Your Raptors' path to the playoffs got considerably steeper last Friday as we fell to the Muskegon Risers, 12-5.
It was a tough battle until the end of the third quarter, when the Risers reeled off eight straight goals en route to their second win of the season.
Making his first start of the season in net, goalkeeper Luis "Luisito" Perez faced 25 shots, stopping 13, for an overall save percentage of .520. Your Raptors also struggled on offense with the absence of veterans Jake Johnson and Pat Kelly. Five Raptors scored a goal each: Jonah Dancer, Ricky Orozco, Ronaldo Rojas, Ayo Adebayo, and Angelo Oquendo. Dancer added an assist; Bobby Hurwitz and David Lapan-Islas also notched one each.
With the loss, your Raptors fall to 4-2-2 on the season. The two overtime losses contribute to our total of 14 points, which is good enough to be tied for second in the North Division. The Rochester Lancers 2, however, hold the lead in the tiebreaker, putting us at third overall and four points behind the division-leading Demon Hawks. The Lancers have also played two fewer games, giving them the inside track going into the season's final weeks. The Demon Hawks have only two more games to play, versus your Raptors this upcoming weekend (3/12; buy tickets here), and versus the Lancers 2 on March 19. Both games will be played at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
Your Raptors, meanwhile, face the Lancers once more here at the PowerHouse, before finishing the season on the road in Rochester with back-to-back games on the weekend of March 25.
Given the schedules, it's clear that your Raptors will need to win out, plus get a little help from the rest of the field, to take the division.
The livestream of the full game can be found on YouTube, courtesy of our friends at MASL2.