fold, but even as things began to go right on offense for Calgary, matters were not improving at the other end, where young goaltender Matt King allowed seven goals in the second quarter and six in the third.

The 16-8 halftime score suggested that the NLL's record keepers would have to break out their erasers, rubbing out the alltime bests set five days earlier -- after all, in the first game of the home-and-home series, Montreal led at the break by a 16-9 score. However, partially because Calgary started to find its legs and partially because the Express called off the dogs, scoring levelled off at a more tolerable level than the forty-nine goals of a week ago.

The 7600 or so who came out for the early weeknight start didn't have much on the field to celebrate in the second half, as the Express bled the clock throughout, until about five minutes remained. Montreal coach Terry Sanderson pulled Curtis Palidwor from the game, inserting backup goaltender and hometown favorite Alain Lalumiere. The Roughnecks made a late run on the netminder making his pro debut, scoring three goals on five shots, but by this point, it was too little, too late.

After the game, Calgary coach Chris Hall accentuated the positive.

"We've got a lot to learn still, obviously, but I was generally happy with the second half and the way we played," Hall said. "We showed some positive signs and played much better than in the first game."

The Roughnecks get their next chance to continue Hall's learning process on Sunday, when they visit the Ottawa Rebel. The Express, meanwhile, go to Buffalo on Saturday night.

Game Report reprinted with permission from The Outsider's Guide to the NLL. (Original text is here.)