Fans at Friday’s Vancouver Warriors’ game went from elated to irritated in an instant, thanks to one wave of referee Brent Coulombe’s arms.
Coulombe called off what appeared to be a game-tying goal by Curtis Dickson with 18.9 seconds to go, saying that Dickson’s foot was in the crease when he was sneaking a shot past San Diego Seals Christopher Origlieri off a fast break play off the bench.
Vancouver’s offence had scored twice in the previous 41 seconds, and the announced crowd of 10,971 was amped up as a result. They were raucous in their displeasure of Coulombe’s call. One fan dumped a bag of popcorn on the playing surface.
The play was close enough that Jake Elliott, who has the play-by-play call on the Warriors’ broadcast on TSN+, gave it a “Are you kidding me?” initially after the Dickson marker was negated.
Video review found the Dickson play inconclusive, according to Coulombe’s announcement moments later, so the decision on the floor stood up. San Diego bagged an empty-net marker in the waning seconds to take an 11-9 triumph.
Vancouver, who have been pegged as a championship contender this season, fell to 3-2. San Diego improved to 2-3.
Vancouver coach Curt Malawsky said that Coulombe told him afterwards that he felt Dickson’s right leg had dragged across the lip of the crease before the ball entered the net, and that the officials didn’t get a clear view of the play in the video review. One of the angles, according to Malawsky, was blocked by either a fan or Warrior player on the bench jumping up.
“They just couldn’t get that angle unfortunately,” Malawsky said. “I’ve been around this league for a long time and usually they call that a goal (and then review it). But we’re not going to blame it on the referees. We had a really good crowd tonight. Unfortunately we missed it (the win).”
Dickson is one of the game’s all-time best goal scorers. He’s bagged 40 or markers in a season on nine occasions, he’s tallied 588 times for his NLL career.
Does a guy like that deserve of the benefit of doubt on a play like that and then call on video review to decide if it should be waved off? Vancouver fans and players undoubtedly think so.
Vancouver forward Adam Charalambides neatly ducked the question about the play afterwards, saying: “What I think doesn’t matter.”
Malawsky is as fiery and as passionate as they come. He was decidedly calm and measured post game, and admitted more than once that the game didn’t come down to a single play.
Vancouver’s offence had seemed out of synch for extended stretches. They have the makings of a top-tier unit, particularly with the off-season additions of Dickson and Jesse King, who both had over 100 points last season with the Calgary Roughnecks.
They’re averaging 10 goals a game. The Buffalo Bandits averaged 13.4 last season in league play and Vancouver has the personnel capable of putting up those type of totals it would seem.
“I like that we stayed in there. I like the resiliency. I like the no-quit,” Malawsky said of Friday. “I don’t like the fact that we’re relying one shot to tie the game.
“We’re just playing a little bit tight. I think our offence is trying too hard, kind of squeezing their stick a little bit. We’re trying to be too fine.
“I said right from the start of training camp to anyone who wanted to ask a question about the team that the last thing that comes is offence. We’re all just trying to figure out our way out there.”
The crowd count — bolstered undoubtedly by it being Country Music Night — was the sixth highest announced attendance in the NLL this season. The Bandits have the top four, all coming in at 17,000 or more. The Calgary Roughnecks’ 11,715 from a game against visiting Buffalo on Dec. 28 is just ahead of the Warriors’ latest outing.
It’s the second biggest announced crowd in Warriors’ history, behind the 11,157 put up on April 13, 2024, which was a visit from the New York Riptide.
The Warriors finished fifth in the NLL in announced attendance last season, at 9,677. They were fifth in 2024 at 8,874.
Vancouver is on the road for the next two weeks, visiting the Ottawa Black Bears Jan. 23 and then the Rochester Knighthawks on Jan. 31. They’re next home game is Feb. 7 versus Rochester.
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