The Vancouver Warriors seven-game home winning streak was snapped Friday following a 15-12 loss against the Calgary Roughnecks. The Warriors clawed back from a six-goal deficit in the second quarter but were unable to get the win.
To no one’s surprise, Adam Charalambides and Keegan Bal lead the charge offensively. Kevin Crawley and Riley Loewen each contributed as well, with Loewen scoring a hat trick. Despite some stellar individual efforts and battling back from a six-goal deficit, it just wasn’t enough for Vancouver as it drops back-to-back games.
Going forward, Loewen says it will be important to limit other teams’ leads.
“We (got to) stop those bigger runs, if we can keep it to maybe a three-goal run – it’s a game of momentum (and it’s) always going to be like that. But if we can limit those six-goal runs to maybe three-goal runs, I think we’ll have a better chance.”
Even though they didn’t get the result they wanted, there’s still something to be said about the way the Warriors fought and came back in the second quarter. It’s something that might not have happened in years past, and it’s a testament to the character head coach and general manager Curt Malawsky has engrained in his team.
Final score. pic.twitter.com/9HttH1iyUN
— Vancouver Warriors (@VanWarriors) February 8, 2025
Malawsky spent 16 years with the Roughnecks organization as a player, assistant general manager and head coach. He won multiple championships in Calgary and is a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. So, you know he wanted to beat his former team, especially since Vancouver hadn’t ever beat the Roughnecks at home.
Despite the loss, Malawsky says it’s important to move forward. “You go watch the film, you learn from the things you did wrong, (and) you try and have a positive attitude. There’s no real value in being negative or finger pointing. Like I’ve always said, (if) you’ve got one finger pointing (at someone), you’ve got three pointing back at you.”
“(I) also told the guys in the room that the true test of character of a team and an individual is in adverse situations. When we’re winning at home and everything’s great, everybody’s a great person, everyone’s a great guy and things are great, and you can’t go wrong.”
“When you lose two in a row and things aren’t going great and (you have) a disappointing outing, how do you react? How are you in the dressing room? How are you when you go home with your family? How are you in the community?” continued Malawsky. “Don’t change – like that’s part of it, that’s my big message – just making sure that your character shines through good or bad (times). It really shines through in bad situations, so we’ll find out what we are made of in a week.”
Vancouver’s next game is Friday, Feb. 14 facing the Los Vegas Desert Dogs in Vegas. The Desert Dogs are 2-6 and second to last in the National Lacrosse League. The Warriors will look to get back to .500 with a win and continue their playoff push.