On the Road again......Edmonton

What's up everyone? I hope all is well in the yard!! I just got back from our weekend road trip to Edmonton to play the Rush. Although we did escape with a win to put us to 4-3 on the season, I really do believe we dodged a bullet.

From the onset, they looked like a different team than the one that had started 0-5. While they played hard, intense lacrosse we were quite different. We played sloppy, unprepared lacrosse and it almost bit us in the a**! In the end, we put together a great second half backed by our "all world" keeper, Anthony Cosmo, and strong defensive play and took home an 11-8 win.

There are two things that jumped out at me this past weekend. First off, I found our showing this weekend the ultimate sporting oxi-moron. In one sense we showed great character, and composure coming back to win the game on the road……..signs of a championship contender. In another sense, we showed up unprepared to play, played lackadaisical, sloppy and got out worked…..signs of a championship pretender. We are a young team and will continue to grow as a squad. In the meantime we will make some mistakes along the way; the important thing is how we learn from them. I guess we'll get our chance to prove how good we really are in two weeks when we travel to Colorado for a first place showdown.

The other thing that jumped out at me was the show that the Rush put on. An 0-5 start could be a very easy reason to start taking away from the game day entertainment. Bruce Urban and his group have never done that, and as a fan of lacrosse I certainly respect that. The Rush have always had good entertainment and have never cheated their fans. It appears that their fans respect that as well. The game was well attended and the crowd was into it the entire time. They were boisterous and outgoing and backed their squad. If they continue to struggle on the floor, it will be a true test for Bruce and his ownership group. I do believe, from what I saw this past weekend, that both Bruce and the fans of Edmonton ought to be commended on their work and loyalty. For this game to survive in markets across North America, I think there needs to be more owners like those in Edmonton. The bonus is that they will get a chance to showcase their show for everybody in a few weeks at the annual NLL all-star game…….Keep your eyes peeled for a chance to tune in and watch it yourself.

Until next time.

Colin #7