Last night, the New York Riptide flipped the script on the Philadelphia Wings.
A week ago, the Wings defeated the Riptide, 19-12. Philadelphia won the game and the fights, ultimately winning the war. They followed with a victory over the Toronto Rock.
“We had competed with them in the past, and being at home on the back-to-back weekend; it was a big win for us.”
Paul Day; 3/10/2023
New York sought vengeance versus the Wings. The Riptide jumped to a hot start and didn’t look back, winning 13-10.
Philadelphia Wings at New York Riptide
Reilly O’Connor and Connor Kearnan put the New York Riptide out to an early 2-0 lead. The Philadelphia Wings couldn’t keep the ball out of the back of their net with the Riptide on the powerplay. Kearnan began a back-to-back sequence of powerplay goals, featuring another from Larson Sundown. Dan Lomas grew the New York lead to 4-0. Joe Resetarits put the Wings on the scoreboard, stopping a four-goal run.
Throughout the rest of the game, Philadelphia mostly matched the pace. Mitch Jones cut the lead to half at the beginning of the second quarter, 4-2. The Riptide went on another three-goal run featuring Tyler Digby, Mike Burke, and a powerplay goal by Jeff Teat. Trailing 7-2 and surrendering three powerplay goals, the Wings had to find momentum before halftime. Jones scored again, this time on the powerplay, and Blaze Riorden added another, cutting the score to 7-4 at the half.
Cameron Dunkerly made a bevy of incredible saves, frustrating Philadelphia. A week earlier, the Wings scored often on Steve Orleman. Not having a scouting report on Dunkerly proved critical as the game progressed. New York revisited their shooting strategy against Zach Higgins.
“We saw a new goalie we’ve never seen before; it’s his second game in the league. He played well, but also we need better shot selections.”
Paul Day; 3/11/2023
Ben McIntosh and Taite Cattoni drew Philadelphia within one goal for the first time in the tilt. It was as close as the Wings would get to the Riptide. At no point did Philadelphia tie the game or present a lead change. Teat and Resetarits alternated goals, but Jack Kelly had the final score before the start of the fourth quarter. Entering the final stage, New York led 9-7, and the game was up for grabs.
Unfortunately, the Wings couldn’t tighten the defense at the beginning of the quarter. O’Connor finished a hat trick, sharing a three-goal run with Scott Dominey. Jones also completed his hat trick bid in a three-goal run for Philadelphia. The inability to slow down the Riptide in the fourth quarter, and on the powerplay overall, was the difference maker. Teat completed his hat trick and dashed all hopes of a late comeback en route to a 13-10 victory for New York.
Disrupt Goal Streaks (-)
The New York Riptide presents itself as the sixth-best offense in the NLL. O’Connor and Teat both scored hat tricks on the way to this victory. It was paramount that the Philadelphia Wings did not let the Riptide get hot. In the first quarter, the Wings trailed 4-0, and it proved to be too big of a hole to escape.
“In this league, you can’t be giving teams a three-goal lead, let alone a four-goal lead, let alone a five-goal lead.”
Paul Day; 3/11/2023
When New York led by five goals, Philadelphia was tightly against the clock. Disrupting goal streaks was a requirement, and Day pointed to poor shot selections when the Wings had possession.
The Riptide went on two four-goal streaks and another three-goal streak. They were the hotter team in the return bout. The Wings needed to take advantage of the worst-ranked defense in the NLL.
That is a nod to the performance between the pipes by Dunkerly in his second NLL game.
(Photo Credit/Alex McIntyre)
