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Player Spotlight highlights the finer details and elements while supplying insight to the fans on what a player's thought process may be pertaining to a certain play, game or situation. It brings the intensity, passion, and inner most thoughts of the individual player that otherwise may not be felt or heard. |
04/20/03 Erik Miller - Colorado Mammoth Deep in the fourth quarter of Colorado’s win-or-die regular season closer in Toronto, Mammoth goalie Erik Miller got faked to his keens at the left post by Rock sharpshooter Colin Doyle. Hopelessly out of position, Miller swept his stick up and across to the other side of the net, where it smothered Doyle’s shot in one of the most spectacular saves of the season. And yeah, it mattered! The score was 10-10 at the time. The Mammoth went on to win 13-10. A very happy Miller talked it out with PLPA correspondent Ben Knight right after the game ended. | ||
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You probably haven’t seen The Save yet, but it’s something! | |
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I tell you! He usually comes in, fakes once and shoots. He came through and faked, and I thought he was going to shoot because he was kind of leaning that way and he likes to reach around you. But then he got hit and he pulled it back, and I thought “I’m done.” And luckily he shot high, and I threw my stick there. It’s about all that you can do.
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You really don’t have time to see it and react. So was it just that you know your body’s not going to make the save, so throw your stick at it and hope? | |
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Yeah, Hope he throws it right in the stick. It’s good having long arms and getting things out there. I’m used to playing field lacrosse, and a lot of times you have to make saves like that. I think that helps, too.
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You guys never do anything the easy way in this building. Last year was that incredible double overtime game, today you’re down 7-2 early in the second quarter. Please tell me that wasn’t the game plan. | |
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Absolutely not. We were in the penalty box the whole time. But if you know our team, we do everything the hard way. We get to the playoffs the hard way. We go through the season the hard way. We’ve always been that way. We’ve got a lot of proud people back here right now, and they’re going to be fired up next weekend.
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This team’s had some road losses we couldn’t figure out, and there’s been a lot of up and down, back and forth this season. What’s it been like to be on the team? | |
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I don’t know how to answer that. We know we can win. I think that fight against Albany might have done something. I think it bonded us, and we’ve had a different attitude since then. We were riding Gary Gait’s back for one whole month when we were really poor, and then I think everybody had a gut check, and we’re doing all right.
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Tell me about the move from Washington. The last time we say you guys was before all that happened. Obviously, the fans in Denver have made you feel really welcome. | |
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It’s the greatest place in the world. Tonight, in a bar on the side of our arena, there’s 1,600 people watching us on television.
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And that would have been a good crowd in Washington! | |
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Pretty much, yeah! They understand the game, and they’re good at getting opposing teams out of their game. We’re looking forward to getting back there, because they deserve this as much as we do.
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Tell me about your game. You’ve racked up a bunch of assists and you’re averaging 11 loose balls a game. You’re really getting into it with the stick there. | |
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I think that comes from my field background. Picking up the ball, being able to move it. I had a pretty bad night with it tonight, but I’ll get the kinks out of that. We’ve got great guys that work with me on that. Guys go early, and I just throw it out. We’ve got good athletes, and they finish.
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You could be right back here for the semifinals! | |
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It’s like our road always comes through here! It’s a great place to play. It’s a fun town to play in, and the fans are great.
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So, what, triple overtime next time? | |
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Naw, I’ve had enough of that.
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What was the feeling on the team today when it was 7-2 for the Rock? We’ve seen some pretty sloppy blowouts this season, and it was looking bad at that point. | |
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Well, we got two goals late in the half, and now it’s 7-4. Three goals behind is not nearly as bad as five. And last year? It was 7-2 and we came back, so it’s not like we’re not used to it. We’ve had a big gut check. We’ve got a lot of heart now, and we’re playing like it.
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Anything this team has to change or adjust at this point? | |
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I’m not going to say a word on that, because I think we’re doing all right.
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Great, Erik. Good luck to you. | |
| PLPA Correspondent Ben Knight is a columnist for Sportsnet.ca, and a regular contributor to Total Lacrosse.com and the Outsider’s Guide to the NLL. He lives in Toronto, and is a passionate Six Nations Arrows fan. |
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