The Toronto Rock have advanced to the National Lacrosse League Eastern Final. On Friday at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, the Rock defeated the Halifax Thunderbirds 15-11 in the first of two NLL East Division semifinals.
Forward Zach Manns of Victoria, British Columbia led the Rock in scoring with six points. He had three goals and three assists. Corey Small of St. Catharines, Ontario also had a hat trick as he had three goals and two assists for five points, and led the team with 12 shots on goal.
The game was tied at five goals apiece after the first half. Then in the second half, the Rock outscored the Thunderbirds 4-1 to take a 9-6 lead. The Thunderbirds pulled within two goals with three minutes and three seconds left, but were unable to sustain the necessary pressure in the dying minutes.
Toronto will now play the winner of the second Eastern semifinal game between the Buffalo Bandits and Rochester Knighthawks. Buffalo plays Rochester on Saturday night.
Out West, the Calgary Roughnecks will try to be the second Canadian NLL franchise to reach a division final. They will play the Panther City Lacrosse Club on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome in the Western Division semi-final. The winner will play the Colorado Mammoth.
