Swarm aim to get back in win column in Calgary

The Georgia Swarm (1-3) take to the road with a visit to Scotiabank Saddledome to battle the Calgary Roughnecks (1-3) on Saturday, Jan. 13. Faceoff is set for 9:00 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game LIVE via NLLTV.com.

A tough 13-9 defeat at home last weekend against Saskatchewan dropped the Swarm to the bottom of the East Division standings. Now Georgia goes West seeking its first road win and first victory against a West Division opponent in the 2017-18 season.

“Nobody’s happy being 1-3,” Swarm head coach Ed Comeau said. “But as we always say, we have to own that record. I think it was a good realization for us. I thought we played very well defensively, and our goaltending was good. Our offense is still struggling, and there are a few things we looked at from watching the game that we just have to be better at and have to do more consistently.”

Calgary is in a similar predicament as Georgia. While not at the bottom of the West Division, the Roughnecks sport the same win-loss record as the Swarm and are struggling offensively and on special teams. Calgary’s 9 GF/Game is the 8^th worst in the NLL, and its sole win this season came at home against the winless Vancouver Stealth.

In 2017, the Swarm and Roughnecks met twice and split the season series. The last meeting was on March 17, and Georgia dominated to the tune of 17-8. Johnny Powless led the Swarm in points with a hat trick and four assists while goaltender Mike Poulin earned the win with 33 saves and a .805 SV%.

The Roughnecks offense this season features Curtis Dickson (7G, 6A), Dane Dobbie (4G, 6A) and Wesley Berg (3G, 7A). Goaltender Frank Scigliano’s record matches the Roughnecks’ as he sports a 13.27 GAA and .773 SV%.

Georgia’s offense may not be playing at the same level as last season, but it does have four players with more than 15 points. Lyle Thompson (7G, 14A) again leads the men in blue and yellow offensively, while Shayne Jackson (9G, 8A), Kiel Matisz (4G, 13A), Randy Staats (6G, 10A) and Jesse King (10G, 3A) round out the top Swarm scorers. Between the pipes, Poulin currently has a 1-3 record, a 12.50 GAA and a .757 SV%.

With both teams craving a win to get its respective footing back under it, Saturday’s matchup will see both leave everything on the floor in the hopes of not falling too far behind every other team in their respective divisions.

“The urgency from both locker rooms will be good,” Comeau said. “There are teams within the divisions that are winning games and losing games. You certainly don’t want to be trailing so far behind that you’re clawing your way out all year. It seems early to say teams are playing with desperation, but 1-4 in either division is not where you want to be.”

Georgia’s next home game will be against the Rochester Knighthawks on Sunday, Feb. 11. Tickets are available at GeorgiaSwarm.com/Tickets or by calling 844-4-GASWARM.