Swarm return to win column with 12-11 overtime victory against the Warriors — Strides Forward
Photo Credit: Georgia Swarm
Overtime was needed to decide the final results, but the Georgia Swarm (5-4) got back into the win column thanks to a buzzer-beating Andrew Kew goal, downing the Vancouver Warriors (2-6) in their rematch at Gas South Arena on Friday, Feb. 2.
The second game of week 10 of the 2023-24 National Lacrosse League season started off as a defensive showcase before evolving into a game of runs. Seth Oakes’ lacrosse stick was magma for 15:56 min. in the middle of the game, as he scored five goals to help boost the Swarm into the lead. His first assist of the night was awarded on Shayne Jackson’s lone tally of the game, capping a five-goal run that had the Swarm up 10-6 with 5:40 min. left in the third quarter.
The Warriors displayed resiliency late, however, with rookie defender Tyson Kirkness scoring in transition off a fast whistle and kicking off a four-goal run for the visiting club. Lyle Thompson ran downhill and leapt over the crease to dunk the ball shortside past Aaron Bold, the Swarm’s last lead in regulation. Adam Charalambides tied the game in the final two minutes, using a defensive switch to rifle one farside past Brett Dobson.
“They (the Swarm) scored a bunch, and usually, they put the game out of reach, and we’re done,” Warriors General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky said, “but we battled back, and we stayed in the fight. It was 7-6 at the half, and then they went up, and we just stayed in the fight again, and we came on. I thought we were within a shot to win the game. I was super proud of our guys tonight.”
Overtime lasted less than two minutes. Kew jab stepped up-floor, and when Matt Beers didn’t pressure him thanks to the potential pick coming his way from Jackson, the Tampa alum took advantage, hitching his stick twice before burying the ball past Bold’s right hip just before the shot clock sounded.
Kew’s 8 points (4G, 4A) led the Swarm, followed by Oakes with 7 points (5G, 2A). Dobson got his first win since Jan. 6, making 28 saves and finishing the game with a .718 Sv%.
“I think the previous three games, our effort wasn’t where it needs to be,” Jackson said postgame. “We talked about playing for one another. I think we did that tonight. Kewball and Soakesy went off, and that’s great, that’s what we needed. But I thought it was a full team effort, Dobber making some saves towards the end, especially that one dunk attempt. A couple of those go in, it’s a different ball game. But I thought everyone chipped in. We just need that kind of effort every time.”
The Warriors got a balanced effort out of their offense. Bal’s 5 points (2G, 3A) led the team in scoring, and three different forwards had 4 points. Bold may have been saddled with the loss, but he made more saves than his junior between the other red posts, finishing with 39 and a .765 Sv%.
Photo Credit: Georgia Swarm
Strides Forward
The Warriors and Swarm both went into Friday’s game coming off of losses. In week 9, the Warriors fell 14-8 to the Mammoth, a game in which they were down 9-2 late in the first half, that ninth goal for the Mammoth proving to be the game-winner that earned Colorado the season series.
Malawsky made waves with his postgame comments following that loss at the end of January. His blunt assessment of the Warriors performance was appreciated by media and fans alike, the antithesis of tried-and-true coach speak. Yesterday’s postgame interview was similar in owning the team’s record and acknowledging the results, but he recognized the better performance despite the loss was the step forward the team needed to make.
It was a hardy effort, especially from the offense. Down 10-6, Kirkness’ scored the second transition goal of the game to get Vancouver on the scoreboard in the third quarter, and then Crowley and Bal showed their veteran presence and poise with three goals in the fourth to tie things up at 10. Even after Thompson’s first goal, which felt like the separator, Charalambides came up clutch with his second goal of the game to force OT.
“They just started trusting each other,” Malawsky said about the offense clawing their way back into the game twice. “I talk about sacrifice. I talk about commitment. I talk about belief. Once you start believing, you start trusting in each other, the last component of our foundation is resiliency. Once you build that trust and the belief is there, then you become resilient, then you think you can win games, and you believe that you can win games. I think that’s where we’re at. Despite the fact that we came back against Saskatchewan late in the fourth quarter and we won the game, as long as we can keep it close, you know, I really like our chances down in the fourth quarter, down the stretch. These guys care so much about each other. They care so much about the organization.
“It was a challenge like last week, and they were called to the carpet. You know what I mean? But I want to be clear — there was no finger pointing on my guys; the finger’s pointed at me. I'm the one running the ship. And so where we are in the record, in the standings, that's mine, I own that. But I just wanted to make sure that my guys understood that there's accountability and there's a certain way we need to play. And you know what, instead of pouting and saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t like what coach said,’ they owned it, and they stepped up, and they played and did exactly what I expected them to do. And sometimes sports is cruel, and we're on the wrong side of scoreboard, but we weren't on the wrong side of the effort.”
Photo Credit: Georgia Swarm
The Warriors defense continued to display why they’re considered one of the top defensive units in the NLL, a mature corps with some of the best defenders in the NLL, reliable depth pieces, and a pair of rookies that hit the floor running and continue to get better with each game in Owen Grant and Brayden Laity.
It was just a fraction of his total game effort, but Grant’s goal to tie things up for the second time that night was a highlight. While on the penalty kill, he streaked up the floor, received a pass while wide open on the left side, let an aggressive L. Thompson slide skirt past him, then displayed his offensive stick skills with a few fakes before bouncing the ball past Dobson and slamming into the glass in celebration.
“They’re unbelievable,” captain Brett Mydske said about the tandem. “Ever since the first game, they’ve played like they’ve been in the league a while. But every game, they keep maturing and maturing. Laity’s, I think, got another year of Junior in him, and he’s a big guy. Owen Grant’s definitely playing up to his caliber of what we thought he was. The future’s bright. You’ve got two young D guys coming in, and they’re going to be here for a long time.”
Photo Credit: Georgia Swarm
The Swarm entered Friday night on a three-game losing streak. Dobson had been chased from the pipes in two of those games, and the offense didn’t reach double digits in two of them, as well.
Dobson’s save total wasn’t particularly high in Friday’s win, but what he lacked in quantity he more than made up for in quality. The sophomore goaltender stuffed a few late dunk attempts from behind the cage with some fast movement from pipe to pipe. His highlight of the night might have been his robbery of a Ryan Martel unsettled chance. Martel was alone on the crease after a loose ball scrum on the other side of the floor. As he tried to tuck it in shortside, Dobson’s left elbow ratcheted up to keep the ball out of the back of the net.
His play was emblematic of the Swarm’s efforts not only last night, but over the past week, putting in the work every day to be successful on gameday.
“We just put the past three games in the past,” Jackson said. “We just focused on tonight. It starts with taking shots during the week and putting in the work, and he (Dobson) certainly does that. It’s no question why he’s having success.”
Jackson was also coming off a particularly tough stretch in his career during those three games, his longest stretch in his 11 seasons without a goal. He had nine assists in those losses, unable to find the back of the net despite his 16 shots on goal. Friday got him off the schnide, as Oakes took advantage of the defense collapsing on him as he came around the right side of the crease and feeding Jackson for a practically wide open net on the weak side. In typical Jackson fashion, he brushed aside his personal success, happier to talk about the successes of his teammates.
“Feels good obviously to chip in and contribute, but the win is the most important thing. The past three games, it wasn’t about myself, it was three losses, and that’s what pissed me off more than anything. So, just got to get ready for Rochester next week, and we’ve got to bring that same effort.”
Both Georgia and Vancouver had something to prove Friday night. Regardless of whether they won or lost, showing they were better than their most recent loss would be imperative, displaying their compete levels and willingness to go to the dirty areas to eke out any advantage in what turned out to be a highly contentious battle. Continuing to make strides forward in the right direction during the middle of an NLL season is what helps teams get to the postseason, and even in losses, positives can be taken and built upon.
“I thought that was one of our better games,” Mydske said. “The first time we played Georgia, I thought that was the best game of the season. Obviously, we slipped up last game, but the only thing we can do is keep moving forward. The only you can control is your preparation. So, prepare the same as if we would’ve won this week, and you go in and try to get one from Saskatchewan.”