Photo Credit: Vancouver Warriors twitter
The Vancouver Warriors picked up their first win of the season Saturday in an offensive explosion, defeating the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 15–9. It was the Warriors’ second home game of the season and their first theme night celebrating First Nations Night. It was also the Warriors’ first-ever teddy bear toss night, and the chew toys rained onto the floor after Vancouver’s first goal of the third quarter.
It was only fitting that Adam Charalambides was the one who scored the teddy bear toss goal, as Charalambides was dominant from start to finish. You could tell he was playing with some extra swagger against Vegas, and his highlight of the night was setting up Payton Cormier with a beautiful behind-the-back pass in the second quarter. Charalambides finished the night with two goals and six assists, tied for the Warriors’ lead on the night with Keegan Bal.
So much has been made about the additions of Jesse King and Curtis Dickson to the Warriors’ offense. They each added a pair of goals Saturday. Charalambides spoke on how adding top-end talent like Dickson and King has helped the offense.
“They’re such elite players, high IQ players, and you bring in great guys like that and the conversations on the (offensive end) and what we’re seeing shift to shift is just so productive and positive, it’s contagious and good energy.”
Head coach and general manager Curt Malawsky also touched on how King and Dickson have opened up space for the Warriors’ other star players on offense.
“They’re really intense competitors. They just elevate our game for everyone up front. They’re lacrosse IQs off the charts… They make everyone around them better. A lot of checks come off Keegan (Bal) because they’re playing Curtis (Dickson) and a lot of checks come off (King) because they are playing (Charalambides). It’s really good to see those guys incorporate themselves in our offense seamlessly.”
The Warriors are now 7–1 since 2018–19 when they score 15-plus goals in a game. Vancouver’s offense didn’t perform up to its standards last game versus the Colorado Mammoth, only scoring seven goals. They matched last game’s total in the first half Saturday. Charalambides was happy with how the offense bounced back, and he thought the Warriors’ movement in the offensive zone was much better.
“(I) saw a lot more foot movement. We were getting over the top a little bit more, (and) getting into corners. (We) did a good job banging up picks on our entries… I thought we had a really good balance of getting in and out (of the middle) and keeping our feet moving and not stopping in the middle and not clogging that area.”
The Warriors did a great job of taming the Desert Dogs in the first half. Defenseman Reid Bowering quietly had a great game, finishing with three assists, scooping up six loose balls, and blocking two shots. All-star goaltender Christian Del Bianco became the 13th goaltender in NLL history to record 60 career wins Saturday, stopping 44 shots in his milestone win.
Vancouver got back on the right track and can hopefully carry their momentum moving forward this season. With the offense finally starting to click, the sky is the limit for this team. While it’s still early, there is a ton of excitement around the Warriors this season, and rightfully so. After a historic season last year, fans are hoping the team can build on that success.
The Warriors head on the road next and will face the Oshawa FireWolves on Friday, December 19.
