The Rock entered its game Saturday on that fine line between still being able to chase a playoff spot and spending the final two months of the National Lacrosse League season playing out the string.
They ended the night on the wrong side.
The Rock fell to 3-8 on the season and 1-5 at Paramount Fine Foods Centre after an 11-10 overtime loss to the Georgia Swarm. With seven games remaining, it appears very doubtful the franchise that finished at the top of the NLL in 2024 with a 15-3 record will be able to salvage a season that has gone wrong since the first game in Ottawa last November. Still, that glimmer of hope is what Corey Small still has.
“We’ve still got some fight in us,” the Rock forward, who broke out of a season-long slump with a five-goal performance, said. “What’s great about this group is that nobody is going to call it quits. You see that in the effort.”
“We’re in every game. We’re fighting for our lives. But in this sport, a bounce this way, a bounce that way, and it ends up in your net.”
The Swarm, who are very much in a playoff position with a 6-4 record, were stellar on defence led by goaltender Brett Dobson, who ended with 59 saves including eight in overtime. Offensively, Georgia was led by veterans who have enjoyed championship success in the past.
One of those is Lyle Thompson, a former MVP of the league who took a sharp-angle shot that passed Rock goaltender Nick Rose and into the top corner of the net at 6:28 of the extra period. It was his third of the game to go with four assists.
The teams traded the lead for much of the first half with the Rock holding a 7-6 lead at the half. After a scoreless third quarter, the Swarm took a two-goal lead into the final three minutes of the game. But Small scored twice to force the bonus lacrosse.
“Can’t ask for much more in terms of compete and effort,” Rock head coach Matt Sawyer said. “We could be a bit better in execution. It was a tough one to swallow and there’s nothing that can be said to take the sting away.”
“They were just a bit better than us.”
Shayne Jackson also scored three times for Georgia, including two consecutive tallies in the fourth quarter. Miles Thompson scored twice with Jordan MacIntosh, Bryan Cole and Kaleb Benedict scoring one each.
Chris Boushy scored three goals and Josh Dawick scored twice to account for Toronto’s scoring. It was the third loss on the February home stand, all of them by one goal. In total, Toronto has lost six one-goal games this season.
The Rock will go to Halifax to face the Thunderbirds on March 7 and Vancouver to take on the Warriors on March 14 before returning to Mississauga to take on the Philadelphia Wings on March 22.