NLL: Jax Ready To Clinch
After 0-5 Deficit in First Quarter, Portland Rallies to Down Edmonton 14-10?Again
First Place LumberJax Could Clinch Playoff Berth Tonight With a Colorado Win Over Arizona
The Portland LumberJax defeated the Edmonton Rush, 14-10, at Rose Garden on Sunday afternoon. The Rush went on a 5-0 run to start the game, including two off the stick of Jason Clark, but Portland overcame the slow start and scored ten unanswered goals to take the lead for good.
With the victory, the LumberJax improve to 8-5 (tied with Calgary for first place in the Western Division), and can clinch a playoff berth tonight if the Colorado Mammoth defeat the Arizona Sting in Colorado. Game time is 7:15 MST. Visit NNL.com for the most updated game scores.
Portland outscored Edmonton 12-1 in the second and third quarters, 7-0 and 5-1, respectively, which included a 10-0 run. The run chased starter Pat Campbell from the goal, and 45-year old Dwight Maetche came in for relief. Maetche was born in Portland, OR.
Peter Morgan led all Jax scorers with 4 goals and 3 assists. At Edmonton on Friday, Morgan scored 5 goals and 2 assists against the Rush in Portland?s win, bringing his 2 games Rush total to 9 goals and 5 assists. Brodie Merrill (3 goals, 2 assists, 26 loose balls), Del Halladay (2 goals, 1 assist), Bruce Alexander (1 goal, 4 assists) and Shawn Cable (5 assists) were also impressive on the LumberJax offense. After relieving Matt King in goal in the first quarter, Dallas Eliuk faced 42 shots (36 saves, 6 goals against) earned the win in goal.
Jason Clark (3 goals, 5 assists) led the Rush offense. Jim Quinlan scored two goals, both late in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to four goals. Pat Campbell (31 saves, 9 goals against) and Dwight Maetche (10 saves, 5 goals against) split time in goal for the Rush.
The Rush will meet the LumberJax again Friday, April 14th at 7:30 PM Pacific for their final game of the season on at Rose Garden in Portland. The LumberJax will play next Friday, April 7th at HP Pavilion in San Jose at 7:30 PM Pacific before their final match-up with Edmonton on April 14th. Portland?s final game will be on the road against Minnesota on Sudnay April 15.
The LumberJax will play Edmonton again this Sunday, April 2 at 2p at the Rose Garden. The game on Sunday will be broadcast live on KPDX TV49 (UPN) and KCMD 970 AM. Fans can watch both games live on their computers via B2 networks for $6.00. Go to PortlandJax.com and click on the B2 link. A high-speed connection is required.
Official Site: Portland Lumberjax