The Toronto Rock put on a show-stopping
defensive clinic in their final
home game of the 2001 regular season, shutting out the Rochester
Knighthawks en route to an 11-4 triumph. Veteran defender Rodd "Moose"
Squire contributed mightily, playing relentless defencs and chipping in
with three timely assists. He talked about it with PLPA correspondent Ben
Knight after the game.
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That was an incredible defesive effort in the
second half. What was it
like to be in the middle of it?
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Oh, that's just the way our team plays. The only way we're ever going
to win is on defence. We're not going to get 20 goals a night. We have
to
keep the other teams shut down.
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Rochester's got a terrific team. They've got
John Grant, Jr., who's
deadly in close, they've got Cory Bomberry, who's got that amazing outside
shot, and you guys just completely shut them down for the entire second
half. What was the theory? The ball seemed to spend a lot of time in the
other team's end, cutting Grant out of the game.
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We've got a big defensiver team, and nobody wants to cut into the
middle
against us. So they're pretty well left with outside shots, and they just
weren't going in for them tonight. Plus we were getting all that pressure
on them. It's just good team defence. That's the way it's got to be from
here on in.
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Do you remember a shutout for half a game in the
pros?
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When we played Philly in the playoffs two years ago at Maple Leaf
Gardens, it might have happened then. We won 13-2, and I think we might
have shut them out in the first half that night.
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Two goals last game against Columbus, three
assists here tonight.
You're getting some production at both ends of the floor, Rodd.
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(laughs) They must have given me a couple of assists, then. I don't
know if I was actually in on the goals or not.
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So tell me about your season this year.
Obviously you had some business
commitments at home in Six Nations that kept you busy. Where were you for
the first part of the season?
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Oh, there was just a lot of work. I was thinking all year that I
should
have been out here from the start. It wasn't like I couldn't have taken
the time off. But business was pretty hectic when the season started.
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Tell me about the business, and your role in it.
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My father runs a structural steel company. He looks after the
business
and I supervise the on-site work.
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How many people are working for you?
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There's fourteen of us on our crew. I've got a lot of guys to look
after.
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That's a pretty big responsibility.
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Yeah.
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So what turned it around? How were you able to
get here and rejoin the
team?
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I just made a decision to come out and play again. This is such a
good
team, and I'm only going to be young once, I guess.
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Do you think you might be back next season?
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I think so. It's pretty hard to stay away. Like I said, I should
have
been out at the start of the year anyway.
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You've got the home floor throughout the
playoffs now. Now that that's
all locked up, what do you think this team's chances are?
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Oh, yeah. We're gonna take her. Just wait and see. We've just got
to
wait and see who've we've got as an opponent, and we'll just deal with
them.
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Thanks a lot, Rodd. Take care.
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