By Tom Hoffman
With no more off weeks for the rest of the season, the Philadelphia Wings will make their push for teh playoffs when they host the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday night. The Wings final regular season game against the West Division will start at 7:30 PM and can be seen on NLL.com.
History
All time the Wings hold a 26-12 record against the franchise that played in Baltimore (1987-1999), Pittsburgh (2000) and Washington (2001-2002) before moving to Denver. Since the move to the Mile High City, the Wings are 4-2 against the Mammoth and have won three straight in the series, including last season's 15-13 win at the Pepsi Center. In Philadelphia, the Wings are 14-4, with the last loss occurring in 2000 to the then Pittsburgh Crossefire.
Last Game
For the second straight game the Wings were shutout in the first quarter and could not come all the way back as they fell on a late goal to the Minnesota Swarm 13-12 on March 14th at the Wachovia Center. Athan Iannucci led the Wings with five goals and three assists while Rob Blasdell made 41 saves in relief of starter Brandon Miller.
Stats and Stuff
The Wings are third in the NLL in powerplay percentage (52.17) trailing only Calgary and San Jose. Philadelphia also leads the NLL with 10 shorthanded goals (Merrick Thomson scoring three).
The Wings lead the league in faceoff percentage (.650) and faceoffs won (195). Philly has taken 809 shots (most in the league) yet are just eighth in shots on goal (523). The Wings trail only Toronto in loose ball pickups (Tor. 895, Phila. 883).
Next for the Wings
Following the game with Colorado, the Wings will begin a key home and home weekend series with the New York Titans starting with a visit to the Prudential Center on Saturday, April 4th.