The Vancouver Warriors played one of their most complete games of the season in a 12-8 win over the Ottawa Black Bears on Friday night.
One of the mandates the Warriors have is to get better every game, and before morning shootaround, the coaching staff’s message to the team during their morning meeting hit home. Head Coach and GM Curt Malawsky liked how his group responded this week in a bounce-back win.
“Their focus was exceptional. Their compete was outstanding. We talked about playing with urgency and intensity, and urgency to us does not mean panic – intensity is focused emotion,” Malawsky said.
“I can't be more proud of our guys. They played mentally tough, and they competed for 60 full minutes. That's an excellent all-around game.”
The Warriors were assertive offensively, getting looks they wanted because of their movement on the floor, and they took the shots that were given to them. Vancouver scored eight goals at even strength and were three-of-four on the power play.
Forward Keegan Bal led the way for Vancouver with a hat trick and two assists and Jesse King, Adam Charalambides, Curtis Dickson and defenceman Shane Simpson all chipped in two goals apiece. Matt Beers scored a goal from half-floor, catching Black Bears’ netminder Zach Higgins as he was sprinting back to the net from the bench.
King also had four assists for a six-point night and said the team put last week behind them and focused on the details against the Black Bears.
“Tonight, we played fast and got some early shots. I think it spread them out a lot and then we were able to do our thing five-on-five, on the power play, whatever it took,” King said.
Christian Del Bianco got his 100th career assist with a pass to defenceman Shane Simpson in transition. Del Bianco is fourth all-time among NLL goaltenders in points and joins an esteemed list in Pat O’Toole (164), Dallas Eliuk (107), and Rob Blasdell (103).
The 28-year-old netminder said it was poetic that he got his 100th career assist on a Simpson goal.
“It's a fun one, especially going to Shane Simpson, who I think was probably a big chunk of those. I think guys like Shane and Zach Currier, who I previously played with, those are two guys that when I'm old, I'm probably going to tell my kids about and all the balls I got to throw to them,” Del Bianco said.
He also turned aside 42 of 50 shots he faced and was stingy in the crease, helping the team go two-for-three on the penalty kill.
“He's our backbone, let's be honest. We feel he's the best goalie in the National Lacrosse League, he was 84 percent and he knows when to lock it down,” Malawsky said. “They had a couple goals early, and come that second half we always know we’ve got him. He's our best penalty killer, night in and night out. Not only does he get our transition going, he’s a very good leader and a huge competitor, and I thought he had an exceptional game today.”
Delbs said the tempo and pressure the defensive corps played with was a big part of their success and they were ready to go from the first faceoff.
“That was a big point of emphasis that we executed on tonight. It was very clear at shootaround this morning, and then the vibe coming to the arena, everyone was ready to start on time,” Del Bianco said.
The Warriors are on the road again next week as they take on the Rochester Knighthawks next Saturday, January 31st at 7:00 p.m. PT.