It wasn’t a sellout like the previous year, but Saturday’s exhibition tilt was a hit regardless.
“It was an exciting game,” said Jared Harman, the Langley Events Centre’s director of business development.
“Anytime we can have pro sports or sports of that calibre in Langley, it is fun for everybody involved.”
More than 4,100 fans were out at the LEC on Dec. 8 to watch the Colorado Mammoth and Calgary Roughnecks battle in National Lacrosse League exhibition play. Last year’s contest between the Toronto Rock and Washington Stealth was a sell out (5,200 fans).
The game was missing one of the sports’ biggest names as John Grant Junior was unable to play because of the flu.
The teams combined for a dozen goals in the opening frame — six apiece — before Calgary took control in the second quarter with a 7-1 advantage and never looked back.
The final score was 20-11 for the Roughnecks.
Jeff Shattler and Curtis Dickson scored five goals apiece for the victors, while Jordan McBride led Colorado with four goals.
“We’re very dynamic offensively,” said Calgary coach Curt Malawsky on the NLL website.
“We always have five very good players on the floor; It’s real tough to defend.
“If we share the ball and move our feet, then we’re very successful.”
“It was a good game, lots of scoring, lots of action,” Harman said.
“(And) it is always fun for us when the building is near capacity.”
Harman sees no reason why the game wouldn’t be back in 2013.
“We will have to evaluate it, but I think there will be a good chance of there being a third year of this because it was a success again,” he said.
Miranda Gathercole/Langley Times
Calgary Roughnecks’ Matt Leveque (right) — who also spends his summers captaining the Langley Thunder in the Western Lacrosse Association — has his helmet knocked off by Colorado’s John McLure.
