Wings 2009 Game 1 (at Buffalo 1-3-09)

By Tom Hoffman

The 23rd season of Philadelphia Wings lacrosse will begin where the 2008 season ended for them. The Wings will head back to the site of last season's 14-12 postseason defeat, Buffalo's HSBC Arena, to do battle with the defending champion Bandits Saturday night. Faceoff is at 7:30 PM.

History

The Wings are 17-18 all time in regular season play against the Bandits. At Buffalo the Wings have a 7-11 record, but are 6-7 at HSBC though they have lost in their last four visits including last season's playoff. The Wings last victory in Buffalo was on February 25, 2005 (14-8).

For Openers

The Wings are 12-10 in season openers and have won four of their last five opening games. In season openers on the road the Wings are 7-7. Philadelphia has opened the season four times against Buffalo and are 1-3 in those games, the lone win coming in the 1998 opener in Buffalo (14-12).

Last Season

The Wings and Bandits split their two regular season matchups in 2008. The Wings needed overtime to defeat Buffalo 15-14 on January 26th at the Wachovia Center. Jake Bergey's goal just twenty seconds into the extra period gave Philadelphia the win after Jamie Rooney's score with less than two minutes in regulation forced the overtime period. On March 1st the Bandits handed the Wings their first loss of the 2008 season at HSBC by a score of 21-12. Philadelphia jumped out to a 5-0 lead 6:34 into the first quarter before being outscored 21-7 the rest of the night. Including the postseason, Athan Iannucci scored 12 goals against Buffalo last year while Rob Blasdell started all three games in net for the Wings. For Buffalo, Mark Steenhuis (8G, 10A), Cory Bomberry (5G, 13A) and John Tavares (5G, 13A) each had 18 points in the three meetings with the Wings.

New Faces

The Wings have nine new faces on this season's 23 man roster (as of 12-28). One face isn't quite new as Kyle Wailes returns to the Wings lineup after missing the 2008 season due to work visa issues. Wailes scored 16 goals and added 21 assists in 2007 and will be looked upon to add to the teams offense especially with the losses of Jake Bergey (expansion draft), Jason Crosbie (free agency) and Jamie Rooney (Arizona dispersal draft). Also missing from the lineup (pending a physical) is last season's MVP and leading goal scorer Athan Iannucci as he recovers from a knee injury suffered last summer playing for the St. Regis Indians in Major Series Lacrosse in Ontario. Three of the new faces for 2009 came via September's entry draft, first round pick Sean Thomson, second round choice Matt Bocklet and fourth rounder Jordan Levine. Also added, and expected to help pick up the offense, was Mat Giles via the Chicago dispersal draft. Giles led the Shamrox last season with 27 goals.

2008 Numbers

Goals: Athan Iannucci - 71

Assists: Jason Crosbie - 40

Points: Iannucci - 100

Penalty Minutes: Geoff Snider -103

Loose Balls: Snider - 244

Goals Against Average: Brandon Miller - 12.18 (in seven games with Wings), Rob Blasdell - 13.92

Next Game

The Wings travel to Rochester to face the Knighthawks on January 10th.

Wings revised 2009 schedule

By Tom Hoffman

With the announcement of the Chicago Shamrox folding yesterday, the National Lacrosse League revised its 2009 schedule. For Wings fans, the home dates and opponents will remain the same but now the Minnesota Swarm will make a second visit to the Wachovia Center on February 21, the night the Shamrox would've played in Philadelphia. The road schedule had a few more tweaks done to it. Gone, in addition to Chicago, are visits to Minnesota and San Jose, replaced by a second trip to Rochester (January 10) and a weekend trip to Edmonton and Portland (February 27 and 28). The Wings visit to Madison Square Garden also was a casualty of the new schedule, that game is now on February 8 at Newark's Prudential Center. Here is the new Wings schedule for 2009 (home games in bold):

Sat. January 3 at Buffalo 7:30

Sat. January 10 at Rochester 8:05

Fri. January 23 Boston 8:00

Sat. January 24 at Boston 7:30

Fri. February 6 Buffalo 8:00

Sun. February 8 at New York (Prudential Center) 7:00

Fri. February 13 Boston 8:00

Sat. February 21 Minnesota 7:30

Fri. February 27 at Edmonton 9:30

Sat. February 28 at Portland 10:30

Sat. March 14 Minnesota 7:30

Sat. March 28 Colorado 7:30

Sat. April 4 at New York (Prudential Center) 7:30

Sun. April 5 New York 2:30

Sat. April 11 Toronto 7:30

Sat. April 18 at Rochester 7:35

In the Shamrox dispersal draft, also done yesterday, the Wings took Mat Giles. Giles had 27 goals and 23 assists last season for Chicago and is a 10 year veteran in the NLL.

Where Are They Now?: Garrett Burnett

By:Kevin M.Neibauer

Garrett Burnett, former NHL player with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, former long-time minor leaguer who played in six different leagues on thirteen different teams.

Burnett, always known as a fighter, fought Scott Parker 11 times in his career, including three times in one game.

Burnett realized his dream when he finally made it to the National Hockey League and played one season as the Ducks enforcer, the tough guy actually got to feel the thrill of scoring an NHL goal.

Ice time dwindled and Burnett switched sports, he went back to Western Canada and signed up to play professional lacrosse.

The Vancouver native may go down in history as the most popular player in minor league history. With a heart and personality far bigger than his talent, Burnett won fans over with his movie star good looks and rugged “never say die” attitude that everyone loves.

Always the last to leave the autograph sessions and always making time for a child, Burnett came across as everyone’s brother, son or more importantly, their friend.

When he wasn’t playing hockey, he could be found on the Lacrosse rink. Burnett played on the legendary Burnaby Lakers team that featured two future hall of fame goaltenders, Pat O’Toole and Dallas Eliuk.

Burnett was a third string goaltender who also played the field, normally a defender, Burnett gained a reputation with Eliuk.

“He was always in the middle of things, big hitter, he could play a little bit…” said the now retired netminder.

All of that ended on Boxing Day in 2006, the 6’-3” 235 pound tough guy entered a bar in Vancouver with a friend for a night on the town.

The establishment apparently was host to a collection of thugs and unsavory types. At least two men started an argument with the Burnett party and things came to a head. The exchange began to get physical, and while the bouncers idly sat by, Burnett was hit with a barstool and rendered unconscious.

The injuries were life threatening and left Burnett in a coma. If not for the fact that an off-duty EMT was on the scene, Burnett may have died.

“They (doctors) said that it probably because of my being in such good physical shape, it probably saved my life.” Burnett commented.

Of course, his playing days are over. He now is an outpatient who is working on his physical and mental impairments.

Burnett is still unable to drive, has nerve damage in his face, “pins and needles” in his face, orbital damage and still some swelling in the brain that causes memory loss.

Does he complain? No. In fact he spends his time working in the Vancouver community and “trying to give something back to the communities in the cities that I played.”

“The fans have been great, I get letters from everywhere, I can’t wait to get into Philly and see my old friends….see how big some of the kids have grown, see the faces of these people.”

His main passion these days is a charity for children with LUPUS and arthritis. Celebsforkids.ca is an organization that celebrities and athletes such as Burnett use to gather memorabilia for auctions,

Burnie also keeps himself busy with the Seniors in Vancouver, visiting and playing BINGO and trying to make a difference.

Burnett freely admits that his parents, Bob and Vicci and his sister were by his bedside, “Non stop from the day of the accident.” His parents are currently on a cruise and Burnett expects to have Christmas with his family.
_________________
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Wings come back to defeat Titans in scrimmage

By Tom Hoffman

In a spirited pre-season scrimmage at the Center Circle in Rahway, NJ, the Philadelphia Wings used a solid second half to defeat the New York Titans 13-11 Saturday evening. While the game did take place at the Titans practice facility, the group of fans there gave it a definite pro-Wings feel.

"I thought it was a good game by both teams," Wings coach Dave Huntley said. "I was real pleased with a lot of the new stuff we're trying to do. A lot of our new guys did a good job."

Wings fans worried about about the losses on offense (Jake Bergey, Jamie Rooney and Jason Crosbie), as well as how Athan Iannucci will be after his recovery from knee surgery, had to impressed with the play from two returnees. After sitting out last season due to visa issues, Kyle Wailes played like he hadn't missed a beat, putting up four goals. Drew Westervelt added three tallies, including a shorthanded no look, back to the net roll shot that obviously surprised Titans goalie Matt Vinc early in the second quarter while the Wings were killing off a five minute major to Taylor Wray. Wailes's play definitely caught his coach's eye.

"It was good to see Kyle Wailes back," Huntley said. "Obviously he's a real good player and he played terrific. It didn't look like he hadn't played lacrosse for a year."

Also scoring for the Wings were Merrick Thomson (two goals), A.J. Shannon, Kyle Sweeney, Geoff Snider and Taylor Wray. Rob Blasdell played 55:05 and gave up 10 goals in a solid effort. Rookie free agent Mickey Hover finished the game for Philadelphia. Marc Burton had a hat trick for New York while Mike McLellan, Jamie Rooney and Jordan Hall each added two scores. Titans coach Ed Comeau used four goaltenders in the scrimmage (Matt Vinc, Erik Miller, Kurtis Wagar and Angus Dineley). Missing from the Wings lineup last night were Rob Van Beek, Brandon Miller, Sean Thomson and Jim Borell. Rookies who impressed were Jordan Levine and Matt Bocklet.

The Wings trailed 4-3 after the first quarter and 8-6 at halftime before breaking the game open with a 4-0 third. The teams traded goals in the fourth with the Wray icing the game with an empty netter with under three seconds to play. For the Wings this will be their lone pre-season action as they prepare for the regular season opener January 3 in Buffalo against the defending champion Bandits.

2009 Season-What to Expect

By-Kevin M. Neibauer

With the 2009 National Lacrosse League just around the corner, I wanted to take a look at the upcoming season and what appears to be a drastic new look for your Philadelphia Wings.

Jake Bergey, Jamie Rooney, Peter Jacobs, and Jason Crosbie....none are returning. That is a lot of experience that the Silver (Red) and Black are losing.

Crosbie, Jacobs and Bergey all brought leadership and experience to the locker room.

Rooney, put points on the board, although he faded in the latter stages of the season, his contributions carried this team at times.

Bergey had one of his most productive seasons ever and was rewarded by being exposed (again) to the Expansion Draft.

Jacobs was seeing less and less time due to the emergence of Geoff Snider, but, Jacobs was one of the biggest leaders of the club. His presence, along with the presence of Crosbie certainly helped the younger players along.

Athan Iannucci....what else can be said. Without a doubt, the biggest question for this team. Will he return to his old form? Will the knee hold up?

Clearly 70 goals is asking a lot, but how about 50? It is tough to expect that kind of production again, especially with Iannucci coming off the injury and Philadelphia seriously lacking a second proven scorer.

Will Merrick Thomson play up to his billing? Thomson was superb at times last season, but was also nearly invisible on occasion.

So, where will the goals come from? Who steps up? Will Jim Borell or David Mitchell become the surprise break-out player of the season?

Pat Heim showed some skill at times, Drew Westervelt is another player who will be counted on to step it up.

AJ Shannon may turn out to be the key to the offense this season. Has Shannon gotten back into paying shape? Is he ready to emerge as a leader?

Geoff Snider....simply needs to play his game. Snider struggled early last season, taking a lot of penalties and simply making bad decisions. Snider is one of the most explosive players in the game and will do his part to win a few games with heart alone.

Snider needs to realize that he is a constant target of the opposition due to his heart. He needs to keep his emotions in check. It is time for Snider to step up and accept his role as a team leader.


Defensively, the Wings had a ton of talent, but have a problem with cohesion and the abiity to play a solid game.

Kyle Sweeney should only get better, the return of Kyle Wailes won't hurt either. Taylor Wray and Tom Hajek are solid. Rob van Beek needs to have a big season.

Goaltending...which Blazer do we see? The one who played lights out for most of the home schedule? or the Bazer that played like the lights were out on the road?

Brandon Miller should be able to fill in nicely, in fact, Miller could compete for the starting spot.

Dave Huntley did a nice job with the team last season. He will have his work cut out for him this season.

The Philadelphia squad made the playoffs last year, so logically, they need to do at least that much.

Minnesota is out of the Division, but New York has gotten even stronger and Rochester will always be a threat as long as Gary Gait is playing.

Buffalo of course is Buffalo, tough to play every year. Even if you beat them, they play a physical game that takes a toll on players. How will Sean Greenhalgh rebound? He improves the power play just by being on the foor.

Toronto went through a of of adversity last season, with questions about the coaching staff and the impending retirement of Jim Veltman. The Rock may be the weak link of the Division....or maybe not.

Boston is putting together a nice squad, Tom Ryan has added Dan Dawson, a legit goal scorer who will mesh nicely with Jake Bergey (If Bergey plays)

Chicago has been steadily improving the past two seasons. Are they ready contend for a playoff? Of course.

So, where will Philly finish?


Remember, you get what you pay for and these predictions were free....

Wings will lose their first two (road games in Buffalo and Minneota)
win their next three (Chicago and Boston twice)
lose to San Jose
defeat Buffalo
Boston
Chicago
lose to New York
defeat Minnesota (OT)
defeat Colorado
New York
lose to New York
defeat Toronto
Rochester

So, that makes them 11-5....or maybe 5-11.....


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Wings open Training Camp

By Tom Hoffman

The Philadelphia Wings will begin preparations for the 2009 NLL season when they open training camp on Friday, November 21 at United Sports Training Center in Downingtown, PA. All practices are free and open to the public.

As the season approaches, look for interviews and preview articles leading up to the season opener January 3 in Buffalo.

Wings 2009 Schedule released

By Tom Hoffman

The 2009 National Lacrosse League schedule was released today. The Philadelphia Wings will open the 2009 season watching the Buffalo Bandits raise their 2008 championship banner on January 3rd at HSBC Arena. After stops in Minnesota (January 10) and Chicago (January 16), the Wings will play their home opener on January 23 against the expansion Boston Blazers. The Wings home schedule includes three Friday nights, four Saturday night games and a Sunday afternoon tilt with New York on April 5. The full Wings schedule is below.

Wings 2009 Schedule
(home games in bold).

January 3 at Buffalo 7:30 PM
January 10 at Minnesota 8 PM
January 16 at Chicago 8 PM
January 23 Boston 8 PM
January 24 at Boston 7:30 PM
January 31 at San Jose 3:30 PM
February 6 Buffalo 8 PM
February 13 Boston 8 PM
February 21 Chicago 7:30 PM
February 28 at New York 12:30 PM
March 14 Minnesota 7:30 PM
March 28 Colorado 7:30 PM
April 4 at New York 7:30 PM
April 5 New York 2:30 PM
April 11 Toronto 7:30 PM
April 18 at Rochester 7:35 PM

Barrage fall in OT, no championship in 2008

By Tom Hoffman

For the third time in four semi-final games the Barrage found themselves in overtime. And for the first time in their playoff history, they find themselves not playing for the Major League Lacrosse title. Casey Powell's goal :45 into the extra session lifted the Rochester Rattlers to their first ever postseason victory, 16-15 over the defending champions at Boston's Harvard Stadium.

The Barrage forced overtime by outscoring the Rattlers 3-0 in the fourth quarter, tying the game on Roy Colsey's third goal of the game with 2:59 left in regulation. Colsey also had three assists for six points to lead the Barrage. Joe Walters scored four goals and three assists to lead Rochester. The Rattlers will face the Denver Outlaws, who defeated the Los Angeles Riptide 13-12, in Sunday's Championship tilt. The winner of this year's championship will be the first team other than the Barrage (3), Lizards (2) and Bayhawks (2) to raise the Steinfeld Cup.

And so for 2008, the Barrage's traveling road show has played its final date.

MLL Semi-Final - Barrage vs Rattlers - 8/23/08

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage (7-5) are seeking their third consecutive Major League Lacrosse title in 2008. Their first step towards that feat will begin Saturday when they face the top seeded Rochester Rattlers (9-3) at Harvard Stadium. Faceoff is at Noon and the game will be shown live on ESPN2.

Playoff History

The Barrage are in the postseason for the fourth time, having won the MLL Championship all three previous times (2004, 2006, 2007). Their all time playoff record is 6-0. Rochester is 0-4 all time in the postseason. The two teams have met once in the playoffs, the Barrage needing overtime to defeat the Rattlers 18-17 in the 2004 semi-finals at Boston's Nickerson Field. Seven members of the Barrage (Roy Colsey, Matt Striebel, Kyle Sweeney, Mike Springer, Brian Spallina, Brian Kuczma, Ryan Boyle) have played in all six Barrage playoff games while Kevin Cassese was a member of the Rattlers in the 2004 meeting.

Regular Season

Rochester won both regular season meetings in 2008, winning 22-9 on May 31st at PAETEC Park and then taking a 20-17 victory on June 21st in Cary, NC. Joe Walters, John Grant Jr. and Casey Powell each had 13 points for the Rattlers in the two games, Walters leading the way with 11 goals while Matt Striebel had seven points (6G, 1A) for the Barrage with Seth Goldberg, Ryan Boyle and Justin Smith each adding six points. Rochester's Alex Smith outdueled Andy Corno at the faceoff "X" winning 45 of 67 draws. Mike Levin won both starts for the Rattlers while Brian Dougherty took the losses for the Barrage.

Barrage Playoff Leaders

Goals: Roy Colsey (22), Matt Striebel (16)

Assists: Ryan Boyle (12), Striebel (10)

Points: Colsey (30), Striebel (27)

Wins: Brian Dougherty (4), Greg Cattrano (2)

Faceoff Wins: Paul Cantabene (42), Andy Corno (34)

Notes

The Barrage won their first MLL title in Boston in 2004. That season the championship weekend was at Nickerson Field. At this year's venue, Harvard Stadium, the Barrage are 3-0 including a pair of wins in 2008.

Kyle Sweeney and Matt Striebel were named to the 2008 All-MLL team while Tony Resch was named MLL Coach of the Year.

Next Game

A win and the Barrage face the winner of the Denver-Los Angeles game on Sunday afternoon. A loss and we'll see you in 2009.

Barrage Game 12 (vs. New Jersey 8-9-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage (7-4) will look to enter the postseason on a winning note when they finish the regular season with a trip to Hillsboro, Oregon to face the New Jersey Pride (5-6) Saturday evening. Faceoff is at 10:30 PM and will shown live on CN8.

History

The Barrage have won five straight in the all time series after their 16-11 win at New Jersey on July 10. Peter Trombino scored five goals that night to earn Game MVP honors. The win gave the Barrage a 7-8 all time record against the Pride, 7-2 since the Barrage relocated from Bridgeport, CT.

Last Week

The Barrage clinched their third straight playoff appearance (and fourth in five seasons) with a 16-11 victory over the Boston Cannons last Saturday at Harvard Stadium. Kevin Keenan, making the start in place of an ill Brian Dougherty, took Game MVP honors with a 27 save performance. Keenan, also named Goaltender of the Week, was aided by three goals from Ryan Boyle and Matt Striebel and a pair from Jed Prossner in his return from the injured list. New Jersey defeated Washington 16-8 on July 31 at Rutgers.

Playoffs

With their spot secured in the 2007 MLL postseason, the Barrage still need to find out where they will be seeded. A Barrage win and Los Angeles loss and the Barrage will earn the third seed while a Riptide win puts the Barrage fourth regardless of what they do vs. the Pride.

Stats and Stuff

With his three goals against Boston, Matt Striebel set a personal high for goals in a season. With 27 heading into the final game, he and Seth Goldberg (also with 27 goals) can become just the third and fourth Barrage players to score 30 goals in a season with hat tricks this weekend. Blake Miller holds the team record with 46 goals in the 2004 championship year while Matt Panetta tallied 33 in the teams inaugural season in 2001. Goldberg, with four goals, can equal his best of 31 set with Rochester in 2006. Kyle Sweeney (five goals this season) needs one goal to set a career high for himself as well.

Next Game

The Barrage will play either the Denver Outlaws or the Rochester Rattlers on August 23 in the MLL Semi-Finals.

Barrage Game 11 (at Boston 8-2-08)

By Tom Hoffman

Looking to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Barrage (6-4) return to Boston for their second meeting with the Cannons (6-4) on Saturday evening. Faceoff at Harvard Stadium is at 7 PM and the game is the ESPN2 Game of the Week with broadcast on August 5 at 3:30 PM.

History

The Barrage improved to 8-13 all time against Boston with a 16-14 victory on July 3. Seth Goldberg, Roy Colsey, Matt Striebel and Ryan Boyle each scored three goals in the Barrage victory while Brian Dougherty made 28 saves in net. Paul Rabil scored four goals for Boston while Matt Alrich had six points (3G, 3A) for the Cannons.

Last Week

The Barrage dropped their championship rematch to the Los Angeles Riptide 13-9 last Saturday at the Home Depot Center. The Riptide outscored the Barrage 7-3 in the second half to secure the win. Peter Trombino led the Barrage with four goals. Boston lost at Rochester 26-19 on Saturday.

Playoff Scenarios

According to majorleaguelacrosse.com, the Barrage can clinch a playoff berth Saturday night with a victory, as well as wins by Rochester and Los Angeles. However, should the Barrage lose by two or more goals and Los Angeles win their game, the Barrage would be eliminated from postseason consideration.

Barrage League Leaders

Points: Ryan Boyle - 35 (Tied 11th)

Power Play Goals: Seth Goldberg - 6 (Tied 3rd)

Shots: Matt Striebel - 96 (2nd)

Save Percentage: Brian Dougherty - .570 (2nd)

Saves: Dougherty - 180 (3rd)

Next Game

The Barrage conclude the regular season when they travel to Hillsboro, Oregon (outside Portland) to face the New Jersey Pride on August 9.

Barrage Game 10 (at Los Angeles 7-26-08)

By Tom Hoffman

After being off for just over two weeks, the Barrage (6-3) returns to play Saturday when they visit the Los Angeles Riptide (5-4) in a rematch of the 2007 MLL Championship Game. Faceoff at the Home Depot Center is at 7 PM. The game will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet.

History

In addition to last year’s title game won by the Barrage 16-13 at Rochester’s PAETEC Park, the teams have met one other time in regular season play. On May 27, 2006 the Barrage defeated the Riptide 18-6 at Villanova Stadium in LA’s first ever game. While the Barrage roster has pretty much stayed the same, only two current members of the Riptide (Michael Watson and Greg Bice) were in the lineup that night.

Last Game

The Barrage defeated New Jersey 16-11 on July 10th at Yurcak Field. Tied at halftime 6-6, the Barrage scored seven of the games next nine goals to break open the game. Peter Trombino earned game MVP honors with five goals while Brett Moyer was named Defensive Player of the Week for helping to hold the Pride’s Merrick Thomson pointless on the evening. In addition to Trombino, Matt Striebel added four goals while Roy Colsey dished out five assists along with a goal. Brian Dougherty made 13 saves in the Barrage cage.

Success out West

Since the Western expansion in 2006, the Barrage has done quite well against the four new teams. The Barrage’s record against the West is 4-1 in regular season play, their only loss coming last season at Denver. In the postseason, the Barrage are 3-0 against the Western teams, with their last two titles coming at the expense of the new squads (2006 – Denver, 2007 – LA).

Barrage Leaders

Goals: Seth Goldberg – 26
Assists: Ryan Boyle – 16
Points: Goldberg, Boyle and Matt Striebel – 31
Faceoff Wins: Andy Corno – 133
Saves: Brian Dougherty – 162

Next Game

The Barrage will travel to Boston to face the Cannons on August 2nd.

Barrage enjoy "homecoming"

By Tom Hoffman

For players and fans, Thursday night's Barrage game at New Jersey was highlighted since, during this season as the so-called "traveling road show", this would be the closest game the team would play near Philadelphia. And there were a few Barrage jerseys mixed into the crowd of 1,956 that made their way to Yurcak Field for this key Eastern Conference matchup. All of this made the Barrage feel right at home as they played quite possibly their most solid game of the 2008 season in defeating the Pride 16-11. In keeping with the hometown feel, the Barrage's Peter Trombino, who played collegiately at nearby Princeton, had his best game in his brief MLL career with five goals, earning him game MVP honors.

After trailing 4-3 after the first quarter, the Barrage never looked back, outscoring the Pride 13-7 the rest of the night while putting their defensive clamps on the Pride's leading scorer Merrick Thomson. Thomson, who scored seven goals at Long Island the previous week, was kept off the scoresheet by the Barrage defense, who held Thomson to four shots, all off goal. Also of note in the game was the Barrage not being called for any penalties. For Brian Spallina, the league's penalty minute leader, this was his first penalty free game since last July against San Francisco. It was also a quiet night for Brian Dougherty in net as he only had to make 13 saves.

With a week off and three games to go, the Barrage are in good position to make a run at their third straight MLL title. A title that, if earned, might possibly be shared with their fans in Philadelphia next year.

Quotes

On being the "traveling road show":

Ryan Boyle: "It's been all right. We'll play anywhere as long as we can play together."

Kyle Sweeney: "It's going the best it can so far. It's not ideal but we're making it work."

Tony Resch: "Probably the toughest part of the traveling has been the lack of practice time, which as a coach is something you value. It does wear on you a little bit yet our guys have handled it well"

On the team's current play

Sweeney: "We're starting to play well at the right time of the season. We lost early, got it out of our system, we're moving in the right direction now."

Resch: "We're lucky to have guys who are very experienced, a veteran group. We've been able to work our way through it. We're playing some of our best lacrosse right now."

Barrage Game 9 (at New Jersey 7-10-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage (5-3) will seek to stay at the top of the Eastern Conference and put some distance between the rest of the pack when they travel to Yurcak Field at Rutgers University to face the New Jersey Pride (3-4) on Thursday evening. Gametime is at 7:30 PM and the game will be shown live on CN8.

History

The Barrage are 6-8 all time against the Pride and have won the last four meetings in the series. Last season both games were played at Yurcak Field. On July 12 the Barrage defeated the Pride 12-7 behind a hat trick from rookie Ian Dingman in what was a home game for New Jersey. The rematch on July 26 was the Barrage's home game for TV purposes and they needed overtime to defeat New Jersey 12-11 with Seth Goldberg scoring the OT winner.

Last Week

The Barrage jumped out to a 12-5 lead and held on to defeat the Boston Cannons 16-14 last Thursday at Harvard Stadium. The Barrage got hat tricks from Seth Goldberg, Roy Colsey, Matt Striebel and Ryan Boyle while Brian Dougherty earned his third Goalie of the Week award for 2008 with a 28 save performance. New Jersey took advantage of an offensive explosion in defeating Long Island 26-20 last Thursday evening at Mitchel Field in Uniondale.

Hot Wing outdoors

Merrick Thomson has been on fire for New Jersey this season. Thomson leads the Pride and Major League Lacrosse with 27 goals and his 32 points leads New Jersey and ties him for third in the league with Chicago's Kevin Leveille. Thomson earned Offensive Player of the Week honors last week for his seven goal, two assist game against Long Island. His seven goals also tied a New Jersey team record. Last Winter, Thomson scored 26 goals and 29 assists in earning a spot on the National Lacrosse League's All-Rookie team playing for the Philadelphia Wings.

Hey now, you're an All-Star

Rosters for the MLL's All-Star Game July 17th in Denver were announced and the Barrage have two representatives for the East team. Matt Striebel will be making his fourth All-Star appearance while Kyle Sweeney will be an All-Star for the third time. The All-Star Game will be shown live on ESPN2.

Next Game

The Barrage take a week off before returning to play on July 26 when they visit Los Angeles for a championship rematch with the Riptide.

Lax Philly Local Five - Season in Review

By Tom Hoffman

The 2008 college lacrosse season was quite a successful one for many local schools. Conference titles, playoff berths and national championships made their way to several teams from the Philadelphia area. But only five select schools get to be listed in this final poll so, following lots of review, here are the Lax Philly Top Five local Men's and Women's lacrosse teams for 2008 starting with:

5. Haverford (Men's Division III, final record 11-5)

For the Fords, easily their most successful season of lacrosse, one which culminated in their first ever berth in the NCAA Division III tournament. Despite falling in the second round to their neighbors at Cabrini, coach Mike Murphy's squad made plenty of noise in the always competitive Centennial Conference and will look to make even more in coming seasons with a number of top players to return. Among those to be back in 2009 will be leading goal scorer Brian Fleishhacker (46 in 2008) and point leader Max Hjelm (63 points as a freshman). One area of concern for 2009 will be in goal as Haverford loses Jake Mendlinger (8.69 GAA) to graduation.

4. Cabrini (Men's Division III, final record 17-3)

The Cavaliers wrapped up their eighth consecutive in the former Pennsylvania Athletic Conference and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tourney before falling to the eventual D-III champs from Salisbury. Steve Colfer's team will look to move even further next season with a talented group of returnees. Among those who will be back in 2009 will be Scott Reimer, who led Cabrini with 68 goals and 74 points as a junior, Casey Grugan (45 goals, 70 points) and goalies Bobby Chambers (5.96) and Kevin Chenoweth (6.35).

3. Drexel (Men's Division I, final record 13-4)

The only team in the final five that did not make the NCAA tournament, though many would argue that Chris Bates's squad was more than deserving of an at-large bid in 2008. That could come in 2009 though the biggest piece of the Drexel turnaround has graduated. Bates will need to find a goalie to replace three year starter Bruce Bickford, who once again was the name most spoken of when talking Drexel lax, finishing the season with a 6.99 GAA that led the Colonial Athletic Association. Whoever does earn the Dragons starting keeper job will have plenty of experience in front of him with returning longpoles Matt McCormick (First Team all-CAA) and Brendan Baker. Returning on offense will be leading scorers Colin Ambler (42 points) and Andrew Chapman (39 goals).

2. Penn (Women's Division I, final record 17-2)

After avenging their loss to Northwestern in the 2007 NCAA Semifinals, Karin Brower's Quakers reached the final this year and faced the Wildcats for the third time in a year. Though the final game though didn't go as well as their upset victory on April 27 it was still an impressive followup season for Penn. Sarah Waxman was impressive yet again in the Quakers net, earning first team All-America status along with teammate Rachel Manson. While both will not be back in 2009, returnees Ali DeLuca (26 goals, 40 points) and Guilia Giordano (20 goals as a freshman) on offense and Hilary Renna and Katie Mazer on defense will help ease the transition for Waxman's replacement.

1. West Chester (Women's Division II, final record 20-1, NCAA D-II National Champions)

After losing the last four D-II title games, the Golden Rams and coach Ginny Martino finally returned to the top of Division II women's lacrosse with their victory over C.W. Post on May 17. To get to the final, Martino's squad avenged their lone defeat of the 2008 season when they easily dispatched Limestone College, who defeated the Rams by a goal in West Chester's season opener. After yet another Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title (their fifth straight), the Rams earned many post season accolades, including Coach of the Year for Martino, and Player of the Year (PSAC and ECAC) for Stephanie Kienle. Kienle led the NCAA in scoring setting NCAA records in assists with 78 and points with 143 for single season marks, along with an all time mark of 389 points for her four year collegiate career. Kienle is the lone senior leaving, putting the program in good hands with Jackie Baker returning for her senior season, after posting 89 goals in 2008, as well as fellow All Americans Katy Crouse, Courtney Whiting and goalie Mary Beth Green. A second straight title could easily be headed to West Chester in 2009.

And with all of that the coverage for the 2008 season now concludes. With all that occurred in 2008, excitement is already here for 2009. Who will be the area's top players and teams next year? Be sure to look for the 2009 preview probably in February as well get to se who will be next year's candidates for the Lax Philly Local Five. To those who followed all season, hopefully you enjoyed the local coverage and will be back in 2009 to see who's on top in local NCAA college lacrosse. See you in the spring!

Barrage Game 8 (at Boston 7-3-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage (4-3) travel to Boston for their first meeting of 2008 against the Cannons (4-2) Thursday night. Faceoff at Harvard Stadium is at 7:30. The game will be televised FRiday on Comcast SportsNet.

History

The Barrage are 7-13 all time against the Cannons in regular season play having won both meetings in 2007, 13-9 at Boston on May 19 and 16-13 at Downingtown on June 9. The Barrage are 4-7 on the road against the Cannons (1-4 at Cawley Stadium, 2-3 at Nickerson Field, 1-0 at Harvard Stadium).

Last Week

After trailing 5-0 after the first quarter, the Barrage outscored Washington 12-2 during the next two quarters and held on to defeat the Bayhawks 14-13 Saturday at George Mason University. Brian Dougherty made 24 saves and earned Goalie of the Week honors for his play. Mike Springer scored four goals and was the game's MVP. Also on Saturday, Boston traveled to San Francisco and defeated the Dragons 21-14.

Wings in the MLL

This week Wings fans will see a pair of their NLL players suiting up for the Cannons. John Christmas is tied for second on the Cannons with 21 points (10G, 11A) while A.J. Shannon was acquired on June 5th from Rochester and has chipped in a goal and an assist in three games. Kyle Sweeney and Brett Moyer will suit up for the Barrage.

Barrage Leaders

Goals: Seth Goldberg - 20
Assists: Ryan Boyle - 14
Points: Boyle - 25
Ground Balls: Andy Corno - 40

Next Game

The Barrage travel to Rutgers University's Yurcak Field to face the New Jersey Pride on July 10th.

Barrage Game 7 (at Washington 6-28-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage (3-3) open the second half of the 2008 Major League Lacrosse season the same way as the first half; with a matchup against the Washington Bayhawks (3-3) Saturday evening. Game time at George Mason University is at 7 PM. The game will be televised Sunday night on Comcast SportsNet at 7:30 PM.

Last Meeting

The teams opened the 2008 season in Virginia Beach with the Barrage taking a 17-12 victory. Ryan Boyle tallied five points (3G, 2A) and Bobby Horsey added three goals for the Barrage while Brian Dougherty made 19 saves in net. Conor Gill led the Bayhawks with four points (3G, 1A).

Last Week

The Barrage fell 20-17 to the Rochester Rattlers Saturday in Cary, North Carolina. The Barrage led 3-2 early and went back ahead 16-15 early in the fourth quarter before Rochester scored five of the game's final six goals to escape with the win. Matt Striebel and Ryan Boyle each scored four goals for the Barrage. Washington lost at Boston 14-12 on June 19th.

Notes

The Bayhawks traded Ridley native Bill McGlone to San Francisco for Jarett Park and Hunter Lochte.

Four of the top 10 scorers will be on the field in this game. Washington's Kyle Dixon and Conor Gill each have 24 points while the Barrage's Matt Striebel and Ryan Boyle follow with 22 points each. Dixon is tied for the league lead in 2 point goals (3) and leads in powerplay goals (5) while Gill leads in powerplay assists with seven.

The Barrage put M Joe Ceglia on season ending injured reserve while A Jed Prossner is on 2 game injured reserve as he recovers from a hand injury from Game 2 against Long Island.

Next Game

The Barrage travel to Boston to meet the Cannons on July 3rd.

Barrage Game 6 (vs Rochester 6-21-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage (3-2) will reach the MLL's midseason this weekend when they travel to Cary, North Carolina for a rematch with the Rochester Rattlers (3-2) Saturday evening. Faceoff at WakeMed Soccer Park is at 7:30. The game will be broadcast on Comcast SportsNet.

History

The Barrage will look to avenge their loss to Rochester on May 31 when the Rattlers handed the Barrage their first loss of 2008 22-9. The Barrage are 5-12 all time against Rochester.

Last Week

The Barrage ended a two game losing streak with an ovrtime win over the Chicago Machine in St. Louis last Saturday. Trailing 11-9 with less than three minutes to play regulation, the Barrage got goals from Mike Springer and Roy Colsey to tie the game, Colsey's score coming with five seconds left to play. Seth Goldberg then scored his third goal of the game 1:42 into OT to give the Barrage the victory. Brian Dougherty made 18 saves to earn Game MVP honors. Rochester dropped their second straight game when New Jersey came away with a 16-12 win at PAETEC Park Saturday.

Barrage at Midseason (last five seasons)

2007: 4-2

2006: 5-1

2005: 2-4

2004: 2-4

2003: 0-6

Next Game

The Barrage open the second half of the 2008 season when they travel to George Mason University to face the Washington Bayhawks on June 28.

Barrage Game 5 (vs. Chicago 6-14-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage (2-2) will seek to rediscover their winning ways when they face the Chicago Machine (1-3) at the Anheuser-Busch Center in St. Louis Saturday night. Faceoff is at 6 PM. The game will be shown on June 15 at 7:30 PM on Comcast Sportsnet.

History

The Barrage and Machine have met just once on June 10, 2006. After falling behind 11-3 early in the third quarter, the Barrage rallied behind three goals from Roy Colsey, including the overtime winner, to defeat Chicago 13-12. Brian Dougherty made 31 saves for the Barrage that evening while Kevin Leveille was one of four Machine players to score two goals.

Last Game

The Barrage fell to their second straight defeat at Long Island 22-12 last Thursday. The Barrage trailed 10-9 midway through the third quarter when the Lizards scored the next seven goals as part of a 12-2 run to finish the game. Seth Goldberg and Mike Springer each tallied three goals for the Barrage. Chicago lost at San Francisco 15-14 in overtime on Saturday night.

Notes

The Barrage's Matt Striebel and Chicago's Kevin Leveille are among six players tied for seventh with 15 points.

Chicago's Mike Gabel leads all MLL goalies with almost 241 minutes played.

Next Game

The Barrage reach midseason with a rematch with the Rochester Rattlers June 21st in Cary, NC.

Barrage Game 4 (at Long Island 6-5-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage (2-1) will look to recover from last week's defeat at Rochester when they visit Mitchel Field for a rematch with the Long Island Lizards (1-2) Thursday evening. Faceoff is at 7 PM and the game will be shown on ESPN2 at 9:30 PM same night.

Last Meeting

The Barrage defeated Long Island 18-12 on May 25th at Texas Stadium. Matt Striebel, Mike Springer and Seth Goldberg each scored four goals for the Barrage while Tim Goettelmann, Frank Resetarits and Stephen Berger each tallied three for the Lizards. Brian Dougherty made 18 saves for the Barrage while Nick Murtha stopped 15 shots for Long Island.

Last Week

The Barrage suffered a 22-9 trouncing from the Rochester Rattlers. Justin Smith had five points (2G, 3A) and Seth Goldberg added three goals for the Barrage. Long Island needed overtime to earn their first win of the 2008 season, defeating Boston 20-19 at home, Frank Resetarits scoring the winner 4:01 into the extra period.

Barrage Stats

Goals: Seth Goldberg - 9

Assists: Ryan Boyle - 7

Points: Boyle and Matt Striebel - 11

Penalty Minutes - Brian Spallina - 7.5

Next Game

The Barrage travel to St. Louis and the Anheuser-Busch Center to face the Chicago Machine on June 14.

Barrage Game 3 (at Rochester 5-31-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The last two undefeated teams in Major League Lacrosse will square off this Saturday night when the Barrage (2-0) travel to Rochester to face the Rattlers (2-0) in Rochester's home opener. Faceoff at PAETEC Park is at 7:30 PM.

History

All time in regular season play the Barrage are 5-11 against the Rattlers, 5-3 since the franchise's move from Bridgeport, Connecticut. In Rochester the Barrage have a 2-6 record. Last season the teams split home wins, the Barrage winning at USTC 21-17 on June 2 while the Rattlers gained revenge with a 16-11 win on June 23. Roy Colsey had nine goals in the two games for the Barrage while Ryan Boyle had 14 points on three goals, one two point goal and nine assists. Rochester was led by John Grant Jr. with eight goals.

Last Week

After falling behind early by a 4-1 score, the Barrage went on to defeat the Long Island Lizards 18-12 at Texas Stadium. A crowd of 3,942 saw three Barrage players (Seth Goldberg, Matt Striebel and Michael Springer) score four goals each and Jed Prossner pick up six points (2G, 4A) on his way to Game MVP honors. Brian Dougherty earned Goalie of the Week honors with an 18 save evening. Rochester defeated Boston 17-14 at Harvard Stadium, riding a nine point effort from John Grant, Jr, one which earned him the MLL's Offensive Player of the Week award.

Fond Memories

Though the Barrage lost during their regular season visit to PAETEC Park, their following visit was much more memorable. During MLL Championship week last season at PAETEC, the Barrage earned their second straight title, and third in four seasons, with wins over Denver in the semi-finals and against Los Angeles in the championship game.

Next Game

The Barrage will travel next to Uniondale, NY on June 5 for a rematch with the Lizards.

Barrage Game 2 (vs Long Island 5-25-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage (1-0) will continue their 2008 road show when they travel to the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Stadium, to face their East division rivals, the Long Island Lizards (0-1). Faceoff Sunday evening is at 9 PM.

History

The Barrage are 8-12 all time against the Lizards. The teams split home wins in 2007, Long Island broke open a halftime tie with nine straight goals to hand the Barrage their first loss of the 2007 season, 16-11 on June 16. The Barrage needed overtime on June 30 to end a two game losing streak and defeat the Lizards 14-13, Roy Colsey scoring the OT winner. Ryan Boyle and Seth Goldberg each had five goals to lead the Barrage against Long Island. Boyle added three assists to have eight points in he two games, as did Matt Striebel (4G, 4A). Brian Dougherty made 46 saves in the two games.

Last Game

The Barrage opened defense of their 2007 title with a 17-12 win over the Washington Bayhawks before 3,826 at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. Ryan Boyle earned game MVP honors with a three goal, two assist performance. Bobby Horsey also added a hat trick while Andy Corno won 19 of 30 faceoffs and Brian Dougherty made 19 saves in the Barrage victory. Long Island lost their opener at home 16-10 to the Rochester Rattlers. Long Island gave up the game's final seven goals after ex-Barrage Keith Cromwell scored to give the Lizards a 10-9 lead.

Notables

In addition to Cromwell, the Lizards Nicky Polanco and Blake Miller were all part of the Barrage's 2004 MLL Championship team.

Next Game

The Barrage will travel to Rochester to face the Rattlers on May 31.

Barrage Game 1 (vs Washington 5-18-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Barrage will start on the road to a third straight Major League Lacrosse title, and fourth in five years, when they open their 2008 season in Virginia Beach, VA against the Washington Bayhawks on Sunday. This would have been the Barrage's home opener but as a result of the team being operated by the league for 2008, none of the Barrage's home games will take place in Philadelphia. Sunday's faceoff is at 2 PM and will be shown Live on Comcast Sportsnet.

History

The Barrage are 8-6 all time vs the Bayhawks and have won four straight games in the series. Last season the Barrage finished the regular season with a pair of routs against Washington, winning 21-11 at Georgetown on August 4th and 22-7 a week later in Downingtown. Roy Colsey scored eight goals in the two games for the Barrage while Matt Striebel added seven and Jed Prossner chipped in six.

Playoff recap

The Barrage won their second straight MLL championship with a 16-13 victory over the Los Angeles Riptide August 26th at Rochester's PAETEC Park. Matt Striebel took Game MVP honors with a six point (3G, 3A) performance including the game winning goal. The Barrage got to the finals with a 13-12 overtime win against Denver the day before. Kevin Cassese tied the game with 59 seconds left in regulation and Roy Colsey scored 51 seconds into overtime to win the game. Colsey's score came after Brian Dougherty stoned Denver's Geoff Snider on a breakaway scoring opportunity.

2007 Barrage Leaders

Goals: Ryan Boyle and Michael Springer - 26

Assists: Boyle - 31

Points: Boyle - 58

Saves: Brian Dougherty - 182

Roster

The Barrage bring back almost their entire roster from 2007 which included five members of the All-MLL team (Boyle, Striebel, Dougherty, D Brian Spallina and D Kyle Sweeney). Tony Resch returns as coach for his fourth season.

Next Game

The Barrage continue their road tour with a game when they travel to Dallas and Texas Stadium for a match with the Long Island Lizards on May 25th.

NLL Championship Preview (Portland at Buffalo 5-17-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The 2008 National Lacrosse League season will conclude this Saturday evening when the Portland Lumberjax (6-10) square off with the Buffalo Bandits in the Edge 2008 National Lacrosse League Championship Game. Faceoff at HSBC Arena is at 7:30. Buffalo will seek their fourth title, and first since 1996, in their eighth appearance in the finals. This will be Portland's first ever NLL final.

Postseason Results and History

The Bandits were victorious at home over Philadelphia (14-12) on May 2 and New York (19-12) on May 10. Portland's literal road to the title game led them to wins at San Jose (18-16) on May 4 and at Calgary (16-12) on May 10. Buffalo is 17-10 in overall postseason play while Portland is 2-1.

Regular Season History and Stats

The Bandits and Lumberjax have met three times in regular season play with Buffalo holding a 2-1 edge. In the final regular season game for both teams, the Bandits defeated Portland 14-10 in Buffalo on April 26. John Tavares had four goals and four assists to lead the Bandits while Peter Jacobs scored four goals and Brodie Merrill added four helpers to lead Portland. Tavares was Buffalo's point leader with 87 (29G, 58A) while Mark Steenhuis had 34 goals. Ken Montour had a 10.23 GAA for Buffalo, good for second in the NLL. Portland was paced by Dan Dawson with 81 points (38G, 43A) and an 11.22 GAA from Matt Disher (10.83 with the Jax following his acquisition from Edmonton).

Playoff Leaders

Goals: Buffalo: Mark Steenhuis - 7; Portland: Dan Dawson - 12*

Assists: Buffalo: John Tavares - 12*; Portland: Dawson and Peter Morgan - 10

Points: Buffalo: Tavares - 15; Portland - Dawson - 22*

Saves: Buffalo: Mike Thompson - 46; Portland - Matt Disher - 53

* - Playoff leader

Playoff Notes

This will be the third appearnce in the championship game in four seasons for Dan Dawson (with Arizona in 2005 and 2007) and Ken Montour (Arizona in 2005, Buffalo in 2006). Derek Malawsky and Brad MacDonald were teammates with Dawson on last season's Arizona squad that fell to Rochester.

The 1992 Bandits will be in the building both on the floor and behind the bench Saturday night. Playing for the Bandits will be lone original players John Tavares and Rich Kilgour while brother Darris coaches the squad. Tavares and Darris Kilgour have been a part of each of Buffalo's championship appearances, while Rich Kilgour has played in all but the first, missing the 1992 game due to injury. Their 1992 teammate, Derek Keenan, coaches the Lumberjax and is seeking his seventh ring, having been on the roster of three title teams as a player (Buffalo 1992 and 1993) and Toronto (1999) while earning three more as a Rock assistant (2000, 2002, 2003).

Portland is the first team since the 1992 Philadelphia Wings (3-5), and fourth overall (both Washington and Baltimore in the inaugural season of 1987 were 2-4) to make the championship game with a record below .500. Current Jax netminder Dallas Eliuk was a part of that 1992 Wings team. Eliuk has faced the Bandits in four previous title matches with a 1-2 record in those games. Eliuk was the championship MVP in the Wings 1998 and 2001 victories.

Pick

While Buffalo may be the more experienced team in the postseason, Portland has its share of title game experienced players. That and a carefree attitude since many fans and media didn't expect them to be in this game. While Buffalo has a 9-2 home record (including playoffs) this season, they have never won a title game in HSBC (1997, 2006) and Portland has not lost a road playoff game. If Eliuk plays, he could be the key to a Portland win. Buffalo is explosive on offense while Portland has outscored the Bandits 34-33 in the playoffs after finishing ahead of only Toronto, Chicago and Edmonton during the regular season in that department. Yet I think it will be the better defensive team that takes home the Champion's Cup on Saturday. And that will be Buffalo.

Bandits 14, Lumberjax 12

LaxPhilly Local Five - Postseason

By Tom Hoffman

The NCAA tournaments for lacrosse have begun and the Philadelphia area is well represented in all three divisions. Play started today for a pair of Division III schools, as the Widener Men's team travelled to Denison University while Eastern University's Women's squad made a trip to New York to visit Union College. While both teams fell today (Widener 19-6, Eastern 15-4), there are still plenty of local teams waiting to take their steps towards a possible NCAA title. Here are five games that should not be missed.

1. Haverford at Cabrini (May 10, NCAA Division III Men's)

The battle for Delaware County bragging rights, and the right to possibly face NCAA juggernaut Salisbury in the Quarterfinals. For the Fords (11-4), this is their tourney debut while the Cavaliers (16-2) make their seventh NCAA appearance. The two met in April with Cabrini taking home a 13-8 decision from Haverford. Cabrini is led by a pair of NCAA leaders in Juniors Scott Reimer (63 goals) and Kevin Chenoweth (5.66 GAA) while Haverford's top player is Sophomore Brian Fleishhacker (44 goals, 49 points).

2. West Chester vs. Limestone (May 15, NCAA Division II Women's)

The Golden Rams (18-1) will seek to avenge their lone regular season loss when they faceoff with the Lady Saints (17-1) in the Semifinals in Houston, Texas. The winner will face the victor of the other semifinal between Adelphi and C.W. Post. Limestone spoiled West Chester's season opener with a 9-8 win on March 9. The Golden Rams are seeking their fifth straight trip to the Division II title game and their first national title since 2002. West Chester boasts the #1 and 3 scorers in Division II (Stephanie Kienle with 134 points and Jackie Baker with 111 points) and the #2 goalie (Mary Green, 6.41 GAA). Limestone will counter with goalie Erin Cavanaugh (7.75 GAA, 5th NCAA).

3. Colgate at Penn (May 11, NCAA Division I Women's)

The Quakers (14-1), seeded second in the Women's Division I bracket, host Colgate (11-9). Penn rides into the postseason on a hot streak, including a victory over three time defending champion Northwestern while Colgate won the championship of the Patriot League. Penn's Sarah Waxman is the top goalie in Division I Women's lax while the Quakers as a team are tops overall defensively.

4. Temple at Maryland (May 11, NCAA Division I Women's)

The Atlantic 10 champion Owls (13-6) are making their first tourney appearance since 2004, but this will be their third straight NCAA game against the Terrapins (17-2), who defeated Temple in the 2003 and 2004 tournaments. Temple will need to stop Maryland top score and draw expert in Dana Dobbie (66 goals, 114 draw controls). Temple's Whitney Richards (fifth, 2.29 turnovers caused per game) and Berkley Summerlin (ninth, 1.94) will look to slow down the Maryland attack.

5. Montclair St. at Rowan (May 7, NCAA Division III Women's)

The two longtime New Jersey rivals meet in the first round of the D-III Women's tourney. Montclair defeated Rowan 13-9 on April 19.

Also appearing in the Division III Women's tournnament are the Lions of the College of New Jersey, who will face the winner of Claremont-Mudd Scripps and Ohio Wesleyan on May 10.

Our final feature for 2008 will rank the area's five top teams upon completion of postseason play.

LaxPhilly Local Five - Volume 4

By Tom Hoffman

With NCAA tournament time just around the corner, it's time to take a look at some of the Philly area's top women's players of 2008. The women had some big games this season, with maybe the biggest being Penn's revenge against the defending champs from Northwestern, and the five players listed here certainly made their marks on these games and will look to get their squads into the postseason and possibly being the ones hoisting the trophy for National Champions. So, without any more delay, here are the top five players in local women's college lax for 2008.

1. Sarah Waxman - Goalie (Penn, Senior, Washington, D.C.)

Waxman, with her NCAA leading 5.96 goals against average, has the 2008 Ivy League champs on the verge of a second straight trip to the NCAA Division I Final Four, as well as a #1 ranking after the Victory over Northwestern. With her solid play, an excellent group in front of her, and the knowledge that can they can not only hang with, but beat a team like Northwestern, Waxman and the Quakers could very possibly bring home the 2008 championship.

2. Stephanie Kienle - Attack (West Chester, Senior, West Chester, PA)

Kienle has been, along with Junior Jackie Baker, one of the leaders of the Golden Rams as they head back to the NCAA Division II playoffs after clinching their fifth straight PSAC Championship against rival Lock Haven. With 134 points in West Chester's 19 games this season, Kienle hopes to lead the Golden Rams to their fifth straight NCAA title appearance and the championship that has been eluding them.

3. Jessica Bill - Attack (Drexel, Senior, Baldwinsville, N.Y.)

Bill set career highs in goals (39) and points (46) in leading the Dragons to their fifth straight season of at least 10 wins. Bill was also named, along with teammate Katie Bradley, to the CAA's second team all-conference squad.

4. Chelsea Rosiek - Midfield (Temple, Sophomore, Blue Bell, PA)

On a senior laden team, Rosiek gives Temple a lot to look forward to in the next two years. After a frosh season with only eight points in 11 games, Rosiek bloomed this season finishing the regular season fourth on the Owls with 26 goals and 42 points. Her and junior Brittney Hoffmann will be counted on in 2009 to lead the Owls.

5. Alison Jaeger - Midfield (College of New Jersey, Freshman, Hampton, NJ)

Jaeger has had an impressive first year for the Lions, tallying 41 goals and 56 points. Jaeger will be looked upon, along with Seniors Toni-Anne Cavallo and Karen Doane, to lead TCNJ back to the National Championship after their quarterfinal loss in 2007.

Our next feature will take a look at the local schools (Men's and Women's teams) in the NCAA tournament, set to begin next weekend.

Wings Division Semi-Final preview (at Buffalo 5-2-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Philadelphia Wings (10-6 regular season) return to postseason play for the first time since 2002. Awaiting them is a familiar foe in the Buffalo Bandits (10-6 regular season). The teams will open the 2008 National Lacrosse League playoffs with a 7:30 faceoff on Friday night. The game will be shown on B2 Networks.

Playoff History

The Wings are 16-9 all time in postseason play, 3-3 against Buffalo. On the road the Wings are 6-5 and 2-2 in Buffalo, all four games (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996) having been played at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium. The two teams last met in the playoffs in 1998 when the Wings were victorious at the Wachovia Center 17-12. The Wings Jake Bergey and Peter Jacobs, along with Buffalo's John Tavares and Rich Kilgour, as well as Bandits coach Darris Kilgour, all played in that game on April 18, 1998. The Wings last postseason appearance was on March 30, 2002 when they lost 12-11 to the Washington Power. Bergey and Jacobs are the lone Wings remaining from that team while Darris Kilgour coached the Power and was assisted by current Wings coach Dave Huntley. Buffalo is 15-10 in postseason play. The two squads have combined for nine championships (six for the Wings, three for Buffalo), seven from the NLL's predecessor, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League.

Regular Season

The Wings and Bandits split their two meetings in 2008. The Wings got a late tying goal from Jamie Rooney and an overtime goal from Jake Bergey to defeat the Bandits 15-14 on January 26th at the Wachovia Center. Buffalo returned the favor on March 1st, coming back from an early 5-0 deficit to spank the Wings 21-12 at HSBC Arena. Athan Iannucci led the Wings in the two games with 13 points on eight goals and five assists while Merrick Thomson added four goals and six assists. Buffalo was led by Cory Bomberry with 16 points (4 goals and 12 assists) and 15 point efforts from John Tavares (11 assists) and Mark Steenhuis (eight goals). Rob Blasdell went 1-1 for the Wings, making 75 saves in the two games. Mike Thompson took the loss in the OT game in Philly while former Wing Ken Montour shut the door on his former mates after replacing Thompson in the game in Buffalo.

Season Finales

The Wings got a goal from Athan Iannucci with under a minute remaining in regulation to defeat Toronto 15-14 on Sunday. Iannucci had four goals and an assist to give him 71 goals and 100 points for the 2008 season, adding to his league record goal total while setting a Wings team record for points in a season. Buffalo clinched the overall top spot in the NLL with a 14-10 win Saturday against Portland.

Team Leaders

Goals: Wings: Athan Iannucci - 71*; Bandits: Mark Steenhuis - 34
Assists: Wings - Jason Crosbie - 40; Bandits: John Tavares - 58
Points: Wings - Iannucci - 100*; Bandits: Tavares - 87
Saves: Wings - Rob Blasdell - 434; Bandits: Ken Montour - 346

* - League Leader

Quotes from Toronto

Wings Coach Dave Huntley on the final game and the playoffs: "I'm delighted we have a 10-6 record. For our guys to focus under difficult circumstances, it was great. It was a nice win, now we have to get ready for Buffalo on Friday night. I know we're gonna give a good effort and I know Darris is gonna have them well prepared and I think it should be a great game between two real good teams."

Wings GM Lindsay Sanderson on the Wings making it to the postseason: "Yeah, it's long overdue. I'm very happy with what Dave and Chris (Sanderson) have done with these guys. The past 2-3 years we would have found a way to not finish like we did here tonight. It (the Air Canada Centre) is a tough building and we found a way. We've been doing that pretty well all year. We're looking forward to the challenge in Buffalo."

Wings Captain Thomas Hajek on making the playoffs after New York beat Rochester: "A long time coming, it feels great. We backdoored it but it was a good win tonight. We didn't have a lot to play for and we still came out with a good effort. I think we're confident going in there (Buffalo). They're a great team and they're number one for a reason but I think we've played them well. I'm pretty excited about it."

Next Game

A win takes the Wings to the East Division final against the Minnesota-New York winner. Otherwise the 2009 opener will be the next game.

Wings make playoffs, then survive game in Toronto. Buffalo up next.

By Tom Hoffman

March 30, 2002. It was the last time the Philadelphia Wings had seen postseason play. That was until Saturday evening when they found out the New York Titans had defeated Rochester and the Wings dance ticket was punched for the first time since that date. And with Buffalo and Minnesota also winning, the Wings quickly found that they would be traveling to Buffalo for their first round matchup on Friday May 2. All of which made the Wings game Sunday with Toronto to be nothing more than a day of play the game and don't get hurt. Except that for what was listed in the standings as a meaningless game actually turned into one of the more exciting games of the season. One that almost followed the pattern of several recent Wing visits to Toronto, except Athan Iannucci, as he has done all season, put his own stamp on the final score, a 15-14 Wing victory to get them ready for the playoffs.

On a day when the Rock said their farewells to retiring captain Jim Veltman, the Wings started out like they have in several recent visits to the Air Canada Centre, with a huge first quarter. After Veltman scored Toronto's first goal on his special day to cut the Philly lead in half, the Wings scored the next five goals to take a 7-1 lead and chase Rock keeper Bob Watson. The score was 8-2 after one when the Rock slowly, as they have done to the Wings so often and cruelly in the past, started making it a game. The Wings would still hold the lead at half (10-7) and after 3 (12-9).

Goals by Jamie Rooney and Iannucci sandwiched a Blaine Manning tally to give the Wings a 14-10 lead with 9:50 remaining to play. From that point, the game began to resemble many other Wing visits, with a Rock comeback that resulted in a tie game on Aaron Wilson's second score of the day with 4:40 left in regulation. The Wings looked to have a great chance to ice the game though when penalties to Toronto's Chris Stewart and Jamie Taylor gave Philly a late two man advantage. But 45 seconds after the Taylor penalty, the Wings Taylor Wray was given a five minute major for cross-checking which resulted in a Toronto powerplay that started with just under a minute left to play. After a failed Toronto possession, the Wings made a shorthanded break. A flurry of shots resulted in some spectacular saves by Rock backup goalie Mike Poulin. However, the final rebound found its way to Iannucci's stick and he would bury it for his fourth goal of the day, 71st of the season AND his 100th point of the year. While the fans felt the game was over, chanting "Thank you Jim" to their retiring captain, the Rock did get one final chance after a Wings 10 second violation. Brandon Miller then made the biggest of his 29 saves in the second half and the Wings would take home a well deserved victory.

Now the Wings get to head back to Buffalo for the postseason and begin a run for the NLL Champions Cup.

Wings Game #16 (at Toronto 4-27-08)

By Tom Hoffman

For the Philadelphia Wings , their postseason hopes come down to the final day of the season when they travel to Toronto for the season finale with the Rock on Sunday afternoon. Game time at the Air Canada Centre is at 1 PM.

History

The Wings defeated the Rock 11-9 on April 6th at the Wachovia Center behind a four goal night from Athan Iannucci and 51 saves by Rob Blasdell. All time against Toronto the Wings are 7-17 in the regular season and just 2-9 on the road, with one win taking place in Hamilton, ON during the franchise's inagural season when they were the Ontario Raiders. The Wings last win in Toronto came on February 7, 2004, a 10-8 final.

Last Week

The Wings fell 11-8 to the New York Titans at the Wachovia Center in front of 17, 340 fans Saturday night, the Wings largest home crowd since 2002. Athan Iannucci tallied four goals and Brandon Miller was solid in net with 43 saves. Toronto lost in overtime at Calgary Ssaturday evening and was eliminated from postseason consideration.

Playoff Scenarios

(as listed on NLL.com)

The Wings will clinch a playoff berth with a win over Toronto OR a Rochester loss to New York.

They will clinch a home playoff game with a win over Toronto AND two of the following:-New York loss to Rochester.-Buffalo loss to Portland.-Two Minnesota losses to Chicago.

They will clinch the East Division title, top overall seed and home field advantage throughout playoffs with a win over Toronto AND a New York loss to Rochester AND a Buffalo loss to Portland AND two Minnesota losses to Chicago.

East Division Standings

x-Minnesota 9-5
x-Buffalo 9-6
New York 9-6
Wings 9-6
Rochester 8-7
Toronto 7-8
Chicago 5-9

x- clinched playoff spot

The Nooch Watch

Athan Iannucci needs three goals Sunday to reach 70 for the season. Iannucci needs three points to equal Tom Marechek's franchise record of 98 points in a single season (2002) and four to set a new team record.

Quote from Coach Huntley (after Saturday's game)

"I thought it was great goaltending by both goalies. Defensively I thought we were good, they were probably better. Offensively we weren't nearly as good as they were. We certainly had our chances to tie the game, we had our chances to make plays and we didn't at the end. The playoffs start a week early for us, that's all."

Next Game

Either an Eastern Division Semifinal the weekend of May 2-4 or the 2009 season opener.

From 6-0 to OH NO!

By- Kevin M. Neibauer
Last year, it started with Opening Night and a loss to the "mighty"? Edmonton Rush...followed by the guaranteed win loss to Minnesota.
This year, the debacle that was the Titans game. As a fan, nearly a lifelong fan at that....I am pissed.

Not at the losses, them I can handle, it's the way the team lost and the reaction that really angers me.

Case in point, Saturday night, for all intents and purposes, a playoff game. Biggest game of the year, largest crowd in five years, should be a Wings blow-out....

Granted, New York is a very good team, but c'mon. Eight friggin goals?
Athan Iannucci had four by himself. How do you let Pat Maddelena pick up 10 points?

At least we learned that Merrick Thomson is a sharp-shooter (10 shots-0 goals). Thomson can shoot the insignia off the goalies chest from anywhere on the field.

Like everyone else, I bought into this team when it was 6-0. Apparently the only one who didn't drink the cool-aid was Lindsay Sanderson. Sanderson was ripped on the boards for "messing with chemistry" by making mid-season moves. A legit back-up/starting goalie clearly was needed.

Rob Blasdell was lights out in the Wack Shack, but played like the lights were out on the road.

Dan Marohl, despite being injured was being asked to shoot lefty. Not exactly the best idea. So, AJ Shannon was recruited.

Say what you like, but Lindsay Sanderson knows the game. At least maybe he was trying to tip us off.

I am not sure if Saturday was a full moon but it seemed like at the Center. A lackluster effort dominated by a complete lack of desperation took charge of the night.

The night would end on a even stranger note. During the post-game media conference (which comprises exactly three people, one of which is the coach) Dave Huntley made a statement that boggled me.

"I guess our playoffs begin a week early when we play Toronto"...excuse me Dave, what was tonight? If we treated tonight like a playoff game, we wouldn't be worried about Sunday.

So, the bottom line is...a team that has won exactly two games on the road, now has to beat Toronto, then play two playoff games then, if they get that far a championship game....on the road. (Championship could still be a home game, but I could still be 6-5 and rich)

MORE PROOF SOMETHING WAS AMISS SATURDAY:
-Who had the bright idea? Why, after every single Saturday night homegame was at eight o clock do we decide, with a Phillies game at 3:55 to schedule the game for 7:30?

-Census reports-This is from the US Census Office. In light of the fact that at halftime, the Wachovia Center had 134,567 kids playing lacrosse. For that brief moment the floor of the Wachovia Center became the 6th largest city in the state.

BAD/WORSE-Bad idea to give out the MVP cardboard placards at half-time. Worse idea to realize that the first idea was bad idea and attempt to collect all the placards because of the influx of paper airplanes.

GEE THANKS I THINK- The half-time "tribute" to Athan Iannucci was well done except for three minor things. 1-Russ Cline pointing out that the attendance was 17,340 "The biggest crowd in five years years" that happens when you put on a winner on the floor (The Wachovia people kinda recommend that). 2-What knucklehead allowed the Titans on the floor during the tribute? 3-What knucklehead decided that the time was right for them go on the floor?

THE WTF IS THAT AWARD GOES TO- The seven foot tall Jerry Robbins mascot/voodoo doll. Holy Bad Self-Promtions Batman! Hey Jerry, Howard Eskin called, he's embarrassed for you. I may be emotionally scarred for life after watching that.....shooting tee-shirts to the crowd? Some some style, shoot out diamonds. That'll wow em.


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Wings drop home finale before largest crowd in several years

By Tom Hoffman

A win and they were in. Very simple. Yet for the Philadelphia Wings, not so easy to do. In front of their largest crowd (17,340) since February 16, 2002, the Wings turned a lackluster effort into an 11-8 loss to the New York Titans. Both teams are now 9-6 but the Titans won two of the three meetings with Philly this season.

Unlike the first two matches between the teams, this one was a battle between the goalies. And both the Wings Brandon Miller and the Titans Matt Vinc played very well. For Vinc, it was a big weekend for him only giving up 15 goals in the Titans two wins in two days (NY beat Chicago 14-7 Friday night).

As has been happening too much lately, the Wings fell behind early when Casey Powell found the net just over four minutes into the game. Jake Bergey tied it just over a minute later before Brendan Mundorf regained the lead for New York halfway through the quarter. The Wings would again tie on an A.J. Shannon score but that would end up being as close as it would get for the Wings. Three times the Wings got to within a goal but could not put the equalizer past Vinc, who made 36 saves on the night. Miller had the busier night with 43 saves but the Wings offense struggled to support his efforts. Athan Iannucci added to his record goal totals with half of the Wings tallies but Bergey and Shannon were held to a goal each while Merrick Thomson and Jason Crosbie were shut out in the goal department and Jamie Rooney was a scratch.

Now the Wings have to go to their personal house of horrors, aka the Air Canada Centre, and again look for the simple, yet elusive, solution to ending their playoff drought. It could be as simple as just a win and they're in, it could involve some help from others. They'll know next Sunday what they'll need to do, if anything.

Wings Game #15 (vs New York 4-19-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Philadelphia Wings (9-5) will faceoff for the third time this season against the New York Titans (7-6) on Saturday night at 7:30 at the Wachovia Center. With a win the Wings will clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2002.

History

The Wings are 3-1 against the Titans, 1-1 this season. Philly was victorious on February 29th by a score of 16-12 while New York returned the favor on March 22 winning 20-13 at Trenton's Sovereign Bank Arena. The Wings are 2-0 vs the Titans at the Wachovia Center.

Last Weekend

The Wings split another back to back weekend, their third of the season, coming from behind to win at Portland 13-10 on Friday before heading to Minnesota, where another late comeback was thwarted with 1.5 seconds by former Wing Dan Marohl, whose tally sent the game to overtime where the Swarm would ultimately prevail 15-14. New York defeated Colorado 14-10 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Season Series leaders

Goals: Wings - Athan Iannucci - 10, Titans - Casey Powell & Pat Maddalena - 6

Assists: Wings - Geoff Snider - 8, Titans - Jordan Hall - 11

Points: Wings - Iannucci - 13, Titans - Powell & Hall - 14

Step aside Gary Gait

In game number 14, with 6:08 left in the third quarter, Athan Iannucci second goal of the evening set a new NLL record for goals in a season with goal number 62, surpassing the record of 61 set in 2003 by Colorado's Gary Gait. With two games remaining in the 2008 regular season, look for "Nooch" to continue adding to the new number all NLL scorers will now be aiming for.

More Milestones

In addition to league and team goal scoring records, Iannucci, with 90 points, needs nine more to set a Wings single season point record, currently held by Tom Marechek. Marechek scored 98 points in 2002.

With a win on Saturday, the Wings would finish a regular season undefeated at home for the first time since 1995 when they went 4-0 at the Spectrum en route to their fourth MILL title.

One more win for the Wings will tie the franchise regular season record for wins (10) set in the last championship season (2001), with two wins setting a new team benchmark.

The Wings, with 202 goals scored this season, need 21 more to set a new team high, the previous mark of 222 coming in 2002.

Next Game

The Wings will conclude the 2008 regular season on April 26th with a visit to Toronto's Air Canada Centre and a matchup with the Rock.

Wings Game #13 (at Portland 4-11-08) and Game #14 (at Minnesota 4-12-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Philadelphia Wings (8-4) hit the road again for another set of crucial back to back games as they push towards an NLL playoff berth. The trip opens Friday when the Wings make their first ever visit to Portland to face the Lumberjax (5-8) and concludes Saturday evening with a divisional battle against the Minnesota Swarm (8-4). Faceoff Friday is at 10:30 PM, Saturday at 8 PM.

History

The Wings are 0-2 all-time against Portland, both games having been played in Philadelphia. Last season the Lumberjax ruined the Wings home opener with a 14-12 on January 13, 2007. The Wings are 4-5 against the Swarm, including this season’s 17-8 win on February 22. At Xcel Energy Center the Wings are 2-3 all time.

Last Weekend

After trailing 9-3 in the first quarter, the Wings fought back to tie the Chicago Shamrox and force overtime however the night ended just 7 seconds into the extra period as the Wings lost 15-14. Athan Iannucci scored four goals on former teammate Matt Roik, who made 48 saves against his former club. Brandon Miller, recently acquired from Chicago, made 51 saves for the Wings. Sunday the Wings got four more goals from Iannucci and 51 saves from Rob Blasdell as they ended a three game losing skid with an 11-9 win over the Toronto Rock. Portland split a home and home with San Jose, each team winning on the road, while Minnesota defeated New York 12-9.

Milestones (with thanks to the NLL Media Guide)

Athan Iannucci’s third goal in Saturday’s game at Chicago was his 49th of the season which gave him the Wings record for most goals in a season. The previous top mark was set in 2001 when Tom Marechek tallied 48. Iannucci, currently with 54 goals, is on pace to break the NLL’s single season mark of 61, set by Colorado’s Gary Gait in 2003. Marechek set the team record for points in a season with 98 in 2002 and Iannucci, at 76 with four games left, could threaten that record as well. Iannucci also now owns the team record for shots on goal in a season with 200 (old record 192 by Marechek in 2002).

Sunday’s win gave the Wings their seventh win at home this season, eclipsing the previous regular season best of six (2001, 2002 and 2003).

Geoff Snider has 90 minutes in penalties, shattering the previous team high of 72 by Rob Van Beek in 2006. Snider could become the first player in NLL history to go over 100 minutes (previous high was Brian Reese with 98 in 2002 with Washington). Snider can also break the team record for loose ball pickups in a season with 10 more (180 set by Peter Jacobs in 2005 and tied by Snider last season).

Quote (after Sunday's game)

Dave Huntley: “I thought we got back to playing physical lacrosse at both ends of the floor. When we play physical I think we're pretty good. Last night (Saturday in Chicago) we played three real good quarters, seven minutes of a tie and eight minutes of not very good. I think our depth helped us out a litle bit tonight. We were able to throw a lot of fresh bodies on the floor. We had four fresh bodies tonight available to us and we used all four and we'll do the same next weekend."

Next Game

The Wings will play their final regular season home game on April 19 against the New York Titans.

Wings earn split of weekend

By Tom Hoffman

After trailing 9-3 after the first quarter Saturday in Chicago, the Wings chances of a successful weekend were looking quite slim. A comeback that fell just short of victory, coupled with a solid defensive effort Sunday against Toronto would give the Wings (8-4) a split of back to back weekend games while ending a three game losing skid and maintaining a hold on first place in the tight NLL East division.

Saturday's game improved for the Wings after the defensively challenged first quarter. Philadelphia outscored the Shamrox 11-5 in the final three quarters and were ahead with 2:09 remaining when Chicago's Kevin Ross sent the game to overtime, which would live up to the name "sudden death" as the Shamrox Bobby McBride would need just seven seconds to send the Wings to their third loss in a row. The evening's highlight for the Wings was attained 3:28 into the fourth quarter when Athan Iannucci scored his third goal of the game and his 49th of the season to set a new franchise record for goals in a season, breaking Tom Marechek's record of 48 set in 2001.

Sunday was a defensive battle as the Wings and Rock were tied at one after the first quarter, both teams struggling after playing the night before (Toronto had hosted Rochester Saturday night). The Wings found their offense in the middle frames, outscoring the Rock 8-3 and leading 9-4 after three. While Toronto outscored the Wings 5-2 in the fourth, they could only get as close as two goals while Rob Blasdell made some key saves down the stretch to preserve the win.

Iannucci finished the weekend with eight goals and 11 points in the two games to keep the Wings in first place, tied with Minnesota. The Wings and Swarm will meet again Saturday in Minnesota, the back end of another doubleheader weekend that begins Friday in Portland against former Wing Dallas Eliuk and the Lumberjax, looking to secure a playoff spot in the West. The Wings will be looking to put together a road effort similar to their visit to Denver earlier this season, the lone bright spot away from the Wachovia Center. Wins and solid play away from home will be necessary if the Wings want to end their streak of missing the postseason in 2008.

Wings Game #11 (at Chicago 4-5-08) and Game #12 (vs Toronto 4-6-08)

By Tom Hoffman

The Philadelphia Wings (7-3) will look to get back on the winning track when they hit the floor for back to back games this weekend. They'll start out in Chicago on Saturday when they visit the Sears Center to face the Shamrox (3-7) before heading home to meet the Toronto Rock (7-4) Sunday night. Both games start at 8 PM.

History

The Wings are 2-1 against the Shamrox all time, 0-1 at the Sears Center. This season the teams met on January 12 in Philadelphia with the Wings taking a 19-11 decision over Chicago. Athan Iannucci score five goals while Jake Bergey and Merrick Thomson each added four. Current Wings goalie Brandon Miller was the Chicago starter that evening. The Wings are 6-17 all time in regular season play against the Rock and are 4-8 in Philadelphia.

Last Game

The Wings lost their second straight and third in four games when they fell 20-12 to the Knighthawks in Rochester on March 22. After trailing 13-7 at halftime the Wings made it close in the third by pulling within three goals (14-11) before getting outscored 6-1 in the final quarter. Rob Blasdell gave up eight goals in 16 minutes before being pulled for Brandon Miller. Miller made 26 saves in his first Wings action and took the loss. Geoff Snider and Athan Iannucci each scored three goals while Snider added a pair of helpers. Snider and Jake Bergey (2G, 3A) led the team with five points on the night. Chicago defeated Minnesota Saturday night 15-10 while Toronto last played on March 22 when they defeated Buffalo 13-9 in Buffalo.

Notes and Stuff

Since being sent to Chicago on March 5th, former Wing Matt Roik has gone 2-1 with a goals against mark of 11.00 in three games. Roik is expected to start when the teams meet on Saturday in Chicago. Roik's last game played as a Wing also occured in Chicago when he replaced an injured Ken Montour in last season's finale, a 17-11 Shamrox victory.

The Wings have given up 146 goals this season. 61 have come in the team's three losses. The goals against total in the highest in the league this season. The Wings are second in goals scored with 150 (Buffalo leads with 158). The Wings are the only team this season to give up 20+ goals in a game (21 at Buffalo, 20 at New York and Rochester).

East Standings

Wings 7-3

Swarm 7-4

Rock 7-4

Bandits 7-5

Titans 6-5

Knighthawks 5-6

Shamrox 3-7

Next

The Wings will face another weekend of back to back games. A Friday night (April 11) in Portland will be followed by a visit (April 12) to Minnesota.

Wings Game #10 (at Rochester 3-29-08)

By Tom Hoffman

In the second game of a three game road swing, the Philadelphia Wings (7-2) will look to rebound from their loss to New York when they travel to Rochester to face the defending champion Knighthawks (4-6) Saturday night at Blue Cross Arena. Faceoff is at 8 PM.

Last Meeting

On January 18 at the Wachovia Center, the Wings held on to defeat Rochester 15-14. Jamie Rooney scored the game winner with 1:32 left in regulation for Philadelphia. The Wings are 14-16 against the Knighthawks and are 4-9 at the Blue Cross Arena, last winning there on December 27, 2003 (13-7).

Last Week

The Wings were listless in a 20-13 loss to the Titans at Trenton's Sovereign Bank Arena. Geoff Snider led the Wings with six points while also winning 18 of 33 faceoffs. Rochester lost 12-11 at home to Chicago on Saturday.

NLL East Standings

Wings 7-2
Swarm 7-3
Rock 7-4
Bandits 7-5
Titans 6-5
Knighthawks 4-6
Shamrox 2-7

Wings Leaders

Goals: Athan Iannucci - 43
Assists: Jason Crosbie - 28
Points: Iannucci - 61
Loose Balls: Geoff Snider - 123
Shots on Goal: Iannucci - 157

Quotes from the New York game

Wings coach Dave Huntley: "I don't think we had a lot of energy. Hats off to them, they played terrific. They were very disciplined in every facet of the game. We got beat pretty much everywhere. We had a bad outing against Buffalo and came back and played well. Hopefully we'll do the same against Rochester. Obviously their backs are against the wall and maybe our backs are against the wall. We have to respond in the way we are capable."

Titans forward Casey Powell: "It got us above.500 and that's something we're shooting for this late in the season. It's great to do it against the number one team in Philly. We have a tough schedule ahead of us and this was an important win for us. We just have to keep it rolling. We're excited to come down the home stretch and play in front of our fans."

Next Game

The Wings will travel to Chicago to face the Shamrox on April 5 before returning home for a matchup with Toronto the following night (April 6).

Wings fall flat in Trenton visit

By Tom Hoffman

It sounded like a Wings home game, even though the schedule said it was a New York home game. And while the fans may have been into the game, somehow the Wings were not as the New York Titans maintained a solid record away from their actual home at Madison Square Garden and handed Philly a lopsided 20-13 win at Trenton's Sovereign Bank Arena Saturday evening. 5,239 attended the neutral site game where the Wings dropped to 7-2 and New York improved to 6-5.

The teams played an even opening 15 minutes before Athan Iannucci gave the Wings what would turn out to be their only lead of the night just 11 seconds into quarter number two. New York would then score the next four goals and six of seven to take an 8-4 lead. Jason Crosbie and Iannucci would get the Wings within a pair before a late Jordan Hall tally put the Titans up 9-6 at the half. The third quarter started slow, the first goal by New York's Casey Powell not coming until 7:16 had been played. Ryan Boyle upped the Titans lead to five goals just 34 seconds later before the Wings last real flurry of goals (Rob Van Beek, Iannucci's third of the night, where he was draped by four NY defenders and still was able to get the ball past Titans keeper Matt Vinc, and Jake Bergey's second) again made it a two goal deficit. Then, with Shawn Nadelen and Geoff Snider in the box, the New York powerplay would take over, igniting a five goal run that would put the game out of the Wings reach. The closest the Wings could get the rest of the night was within five goals but a pair of empty netters from Powell and Pat Maddalena would untimately seal up the Titans first ever win over Philadelphia.

Powell and Boyle each had four goals to lead the Titans, Powell adding seven assists to lead all players with 11 points on the night. Iannucci added four tallies for the Wings while Snider led the team with six points on a goal and five assists while winning 18 of 33 faceoffs. The Wings will look to rebound from this game when they visit Rochester next Saturday night.

Wings Half-Season Report Card

By-Kevin M. Neibauer

At the half way point, your Philadelphia Wings sit at the top of the entire league with a 7-1 record. Let's look at at what has gone right, and what very liittle has gone wrong.

Several factors have brought about the changes. Leadership, Coaching, and especially goaltending have made major positive changes.

Of course, the nearly five goal a game pace that Athan Iannucci is on has a lot to do with things as well.

Let's start with management. Lindsay Sanderson has always been one of the great lacrosse mimds of the day. Case in point with Sanderson, it may be just dumn luck, but he acqired Jason Crosbie for Sean Greenhalgh. Sanderson took some heat over that move, but Greenhqlgh suffered an injury and has not a game this year. Sanderson also "stole" AJ Shannon. The GM gave up Keith Cromwell, Dan Marohl and Matt Roik, none of whom were playing for a bonafide left handed shooter than will complement AI and Jake Bergey. Couple his knowledge with the talent and experience of Coach Dave Huntley and Chris Sanderson and you have the start of a great team.

Lindsay Sanderson was the coach the lasr few seasons, so why the big change this year?

Leadership abd goaltending. The defensive team has shown a ton of matuirity that is a huge boost.

Matt Roik, a very goodf goaltender battled with confidence and playing in the shadow of Dallas Eliuk. Roik was like the second boyfriend. You know, a girl has ger first love, they split up and go seperate ways.

The girl meets another guy, usually a great guy, but a guy who is usually doomed. Doomed because she still has feelings for the first love.

That was Matt Roik, he was doomed simply because he ws not Dallas Eliuk. But, in fairness, his defense was not always great in front of him.

Rob Blasdell has been just what the doctor ordered. Calm, cool and very talented, Blasdell has been a rock in the cage and is even beginning to contribute to the offense by jumpstarting fast breaks.

Defensively, the unit has stepped it up a great deal. Shawn Nadelen, Kyle Sweeney, Tom Hajek, John Christmas and especially Rob Van Beek are having career years.

Once the Wings get a lead late in the game, they are lethal. What is making them so lethal has been the face-off success of Geoff Snider. Snider seemed to struggle in the early going, with penalty issues.

Snider, a volatile player, has the fire that ignites the team. His temperment is his game. When he plays under control he is a main cog that runs the machine.


Athan Iannucci....what else can you say? MVP. 'Nooch" is going to be a great player for a long time. Jake Bergey....Comeback Player of the Year?
Merrick Thomson....in the running for Rookie of the Year.

The rookies have all played like veterans, Jamie Rooney, deadly shot negates his lack of size. Pat Heim has played very well, Jim Borell uses his speed to start the offnese, David Mitchell has played very well. A fan doesn't panic when he sees one of the "kids" on the floor.

Veteran leadership is big with all teams, especially this one. Peter Jacobs has been a calming force, silent leader type. Jake Bergey is making life easier for AI. Bergs is finally healthy and playing like he's 25.

The biggest additon to the team and the leadership role has been without a doubt, Jason Crosbie. Anyone who has been to practice or spoken with H
Jason can immediately feel his intensity.

Crosbie has been a major influence on the kids, especially, Merrick Thomson. Crosbie has this team believing and, more importantly, listening.

7-1, Eight games to go. But as Russ Cline stated, "7-2 is nice, but, all that is for sure right now is that the worst we can do is finsh 7-9, we haven't accomplished anything yet.....But, I feel good about this team."

So, two with Toronto, one with Rochester, Chicago, Minnesota, Portland and two crucual games with New York.

The Titans could be a thorn, its hard to beat a team three times in a season..

So, the overall grade would be an A-. All the great work means nothing unless the Championship is hoisted (hopefully in South Philly)


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