The San Diego Seals completed the back-to-back sweep with a thrilling win over the Vancouver Warriors at Rogers Arena on Saturday night. The win marks the third straight for San Diego.
“It wasn’t pretty,” said general manager and head coach Patrick Merrill. “We had a lot of great individual efforts out there. We made plays when it mattered. We could tell we kind of ran out of gas in the fourth quarter – second game of the back to back. That caught up with us a little bit, but we’re really proud of the fact that we not only got this one tonight, but both games this weekend. Its huge for us.”
Forward Casey Jackson netted his second-straight hat trick in as many nights. His two goals in the fourth quarter helped inch the Seals past the Warriors.
“We’re taking to heart what the coaches are saying,” said Jackson. “We’re trying to get small victories. We want to lean on the guy next to us and it just so happens that the ball is falling in the net. We’re working really hard day in and day out, and the wins are starting to collect. This was a big weekend for us with divisional games and we’ll take it any way we can get it.”
Forward Garrett Billings continued to stay hot in his return to the National Lacrosse League. With a robust fan club in the crowd, the Vancouver native finished the night with five points (two goals, three assists).
“It was a tough win for us,” said Billings. “Nothing was really clicking, but we kept going and pulled out the win. We’re getting familiar with the guys and everyone is really learning their role, but it all starts with Frankie. He’s playing unbelievable. He gives us a chance to win every night.”
Goaltender Frank Scigliano stood tall in net, as he has all season, making 43 stops in the win. Forward Austin Staats netted a pair of goals and scooped up 13 loose balls. In a game that went down to the last few seconds, San Diego’s defense was strong until the final buzzer sound.
The Seals return home to Pechanga Arena San Diego on Fri., Feb. 8 to play the Vancouver Warriors for the first time in San Diego. Reserve your seats today at SealsLax.com.