GAME PREVIEW: SEALS VS ROUGHNECKS

The San Diego Seals are heading North on Friday, Dec. 30  to take on the Calgary Roughnecks at the Scotiabank Saddledome at 6 p.m PT in one final battle before 2022 comes to a close. 

The Seals are coming off of a three week hiatus and stellar home opener victory against the Saskatchewan Rush in a come-from-behind 13-12 overtime win. 

“I think Dickson said it before the last game,” said Head Coach and GM Patrick Merrill. “He goes ‘I know I don’t want to be sitting at home for three weeks on a loss’ and he was right. We’ve had some time off but we need to take advantage of our breaks when we have them. It’s still early but it’s a long season, so we enjoyed the break, took time to prepare and now we’re focused on a big one in Calgary.”

Both teams are heading into this week’s matchup sporting a 2-0 record, and neither is looking to snap that win streak. The Seals swept the Roughnecks 3-0 in the 2021-22 campaign and haven’t lost a game at the ‘Dome since 2018. 

This will also be the first time that star forward Curtis Dickson will face his old team since signing with the Seals. Dickson currently leads the Seals in goals (9) and points (16) through the first two games of the season, he also ranks second in the NLL in both categories.

“I’m a little bit nervous, but also excited,” said Dickson. “It’s going to be a mixture of emotions heading into the game. I spent a lot of years playing in that building, but I’m excited for the opportunity. I can enjoy it but at the same time I have to remember we are there to grab 2 points in a very important game.”

Friday’s game can be streamed live on ESPN+, and for fans in Canada tune in on TSN. This will be the first of three games between San Diego and Calgary this season. Faceoff is set for 6 p.m. PT.