by Tom Hoffman
Through three quarters it was starting to look like the Philadelphia Wings might have found a way to finally defeat the Rochester Knighthawks as they entered the game's final 15 minutes all even at seven. But the Wings could not stop Mike Accursi and ended up falling to the Knighthawks for the eighth straight time in an 11-8 final disappointing the crowd of 8,906 who came out to see the Wings retire the jersey of Hall of Fame goalkeeper Dallas Eliuk.
The start to Saturday's game was much like that of the season opener between the two teams as Rochester jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the game's first 12 minutes. The Wings did make it a one goal game at halftime (5-4) but missed a great opportunity in the latter part of the first stanza and early minutes of the second after Rochester's Mike Kirk was called for a five minute high sticking penalty, scoring only once during the power play.
The Wings did tie the game and take their first lead of the night early in the third on a score from Brendan Mundorf and a "goal of the year" candidate from Dan Dawson, a one handed and underhand shot with his back to the net. After former Wing Brad Self tied the game at six, Kevin Crowley would give the Wings their final lead of the evening. Craig Point would tie the game at seven to set up the Accursi show in the fourth as Rochester's number 44 scored twice early in the quarter to give the Knighthawks the lead. By the time Crowley scored his third goal of the evening with 1:44 left in regulation, the game was out of the Wings reach. A large part of the Wings struggles in the game's final frame was poor shot selection that certainly did not go unnoticed.
"Offense really struggled in the fourth to create some shots and bury the ball when we needed to," Wings forward Dan Dawson said. "Sometimes when we get in tight situations we try to do too much, whether we're going too early in the shot clock or looking for that perfect shot."
Wings coach Johnny Mouradian was equally as frustrated with the team's fourth quarter shooting.
"We were making some poor shot selections," Mouradian said. "We weren't sharp enough shooting. We're either rushing a shot or we're shooting too late."
The loss tightened up the East division even more, especially with the Toronto Rock and Buffalo Bandits both losing their games on Saturday. As the Wings and Rock are tied at 4-4 in the standings, it puts this Friday's final regular season match between the two teams in the all important "must game" category as the winner will have the tiebreaker in the division. For the Wings players, it will also be a chance to show what the team is made of character wise.
"I think this is really going to be a definite turning point in our season," Dan Dawson said. "Define ourselves how we respond from two losses in a row."
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
2012 Wings Lacrosse (3-3-12 vs. Rochester)
by Tom Hoffman
The Philadelphia Wings (4-3) will reach the midpoint of their 2012 National Lacrosse League season Saturday when they host the Rochester Knighthawks (3-5) at the Wells Fargo Center. Game time is at 7 PM and can be seen on the Comcast Network as well as the NLL Network at NLL.com. The game will also be broadcast on Z88.9 (Burlington County College) and online at www.z889.org.
History
The Wings are 15-24 against the Knighthawks in regular season play and are 10-10 at home. In 2012 the Wings are 0-1 having lost the season opener to Rochester 22-12 on January 14 at the Wells Fargo Center. The Wings have lost seven consecutive games against Rochester and haven’t beaten the Knighthawks in Philadelphia since 2008 (15-14 on January 18).
Last Game
The Wings two game win streak ended with a 12-10 loss to the Edmonton Rush at Rexall Place. Kevin Crowley scored four goals while Drew Westervelt added a hat trick and three assists. Brandon Miller made 36 saves in goal.
The Opponent
Rochester lost to the Toronto Rock last Friday 16-12 at the Air Canada Centre. Cody Jamieson leads the Knighthawks in scoring with 20 goals and 24 assists while Matt Vinc has a goals against average of 12.35.
All Star Game
The West Division defeated the East 20-18 in the 2012 All Star Game on February 25 at Buffalo’s First Niagara Center. All four Wings representatives made it onto the score sheet. Dan Dawson led the Wings contingent with a goal and six assists, Brodie Merrill had four assists, Kevin Crowley tallied two goals and one assist and Max Seibald added a pair of goals.
Honoring #35
The Wings will add a second retired jersey banner to the ceiling of the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday when they retire Dallas Eliuk’s #35. Eliuk will join Tom Marechek (#42) as the only numbers retired by the Wings franchise. Eliuk played for the Wings from 1991 to 2005 before finishing his career with the Portland LumberJax. He was inducted into the NLL Hall of Fame in 2009.
Midseason
The Wings record the last five seasons at the midpoint:
2011 4-4
2010 2-6
2009 3-5
2008 7-1
2007 4-4
On this date
The Wings are 1-1 in games played on March 3. In 1990 they defeated the Pittsburgh Bulls 9-8 in overtime at Pittsburgh and in 2007 they lost to the Rochester Knighthawks 14-13 in Philadelphia.
Next Game
The Wings head back to Toronto to face the Rock on March 9.
The Philadelphia Wings (4-3) will reach the midpoint of their 2012 National Lacrosse League season Saturday when they host the Rochester Knighthawks (3-5) at the Wells Fargo Center. Game time is at 7 PM and can be seen on the Comcast Network as well as the NLL Network at NLL.com. The game will also be broadcast on Z88.9 (Burlington County College) and online at www.z889.org.
History
The Wings are 15-24 against the Knighthawks in regular season play and are 10-10 at home. In 2012 the Wings are 0-1 having lost the season opener to Rochester 22-12 on January 14 at the Wells Fargo Center. The Wings have lost seven consecutive games against Rochester and haven’t beaten the Knighthawks in Philadelphia since 2008 (15-14 on January 18).
Last Game
The Wings two game win streak ended with a 12-10 loss to the Edmonton Rush at Rexall Place. Kevin Crowley scored four goals while Drew Westervelt added a hat trick and three assists. Brandon Miller made 36 saves in goal.
The Opponent
Rochester lost to the Toronto Rock last Friday 16-12 at the Air Canada Centre. Cody Jamieson leads the Knighthawks in scoring with 20 goals and 24 assists while Matt Vinc has a goals against average of 12.35.
All Star Game
The West Division defeated the East 20-18 in the 2012 All Star Game on February 25 at Buffalo’s First Niagara Center. All four Wings representatives made it onto the score sheet. Dan Dawson led the Wings contingent with a goal and six assists, Brodie Merrill had four assists, Kevin Crowley tallied two goals and one assist and Max Seibald added a pair of goals.
Honoring #35
The Wings will add a second retired jersey banner to the ceiling of the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday when they retire Dallas Eliuk’s #35. Eliuk will join Tom Marechek (#42) as the only numbers retired by the Wings franchise. Eliuk played for the Wings from 1991 to 2005 before finishing his career with the Portland LumberJax. He was inducted into the NLL Hall of Fame in 2009.
Midseason
The Wings record the last five seasons at the midpoint:
2011 4-4
2010 2-6
2009 3-5
2008 7-1
2007 4-4
On this date
The Wings are 1-1 in games played on March 3. In 1990 they defeated the Pittsburgh Bulls 9-8 in overtime at Pittsburgh and in 2007 they lost to the Rochester Knighthawks 14-13 in Philadelphia.
Next Game
The Wings head back to Toronto to face the Rock on March 9.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
2012 Wings Lacrosse (2-24-12 at Edmonton)
by Tom Hoffman
The Philadelphia Wings (4-2) will look to extend their road and overall win streaks to three games when they travel to visit the Edmonton Rush (1-4) Friday night at Rexall Place. Game time is at 9 PM and the game can be seen on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 1-1 all time against the Rush with both games having taken place in Edmonton. In the teams’ first meeting in 2007 Edmonton’s Randy Daly scored with one second left in regulation to lead the Rush to a season opening 13-12 victory. In 2009 the Wings were 14-9 victors behind six goals from Merrick Thomson and four from A.J. Shannon and 39 saves from Brandon Miller.
Last Game
After being embarrassed at home by the Toronto Rock two weeks before, the Wings turned the tables on the Rock with a 14-8 victory at the Air Canada Centre last Saturday. Brendan Mundorf scored five goals while Dan Dawson added three goals and seven assists and Kevin Crowley notched three goals to lead the Wings offense. Brandon Miller was sharp in net with 32 saves. The win was the Wings first in Toronto since the regular season finale in 2008.
The Opponent
The Rush scoring leaders are Shawn Williams and Corey Small, each with 21 points. Zack Greer and Scott Evans are Edmonton’s goal leaders with eight apiece. Aaron Bold has played every minute in goal for Edmonton this season.
Familiar Faces
The following members of the Wings have also suited up for the Rush: G Kurtis Wagar (2007-08), F Mike Hominuck (2008-09) and T Brodie Merrill (2010-11). Former Wings now with Edmonton are Ryan Ward (2004-05) and 2010 2nd round draft pick Brodie MacDonald. Edmonton’s Defensive Coach, Devan Wray is the bother of Wings defenseman Taylor Wray.
Wings Stats
Goals: Kevin Crowley (17)
Assists: Dan Dawson (34)
Points: D. Dawson (41)
Goals Against Avg.: Brandon Miller (12.01)
Loose Balls: Brodie Merrill (58)
Faceoff Wins: Jeff Reynolds (84)
Power Play Goals: Brendan Mundorf (5)
On this date
The Wings are 3-2 on February 24. In 1989 the Wings defeated the New England Blazers 16-11 at the Centrum in Worcester. In 1996 the Wings defeated the Boston Blazers 12-10 at the Spectrum. In 2001 the Wings defeated the Buffalo Bandits 17-12 at the First Union Center. In 2006 and 2007 the Wings lost on the road to Toronto (12-11 in overtime) and Buffalo (13-12).
Next Game
The Wings return home on March 3 to face the Rochester Knighthawks and retire Dallas Eliuk’s #35.
The Philadelphia Wings (4-2) will look to extend their road and overall win streaks to three games when they travel to visit the Edmonton Rush (1-4) Friday night at Rexall Place. Game time is at 9 PM and the game can be seen on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 1-1 all time against the Rush with both games having taken place in Edmonton. In the teams’ first meeting in 2007 Edmonton’s Randy Daly scored with one second left in regulation to lead the Rush to a season opening 13-12 victory. In 2009 the Wings were 14-9 victors behind six goals from Merrick Thomson and four from A.J. Shannon and 39 saves from Brandon Miller.
Last Game
After being embarrassed at home by the Toronto Rock two weeks before, the Wings turned the tables on the Rock with a 14-8 victory at the Air Canada Centre last Saturday. Brendan Mundorf scored five goals while Dan Dawson added three goals and seven assists and Kevin Crowley notched three goals to lead the Wings offense. Brandon Miller was sharp in net with 32 saves. The win was the Wings first in Toronto since the regular season finale in 2008.
The Opponent
The Rush scoring leaders are Shawn Williams and Corey Small, each with 21 points. Zack Greer and Scott Evans are Edmonton’s goal leaders with eight apiece. Aaron Bold has played every minute in goal for Edmonton this season.
Familiar Faces
The following members of the Wings have also suited up for the Rush: G Kurtis Wagar (2007-08), F Mike Hominuck (2008-09) and T Brodie Merrill (2010-11). Former Wings now with Edmonton are Ryan Ward (2004-05) and 2010 2nd round draft pick Brodie MacDonald. Edmonton’s Defensive Coach, Devan Wray is the bother of Wings defenseman Taylor Wray.
Wings Stats
Goals: Kevin Crowley (17)
Assists: Dan Dawson (34)
Points: D. Dawson (41)
Goals Against Avg.: Brandon Miller (12.01)
Loose Balls: Brodie Merrill (58)
Faceoff Wins: Jeff Reynolds (84)
Power Play Goals: Brendan Mundorf (5)
On this date
The Wings are 3-2 on February 24. In 1989 the Wings defeated the New England Blazers 16-11 at the Centrum in Worcester. In 1996 the Wings defeated the Boston Blazers 12-10 at the Spectrum. In 2001 the Wings defeated the Buffalo Bandits 17-12 at the First Union Center. In 2006 and 2007 the Wings lost on the road to Toronto (12-11 in overtime) and Buffalo (13-12).
Next Game
The Wings return home on March 3 to face the Rochester Knighthawks and retire Dallas Eliuk’s #35.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Wings earn win in house of horrors
by Tom Hoffman
Normally when the Philadelphia Wings visit Toronto's Air Canada Centre, the result isn't usually one fans like to talk about. Yeah, they did win the 2001 National Lacrosse League title here but regular season success has been very little. And after the woeful effort two weeks ago against the Rock in Philadelphia most fans could be forgiven for not exactly being positive for Saturday's rematch. But the old cliche of "that's why they play the game" was quite evident as the Wings owned the game's last 45 minutes en route to a convincing 14-8 victory over the Rock in their barn.
The Wings trailed 3-2 after the opening stanza and were behind 4-3 in he second when the offense and defense both woke up. Brendan Mundorf, Kevin Crowley and Dan Dawson were just about unstoppable as they combined for 11 goals and 15 assists. Brandon Miller had a stellar game in net for the Wings making 32 saves while former Wing Matt Roik gave up 13 of the Wings scores and was eventually replaced by Pat Campbell just about halfway through the fourth quarter. Drew Westervelt (two goals) and Ned Crotty completed the Wings scoring on the night.
With two wins in a row, the Wings will look to add to and build on these recent efforts in next week's visit to Edmonton to face the Rush.
Normally when the Philadelphia Wings visit Toronto's Air Canada Centre, the result isn't usually one fans like to talk about. Yeah, they did win the 2001 National Lacrosse League title here but regular season success has been very little. And after the woeful effort two weeks ago against the Rock in Philadelphia most fans could be forgiven for not exactly being positive for Saturday's rematch. But the old cliche of "that's why they play the game" was quite evident as the Wings owned the game's last 45 minutes en route to a convincing 14-8 victory over the Rock in their barn.
The Wings trailed 3-2 after the opening stanza and were behind 4-3 in he second when the offense and defense both woke up. Brendan Mundorf, Kevin Crowley and Dan Dawson were just about unstoppable as they combined for 11 goals and 15 assists. Brandon Miller had a stellar game in net for the Wings making 32 saves while former Wing Matt Roik gave up 13 of the Wings scores and was eventually replaced by Pat Campbell just about halfway through the fourth quarter. Drew Westervelt (two goals) and Ned Crotty completed the Wings scoring on the night.
With two wins in a row, the Wings will look to add to and build on these recent efforts in next week's visit to Edmonton to face the Rush.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
2012 Wings Lacrosse (2-18-12 at Toronto)
by Tom Hoffman
Hitting the road for just the second time this season, the Philadelphia Wings (3-2) will look to add to their win total when they visit the defending NLL Champion Toronto Rock (3-2) Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre. Game time is at 7 PM and can be seen on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 10-22 all time against the Rock and 0-1 in 2012 following a 15-6 loss at the Wells Fargo Center on February 4. The Wings are 3-11 on the road in the regular season vs. Toronto (1-0 at Copps Coliseum, 0-1 at Maple Leaf Gardens and 2-10 at the Air Canada Centre). The Wings last victory in Toronto was on April 27, 2008 (15-14). The Wings only other road win against the Rock came in the 2001 National Lacrosse League championship game (9-8).
Last Game
Dan Dawson had a goal and nine assists, Kevin Crowley tallied four goals while Brodie Merrill and Drew Westervelt each notched hat tricks as the Wings defeated the Buffalo Bandits 14-13 last Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center. Dawson earned the National Lacrosse League’s Offensive Player of the Week award while Merrill was named Transition Player of the Week.
The Opponent
Toronto has been idle since defeating the Wings 15-6 in Philadelphia on February 4. The two teams will meet one more time in Toronto on March 9. In the game two weeks ago Toronto was led by Garrett Billings (1G, 8A) and Josh Sanderson (3G, 6A) with nine points each. Stephan Leblanc added four goals while Matt Roik shut out the Wings in the second half.
Notes and Stuff
Thomas Hajek is the only current member of the Wings who has played in both regular season Wings victories at the Air Canada Centre. Including the game in Hamilton in 1998 and the 2001 championship game, Jake Bergey is the lone Wings player to have appeared in all four Wings road wins vs. the Rock
On this date
The Wings are 1-2 in games played on February 4. The Wings defeated the Detroit Turbos 19-10 at the Spectrum in 1989 while losing at home to the Rochester Knighthawks 14-13 in 2005 and to the Portland Lumberjax 15-12 in 2006.
Next Game
The Wings will head to Edmonton on February 24 to face the Rush.
Hitting the road for just the second time this season, the Philadelphia Wings (3-2) will look to add to their win total when they visit the defending NLL Champion Toronto Rock (3-2) Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre. Game time is at 7 PM and can be seen on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 10-22 all time against the Rock and 0-1 in 2012 following a 15-6 loss at the Wells Fargo Center on February 4. The Wings are 3-11 on the road in the regular season vs. Toronto (1-0 at Copps Coliseum, 0-1 at Maple Leaf Gardens and 2-10 at the Air Canada Centre). The Wings last victory in Toronto was on April 27, 2008 (15-14). The Wings only other road win against the Rock came in the 2001 National Lacrosse League championship game (9-8).
Last Game
Dan Dawson had a goal and nine assists, Kevin Crowley tallied four goals while Brodie Merrill and Drew Westervelt each notched hat tricks as the Wings defeated the Buffalo Bandits 14-13 last Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center. Dawson earned the National Lacrosse League’s Offensive Player of the Week award while Merrill was named Transition Player of the Week.
The Opponent
Toronto has been idle since defeating the Wings 15-6 in Philadelphia on February 4. The two teams will meet one more time in Toronto on March 9. In the game two weeks ago Toronto was led by Garrett Billings (1G, 8A) and Josh Sanderson (3G, 6A) with nine points each. Stephan Leblanc added four goals while Matt Roik shut out the Wings in the second half.
Notes and Stuff
Thomas Hajek is the only current member of the Wings who has played in both regular season Wings victories at the Air Canada Centre. Including the game in Hamilton in 1998 and the 2001 championship game, Jake Bergey is the lone Wings player to have appeared in all four Wings road wins vs. the Rock
On this date
The Wings are 1-2 in games played on February 4. The Wings defeated the Detroit Turbos 19-10 at the Spectrum in 1989 while losing at home to the Rochester Knighthawks 14-13 in 2005 and to the Portland Lumberjax 15-12 in 2006.
Next Game
The Wings will head to Edmonton on February 24 to face the Rush.
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