The San Diego Seals, facing elimination, defeated the Toronto Rock 11-6 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Sunday to force a decisive third game in their NLL semifinal series. Dylan Watson powered the Seals' offense, scoring a game-high four goals to keep his team's season alive.
San Diego's victory was anchored by a standout performance from goaltender Cameron Dunkerley. Making his first career playoff start in place of the injured Christopher Origlieri, Dunkerley turned away 36 shots. The offense provided plenty of support. Wesley Berg was a key playmaker, finishing with one goal and a team-high five assists. Tre Leclaire was also instrumental, contributing one goal and four assists. Connor Robinson found the back of the net twice and added an assist, while Zach Currier chipped in with a goal and two assists for the Seals. James Barclay and Eli Gobrecht also scored for San Diego.
Toronto struggled to generate consistent offense against the stout Seals defense. Chris Boushy and CJ Kirst co-led the team with three points apiece. Boushy scored two goals and had one assist, while Kirst tallied one goal and two assists. Challen Rogers, Mark Matthews and Owen Hiltz each scored once for Toronto. Goaltender Nick Rose made 34 saves in the losing effort, while Troy Holowchuk added seven saves in relief.
Toronto struck first when Rogers scored at the 1:17 mark of the first quarter. However, the lead was short-lived as San Diego seized control of the game. The Seals embarked on a seven-goal unanswered run that began with Watson's first goal midway through the first quarter and extended deep into the third, building a 7-1 advantage. The physical nature of the series was on full display, culminating in a contentious fourth quarter in which officials handed out multiple 10-minute misconduct penalties.
Up next: The Rock host the Seals for the decisive Game 3 at TD Coliseum on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
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