Barrage hammer Bayhawks, earn top seed in postseason

By Tom Hoffman

After three seasons of play in Bridgeport, Philadelphia lacrosse fans had no reason to be excited about seeing the Barrage when the team was relocated in 2004. After all, this was a team that managed to win only seven games during their time in Connecticut and lost their first three games here. My, how things have changed. After last night's 22-7 demolition of the Washington Bayhawks at United Sports Training Center, the Barrage earned their second consecutive Eastern Conference title along with the top seed in the 2007 NB Zip Championship Weekend beginning August 25 in Rochester. The goal now is to become the first team in MLL history to win back to back titles and to become the league's first three time champion. Definitely a long way from the constant losing in Bridgeport.

Last night's game was in Philadelphia's control from the start. The Barrage jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the midway point of the first quarter and would lead 9-2 after the stanza. Barrage coach Tony Resch then gave starting goalie Brian Dougherty the rest of the evening off and gave backup Kevin Keenan some quality time in net. The offense continued to flow for the team in orange as the Barrage led 12-3 at half and 17-5 after three before finishing the night with a 22-7 score, making for a good night for the team and the 2,648 in attendance on a gorgeous August evening. Not to be left out was the continued stellar play of the Philly defense and a dominating night at the faceoff "X" by the Barrage's Andy Corno, who won 19 of 29 draws and scored a goal as well.

Roy Colsey earned Bud Light MVP honors with a five goal, one assist night. Mike Springer (4G, 3A) and Ryan Boyle (3G, 4A) each had seven points while Matt Striebel had a four point game (3G, 1A). Jed Prossner added a hat trick, Seth Goldberg tallied three points (2G, 1A) and Justin Smith added a goal and assist to the Barrage's largest goal total of the 2007 season. Kevin Keenan made 14 saves in his three quarters of work, his longest playing time of the season.

Now, the focus is on the playoffs and, more importantly, their semi final opponents, the Denver Outlaws as the Barrage look to become the MLL's first real dynasty team. Something that would have been unthinkable after the move from Bridgeport.

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