NLL Insider

While contraction of the National Lacrosse League spared no team from tough decisions, there was perhaps no one as notably hit as the Philadelphia Wings, where last year’s All-Star starter became this year’s odd man out. So when a mid-season move sent Matt Roik to the struggling Chicago Shamrox, the veteran goaltender quickly made the best of it. And then he quickly made it better. With the Shamrox on their first winning streak since last season, Roik discusses his new mindset, his old fans, and the writing on the wall in Philadelphia.

Were you surprised to see the Wings pick up Rob Blasdell in the dispersal draft last November?
Yes and no. I thought maybe Philadelphia could use another defenseman if they were going to be missing players like Taylor Wray and Shawn Nadelen [due to NCAA coaching gigs], but to pick up a goalie like Blasdell I thought it was a bonus. I had the opportunity to play with Blazer in Barrie and with his experience and so forth I thought it was a definite plus, especially in a tough position like goaltending, you can never have too many goaltenders, really. I think it really solidified the position and I was looking forward to it.

What happened in the off-season for you to go from being excited to play with Blasdell to not even being the number two?
To be honest, I don’t know. I really don’t know. From my understanding, their prerogative — and I spoke to Dave [Huntley] about this — was to go with one number one goaltender. They told me in camp that they were probably going to trade one of us. I kind of saw the writing on the wall: they’d picked up Blazer and I was the odd man out. They wanted to go in a different direction. It’s unfortunate, but such is life, I guess. You move on. I was hoping to play out my career in Philadelphia, but now I’m in Chicago and Philly has been very successful so I guess it’s worked out for both sides.

Did you talk to management about getting you moved to a team where you could start?
No I didn’t. I was content with splitting time or even competing for the number one job with Blazer. My mindset was Philadelphia. I didn’t try to ruffle any feathers; my heart was there but the writing was on the wall. Dave Huntley wanted to leave his fingerprint on the organization and they didn’t just get rid of me, they got rid of some other players and I guess it’s paid off for them. My intention was to play in Philadelphia and that was it.

With Blazer there, like I said, I was pretty happy to be there. I was looking forward to the challenge. I like Blazer, I like him a lot. He’s a good guy to go to, to talk to and confide in, talk about little parts of the game. I was really looking forward to playing with him and I think it was mutual, we actually talked a couple times in training camp about it. I was really surprised come December 1st, I was trying to negotiate my contract and they told me to stay home.

What was your reaction when you found out you were going to Chicago?
I was happy, I was really relieved. I was on the outside looking in and as time passed I was starting to think I wouldn’t be playing anywhere this year, to be quite honest. Especially with Philadelphia 6-0 there wasn’t really any need to make changes in their line-up so they could just put me on the shelf.

It was unfortunate the way Chicago started the season but at the same time I was really happy to be going to an organization like that, I know a lot of the players and that’s been a huge bonus, it’s been really nice to have the players accept me. It’s been a really easy transition, I thought it would be a little bit difficult — especially with the tough season they’ve had — but it’s really positive in the dressing room, and everyone in the organization from the owners down have been wonderful to me since day one. I’m happy to be there, really happy to be there.

With you the Shamrox are now on their first winning streak of the season. What’s clicking for you this year?
I think I’ve kind of gotten rid of some of the distractions that I usually let play in my head before a game. I think I’ve let the pressure off of myself. I used to kinda put the world on my shoulders and I’ve tried to simplify things and take a different approach to the game. I think the time off has even made me appreciate the game a little more, I’m trying to put things in perspective and enjoy playing the game again. It’s a cumulation of a few things, it’s nice to have a steady defense, good communication with coaching staff and defense and everyone else, and it’s just going out and playing. It’s not worrying about what the city thinks or the organization or the head coach and so on, it’s just knowing that I gave my best effort.

What can you tell me about a few of the guys you’ve got in front of you on defense?
I was really happy to see that Scott Self wasn’t dealt. I was impressed by Mr. Batley on that one. A second round for Scott Self is just not fair, he’s a first round at least. What he brings to the dressing room can’t be compared. Mike Kirk is another gem that I think is really impressive especially since this is only his second year in the league. Carter Livingstone is another leader that I think has been given the opportunity to shine. Then there’s guys like Drew Candy, Brock Boyle is injured, I know we’ve got some other guys that are injured and guys like Mike Hobbins, Tom Montour, the younger guys have really been given a chance and they’ve been stepping up. As the season goes on I think they’re playing a lot better, they’ve really improved and are playing more cohesive as a group.

What are you guys looking to get out of this season? Is it too late to be thinking playoffs?
Playoffs are the furthest thing from our minds. I think right now this is our playoffs, every game. Game in game out. We like playing the darkhorse, no one expects anything of us. We’re pretty upbeat. I think the mentality has changed a bit, I think guys are really looking forward to coming to the rink and playing ball. Guys aren’t as timid or as worried about making mistakes and I think it’s evident in the way we’ve been playing, they’ve really improved their game. Watching past games it looked like guys were afraid to lose instead of playing to win. The results are showing.

You actually play Philly this weekend. Is it feeling like a bigger game than the other games you’ve played so far?
On first thought, yeah, I definitely had it marked on my calendar like anyone else would playing against their former team, but really ten years from now am I going to remember this game? Probably not. Does it mean something? Absolutely. I think every game does. It’s going to be difficult. It’s going to be a huge test for us and it’s going to be a bigger challenge. These guys know me inside and out and they’re going to be relentless and it’s going to be an excellent battle. I’m really looking forward to it though. I like the guys that I have out in front of me. We’re just trying to play spoiler and keep on playing, play to the end and see what happens.

Do you miss the Philly fans?
Definitely the main thing I’m going to miss about Philadelphia — the fans and the people. They’re sincere and passionate, to say the least. They love the Wings, you know? It’s something that I think you sometimes take for granted but when you’ve got 20-30 people flying across the coast to see you play, to see a bunch of guys who basically do this for a part-time gig, that’s pretty amazing. They’re very vocal and they expect results and that’s kind of why it’s really tough to leave a city like that. They demand results and I demand results as well. They’re tough and you really don’t want to let them down, I guess you could say. It’ll be tough, but I just met a few Chicago people finally after the last home game and they’ve been really receptive. It’s nice to be there.

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