When the Albany Attack came up just short in the Champions Cup final against Toronto last year, it appeared that the Attack was poised to join the league's elite and compete for the title on an annual basis.

However, the Attack's lackluster play in a season-opening 13-9 loss to Toronto in front of 5,179 fans at Pepsi Arena raises questions on whether the team is poised for another run.

Newly-acquired Kevin Finneran scored just 97 seconds into the game after his defender slipped on the turf, giving the Rock a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the night. Colin Doyle and Aaron Wilson each tallied in the first half of the quarter, extending the lead to 3-0 for Toronto. Gary Rosyski finally got the Attack on the board, but as happened all night, the Rock answered quickly, when loose ball king Jim Veltman lit the lamp.

Dan Teat and Rosyski sandwiched late-quarter goals around a Rock tally by Steve Toll, bring the back-and-forth first quarter to an end with the Rock holding a 5-3 advantage.

Albany suffered a huge loss by the time the quarter ended. Goaltender Rob Blasdell left the game with late in the period after a collision with Glenn Clark. Although the injury was not severe and Blasdell was back on the bench later in the game, Brandon Miller played the remainder of the game in net.

Mike Regan got the Attack back to within one goal, just eighteen seconds into the second stanza, but Albany could not find the tying goal. Instead, Doyle, Finneran, and Todd Richard scored within two minutes of each other, to increase the lead to 8-4. Nick Trudeau and Jim Moss each tallied for the Attack to close to within two, but Miller allowed a one-handed twenty-footer by Doyle slip through his legs to end the half at Rock 9, Attack 6.

The Rock clamped down defensively in the second half, sucking any life out of the crowd and the game. Josh Sanderson and Teat each scored in the first five minutes to close the Rock advantage to one, but the Attack would not score again for over seventeen minutes of game action.

Meanwhile, Finneran completed his hat trick midway into the third, and Doyle scored twice to open the fourth, pushing the score to 12-8. Hometown favorite Regan brought the Attack to within three with seven minutes to go, but Bob Watson and the Rock defense would allow no more. Daryl Gibson hit an empty net with less than two seconds remaining to complete the scoring.

All in all, an excellent performance by the defending champion Rock, especially on the defensive end, and a terrible outing for the Attack offensively. It's early in the season, and the defenses usually come together faster than the offenses, but the Attack will need to improve quickly if it wants to remain a title contender this season. The Attack (0-1) now travels to Long Island on Thursday to meet the Saints, a team it swept last season. Toronto, now 1-0, will head west to Denver to meet the Mammoth in Colorado's season opener and regular season home debut at the Pepsi Center.

BOX SUMMARY
                                      1  2  3  4     TOT
Toronto Rock (1-0)                    5  4  1  3  --  13
Albany Attack (0-1)                   3  3  2  1  --   9

TORONTO ROCK                  ALBANY ATTACK
               G - A   PTS                   G - A   PTS
Doyle          5 - 1     6    Trudeau        2 - 3     5
Finneran       3 - 1     4    Rosyski        2 - 2     4
Richard        1 - 2     3    J Sanderson    1 - 2     3
Toll           1 - 2     3    Grimoldby      0 - 3     3
J Veltman      1 - 2     3    Regan          2 - 0     2
Manning        0 - 2     2    Beisel         0 - 2     2
Gibson         1 - 0     1    Moss           1 - 0     1
Wilson         1 - 0     1    Teat           1 - 0     1
Coyle          0 - 1     1    B Miller       0 - 1     1
P Jones        0 - 1     1    P Sanderson    0 - 1     1
Merrill        0 - 1     1    Santos         0 - 1     1

Shots on goal           49    Shots on goal           45
Saves made by (GA)      36    Saves made by (GA)      36
   Watson (9)        36          B Miller (8)      29
                                 Blasdell (5)       7
Penalties               10    Penalties               11
Penalty Minutes         20    Penalty Minutes         25
Power Play Chances       6    Power Play Chances       7
Power Play Goals         4    Power Play Goals         2
   Doyle              1          Rosyski            1
   Finneran           1          Trudeau            1
   Richard            1
   J Veltman          1
Shorthanded Goals        0    Shorthanded Goals        0
Loose Balls             83    Loose Balls             84
   J Veltman         11          B Miller          13
   P Jones            9          Moss               7
   Coyle              8          Rosyski            7
   Manning            8          Santos             7
Faceoffs Won            11    Faceoffs Won            15
   P Jones      ( 9- 8)          Moss         (13- 8)
   Toll         ( 2- 7)          P Sanderson  ( 2- 3)

   *** STATS OFFICIAL BY VERIFY WITH ALBANY ATTACK ***