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fengzhu185
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Oct 11 2013, 07:44 AM
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EDMONTON -- The Toronto Rocks biggest opponent to start National Lacrosse League play this season was the schedule maker. Garrett Billings and Kasey Beirnes had two goals and two assists apiece as the Toronto Rock won 10-9 over the Edmonton Rush on Sunday. Josh Sanderson and Scott Evans also had two-goal games while Stephan Leblanc and Rob Hellyer added one each for the Rock. Toronto improved to 2-0 despite a difficult back-to-back start on the road, including a 13-11 win over the Calgary Roughnecks on Saturday. "I thought it was a gutsy, character win," said Toronto head coach Troy Cordingly. "We played just 16 hours after our last game against a team that is fresh and having their home opener. We started slow but the tempo slowed up somewhat and we were really smart in the second half. We won the little battles." Rock captain Colin Doyle said the start to the season was a bit of a challenge, but one they were up to meeting. "Not only were the two games so close together in terms of time, but I think they were against two of the better teams in the league," he said. "We answered the bell and feel pretty good about it. It is only two games in so there is no point getting too excited, but we came here to get two wins and we did so that feels pretty good. "Our goaltending was pretty good for us when it needed to be and we made some big special teams plays when they had a chance to put us away. That led us to tread water a bit until we found our feet. Cordingly hopes the 2-0 start is just a sign of things to come for the Rock. "We like our team," he said. "We are gritty. We are stronger and faster and bigger. And we are hungrier." Rookies Mark Matthews and Curtis Knight each had hat tricks and added two assists for the Rush, who were playing their season opener. Corey Small, Ryan Ward and Zack Greer also scored for Edmonton. Matthews, the first overall pick from the 2012 NLL entry draft at six-foot-five, 230 pounds, made an immediate impact with a goal on his first shot of his pro debut, scoring less than two minutes in on the power play. "It went pretty well, I think, but obviously we didnt get the win so it was a little downplayed by that," Matthews said of his debut. "But I thought I was seeing the ball pretty well and got some good shots. We fell to a good team, hopefully we bounce back next week." The Oshawa, Ont., product then assisted on a goal less than a minute later on another power-play marker by second-round pick Knight, also making his pro debut for the Rush. "They played well," said Rush head coach and G.M. Derek Keenan of his two young guns. "Curtis was our best player on the floor, without a doubt. Mark got his chances, but didnt shoot the ball particularly well, I thought, at times. But that will come for him. Those two guys were definitely our best guys on offence. Its just we need some other guys to step up." The two teams traded goals before the Rock made it 3-2 with a power-play goal by Billings. Edmonton took a two-goal lead into the second quarter on a late goal by Ward. The Rush went up by three on Knights second of the game on the power play, but Toronto came right back on goals by Beirnes, Sanderson and Billings to tie the game midway through the second. The Rush went into the locker rooms at the half with a 6-5 lead on Matthews second of the match. Greer gave the Rush back a two-goal edge early in the third and his long shot beat Toronto goalie Nick Rose. However, Toronto came roaring back with three quick goals, two from Evans and one from Sanderson to take their first lead of the game, up 8-7 halfway through the third quarter. Edmonton equalled things up with eight seconds remaining in the third on Knights hat trick goal. The Rocks Beirnes scored the only goal through the first 12 minutes of the fourth quarter to put Toronto up 9-8. Toronto got a big insurance goal with three minutes left as Hellyer picked the top corner. Edmonton got back into the game with two minutes left as Matthews scored his third goal on a diving play in front of the net, but the Rush could not force extra time. The Rock return to Toronto for their home opener against Philadelphia on Saturday night. The Rush are in Washington to face the Stealth on Sunday. Notes: Last season the Toronto Rock entered the playoffs atop the East Division with a 9-7 record. After defeating the rival Buffalo Bandits in the first-round of the 2012 playoffs, the Rock saw their season end with the 17-13 loss to the Rochester Knighthawks. ... The Knighthawks also ended the Rushs season, albeit in the National Lacrosse League championship game. The Rush placed fourth in the West at 6-10 but caught fire in the post-season with wins over Calgary and Minnesota. ... Toronto came into the game with a 10-3 all-time record against Edmonton... It was the pro debut of not only first overall pick Matthews for the Rush, but also highly-touted second round pick Curtis Knight, also from Oshawa, Ontario... Canadian Football League star quarterback Ricky Ray dropped the ball for the ceremonial face-off. Ray won the Grey Cup championship with the Toronto Argonauts this season after being traded by the Edmonton Eskimos. cheap jerseys us . Morneau complained of pain Monday in the wrist he had surgically repaired last October. He returned to Minneapolis on Tuesday to have a MRI exam, which showed no structural damage. cheap jerseys . The two were the principal players in a 2007 trade that helped shape the Texas Rangers into a perennial AL power.ATLANTA - The Atlanta Hawks suspended top-scorer Josh Smith for Wednesday nights home game against the Brooklyn Nets for "conduct detrimental to the team" following an incident in practice the previous day. The one-game suspension, which comes with an undisclosed fine, was announced Wednesday by Hawks general manager Danny Ferry. Hawks coach Larry Drew would provide no details on the incident in Tuesdays practice. "I really dont want to put too much focus on that anymore," Drew said before the game against the Nets. "Tomorrow well welcome Josh back with open arms and well move forward." Hawks guard Jeff Teague also would provide no details on the incident. "I dont even remember," Teague said. "I think the whole practice was just a good day. I dont even remember what happened or how it went down or anything." Smith was called for a technical foul in Monday nights 97-58 loss at Chicago. Only a late basket by Teague saved the Hawks from setting their lowest scoring total in franchise history. The Hawks have lost six of seven. "Clearly I am competitive and was frustrated by our recent losses," Smith said in a statement released by the team. "I understand and respect the teams actions and just want to get back on the court to do whatever is necessary to help my teammates. I apologize for letting them down and apologize to our fans for not being available for toniights game.ddddddddddddquot; Smith was not expected to be at Philips Arena on Wednesday night. Smith, 27, leads the team with 16.5 points and 2.3 blocked shots per game. He also is averaging 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Smith, an Atlanta native and nine-year veteran, set career highs with averages of 18.8 points and 9.6 rebounds last season. Ferry said he expects a positive response to the suspension from Smith. "Josh and I discussed the issue and he understood and accepted this course of action," Ferry said. "We are confident that he will respond positively, learn from this experience and come back with a renewed sense of purpose to the team moving forward." Smith can be a free agent after the season, and his future with the team is a key for the Hawks. Ferry could decide to trade the 6-foot-9 forward, especially if the Hawks keep falling in the Eastern Conference standings. Drew said he hopes Smith remains with the team. "We look at Josh as we do at any player in the situation of the last year of his contract," Drew said. "Josh is a talented player. Hes a big part of what we do. Hes a guy that we can count on and rely on doing what we do, and hopefully he will be a Hawk for a long time. Hes just a phenomenal talent." Ferry traded guard Joe Johnson and forward Marvin Williams before the season. Johnson made his first return to Atlanta with the Nets on Wednesday night. ' ' '
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