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speakup

TORONTO - The Toronto Rock will have to revitalize the offence if the franchise wants to regain prominence in the National Lacrosse League.

The numbers don't lie: the Rock (7-9) were 11th in goals scored in the 12-team league, which is why they missed the playoffs for the first time in their 10-year history.

The 15-14 season-ending loss to the visiting Philadelphia Wings on Sunday was a perfect example of what ailed Toronto throughout much of its 16-game schedule. The Rock had 73 shots on goal, but still lost.

"We generated a lot of chances but we didn't finish consistently well," said head coach Glenn Clark. "That's been the story all year.

"We were in a lot of games where we had the ball in our sticks with two or three seconds left with great scoring chances and it doesn't go in the net. We've been plagued with not finishing."

The mid-season acquisition of Lewis Ratcliff from Calgary, costing Toronto playmaking forward Josh Sanderson, was a big step towards fixing the offence. Having Ratcliff for a full season might put Toronto right back into the playoffs next winter.

"I like Lewis' addition," said captain Jim Veltman. "It gives us a lefty power forward again."

Veltman retired after the game Sunday so selecting a new captain will be a priority. Blaine Manning is a logical and deserving candidate.

Veltman joins Clark and defensive specialist Terry Bullen on the coaching staff. Note to those who think management might want to install Veltman as head coach: forget it. Veltman wants to ease into the coaching ranks and doesn't want to be on a head coaching hotseat immediately after hanging up the stick. He and Clark see eye to eye. Besides being former teammates, they've been coaching their nine-year-old sons together for five years.

"Jimmy and I have been good friends for a long time," said Clark. "It'll be a smooth transition."

Veltman is eager to take on his new role.

"I'm excited about helping to build a contender here again," he said. "That's my mandate. That's the thought process I'm going in with."

The Rock allowed 174 goals, tied for fourth-best in the league, so there's no need to reconstruct the back end.

"Our defence is very strong," said Veltman. "I like what I see back there."

Goaltender Bob Watson had a standout season and, at age 38, feels he has "at least two good years left."

"He's still one of the best in the league," said Veltman. "His stats show that."

It was only after getting Ratcliff that the offence came alive.

"The pieces are there," said Veltman. "There is maybe something missing but I like what I see."

The Rock lost each of its last three games by one goal. Win those three and they're in the playoffs in the competitive East Division. It's not as if this is a bad team.

"I'm excited about next year," said Ratcliff. "I can't wait to get right back at it.

"I love the group. Coming from another team and seeing how badly these guys want (to win) . . . they're willing to do what it takes to win. It's only a matter of time before we develop that killer instinct and start putting teams away instead of losing those one-goal games."

Likewise, Watson expressed no hint of pessimism about the team's future.

"It's promising," he said. "The team is getting younger and we can only go up.

"This was a learning year. We had good team chemistry. There were a lot of upbeat and positive things. We're younger and we made young-team mistakes out there. It's a learning curve and right now we're at the bottom, but we're coming back up."

The league is about to expand again. Boston is in, and the situation with the dormant Arizona franchise has to be settled. There will be dispersal and expansion drafts before the entry draft in September, and the Rock need to choose wisely.

"It's not easy building a team," said Veltman. "It's a competitive league.

"No one is going to give you good players, and there's no true free agency because of the franchise tag. As soon as someone turns 32 and has played more than seven years, he's supposed to be a free agent but the team just franchises him and that takes away his free agency status.

"So, how do you get ahead? I guess it's through the draft."

No guessing is required. Toronto should get a top-three pick and a big young attacker is needed. It'll be the first step in revitalizing the Rock.