Fans of the Baltimore Blast have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. But that holiday joy won?t be able to manifest itself locally again until Jan. 6, when the team returns to 1st Mariner Arena. The Blast is currently in the middle of a three-game road trip to close out the season.
“We need to get a road win,” Blast coach Danny Kelly said. “We’re not going to do anything this year if we can’t win on the road.”
The Blast (4-3) set out on the road Thursday, losing to the California Cougars, 12-10 in Stockton. Tonight, the Blast will face the Detroit Ignition (3-5), with whom they’ve split two games this season. In each game with Detroit, the home teamhas won.
Baltimore will then travel to Chicago (5-2) on Dec. 30 before returning home to host Detroit on Jan. 6.
“Sometimes the road is not so bad,” Kelly said. “Sometimes, the guys like going on the road because there’s a little less pressure on the road. Some guys look forward to playing in other arenas and winning on somebody else’s floor.”
At the same time, the Blast must love playing in front of the packed house at 1st Mariner Arena. The Baltimore fans fill the arena to the tune of 8,977 fans per night, with a season-high of 11,286. The league average, 4,557, is nearly half that of the Blast. And the team has responded with a 4-0 record in front of the home crowd.
A key for winning on the road is better team defense. With the home-field advantage in the league creating such an edge, any momentum a defense can take away might make the difference.
“I know the indoor game is a bit crazy in that respect,” Kelly said. “You have to be focused every shift you?re on the floor and be aware of the man you’re marking, especially in the defensive third.”
Kelly said the team has been somewhat inconsistent on defense, relying on goalkeeper Sagu a bit too much. Kelly also has pointed to occasional lapses as a reason for the team’s inability to close out games with tenacity.
“A sign of championship-caliber teams is not allowing teams back in games,” Kelly said.
