Wings clip Rock 11-10 halting 8-game NLL win streak

PHILADELPHIA – Riding an eight-game winning streak with a chance to move into sole possession of first place in the National Lacrosse League, the Toronto Rock did almost everything right Monday — except win.

The Rock peppered 66 shots at Philadelphia Wings’ netminder Zach Higgins, but came up on the short end of an 11-10 decision. The visitors hit a dozen posts and were frustrated with countless near misses.

“We outshot them 2-to-1 in the first half and created a lot of opportunities but had trouble getting the ball behind Higgins,” said Rock head coach Matt Sawyer. “We got ourselves chasing the game a little bit, but we stuck with it and had opportunities right down to the end. Overall, it wasn’t our night.

“There was a lot of good stuff out there, but it just wasn’t good enough from start to finish.”

Dan Craig led the Rock with four goals and six points, while Tom Schreiber had four assists and scooped up 11 loose balls.

“No excuses, a lot of shots in the game, a lot of posts, that’s the reality, but that’s not an excuse,” said Craig. “We have to shoot better, we put enough on the net, but at the end of the day they put more in the net.”

Corey Small and Schreiber each scored twice for the Rock, while Latrell Harris and Challen Rogers added singles.

The Wings led 2-0 after the first period and 7-4 at the half. Philadelphia took an 8-5 lead into the final period and were outscored 5-3, but hung on for the win to even their record at 5-5 in the East Division.

The Rock, who entered the game tied with the Buffalo Bandit at 9-2, slipped to 9-3.

The Rock will host the Albany Firewolves on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2023.