The Toronto Rock opened the new season on a high note, downing the Ottawa Rebel 17-7 at the Air Canada Centre.
Colin Doyle had a goal and an assist for the two-time defending champs, and
talked lacrosse with PLPA Correspondent Ben Knight after the game:
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Pretty good start tonight. Ottawa hung in until halftime, so what was
the difference between the opening half and that 10-1 run you guys had in
the second?
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Defence. Defence turned the game around. They gave the offence a
chance to win the game, and when our defence does that, we play better. We
shut them down, and their guys started thinking less and less about going
towards the middle, less and less about shooting the ball. That made it
easier for us on offence. We were getting the ball more often, and we had
a few shifts where we got three or four quality shots in a row, and that
just turned the game right around.
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You outshot them 40-20 in the first half, even though you were only
leading 7-6. Were you pretty confident at halftime you were going to win
the game?
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Yeah! There is no question that we were the better team. And even
though the score didn't show it, we had played a decent second quarter. We
were sloppy at first, but that's just getting the jitters out in a new
arena. We really had a lot of good chances, and I know myself in
particular, I had lots of shots. It's good to see our offence getting that
many opportunities.
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You're a player who really made a good transition from junior lacrosse
to the pros. Two-thirds of the Ottawa guys were playing their first NLL
game tonight. Can you sympathize with what they must be going through here?
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I saw some good things from a few of their players out there. Others
were maybe struggling with the pressure. Luckily for me, when I was a
rookie, the balls were going in for me. A couple of their guys tonight had
a couple of good goals. I can sympathize with them, but if you want to be
an elite player you have to be able to make the transition. They should be
looking forward to playing at home, and with each game, they'll get better.
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This is the Rock's third year in Toronto, and the team is uncannily
similar. It's still the same group of guys. I've often though that if you
really want to dominate or build a dynasty, you've got to keep bringing in
some new blood to challenge the people who are already here. Are you guys
a little too comfortable together, or are you really good enough to go out
and do this all over again?
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I agree that change helps teams, but if you look at it compared to our
championship game last year, I think we've got four new players in tonight.
I mean, that's change on a fifteen-man roster. I think the chemistry on
this team is so good that we can maybe afford to stand pat. Some of those
guys are just filling in, but bringing a big defender like Craig Gelsvik in
makes a big difference. He's a fifth defensive player who's big, strong
and athletic, and that's what our team's all about. The minimal changes
that we've made will help us in the end.
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Fourth time around for you now. Is your game changing at all as you
edge into being a veteran in this league?
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Yeah. I think I'm finding out more and more it's easier maybe to not
stand in the middle the whole game and have years crosschecked off my
career. You learn more about playing with other people, I think, more than
anything. Playing junior in Kitchener, I was a little more individualistic
than I've become here. Playing with Kim Squire gives me an opportunity to
be a playmaker first and a goal scorer second. The biggest thing I've
learned is that you really have to work hard every night up here. You
slack off, and your spot's gone.
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From up in the pressbox, Kim's first goal tonight looked absolutely
unbelievable. He scored from 25 feet with his back turned, and he never
even looked at the net! How did it look from the floor?
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I was actually on the bench when I saw it, and when Kim scores goals,
everybody on the bench just kind of shakes their heads. Those shots go in
for him, and it's not luck. He knows exactly what he's doing. He is a
very, very talented lacrosse player.
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What aspects of your game are you looking to change or work on this year?
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I'm looking to develop a potent outside shot. I've got to be a threat
from outside to make the pick-and-roll better, and to be a big threat on
top on the power play. That's number one. Number two is my endurance and
my athleticism. I've got to get to a level where I can run with these guys
game in and game out. If that's there, it makes things a hell of a lot
easier for me -- and everyone else around me.
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Kim was actually on top on the power play late tonight, instead of his
usual spot on the post. Was that just something you guys were trying out,
or is that the way it's going to be this year?
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Well, I was struggling, and I think they were trying to get me a shot so
I could put one in. Midway through tonight's game, the coaching staff
basically told us to do what we want, and whoever feels better wherever, do
that. I haven't actually had much power play time with Kim, so this is
something new. I think he likes shooter better on the corner, so if I have
to be the feeder all night, that's fine. It's whatever he chooses. I just
go along with his flow.
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Tell me about your goal tonight.
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I think it was the only time all night I just stood there and shot
overhand. No fakes. I just shot. I was just fed up with doing everything
else.
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(Laughing) What does that tell you?
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(Also laughing) I don't know. That's what everyone tells me. Maybe I
ought to just shoot the ball more often. I was trying every way on earth
to get to the net, and the shots weren't falling for me. It's frustrating,
but that's fine. We won the game. My goal was simple, and it was nice to
get on the board.
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Was that a good start for the team, do you think?
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Oh, yeah. In the second half, we dominated. Complete domination.
Maybe there have been some questions about whether we're going to be a
dominant team this year. It took us a half to get our feet together, and
then the rest of the way we just went like our team goes. We have a big
test next weekend in Washington. That will be a little tougher than this,
but this was a good start.
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