Wings put an end to Rock winning streak

TORONTO — The Philadelphia Wings took control of the momentum in the third quarter on Saturday night, scoring five unanswered goals – including three on the power-play – to help lift them to a 14-12 victory over the Toronto Rock at the Wachovia Centre.

Trailing by four after the first half, the Wings offense found a spark after the break, outscoring the Rock 6-1 in the third frame to take their first lead of the game at 11-10.

Colin Doyle found the net at 10:12 of the final quarter to pull the Rock even, but Philadelphia quickly regained the lead on a goal by Dan Marohl. Marc Morley and Jeff Ratcliffe followed for the Wings to put the game away and put an end to Toronto’s six-game winning streak.

Despite playing their second game in as many nights, the Rock got off to a quick start, outscoring the hosts by a 4-1 margin in the first quarter. Doyle notched the first marker for the Rock, who managed to score four times on 10 shots in the opening frame.

Following two goals by Philadelphia forward Jeff Ratcliffe, Aaron Wilson and Rock newbie Steve Evans both picked up an assist on Doyle’s second of the night, giving Toronto the 5-2 advantage. In a game that was full of momentum shifts, the Wings then took control of the play and responded with three quick markers of their own to tie the score at five.

Rock forward Blaine Manning and Doyle then swung the play in favour of the visiting side, as the all-stars notched two goals apiece to give Toronto a commanding 9-5 halftime lead. Or so it would seem.

With the Rock leading 10-6 in the third, Philadelphia forward Dan Marohl took over, notching two power-play markers and assisting on another, as the Wings scored five straight unanswered goals to take a 11-10 lead, their first of the contest.

Doyle led all scorers with six goals on the night, while Manning recorded a hat-trick for the Rock. Josh Sanderson, meanwhile, picked up six assists.

Marohl and Ratcliffe paced the Wings offence, tallying four goals each in the contest, while Sean Greenhalgh managed a goal and four helpers.

Up Next: The Rock (6-5) return to action on Saturday, March 11, as they travel to Buffalo for a 7:30 p.m. Eastern start against the Bandits (4-3) at the HSBC Arena. The game can be heard live on The Fan 590 or be seen live on B2 Networks – www.b2networks.com. The next Rock home game is on Saturday, March 25 when Toronto will host the Calgary Roughnecks in a 2:00 p.m. Eastern start at the Air Canada Centre.